Category «Other»

Book Review – Watchdogs: Inspectors General and the Battle for Honest and Accountable Government

The 2024 election results have prompted discussion about the effectiveness of “guardrails” that might restrain Presidential activities that could harm the nation. Jerry Lawson’s review notes that Glenn Fine’s new book, Watchdogs: Inspectors General and the Battle of Honest and Accountable Government is a timely and welcome contribution to the national debate. Fine has had considerable experience with Offices of Inspectors General (OIGs), one of the key institutions that serve as limits to corrupt or overreaching Executive Branch actions.

Subjects: Book Reviews, Government Resources, Legal Research, United States Law

AI harm is often behind the scenes and builds over time – a legal scholar explains how the law can adapt to respond

The often-overlooked consequences of AI applications call for regulatory frameworks that can keep pace with this rapidly evolving technology. Prof. Sylvia Lu studies the intersection of law and technology, and has outlined a legal framework to do just that.

Subjects: AI, Courts & Technology, Cybersecurity, Legal Research, Privacy, United States Law

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, November 23, 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: Thieves are using Google Maps to target homes; Microsoft’s anti competitive behavior weakens its customers’ cybersecurity; How and where to report cybercrime: What you need to know; Legislation introduced to address foreign supply chain threats; Use These 4 Apps and Tools to Detect Phishing Emails

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Email Security, Federal Legislative Research, Privacy

How Do I Protect My Privacy If I’m Seeking an Abortion?

The reelection of former president Donald Trump is almost certain to disrupt the future of reproductive rights in the U.S. The president-elect has pledged to leave abortion up to states but could appoint anti-abortion leaders to federal positions or begin enforcing anachronistic laws that limit access. Meanwhile, measures to protect or expand abortion access on Election Day failed in Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota, and nearly 20 other states have banned or severely restricted abortion since the 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade. This important, timely and comprehensive guide to keeping your plans private through every step of an abortion in any state, including Florida and South Dakota is by Tomas Apodaca.

Subjects: Government Resources, Healthcare, Legal Research, Privacy, United States Law

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, November 2, 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: DHS cyber review board to investigate Chinese hack of US telecom as victim net widens; Stolen credit cards up for grabs on Meta’s Threads; Feds warn of AI voice spoofing in healthcare; and The Vanishing Culture report arrives today at a critical moment.

Subjects: AI, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Commerce, Education, Financial System, Healthcare, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media

Artificial Intelligence and Unconscious Bias Risk

Elizabeth Sweetland reviews: Meredith Broussard, More than a Glitch: Confronting Race, Gender, and Ability Bias in Tech (MIT Press 2023). 248 Pages. Available from MIT Press, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Subjects: AI, Book Reviews, Healthcare, Legal Research

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, October 12, 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: Why Multi-factor authentication (MFA) alone won’t protect you in the age of adversarial AI; HHS to crack down on providers blocking access to electronic medical records; Justice Department, Microsoft disrupt Russian intelligence cyber scheme; and Reports: China hacked Verizon and AT&T, may have accessed US wiretap systems.

Subjects: AI, Cybersecurity, Healthcare, Privacy, Technology Trends

The Heritage Foundation’s Reckless Misuse of FOIA to Target Individuals

In this Opinion, researched and authored by Michael Ravnitzky, he says that the Heritage Foundation’s current public records campaign is an abuse of the FOIA process. In recent years, the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project and its publishing spinoff, The Daily Signal, have filed an unprecedented and overwhelming number of FOIA requests – 65,000 according to Reuters and more than 50,000 according to ProPublica. According to recent articles, the goal of the requests is to scrutinize government employees’ communications, to identify (for example, individuals using keywords or phrases such as “climate change”, “reduction in force” or DEI) and potentially remove civil servants perceived as obstructive to Trump’s agenda, in preparation for a potential Trump administration.

Subjects: Digital Archives, E-Discovery, Freedom of Information, Government Resources, Legal Research, United States Law