Category «Civil Liberties»

Forensic Methodology Report: How to catch NSO Group’s Pegasus

Amnesty International: “NSO Group claims that its Pegasus spyware is only used to “investigate terrorism and crime”  and “leaves no traces whatsoever”. This Forensic Methodology Report shows that neither of these statements are true. This report accompanies the release of the Pegasus Project, a collaborative investigation that involves more than 80 journalists from 17 media …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Internet, Legal Research, Privacy

Over 10,000 Amazon rainforest species risk extinction, landmark report warns

CBC CA: “More than 10,000 species of plants and animals are at high risk of extinction due to the destruction of the Amazon rainforest — 35 per cent of which has already been deforested or degraded, according to the draft of a landmark scientific report published on Wednesday. Produced by the Science Panel for the Amazon (SPA), …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Energy, Environmental Law

Statue of Liberty’s ‘little sister’ takes up residence in Washington, DC

CNN Politics: “One hundred and thirty-five years after the Statue of Liberty was formally unveiled in New York Harbor, her “little sister” has taken up residence in front of the French ambassador’s home in Washington, DC. The miniature Lady Liberty will be officially inaugurated in a ceremony with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and …

Subjects: Civil Liberties

Machines Learning the Rule of Law

Sümeyye Elif Biber – Verfassungsblog: EU Proposes the World’s first Artificial Intelligence Act. “On 21 April 2021, the European Commission (EC) proposed the world’s first Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA). The proposal has received a warm welcome across the EU as well as from the US, as it includes substantial legal provisions on ethical standards. After …

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

ALA Committee on Diversity Scorecard for Library and Information Organizations

ALA Committee on Diversity: “The DEI Scorecard for Library and Information Organizations, developed by theALA Committee on Diversity, is an evaluative tool that centers accountability and transparency in determining organizational effectiveness in diversity, equity, and inclusion in the recruitment, hiring, retention, and promotion of people of color. Additionally, the Scorecard includes areas that impact these …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Education, Legal Research, Libraries

Online Gender Based Violence and Abuse

Report by the Tech Policy Lab / Online Gender Based Violence and Abuse Outcomes and Recommendations – “Help us end gender-based abuse online. As part of the Web Foundation’s commitment to tackle digital inequality, the Web Foundation’s Gender and Data Rights team has created a dedicated workstream focused on developing solutions to online gender-based violence …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Internet

The world’s social media giants admit they can’t protect women online

Quartz: “Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube made their first joint commitment to curb the harassment women face on their platforms, according to The World Wide Web Foundation. The social media giants pledged on July 1 to give users more granular control over who interacts with their posts and improve their reporting processes—for example, by giving …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media

Join NYT Today for Netting Zero Virtual Event Series on Climate Change

“Each episode of Netting Zero brings together New York Times journalists with climate experts from business, policy, government, and civil society. Join us on July 1 to discuss our built environment – The New York Times  Thursday, July 11:30 p.m. E.T. | 10:30 a.m. P.T. | 6:30 p.m. B.S.T.  In the past year, as cities …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Climate Change, Economy, Education, Energy, Environmental Law, Food and Nutrition, Government Documents, Housing, Legal Research, Legislation

Privacy or crime prevention? Big Tech gets cozy with police

Christian Science Monitor: “When United States law enforcement officials need to cast a wide net for information, they’re increasingly turning to the vast digital ponds of personal data created by Big Tech companies via the devices and online services that have hooked billions of people around the world. Data compiled by four of the biggest …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, E-Records, Internet, Legal Research, Microsoft, Privacy, Social Media

Big data: With great data comes great responsibility

Open Access Government – “Dr Florian Kerschbaum from the University of Waterloo, argues that with great data comes great responsibility in this big data focus. Big data helps us combat the pandemic and build cleaner tech-nology – amongst many other benefits. We collect exposure data to contain and trace the spread of the coronavirus. Genome …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Records, Health Care, Medicine, Privacy

Juneteenth holiday marking end of slavery becomes law after decades of inaction

Washington Post: “President Biden on Thursday signed into law a measure that establishes Juneteenth as a federal holiday, taking advantage of sudden and broad bipartisan agreement to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States after years of debate and inaction. In signing the measure — which resulted in an unexpected day off Friday …

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