Monthly archives: February, 2026

Follow the Changes: 9 Ways Web Archives are Used in Digital Investigations

Internet Archive Blogs: “Digital journalists increasingly turn to web archives like the Wayback Machine to follow how things on the Internet break, change or disappear – from deleted posts to quietly edited pages. The web has become not only a source of information but also the subject of media investigations, prompting journalists, researchers and activists …

Subjects: E-Records, Internet, Legal Research, Search Engines

Air pollution emerges as a direct risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease

ABCNews: “In a study of nearly 28 million older Americans, long-term exposure to fine particle air pollution raised the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. That link held even after researchers accounted for common conditions like high blood pressure, stroke and depression. Fine particle air pollution, known as PM2.5, consists of tiny particles in the air that …

Subjects: Climate Change, Environmental Law, Health Care, Medicine

Trump Order Aims to Boost Weedkiller Targeted in Health Lawsuits

“Trump signed an executive order invoking the Defense Production Act to increase domestic production of glyphosate and elemental phosphorus, calling both “critical to the national defense” and that shortages of the weedkiller would add “pressure to the domestic food system.” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. supported the move, despite his past …

Subjects: Courts, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research

AI-Generated Passwords Are Apparently Quite Easy to Crack

Gizmodo: “The era of AI has not been particularly great for cybersecurity. We know that vibe-coded websites and apps have been a hotbed of security flaws that leave the platforms vulnerable to attacks. It turns out that vibe-generating your passwords also puts you at risk. New research from cybersecurity firm Irregular found that passwords generated …

Subjects: AI, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Internet

White House Webpage Pushing Save Our Elections Act

Using the federal government official White House site, the Save our Elections Now is pushing hard to force Congress to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act or the SAVE Act.  Quoting the text on this page the goals and rationale are as follows: A Valid ID Before Registering to Vote in a Federal Election …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, E-Government, E-Records, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

Microsoft Says Bug Causes Copilot To Summarize Confidential Emails

“Microsoft says a Microsoft 365 Copilot bug has been causing the AI assistant to summarize confidential emails since late January, bypassing data loss prevention (DLP) policies that organizations rely on to protect sensitive information. According to a service alert seen by BleepingComputer, this bug (tracked under CW1226324 and first detected on January 21) affects the …

Subjects: AI, E-Mail, E-Records, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy

The Worst-Case Future for White-Collar Workers

The Atlantic Gift Article: “…the labour market for office workers is beginning to shift. Americans with a bachelor’s degree account for a quarter of the unemployed, a record. High-school graduates are finding jobs quicker than college graduates, an unprecedented trend. Occupations susceptible to AI automation have seen sharp spikes in joblessness. Businesses really are shrinking …

Subjects: AI, Economy, Education, Knowledge Management

Maryland bans partnerships with ICE citing ‘unaccountable agents’

Follow up to my post today – Delegation of Immigration Authority Section 287(g) Immigration and Nationality Act – See Also via the Washington Post: “Gov. Wes Moore signed legislation ending 287(g) agreements between the state’s law enforcement agencies and the federal immigration enforcement agency. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed into law Tuesday emergency legislation …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

Urgent warning to headphone wearers as toxic chemicals discovered in popular devices

Daily Mail: Urgent warning to headphone-wearers as scientists discover TOXIC cancer-causing chemicals in 81 popular devices from Bose, Panasonic, Samsung and Sennheiser. ..Scientists from the European ToxFree LIFE for All project tested commercially available headphones for ‘endocrine–disrupting’ chemicals. These compounds include the so–called ‘forever chemicals’ bisphenol A (BPA) and the similar bisphenol S (BPS), which …

Subjects: Environmental Law, Health Care

Trump Action Tracker

Trump Action Tracker – “Documenting the actions, statements, and plans of President Trump and his administration that echo those of authoritarian regimes and may pose a threat to American democracy, since January 2025…This project is led by Professor Christina Pagel, a UK-based health services researcher and science communicator. She created and maintains the dataset underlying …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Climate Change, Congress, Defense, Economy, Education, Energy, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

Delegation of Immigration Authority Section 287(g) Immigration and Nationality Act

ICE.gov: “ICE’s 287(g) Program The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 added Section 287(g) to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), authorizing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to delegate state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration officer functions under ICE’s direction and oversight. Likewise, Title 25 …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Privacy

She’s Back! Wisdom The Incredible Laysan Albatross Has Returned

Medium – “The world’s oldest known wild bird, Wisdom, the Laysan albatross, has returned to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge to nest. Wisdom, the Laysan albatross (or mōlī in Hawaiian), Phoebastria immutabilis, has once again returned to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge to nest. She was originally banded as she incubated an egg on 10 …

Subjects: Climate Change, Environmental Law