Monthly archives: April, 2025

Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI

The Atlantic – Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration. “Editor’s note: This search tool is part of The Atlantic’s investigation into the Library Genesis data set. You can read an analysis about LibGen and its contents here. Find The Atlantic’s search tool for movie and television writing used …

Subjects: AI, Copyright, Internet, Libraries, Search Engines

New Evidence That AI Can Scheme and Deceive

Skeptic: “The recent announcement of the Stargate Project, a $500 billion initiative led by OpenAI, Oracle, SoftBank, and MGX, underscores the rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and capabilities. While such developments hold immense potential, they also introduce critical security challenges, particularly concerning the potential for AI systems to deceive users. As AI becomes …

Subjects: AI, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Be aware of this sneaky Google phishing scam

The Verge: “Phishing scammers are bypassing Google’s DKIM authentication by using Google Sites to send fake “subpoena alerts” that appear to come from “[email protected].” The scam creates authentic-looking emails by entering email text as an app name, which Google automatically sends and then links directly to sites.google.com instead of accounts.google.com to steal credentials…”

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Mail, Internet, Search Engines

DOJ agrees to let DOGE access sensitive immigration case data

Washington Post [no paywall]: “Representatives of the U.S. DOGE Service have received permission to access a highly sensitive Justice Department system that contains information including the addresses and case histories of millions of legal and undocumented immigrants, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. The system — the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s Courts …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Records, Economy, Government Documents, Legal Research

Classification as Colonization: The Hidden Politics of Library Catalogs

Via LLRX: Classification as Colonization: The Hidden Politics of Library Catalogs – Assistant Professor and Cataloging & Discovery Librarian at Murphy Library, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Mike Olson’s research focuses on the intersection of information systems and social critique. In this timely and insightful article Olson discusses why and how library catalogs have always been battlegrounds …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Education, Knowledge Management, Libraries

These Are the Lawsuits Against Trump’s Executive Orders

“President Donald Trump unleashed a flurry of executive orders when he returned to the Oval Office, ranging from withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement on climate to ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government. The steps represented many of the Day One promises he made during his reelection campaign. “You’re going …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Courts, Government Documents, Legal Research

Librarians and teachers amongst the heaviest users of AI

The Distant Librarian: “OK, that’s a clickbait title, but only a little. They’re actually amongst the heaviest users of Claude, according to Anthropic (PDF), via the 2025 AI Index Report from Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered AI. The report itself is a 456-page PDF, so do start with the key takeaways, but then either search for specific …

Subjects: AI, Education, Internet, Knowledge Management, Libraries

Tracking the Trump Administration’s Harmful Executive Actions

Congressman Steve Cohen: “The Trump Administration has acted illegally and unconstitutionally in ways that weaken our democratic institutions, slow down our economy, roll back protections for public health and the environment, and put health care and Social Security benefits at risk for millions of Americans. And that’s just the start. I am committed to fighting …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Courts, Government Documents, Legal Research