Category «Civil Liberties»

A criminal justice expert’s guide to donating effectively

Vox: “…Chloe Cockburn has thought harder about that question than just about anyone. Until recently, Cockburn was the program officer for criminal justice reform at the Open Philanthropy Project, a foundation-like organization backed by the nearly $14 billion fortune of Cari Tuna and her husband, Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz. It seeks to identify the most …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Economy, Financial System, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Social Media

The Future of Digital Spaces and Their Role in Democracy

Pew Report – “Many experts say public online spaces will significantly improve by 2035 if reformers, big technology firms, governments and activists tackle the problems created by misinformation, disinformation and toxic discourse. Others expect continuing troubles as digital tools and forums are used to exploit people’s frailties, stoke their rage and drive them apart.. Those …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Courts, Education, Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries, Social Media

TRAC Releases New Asylum Data Tools, Adds Data on Gender, Language, and Age

“The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University released two brand new interactive asylum data tools that allow users to view detailed data on asylum applications and the asylum backlog in Immigration Court. TRAC also added detailed information on gender, language, and age—valuable information that is of considerable public interest—to its new and existing …

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

What to Know About the Challenge to Roe v. Wade

KFF: “Abortion at SCOTUS: Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health – “Abortion is among the most contentious issues in the country today. On December 1, the Supreme Court will hear the first abortion case since Justice Amy Coney Barrett was seated and cemented a solid 6-3 conservative majority on the bench. The case under consideration, Thomas E. Dobbs, State Health Officer of …

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

As Calls to Ban Books Intensify, Digital Librarians Offer Perspective

Internet Archive Blogs: “From Texas to Virginia to Pennsylvania, there is a growing movement to challenge books in schools that some suggest are inappropriate for students. Concern goes beyond explicit content; it now includes opposition to LGBTQIA material, the history of racism, and material that may cause discomfort to readers. While efforts to ban books …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Education, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Internet

Librarians, Educators Warn of ‘Organized’ Book Banning Efforts

Publisher Weekly – “…New headlines virtually every day tell the story: across the country, there is an unprecedented spike in attempts to ban books from schools and libraries. And while efforts to remove books from schools and library collections are not uncommon, librarians and freedom to read advocates warn that this current spike in challenges …

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

Global State of Democracy in 2021 Report

“Democracy faces perfect storm as the world becomes more authoritarian Many democratic governments are increasingly adopting authoritarian tactics, accentuated by the Covid-19 pandemic, while autocratic regimes are consolidating their power. The world is becoming more authoritarian as autocratic regimes become even more brazen in their repression. Many democratic governments are backsliding and are adopting authoritarian …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Climate Change, Education, Energy, Environmental Law, EU Data Protection, Free Speech, Government Documents, Health Care

Statement in Support of the Freedom to Vote Act

Democracy Letter November 2021: “We, the undersigned, are scholars of democracy writing in support of the Freedom to Vote Act, the most important piece of legislation to defend and strengthen American democracy since the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This bill would protect our elections from interference, partisan gerrymandering, dark money, and voter suppression. We …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Economy, Education, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

The Elephant Who Could Be a Person

The Atlantic:  The most important animal-rights case of the 21st century revolves around an unlikely subject. “he subject of the most important animal-rights case of the 21st century was born in Thailand during the Vietnam War. Very soon after that, a tousle-haired baby, she became trapped in human history. She was captured, locked in a …

Subjects: AI, Civil Liberties, Legal Research

Deeply Rooted: History’s Lessons for Equity in Northern Virginia

“Today’s health disparities reflect deep social divides in Northern Virginia. Decades of public health research have shown that education, income, housing, and other social conditions are powerful determinants of life expectancy and disease rates. Disparities in these living conditions, along with the harmful health effects of chronic exposure to discrimination, are products of the history …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Health Care, Housing, Libraries, Transportation

You Are the Object of a Secret Extraction Operation

New York Times Opinion, Dr. Shoshana Zuboff, professor emeritus at Harvard Business School and the author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism –  “Facebook is not just any corporation. It reached trillion-dollar status in a single decade by applying the logic of what I call surveillance capitalism — an economic system built on the secret …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Commerce, E-Mail, E-Records, Economy, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Microsoft, Privacy

Beyond Red vs. Blue: The Political Typology

“Even in a polarized era, deep divisions in both partisan coalitions. Partisan polarization remains the dominant, seemingly unalterable condition of American politics. Republicans and Democrats agree on very little – and when they do, it often is in the shared belief that they have little in common. Yet the gulf that separates Republicans and Democrats …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Economy, Education, Health Care