Author archives

Skimming, scanning, scrolling – the age of deep reading is over

Financial Times (read free): “…Digital reading appears to be destroying habits of “deep reading”. Stunning numbers of people with years of schooling are effectively illiterate. Admittedly, nostalgics have been whining about new media since 1492, but today’s whines have an evidential basis. To quote this month’s Ljubljana Reading Manifesto, signed by publishers’ and library associations, …

Subjects: Education, Internet, Knowledge Management, Libraries

A Real-Time Website Privacy Inspector

BlackLight – “A Real-Time Website Privacy Inspector. Who is peeking over your shoulder while you work, watch videos, learn, explore, and shop on the internet? Enter the address of any website, and Blacklight will scan it and reveal the specific user-tracking technologies on the site—and who’s getting your data. You may be surprised at what …

Subjects: Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy, Search Engines

AI’s Threats to Election Security

Brennan Center for Justice: “Increasing awareness of the power of artificial intelligence coincides with growing public anxiety about the future of democracy, with significant concern about AI’s potential to harm elections. A new series from the Brennan Center and Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology explores how AI could impact various parts of …

Subjects: AI, Censorship, Congress, Cybercrime, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation, Social Media

Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index

“Mercer and CFA Institute have released the 15th annual Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index (MCGPI). The Netherlands’ retirement income system has regained the top spot on the list, with Iceland and Denmark taking second and third places respectively.  “The average age of populations around the world continues to rise in many markets, mainly more …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System

Silicon Valley Ditches News, Shaking an Unstable Industry

The New York Times via Yahoo: “Campbell Brown, Facebook’s top news executive, left the company this month. Twitter, now known as X, removed headlines from the platform days later. The head of Instagram’s Threads app, an X competitor, reiterated that his social network would not amplify news. Even Google — the strongest partner to news …

Subjects: E-Commerce, Internet, Knowledge Management, Social Media

Israel and Hamas October 2023 Conflict: Frequently Asked Questions

CRS – Israel and Hamas October 2023 Conflict: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), Updated October 20, 2023. [77 pages] “…Hamas’s attack preparations may have extended over several years. Possible motivating factors for the attacks’ timing include the potential to disrupt Arab-Israeli normalization efforts, bolster Hamas’s domestic and regional position, capitalize on Israeli political turmoil, and use …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Legal Research

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, October 21, 2023

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, October 21, 2023 – 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 …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Commerce, E-Records, Government Documents, Legal Research, Microsoft, Privacy, Search Engines

Mozilla’s first-ever Annual Consumer Creep-O-Meter

“Mozilla’s Annual Consumer Creep-O-Meter distills what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s just plain creepy in the world of consumer tech. Since 2017, Mozilla has published 15 editions of *Privacy Not Included, our consumer tech buyers guide. We’ve reviewed over 500 gadgets, apps, cars, and more, assessing their security features, what data they collect, and who …

Subjects: Health Care, Internet, Privacy, Search Engines, Social Media, Transportation

Using AI to Comply With Book Bans Makes Those Laws More Dangerous

Brennan Center for Justice: “In August, a public school district in Iowa reportedly used ChatGPT to help it comply with the state’s controversial book ban law. That law—like counterparts passed in Florida, Texas, Missouri, Utah, and South Carolina—seeks to limit discussion of gender identity and sexuality in schools by barring school libraries from carrying books that …

Subjects: AI, Censorship, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Search Engines

AI is learning from stolen intellectual property. It needs to stop.

Washington Post – William D. Cohan is a best-selling author and a founding partner of Puck News: “The other day someone sent me the searchable database published by The Atlantic that have been used to train the generative AI systems being developed by Meta, Bloomberg and others. It turns out that four of my seven …

Subjects: AI, Copyright, Intellectual Property, Internet, Legal Research

Social Media’s ‘Frictionless Experience’ for Terrorists

The Atlantic [read free]: “These platforms were already imperfect. Now extremist groups are making sophisticated use of their vulnerabilities. The incentives of social media have long been perverse. But in recent weeks, platforms have become virtually unusable for people seeking accurate information….Social media has long encouraged the sharing of outrageous content. Posts that stoke strong …

Subjects: Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Social Media