Category «Civil Liberties»

All we owe to animals It is not enough to conserve species and ecosystems

Aeon – We have an ethical duty to care for each individual animal on earth: “…Australia [has been] on fire. The fires have killed at least 25 humans and more than a billion animals. Animals such as koalas are especially at risk, since their normal response to threats – climbing to the tops of trees …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Climate Change, Environmental Law, Food and Nutrition, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Banning facial recognition – it is not enough to ensure privacy

The New York Times Opinion – We’re Banning Facial Recognition. We’re Missing the Point. The whole point of modern surveillance is to treat people differently, and facial recognition technologies are only a small part of that. “…These efforts are well intentioned, but facial recognition bans are the wrong way to fight against modern surveillance. Focusing …

Subjects: AI, Civil Liberties, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Commerce, E-Records, Internet, Legal Research, Privacy

Top Trends in State Criminal Justice Reform, 2019

“In Top Trends in State Criminal Justice Reform, 2019, Nicole D. Porter highlights key changes in criminal justice policy achieved in 2019. Highlights include: Sentencing: California repealed a one-year sentence enhancement for each prior prison or county jail felony term, impacting 10,000 people. Felony Disenfranchisement: Nevada and New Jersey expanded voting rights to people on …

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

2020 Edelman Trust Barometer

“The 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer reveals that despite a strong global economy and near full employment, none of the four societal institutions that the study measures—government, business, NGOs and media—is trusted. The cause of this paradox can be found in people’s fears about the future and their role in it, which are a wake-up call …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Economy, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Privacy, Social Media

The Secretive Company That Might End Privacy as We Know It

The New York Times – “A little-known start-up helps law enforcement match photos of unknown people to their online images — and “might lead to a dystopian future or something,” a backer says. Until recently, Hoan Ton-That’s greatest hits included an obscure iPhone game and an app that let people put Donald Trump’s distinctive yellow …

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

ICivics

“iCivics works to ensure every student in America receives a quality and engaging civic education and graduates from high school well prepared and enthusiastic for citizenship. With your support, that vision is within our reach. Today, more than 108,000 teachers and 6 million students in all 50 states utilize iCivics’ innovative and free online resources. …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Education, Free Speech, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research

47 countries witness surge in civil unrest – trend to continue in 2020

Political Risk Outlook 2020 – “The dramatic surge in protests in 2019 has swept up a quarter of countries in its tide and sent unprepared governments across all continents reeling. According to our latest data and forecasts, the turmoil is set to continue unabated in 2020. Our quarterly Civil Unrest Index reveals that over the …

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

FBI Changes Policy for Notifying States of Election Systems Cyber Breaches

WSJ.com [paywall] – “The Federal Bureau of Investigation will notify state officials when local election systems are believed to have been breached by hackers, a pivot in policy that comes after criticism that the FBI wasn’t doing enough to inform states of election threats. The FBI’s previous policy stated that it notified the direct victims …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Records, Government Documents

Trump impeachment trial: legacy of judicial independence at stake

The Christian Science Monitor – As Roberts enters fray, legacy of judicial independence at stake – Why We Wrote This: “Presiding over an impeachment trial, Chief Justice John Roberts will seek to embody the judicial independence he often promotes. But the remainder of the Supreme Court term may be a tougher test…For an institutionalist like …

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

The Evil List Which tech companies are really doing the most harm?

Slate – Here are the 30 most dangerous, ranked by the people who know: “…The tech industry doesn’t intoxicate us like it did just a few years ago. Keeping up with its problems—and its fixes, and its fixes that cause new problems—is dizzying. Separating out the meaningful threats from the noise is hard. Is Facebook …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Commerce, E-Records, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media

Can the Constitution stop the government from lying to the public

The Conversation – Helen Norton: “When regular people lie, sometimes their lies are detected, sometimes they’re not. Legally speaking, sometimes they’re protected by the First Amendment – and sometimes not, like when they commit fraud or perjury. But what about when government officials lie? I take up this question in my recent book, “The Government’s …

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