Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Monthly Archives: June 2021

Rise of Delta variant brings mask question back, even for the vaccinated

CNN: “Nearly all the staff at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health are vaccinated against Covid-19. Yet they are all still wearing masks to work. These researchers, who are among the most well-versed in the tricks of the coronavirus, aren’t taking any chances. They’re advising the rest of the country and the world to be similarly careful as strains like the Delta variant arise and spread. “We still have a masking policy here, particularly in group situations,” Andrew Pekosz, a professor of immunology at Johns Hopkins who is studying the coronavirus, told CNN. “This pandemic isn’t over yet.”…

The Covid vaccine means a return to work. And a wave of resignations

NBC News: “First, due to the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, many employees who would have otherwise quit their jobs stayed put. Indeed, using the Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey to examine total (nonfarm) quits over the past two years, there were close to 6 million fewer resignations in 2020… Continue Reading

Join NYT Today for Netting Zero Virtual Event Series on Climate Change

“Each episode of Netting Zero brings together New York Times journalists with climate experts from business, policy, government, and civil society. Join us on July 1 to discuss our built environment – The New York Times  Thursday, July 11:30 p.m. E.T. | 10:30 a.m. P.T. | 6:30 p.m. B.S.T.  In the past year, as cities… Continue Reading

The Internet Is Rotting

The Atlantic – Too much has been lost already. The glue that holds humanity’s knowledge together is coming undone. By Jonathan Zittrain – “This absence of central control, or even easy central monitoring, has long been celebrated as an instrument of grassroots democracy and freedom. It’s not trivial to censor a network as organic and… Continue Reading

Law Library Launches Refreshed Website, Law.gov

In Custodia Legis – “The Law Library of Congress is proud to announce that we have refreshed our website, as of today, June 30, 2021. Our new, cleaner look should help you find the resources you are looking for in a more modern and streamlined way. Our homepage will take you to the most used… Continue Reading

The Overlapping Infrastructure of Urban Surveillance and How to Fix It

EFF Free Visual – The Overlapping Infrastructure of Urban Surveillance, and How to Fix It – “Between the increasing capabilities of local and state police, the creep of federal law enforcement into domestic policing, the use of aerial surveillance such as spy planes and drones, and mounting cooperation between private technology companies and the government, it… Continue Reading

Can Differential Privacy Save the Census?

An interview by MarkUp’s Editor-in-Chief Julia Angwin: “…What is  differential privacy and how does it work? I spoke this week with one of its inventors, Cynthia Dwork. She is the Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science at the Harvard Paulson School of Engineering, the Radcliffe Alumnae Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and… Continue Reading

How to create 3D arrows in PowerPoint

Tech Republic: “When you want to visually imply growth, steps, directions, output or even a process, you might choose an arrow shape. Arrows are one of the most commonly used shapes in PowerPoint, and fortunately there are many possibilities. However, I’ve found that many users don’t understand PowerPoint’s 3D formats and are often frustrated when… Continue Reading

Facial Recognition Technology: Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Should Better Assess Privacy and Other Risks

Facial Recognition Technology: Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Should Better Assess Privacy and Other Risks, GAO-21-518 Published: Jun 03, 2021. Publicly Released: Jun 29, 2021.  We surveyed 42 federal agencies that employ law enforcement officers about their use of facial recognition technology. 20 reported owning such systems or using systems owned by others 6 reported using… Continue Reading

Robocalls are out of control. But that could change after June 30

CNET: “A big deadline in the fight to beat back those annoying robocalls is coming tomorrow. As of June 30, every major voice provider in the US, including phone companies AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile and cable provider Comcast, will have to implement a technology called Stir/Shaken.That’s good news for everyone whose phone has been jangling… Continue Reading