LLRX – Page 3 – Law and Technology Resources for Legal Professionals

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

LLRX September 2024 Issue

Articles and Columns for September 2024 When Should Presenters Apologize? – Referencing decades of experience as a presenter and an attendee at presentations, Jerry Lawson cautions us not to begin a presentation with an apology, which can be compelled by a tech glitch or some other reason not within our control. Lawson states that the habit …

Subjects: KM

AI in Banking and Finance, September 30, 2024

This semi-monthly column by Sabrina I. Pacifici highlights news, government reports, NGO/IGO papers, industry white papers, academic papers and speeches 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: Economic Policy Challenges for the Age of AI; How to Build Trust in Answers Given by Generative Ai for Specific and Vague Financial Questions; AI-Enabled Value Creation in International Business: Crossing the Boundary of Bounded Rationality; The rise of generative AI: modelling exposure, substitution and inequality effects on the US labour market; Intelligent financial system: how AI is transforming finance; and Is AI the Cornerstone for Financial Inclusion?

Subjects: AI in Banking and Finance, Cryptocurrency, Economy, Financial System

When Should Presenters Apologize?

Referencing decades of experience as a presenter and an attendee at presentations, Jerry Lawson cautions us not to begin a presentation with an apology, which can be compelled by a tech glitch or some other reason not within our control. Lawson states that the habit of beginning with an apology is so old that it has a name in Medieval rhetoric, the captatio benevolentiae, meaning an attempt to capture the audience’s goodwill. Most importantly, It doesn’t work. Lawson highlights a range of scenarios for which an apology or no apology, are appropriate. His lesson applies to far more than presentations, as these reactions are common in a work environment where they may indeed not serve your objectives.

Subjects: Communication Skills, Continuing Legal Education, Education, Presentation Skills

2024 Link Guide to Employment Resources

This employment resources guide by Marcus P. Zillman spans multiple sectors, sources in the private and public sectors, on-site and remote work, job search engines, resume building resources, identifying job titles and respective skill requirements, and is inclusive of a focus on new job seekers and those with years of experience. Some of the sources such as LinkedIn will be familiar, but many will be new to you and will add capabilities to your efforts to develop and execute a successful job search process.

Subjects: Communication Skills, Economy, Education, Job Hunting

The ‘publish or perish’ mentality is fuelling research paper retractions – and undermining science

The “publish or perish” paradigm is increasingly antithetical to the process of scientists making important discoveries, both big and small, and then typically publishing their findings in scientific journals for others to read. This sharing of knowledge helps to advance science: it can, in turn, lead to more important discoveries. But published research papers can be retracted if there is an issue with their accuracy or integrity. And, according to research shared by Nham Tran, in recent years, the number of retractions has been rising sharply. For example, in 2023 more than 10,000 research papers were retracted globally. This marked a new record, and in combination with AI’s impact on scientific publishing, has created a volatile environment in which scholarly literature is increasingly challenged for data accuracy.

Subjects: Education, KM

How to Sign Up for Local Emergency Alerts Before Natural Disasters Strike

Natural disasters have affected nearly 90 percent of U.S. counties since 2013, and while many households know about preparing emergency kits, a recent FEMA survey found a large drop in how many people are signed up to receive emergency alerts and warnings. Early warning systems save lives during disasters. To ensure you can receive these warnings via your phone, text, or email, Natasha Uzcátegui-Liggett recommends and walks you through turning on your phone’s alerts and signing up for your local government’s emergency alert system.

Subjects: Disaster Planning

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, September 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. Five highlights from this week: FTC Says Social Media Platforms Engage in ‘Vast Surveillance’ of Users; AI voices are officially too realistic; Tor Network Denies Report That ‘Anonymity Is Completely Canceled’; ‘Terrorgram’ Charges Show US Has Had Tools to Crack Down on Far-Right Terrorism All Along; and DuckDuckGo Joins AI Chat, Promises Enhanced Anonymity.

Subjects: AI, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Internet Trends, Privacy, Search Engines, Search Strategies, Social Media, Spyware, Technology Trends