Category «Civil Liberties»

Building the world’s best pandemic and protest trackers

MIT Technology Review: “Avi Schiffmann, the brains behind the web’s most popular coronavirus tracking site, just launched a protest tracking site. How did he do it? The coronavirus pandemic and the protests sparked by the May 25 murder of George Floyd have been the defining events of 2020 so far, and in both cases one …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Government Documents, Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Medicine

The Internet’s most important—and misunderstood—law, explained

Ars Technica – Section 230 is the legal foundation of social media, and it’s under attack.”…To understand Section 230, you have to understand how the law worked before Congress enacted it in 1996. At the time, the market for consumer online services was dominated by three companies: Prodigy, CompuServe, and AOL. Along with access to …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Internet, Legal Research, Legislation, Social Media

Libraries are needed more than ever

USA Today – But many aren’t sure how to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic – “…Just 37% of libraries plan to reopen by July, according to a recently released survey from the American Library Association. Nearly half of the nation’s libraries – 47% – do not have plans to reopen their doors to the public anytime soon, …

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

Policing the Police: Qualified Immunity and Considerations for Congress

CRS report via LC – Policing the Police: Qualified Immunity and Considerations for Congress, June 10, 2020: “In the wake of unrest arising from George Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020,after a Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into his neck, broader questions have arisen with regard to how existing law regulates the conduct of …

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

Voter Registration: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress

CRS report via LC: Voter Registration: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress. June 10, 2020: “…The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) expanded registration opportunities by creating a federal mail-based registration form and requiring states to provide voter registration opportunities alongside services provided by departments of motor vehicles (DMVs) and at other agencies. NVRA …

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

Police have shot and killed 5,400 people since 2015

Washington Post – “Protests against the use of deadly force by police swept across the country in 2015. Demonstrators marched in Chicago, turned chaotic in Baltimore, and occupied the area outside a Minneapolis police station for weeks. Protesters repeatedly took to the streets of Ferguson, Mo., where a white police officer had killed a black …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Government Documents, Legal Research

Why filming police violence has done nothing to stop it

MIT Technology Review – “After years of police body cams and bystander cellphone video, it’s clear that evidentiary images on their own don’t bring about change. What’s missing is power …The hope for sousveillance comes from the same logic. If police officers know they’re being watched both by their body cameras and by civilians with …

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

COVID-19: Remote Voting Trends and the Election Infrastructure Subsector

CRS report via LC – COVID-19: Remote Voting Trends and the Election Infrastructure Subsector, June 10, 2020: “…Public health concerns about the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have accelerated consideration of remote voting options as many voters have sought to avoid the possible health risks of crowded polling places. Elections authorities have invested in new …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, E-Records, Health Care, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation

Congress Civilian Control of the Military and Nonpartisanship

CRS report via LC: Congress,Civilian Control of the Military, and Nonpartisanship, June 10, 2020: “The possible use of federal armed forces as part of the U.S. executive branch’s response to incidents of violence during racial justice protests has raised questions about how the military is controlled by domestic political institutions and the U.S.military’s relationship with …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Defense, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries

More than 1,250 former Justice Dept. workers call for Barr probe

Washington Post – “…In a letter to Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, the group said it was “deeply concerned about the Department’s actions, and those of Attorney General William Barr himself, in response to the nationwide lawful gatherings to protest the systemic racism that has plagued this country throughout its history.” “In particular, we …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Government Documents, Legal Research

Voting in Jails

The Sentencing Project – Voting in Jails – Nicole D. Porter – “While the COVID-19 pandemic presents challenges for voters during the 2020 election cycle, voting access for the 700,000 people held in local jails around the country has long been critically compromised. This report highlights jurisdictions around the country that actively support ballot access for people …

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