Articles and Columns for February 2023

• The expanding role of technology in the law firm business model – The premise of this article by COO and legal technologist Kenneth Jones is that individual capabilities and excellence (either legal or technical) standing alone are not enough to ensure long-term, sustainable success. No superstar technologist or lawyer is equipped to do it all, as there are too many specialties and functional roles which need to be filled. Rather, a better approach is to construct team-based, cross-functional units that offer greater operational efficiency while building in layers of redundancy that reduce the potential for surprises, errors, or disruption. This comprehensive and actionable guide validates deploying the cross-functional team approach across the enterprise.
• Satellite data: The other type of smartphone data you might not know about – Subject matter experts Tommy Cooke, Alicia Sabatino, Benjamin Muller and Kirstie Ball used critical code and documentary research methods to identify that raw satellite location measurement data are perpetually created in our devices all the time. Because satellite data are building blocks used by our phones to determine where we are, they don’t always get turned off — nor are they collected and treated the same way as location data. The collection and use of these data are a significant risk to our privacy.
• Book Review: Lawyer’s Guide to Collaboration Tools – Attorney and legal tech expert Jerry Lawson’s positive review of this new book states: “It’s the best way to spend $100 I can imagine for any lawyer looking to improve their bottom line. Any lawyer who wants to lead the way (or at least avoid being crushed by inevitable changes) needs this book.”
• The Efficacy of ChatGPT: Is it Time for the Librarians to Go Home? – In preparation for a presentation about race and academic libraries, Curtis Kendrick, formerly Dean and currently Binghamton University Libraries Faculty and Staff mentor, tried ChatGPT (Jan 9 version) to see what it (they?) had to say. He was curious about how it worked and how accurately it responded to queries. For our consideration, Kendrick offers his analysis of this interaction.
• What the First Amendment really says – 4 basic principles of free speech in the US – Lynn Greenky, Associate Professor of Communication and Rhetorical Studies, Syracuse University delves into Elon Musk’s claim that he believes in free speech no matter what. He calls it a bulwark against tyranny in America and promises to reconstruct Twitter, which he now owns, so that its policy on free expression “matches the law.” Yet his grasp of the First Amendment – the law that governs free speech in the U.S. – appears to be quite limited. And he’s not alone.
• ChatGPT: What It Is And Why It Matters To Lawyers – Attorney and legal technologist Nicole Black cautions user that ChatGPT is a great start, but that’s all it is. No matter what you’re using ChatGPT for, whether for personal or professional reasons, you’ll need to have a full understanding of the topic at hand and thoroughly review, edit, and supplement the draft language it provides you.
• ChatGPT is a data privacy nightmare. If you’ve ever posted online, you ought to be concerned – ChatGPT has taken the world by storm. Within two months of its release it reached 100 million active users, making it the fastest-growing consumer application ever launched. Users are attracted to the tool’s advanced capabilities – and concerned by its potential to cause disruption in various sectors. A much less discussed implication is the privacy risks ChatGPT poses to each and every one of us. Just yesterday, Google unveiled its own conversational AI called Bard, and others will surely follow. Technology companies working on AI have well and truly entered an arms race. Uri Gal identifies a significant issue not discussed in the current hype – this technology is fuelled by our personal data.
• The new climate denial? Using wealth to insulate yourself from discomfort and change – Hannah Della Bosca, PhD Candidate and Research Assistant at Sydney Environment Institute, University of Sydney addresses a distinct form of emerging climate denial. You may have experienced it and not even realised. It’s called implicatory denial, and it happens when you consciously recognise climate change as a serious threat without making significant changes to your everyday behaviour in response.
• Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, February 26, 2023 – Four highlights from this week: These 26 words ‘created the internet.’ Now the Supreme Court may be coming for them; Global internet connectivity at risk from climate disasters; Zelle fraud claims surge. How can you protect yourself?; and Email security still has a forwarding problem.
• Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, February 18, 2023 – Four highlights from this week: GAO Cybersecurity High-Risk Series: Challenges in Protecting Privacy and Sensitive Data; Now for sale: Data on your mental health; How to Prepare for a Lost, Stolen or Broken Smartphone; and ChatGPT Amendment Shows the EU is Regulating by Outrage.
• Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, February 11, 2023 – Four highlights from this week: How to safely use payment apps; NY attorney general forces spyware vendor to alert victims; Welcome to the Era of Internet; and Does Big Brother Microsoft see you on Windows 11?
• Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, February 4, 2023 – Four highlights from this week: Have a Conversation (Not a Lecture) About Fraud With Older Adults; List of consumer reporting companies; Cybersecurity High-Risk Series: Challenges in Securing Federal Systems and Information; and NIST debuts long-anticipated AI risk management framework.

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