Category «Economy»

Career civil service across the government fired, programs suspended – list continues to grow

Democracy, the Constitution, the Federal Government – All At Risk. Since his inauguration on January 20, 2025 Donald Trump has rapidly implemented key recommendations of Project 2025 using actions executed by non career government personnel as well conservative public policy think tank members to create chaos, instill fear in the workforce, and freeze the delivery of health and medical services, food and nutrition programs, critical scientific and medical research, and the security of our homeland. In light of the ongoing issuance of directives, orders, firings, freezes to government funding, immigration raids, threats of action against specific groups and communities, and the list goes on, this report by Sabrina I. Pacifici will be published in several parts, with updates added to include new documents, actions by courts and Congress, and additional details on programs impacted.

Subjects: Congress, CRS Reports, Economy, Financial System, Government Resources, Leadership, Legal Research, Management, Telecommuting

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, January 26, 2025

Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Five highlights from this week: The double-edged sword of AI and cybersecurity; Trump Seeks to Paralyze Independent Privacy and Civil Liberties Watchdog; Cybersecurity Alert: Users Deceived By Fake Google CAPTCHA Pages; Candy Crush, Tinder, MyFitnessPal: See the Thousands of Apps Hijacked to Spy on Your Location; and Your phone is listening. Do you care?.

Subjects: Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Cybercrime, Economy, Financial System, Privacy, Social Media

AI in Finance and Banking, January 15, 2025

This semi-monthly column by Sabrina I. Pacifici highlights news, government documents, NGO/IGO papers, conferences, industry white papers and reports, academic papers and speeches, and central bank actions on the subject of AI’s fast paced impact on the banking and finance sectors. The chronological links provided are to the primary sources, and as available, indicate links to alternate free versions. Six highlights from this post: Wall Street Faces 200,000 Job Cuts as AI Transforms the Workforce; Can We Statically Locate Knowledge in Large Language Models? Financial Domain and Toxicity Reduction Case Studies; AI Financial Advisers Target Young People Living Paycheck to Paycheck; How AI is changing banking jobs: Rise of the ‘AI whisperer’; Your AI credit models are fine, but their training data is problematic; and Great Southern loan officers use gen AI to ‘chat’ with data.

Subjects: AI in Banking and Finance, Economy, Education

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, January 11, 2025

Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Four highlights from this week: A Day in the Life of a Prolific Voice Phishing Crew; 33 Chrome extensions that have been found to have malware; Experian Conducted ‘Sham Investigations’ Into Errors in Its Credit Reports; and Lie About Your Birthday.

Subjects: AI, Cybersecurity, Economy, Financial System, Privacy, Social Media

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, December 28, 2024

Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Five highlights from this week: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sued the operator of Zelle, as well as Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo “for failing to protect consumers from widespread fraud” at the payment provider; You Need to Create a Secret Password With Your Family; North Korean Hackers Deploy OtterCookie Malware in Contagious Interview Campaign; How to block Chrome from signing you into a Google account automatically; and Mobile Phishing Attacks Use New Tactic to Bypass Security Measures.

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Economy, Financial System, Legal Research, Privacy, Search Engines

No flood gauges, no warning: 99% of US streams are off the radar amid rising flash flood risks – we saw the harm in 2024

Flooding is one of the deadliest and costliest natural disasters in the U.S., causing billions of dollars in damage each year. In 2024 alone, floods destroyed homes in over a dozen states and claimed more than 165 lives. Julie Arbit, Brad Bottoms and Branko Kerkez identify how thesedisasters underscore the importance of fast, accurate flood warnings. They’re also a reminder that extensive gaps still exist in the systems that monitor U.S. stream levels.

Subjects: Disaster Planning, Economy, Energy, Environmental Law, Financial System

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, December 21, 2024

Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Four highlights from this week: The Breachies 2024: The Worst, Weirdest, Most Impactful Data Breaches of the Year; Lawmakers tell Apple, Google to prepare for TikTok ban; CISA lays out how agencies, industry should respond to major cyber incidents; and Warning: A New Scam Targets Consumers with Unsolicited Gifts and Malicious QR Codes.

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Economy, Financial System, Social Media

AI in Finance and Banking – December 16, 2024

This semi-monthly column by Sabrina I. Pacifici highlights news, government documents, NGO/IGO papers, conferences, industry white papers and reports, academic papers and speeches, and central bank actions on the subject of AI’s fast paced impact on the banking and finance sectors. The chronological links provided are to the primary sources, and as available, indicate links to alternate free versions. Five highlights from this post: Generative artificial intelligence and cyber security in central banking; Research: How Gen AI Is Already Impacting the Labor Market; Wall Street’s AI-powered rally risks ‘correction’, Vanguard warns; Regulating AI in the financial sector: recent developments and main challenges; Large language models: a primer for economists; and AI and the Labor Market: Will Firms Hire, Fire, or Retrain?

Subjects: AI in Banking and Finance, Cybersecurity, Economy, Education, Legal Research

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, November 30, 2024

Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Four highlights from this week: Surveillance Self-Defense Tips, Tools and How-tos for Safer Online Communications; Australia Makes History With Social Media Ban for Under 16s; Crypto companies are losing ground to deepfake attacks; and Coast Guard adds new cyber requirements for ship-to-shore cranes.

Subjects: Cryptocurrency, Cybercrime, Cyberlaw, Cybersecurity, Economy, Privacy, Social Media

The New Administration: A Boon for Investigative Journalism

This commentary by Michael Ravnitzky highlights the critical period ahead for investigative journalism under the new presidential administration. Controversial stances and policy shifts will provide many more opportunities than usual for journalists to uncover and report on critical issues, ensuring that the administration’s actions are thoroughly examined and the public remains well-informed.

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Legal Research, United States Law