Author archives

33 million voters have been run through a Trump administration citizenship check

NPR: “Tens of millions of voters have had their citizenship status and other information checked using a revamped tool offered by the Trump administration, even as many states — led by both Democrats and Republicans — are refusing or hesitating to use it because of outstanding questions about the system. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, E-Records, Free Speech, Government Documents, Legal Research, Privacy

How woodpeckers provide the heartbeat of forests and neighborhoods

Seattle Times: “This is an edited excerpt from Paul Bannick’s new book, “Woodpecker: A Year in the Life of North American Woodpeckers.” (Published by Braided River, an imprint of Mountaineers Books, $39.95). In the early spring as night’s darkest hour melts to dawn, you can hear the haunting calls of owls, soon followed by the …

Subjects: Climate Change, Environmental Law, Recommended Books

Visualizing Distribution of Jobs and Income

“The Washington Post has created a visualization using Bureau of Labor Statistics data to show how salaries vary within and across U.S. occupations. Each cluster of circles represents a job category, such as healthcare practitioners, with positions within that role, such as pharmacy technicians and registered nurses, sized by number of workers and spread vertically …

Subjects: Economy, Education, Energy, Financial System, Food and Nutrition, Libraries, Transportation

AI in Finance and Banking, September 15, 2025

Via LLRX – AI in Finance and Banking, September 15, 2025 – This semi-monthly column by Sabrina I. Pacifici highlights news, government documents, NGO/IGO papers, conferences, industry white papers and reports, academic papers and speeches, and central bank actions on the subject of AI’s fast paced impact on the banking and finance sectors. The chronological links provided …

Subjects: AI, E-Records, Economy, Financial System, Legal Research

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, September 13, 2025

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, September 13, 2025 – 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 the …

Subjects: AI, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Records, Privacy, Search Engines, Social Media

How to turn off autoplay on your social media feeds

Tech Crunch: “There are times when you may want to prevent videos and GIFs from automatically playing in your social media feeds. This could be because you’re trying to conserve cellular data, limit the addictiveness of these apps, or maintain better control over your viewing experience, as when a video is going viral that you …

Subjects: Social Media

US investors in spyware firms nearly tripled in 2024: report

The Record: The number of U.S.-based investors bankrolling spyware companies nearly tripled in 2024, with 31 American firms found to be backing the manufacturers compared to just 11 in 2023. The finding was published by the Atlantic Council think tank in a report released Wednesday which analyzed 561 spyware entities — vendors, supplies, partners, investors, …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Mail, E-Records, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy, Search Engines, Social Media

What Is Browser Fingerprinting? (And How to Stop It!)

YouTube “Every day when you browse the internet, you share identifiable information about your device and browser that companies use to target you with advertising and track your activity across the web. In this video interview with Ruihildt from the Mullvad Browser team, we uncover how this tracking technology works and how you can fight …

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

Why AI Cheats: The Deep Psychology Behind Deep Learning

Psychology Today – AI cheats not because it’s broken, but because it has learned our own bad habit. Key points: AI cheats because its reward system favors pleasing answers over truthful ones. AI mirrors human biases by reinforcing user preferences instead of challenging them. Fixes to reduce cheating expose a trade-off between safety and creativity. …

Subjects: Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

ODNI – JCAT First Responder’s Toolbox

“The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) has compiled these resources “JCAT First Responders Toolbox.” JCAT First Responder’s Toolbox containing information from 2016-present on responding to terrorist events or scenarios. Two of their reports Large Public Gatherings Attractive Targets for Violent Extremists (May 14, 2025) and Third-Party Security Critical …

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

Court Rejects Verizon Claim That Selling Location Data Without Consent Is Legal

Ars Technica: “Verizon lost an attempt to overturn a $46.9 million fine for selling customer location data without its users’ consent. The US Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit rejected Verizon’s challenge in a ruling (PDF) issued today. The Federal Communications Commission fined the three major carriers last year for violations revealed in 2018. …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Internet, Legal Research, Privacy, Search Engines