Category «Civil Liberties»

ICE’s Internal Watchdog Is Now Investigating Online Critics

Wired: “ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility [OPR] is supposed to be for internal investigations,” says Gonyea, “and now they’re using their own internal departments on American civilians.” OPR is supposed to act as an internal watchdog. It’s responsible for inspecting detention facilities, investigating allegations of employee and contractor misconduct, and processing security checks for new applicants. …

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

Trump Goes to War With Smithsonian Museum for Teaching History

The New Republic: “President Trump is once again attacking Smithsonian director Lonnie Bunch and the museum system, the latest development in his “war on wokeness.” “The Smithsonian Institution, and the National Museum of American History in particular, under its current leadership and current interpretive ideology, cannot be trusted to tell America’s story honestly and in …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Education, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

Trump Administration’s Continued War Against Science, Research, Public Health and the Rule of Law – Part 10

Trump Administration’s Continued War Against Science, Research, Public Health and the Rule of Law – Part 10. This article is the tenth in a series by Sabrina I. Pacifici focused on the Trump administration’s unrelenting policy of attacking science, healthcare, public health and the rule of law. The cornerstone of this series are topical highlights …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Education, Energy, Environmental Law, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Wikipedia Is Battling for the Soul of the Internet

The New York Times Gift article : “The internet’s largest stockpile of free knowledge is under threat from MAGA, A.I. and foreign autocrats. A bibliophile ex-ambassador is here to help. Wikipedia is in peril. In a world where trust in truth is crumbling, the grande dame of collective online fact-gathering is under threat on every …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Education, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

The Many Ways Trump Is Trying to Tip the Scales for the Midterms

The New York Times Gift Article: “President Trump is trying to use the levers of the federal government, along with personal influence over state and local lawmakers, to reshape the rules governing the 2026 midterms and future elections in extraordinary ways. Many of these efforts have been blocked by courts, stymied by the Constitution or …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

New Poll Shows Americans, Even Republicans, Think Supreme Court Needs To Be Reined In

Above the Law: “A new poll from Verasight dropped this week, and its findings should be a wake-up call for everyone currently pretending the Supreme Court’s legitimacy crisis is a partisan fever dream. Short version: it isn’t. We’ve been tracking the Court’s legitimacy crisis for years now, and the numbers keep getting grimmer. Registered voters …

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

Forget Flock. Now The Cameras Can Read Your Pockets Too.

The Leonardo Patent That Turns Your Devices Into a Location Fingerprint and Forecasts Where You’ll Go Next – The patent is US 12,236,780 B2, “Systems and Methods for Electronic Signature Tracking and Analysis.” It was granted on February 25, 2025, to Leonardo US Cyber and Security Solutions — the American arm of Leonardo, the Italian …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, E-Records, Legal Research, Patent and Trademark, Privacy, Transportation

UN – Unchecked AI progress may pose catastrophic risks

“The Preliminary Report of the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI: Evidence-based assessment of opportunities, risks and impacts of AI is a first-of-its-kind independent scientific assessment of the capabilities, emerging opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence. The Panel, composed of independent scientists and experts from all 5 UN regions, outlines trends in AI. It’s central warning: …

Subjects: AI, Civil Liberties, Climate Change, Economy, Environmental Law, Financial System, Knowledge Management

Trump Wants YOUR Medical Data for His Drug War

Zeteo: “The Trump administration’s new drug strategy does more than escalate the war on fentanyl. It sketches the architecture for a national surveillance system built from some of Americans’ most personal data: prescriptions, toxicology results, wastewater, electronic health records, license plate scans, and law enforcement intelligence. The plans are laid out in the 2026 National …

Subjects: AI, Civil Liberties, E-Records, Health Care, Legal Research, Privacy

The Atlas of Impunity

“Impunity is the exercise of power without accountability, which becomes, in its clearest form, the commission of crimes without punishment. Impunity is not experienced equally across the globe. Where accountability is strong, citizens benefit from institutions that protect human rights and personal freedoms and impose just consequences on those who abuse power. Where it is …

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