Category «Civil Liberties»

The NYPD Files – Search Thousands of Complaints Against NYPD Officers

“We just published a searchable database of thousands of civilian complaints against New York City police officers, WITH their names….by Derek Willis, Eric Umansky and Moiz Syed, July 26, 2020. After New York state repealed a law that kept police disciplinary records secret, ProPublica sought records from the civilian board that investigates complaints by the …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Search Engines

EPIC Obtains Records on White House COVID-19 Response, Location Data Tracking

“EPIC has obtained hundreds of pages of records (1, 2, 3, 4) from the Office of Science and Technology Policy about the White House’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and proposals to use location data for public health surveillance. The documents were produced in response to an EPIC Freedom of Information Act request. The records …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, E-Records, Economy, Education, Financial System, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Health Care, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy, Search Engines

“It’s Amazing to Me How Distinctly I Remember Each of These Women”

Slate – Ruth Bader Ginsburg reflects on her nine female classmates at Harvard Law School and the divergent paths their lives all took from there. “When we started this project, our goal was to talk to as many of the women in Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Harvard Law School class as possible. My colleague Molly Olmstead …

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

The House of Commons Intelligence and Security Committee’s Russia Report

Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament – Russia – Presented to Parliament pursuant to section 3 of the Justice and Security Act 2013. Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed on 21 July 2020. “…The Report covers aspects of the Russian threat to the UK (Cyber; Disinformation and Influence; and Russian Expatriates) followed …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Financial System, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

CBP does end run around warrants, simply buys license plate-reader data

Ars Technica – How does “unreasonable search” work when any agency can buy data from anywhere? “US Customs and Border Protection can track everyone’s cars all over the country thanks to massive troves of automated license plate scanner data, a new report reveals—and CBP didn’t need to get a single warrant to do it. Instead, …

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

Are mask mandates legal? Look to indoor smoking bans and consider workers’ rights

FastCompany: “Rules about wearing a COVID-19 mask in indoor workspaces are the same as smoking bans, an article in the latest American Journal of Preventative Medicine argues. Pushback against face coverings in places like stores and eateries is couched as an encroachment on personal liberties—or as concerns that facial coverings will alienate some customers, as …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Economy, Education, Financial System, Government Documents, Health Care, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Research on voting by mail says it’s safe – from fraud and disease

Via LLRX – Research on voting by mail says it’s safe – from fraud and disease – As millions of Americans prepare to vote in November – and in many cases, primaries and state and local elections through the summer as well – lots of people are talking about voting by mail. Prof. Edie Goldenberg explains …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Records, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research

Your Zoom Interrogation Is About To Start

The Marshall Project – COVID-19 is changing how police question suspects and witnesses—for the better, some argue. “It’s the way that detectives have extracted confessions from people forever: in a confined interrogation room, getting right up in the suspect’s face. But during a pandemic, being within six feet of a stranger—especially for a prolonged period …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Records, Government Documents, Legal Research

Majority of Public Favors Giving Civilians the Power to Sue Police Officers for Misconduct

Pew – Little public support for cuts in spending on local policing – “With legislation to address racism and the use of excessive force by law enforcement stalled in Congress, there is broad public support in the United States for permitting citizens to sue police officers in order to hold them accountable for misconduct or …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

Inclusivity Considerations For Law Firms Reopening Offices

Law360: “As states begin to lift restrictions and people emerge from the shutdown, law firms are developing their strategies for reopening offices after weeks of remote working. Many firms will find that it’s not as simple as it sounds, and there are countless intricacies to consider before employees return. While most firms will focus on …

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

Biased algorithms on platforms like YouTube hurt people looking for information on health

NiemanLab: “YouTube hosts millions of videos related to health care. The Health Information National Trends Survey reports that 75% of Americans go to the internet first when looking for information about health or medical topics. YouTube is one of the most popular online platforms, with billions of views every day, and has emerged as a …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Education, Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management, Medicine, Search Engines, Social Media

EFF Launches Searchable Database of Police Agencies and the Tech Tools They Use to Spy on Communities

“San Francisco—The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), in partnership with the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, today launched the largest-ever collection of searchable data on police use of surveillance technologies, created as a tool for the public to learn about facial recognition, drones, license plate readers, and other devices law enforcement …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Records, Government Documents, Legal Research, Privacy, Search Engines