David Rothman proposes that the time may be fast upon us for libraries — perhaps allied with academic institutions, newspapers and other local media — to start their own more trustworthy Facebook. His involvement with the Digital Public Library of America provides a reference point and support for the integral role that this new model of virtual connectivity and knowledge sharing can play moving forward.
Well known graphic artists Jake O’Neil and Spencer Belkofer created this infographic out of a sense of urgency to visualize the salient information with as many communities as possible. This bill, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011, has not garnered the media coverage of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), but its high impact implications target key legal issues involving privacy and intellectual property.
In Part 1 of his commentary, Ken Strutin discusses how the growth of social media and social networking applications has permeated and extended the range of legal investigation, discovery and litigation. The materials he highlights represent a current sampling of notable developments in law enforcement, law practice, civil and criminal litigation, and technology’s influence on human behavior.
Nicole L. Black highlights how our net activities are carefully monitored and meticulously tracked by some of the biggest players, including Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Facebook. Our individual online footprints, from the Web sites we visit, the items we purchase, the people with whom we communicate, to the locations where we access the Internet, are extremely valuable commodities that are increasingly sought after.
The court decisions, ethics opinions and articles comprising Ken Strutin’s guide provide background into current legal thinking about covert investigations, and include recent publications addressing online pretexting as well as the privacy limits of social media.
Conrad J. Jacoby addresses the issues of whether discovery requests served on the company also extend to home computers, cell phones, and other equipment personally owned by employees of the company.
Beth Wellington’s commentary reviews legislative activity, advocacy group positions and news articles related to proposed changes to portions of the Protect America Act.
LaJean Humphries identifies the wide range of social networking sites with which researchers should be knowlegeable, and addresses legal, privacy and ethical concerns associated with their use. She also provides a bibliography of books, articles and reports that focus on the impact of social networking applications.
Could you be sued for turning over an Internet user’s sign-up information to law enforcement? A cautionary tale for libraries and other Internet service providers
By Mary Minow