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Daily Archives: July 28, 2019

Never-Googlers: Web users take the ultimate step to guard their data

Washington Post – As reports surface regarding how the online advertising giant tracks consumers, some try to reclaim their online footsteps. “…Kelly is one of a hearty few who are taking the ultimate step to keep their files and online life safe from prying eyes: turning off Google entirely. That means eschewing some of the most popular services on the Web, including Gmail, Google search, Google Maps, the Chrome browser, Android mobile operating software and even YouTube. Such never-Googlers are pushing friends and family to give up the search and advertising titan, while others are taking to social media to get word out. Online guides have sprouted up to help consumers untangle themselves from Google. These intrepid Web users say they’d rather deal with daily inconveniences than give up more of their data. That means setting up permanent vacation responders on Gmail and telling friends to resend files or video links that don’t require Google software. More than that, it takes a lot of discipline.

People like Kelly are trying to build barriers to Google and other tech giants largely due to increasing concerns about the massive data collection. A series of privacy scandals showing how these companies collect and use consumer data has raised alarm bells for many people about how much they’ve traded for customization and targeted ads. For example, a Washington Post investigation last month found more than 11,000 requests for tracking cookies in just one week of Web use on Google’s Chrome browser…”

Legal Research Software Battle II: AI Goes to Washington

Artificial Lawyer – Guest Post by Jake Heller, CEO, Casetext, the AI-driven legal research platform – “This article follows an invitation to several other legal research companies to do a live side-by-side comparison versus Casetext. Last year, Casetext invited ROSS, this time they invited Thomson Reuters’ Westlaw, BloombergLaw, and LexisNexis. As no rivals turned up, Casetext did their own reviews of… Continue Reading

You Are What You Watch? The Social Effects of TV

The New York Times – There’s new evidence that viewing habits can affect your thinking, political preferences, even cognitive ability. “Other than sleeping and working, Americans are more likely to watch television than engage in any other activity. A wave of new social science research shows that the quality of shows can influence us in… Continue Reading

Plain View Project

“The Plain View Project is a database of public Facebook posts and comments made by current and former police officers from several jurisdictions across the United States.  We present these posts and comments because we believe that they could undermine public trust and confidence in our police. In our view, people who are subject to… Continue Reading

Libraries contest lynda.com learning site privacy issues with new owner LinkedIn

Boing Boing: Linkedin to libraries: drop dead – “For years, libraries across America have paid to subscribe to lynda.com for online learning content; four years ago, lynda.com became a division of Linkedin, and this year, the company has informed libraries that they’re migrating all lynda.com users to Linkedin Learning, which would be fine, except Linkedin… Continue Reading

Federal Preemption: A Legal Primer

EveryCRSReport.com: Federal Preemption: A Legal Primer July 23, 2019 R45825 – “The Constitution’s Supremacy Clause provides that federal law is “the supreme Law of the Land” notwithstanding any state law to the contrary. This language is the foundation for the doctrine of federal preemption, according to which federal law supersedes conflicting state laws. The Supreme Court… Continue Reading

Government breaches – can you trust the US Government with your data?

Comparitech: “The US government suffered 443 data breaches since 2014, with 2018 being the worst year so far, according to a new study by Comparitech. Data breaches are often associated with the private sector—hackers break into databases owned by businesses to steal user data and other valuable information. But the government is also a frequent… Continue Reading

Proving you deserve $20,000 from the Equifax settlement will be nearly impossible

Follow-up to my previous posting – Equifax data breach settlement: How to file a claim for $125 or free credit reporting, please see the following information [h/t Pete Weiss]: Wired – “f you’re one of the 147 million people in the United States affected by the egregious Equifax credit bureau hack in 2017, you were… Continue Reading