Category «Civil Liberties»

Website privacy options aren’t much of a choice since they’re hard to find and use

Via LLRX – Website privacy options aren’t much of a choice since they’re hard to find and use – Hana Habib and Lorrie Cranor of Carnegie Mellon University discuss how many sites offer the ability to ‘opt out’ of targeted advertisements, and identify why doing so isn’t easy. They advocate for simplifying and standardizing opt-outs …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media

How Google Interferes With Its Search Algorithms and Changes Your Results

WSJ.com: “More than 100 interviews and the Journal’s own testing of Google’s search results reveal: Google made algorithmic changes to its search results that favor big businesses over smaller ones, and in at least one case made changes on behalf of a major advertiser, eBay Inc., contrary to its public position that it never takes …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Copyright, E-Commerce, Health Care, Intellectual Property, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Search Engines, Social Media

Majority of Americans believe online and offline activities tracked and monitored by companies and govt

Pew – Americans and Privacy: Concerned, Confused and Feeling Lack of Control Over Their Personal Information – “Majorities think their personal data is less secure now, that data collection poses more risks than benefits, and believe it is not possible to go through daily life without being tracked. “A majority of Americans believe their online …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Commerce, E-Records, Health Care, Internet, Privacy, Social Media

The Internet Dream Became a Nightmare. What Will Become of It Now?

The New York Times Magazine: “In this special Tech & Design Issue of The New York Times Magazine, we ponder the internet’s future at a time when that future has never felt more unsettled. It isn’t just about Facebook and the other American tech giants, which no longer enjoy the rapid growth that characterized their …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media

Europe’s Unauthorized Immigrant Population Peaks in 2016 Then Levels Off

“Europe has experienced a high level of immigration in recent years, driving debate about how countries should deal with immigrants when it comes to social services, security issues, deportation policies and integration efforts. Among these recently arrived immigrants are many who live in Europe without authorization. Coupled with unauthorized immigrants who were already in Europe, …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Economy, Government Documents

Federal Court Rules Suspicionless Searches of Travelers’ Phones and Laptops Unconstitutional

EFF – Government Must Have Reasonable Suspicion of Digital Contraband Before Searching People’s Electronic Devices at the U.S. Border – “In a major victory for privacy rights at the border, a federal court in Boston ruled today that suspicionless searches of travelers’ electronic devices by federal agents at airports and other U.S. ports of entry …

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

76 things you can do to boost civic engagement

Brookings: “The year 1776 was an auspicious year for democracy. The idea that a people could govern themselves was radical at the time. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution that followed are for most Americans revered documents and a cornerstone of our democracy. Over the years, this idea of democratic republicanism has become central …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Education, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Knowledge Management

DHS will have comprehensive biometric data on more than 250 million people

“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) expects to have face, fingerprint, and iris scans of at least 259 million people [Quartz – paywall] in its biometrics database by 2022, according to a recent presentation from the agency’s Office of Procurement Operations reviewed by Quartz. From the report: That’s about 40 million more than the …

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

The World on Two Wheels

Overlooked No More: Annie Londonderry, Who Traveled the World by Bicycle – She cycled away from her Boston home and into stardom, leaving a husband and three small children for a journey that came to symbolize women’s independence. Intrigued by what little he knew of his great-grandfather’s sister, Peter Zheutlin, a journalist, decided to write …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Recommended Books

America on Trial

Jon Meacham, Meacham, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian, author of The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels – TIME: “Here we are … trapped in a time of demagoguery, reflexive partisanship and a Hobbesian world of constant and total political warfare. We know all the factors: the return of the kind of partisan media …

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

This Is How the U.S. Military’s Massive Facial Recognition System Works

Medium OneZero: Documents obtained by OneZero show how the military captures biometric data around the world. “Over the last 15 years, the United States military has developed a new addition to its arsenal. The weapon is deployed around the world, largely invisible, and grows more powerful by the day. That weapon is a vast database, …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Defense, E-Government, E-Records, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy