Long COVID puzzle pieces are falling into place – the picture is unsettling

Long COVID is a term that describes the constellation of long-term health effects caused by infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These range from persistent respiratory symptoms, such as shortness of breath, to debilitating fatigue or brain fog that limits people’s ability to work, and conditions such as heart failure and diabetes, which are known to last a lifetime. New research and reports conclude that long COVID is a complex chronic condition that can result in more than 200 health effects across multiple body systems. Physician scientist, subject matter expert and author Ziyad Al-Aly helps us understand the science and the real world implications of suffering from Long Covid.

Subjects: Health, Healthcare, Medical Research

Donald Trump wants to reinstate a spoils system in federal government by hiring political loyalists regardless of competence

If elected to serve a second term, Donald Trump says he supports a spoils system, a plan that would give him the authority to fire as many as 50,000 civil servants and replace them with members of his political party loyal to him. Under this plan, if he eventually deemed those new employees disloyal, he claims he could fire them too. Law professors Sidney Shapiro and Joseph P. Tomain write in their new book How Government Built America about how newly elected President Andrew Jackson, after he took office in 1828, fired about half the country’s civil servants and replaced them with loyal members of his political party. The result was not only an utterly incompetent administration, but widespread corruption.

Subjects: Congress, Ethics, Legal Research, United States Law

How to Get a Discount on Your Car Insurance

As part of the reporting process for The Markup’s investigation into inequitable insurance pricing, they dug through more than 52,000 pages of documents that insurance companies filed with government regulators detailing their pricing algorithms. Aaron Sankin reports on the many different ways you can save some money on your car insurance, including built-in discounts that you could be taking advantage of. These discounts reward customers who could save insurers money in the long run by, say, taking steps to reduce their risk of getting in costly crashes or opting into features that lower companies’ administrative costs.

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Travel

Massive IT outage spotlights major vulnerabilities in the global information ecosystem

Professor Richard Forno highlights the fragility of our enterprise IT systems against the backdrop of the global information technology outage on July 19, 2024 that paralyzed organizations ranging from airlines to hospitals and the delivery of uniforms for the Olympic Games, representing a growing concern for cybersecurity professionals, businesses and governments.

Subjects: Cybersecurity, Economy, Financial System, Health, Information Management, Software

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, July 20, 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: This is likely the biggest password leak ever: nearly 10 billion credentials exposed; How to Stay Safe From Third-Party Seller Scams; The US Supreme Court Kneecapped US Cyber Strategy; DOJ Leads Efforts Among Federal, International, and Private Sector Partners to Disrupt Covert Russian Government-Operated Social Media Bot Farm.

Subjects: AI, Congress, Cybersecurity, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media, United States Law

AI In Finance and Banking – July 15, 2024

This semi-monthly column by Sabrina I. Pacifici highlights news, government documents, papers by economists, NGO/IGOs, speeches, and industry white papers 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: We need bold minds to challenge AI, not lazy prompt writers, bank CIO says; Managing AI in banking: are we ready to cooperate?; The gen AI gender gap; Will User-Contributed AI Training Data Eat Its Own Tail?; Demand for Artificial Intelligence in Settlement Negotiations; and Artificial intelligence – a central bank’s view.

Subjects: AI, AI in Banking and Finance, Big Data, Economy, Financial System, Legal Research

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, July 13, 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: How AI Is Helping Scammers, and How You and Your Family Can Stay Safe Online; Every [smart] Phone Can ID Your Router – Here’s How to Stop It; Opinion | Driving Apps Like Google Maps Drive Me Crazy; and 10 Security Tips for Business Travelers This Summer.

Subjects: AI, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Privacy, Social Media

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, July 6, 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. Eight highlights from this week: US car dealerships are recovering from massive cyberattack: 3 things you should know; Deepfake attacks will cost $40 billion by 2027; FTC – Who’s who in scams: a spring roundup; Cloudflare is taking a stand against AI website scrapers; Microsoft tells more customers their emails have been stolen; Tips to Make Facebook and Instagram Fun Again; and How to Stop ChatGPT Training On Your Data.

Subjects: AI, Communication Skills, Cybersecurity, Economy, Email Security, Financial System, Healthcare, Privacy, Social Media, Travel

LLRX June 2024 Issue

Articles and Columns for June 2024 Protecting the Vulnerable: Navigating Online Risks for Minors – Veronica Garrick’s paper is an insightful, factual and timely discussion of how in today’s digital age, minors are exposed to technology at a young age, presenting both great opportunities and risks. Online risks include data privacy breaches, access to inappropriate, …

Subjects: KM

Protecting the Vulnerable: Navigating Online Risks for Minors

Veronica Garrick’s paper is an insightful, factual and timely discussion of how in today’s digital age, minors are exposed to technology at a young age, presenting both great opportunities and risks. Online risks include data privacy breaches, access to inappropriate, cyberbullying, and online child predators. These challenges can have negative long-lasting effects, including privacy, mental, emotional, and physical safety. Addressing these risks associated with increased technology among minors requires a collaborative effort across many sectors.  If communities, government, law enforcement, online platforms, and tech companies work together, they can minimize these risks. Once they start prioritizing online safety and implementing new safeguards, children can explore the digital world securely and safely.

Subjects: Congress, Cybercrime, Cyberlaw, Cybersecurity, Federal Legislative Research, Government Resources, Legal Research, Privacy, United States Law