Category «Civil Liberties»

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, August 9, 2025

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, August 9, 2025. Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Records, Government Documents, Legal Research, Privacy, Search Engines, Social Media

What Does Palantir Actually Do?

Wired – no paywall: “Palantir is often called a data broker, a data miner, or a giant database of personal information. In reality, it’s none of these—but even former employees struggle to explain it. Palantir is arguably one of the most notorious corporations in contemporary America. Cofounded by libertarian tech billionaire Peter Thiel, the software …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, E-Records, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy

Birthright Citizenship, Explained

Legal challenges to President Trump’s executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship are ongoing. A Brennan Center explainer breaks down what to know as the court cases unfold, including why the Constitution has a Citizenship Clause, what it says, and what ending birthright citizenship could mean for all Americans. Birthright Citizenship Under the U.S. Constitution …

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

The Trump Administration’s Attacks on Elections

Brennan Center for Justice: “In 2020, 2022, and 2024, our nation held federal elections. Despite the pandemic, threats of violence, denial of results, and extraordinary pressure, these were secure and accurate. Election officials worked together across party lines. The system held. This year, however, a new threat to free and fair elections has emerged: the …

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

Trump’s War on Big Law Means It’s Harder to Challenge the Administration

ProPublica: “Some of America’s largest law firms are refusing to take pro bono and paid legal work from groups that seek to hold the government to account on issues like environmental protection, LGBTQ+ rights and police accountability. Two weeks into President Donald Trump’s second presidency, and just days after he pardoned hundreds of Capitol rioters, …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Legal Research

The Trump Administration Is Turning Local Police Into ICE Agents

Democracy Docket: “Across the country, local and state law enforcement agencies are cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest, detain and deport immigrants. An unpopular provision in a decades-old law lets ICE collaborate with state and local police by delegating to them the authority to enforce immigration rules. It’s now being used by …

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

FEMA Employees Reassigned to ICE

American Prospect – Probationary employees who had been on paid leave were told to report to ICE within seven days or lose their jobs. It could signal problems with ICE recruitment. “A number of employees with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) were informed via email late on Tuesday that they have been reassigned, effective immediately, …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Government Documents, Legal Research

The Trump Administration’s Campaign to Undermine the Next Election

The Brennan Center – “In 2020, 2022, and 2024, our nation held federal elections. Despite the pandemic, threats of violence, denial of results, and extraordinary pressure, these were secure and accurate. Election officials worked together across party lines. The system held. How trump is plotting to disrupt the next election. This year, however, a new …

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

LLRX July 2025 Issue – Articles and Columns

LLRX July 2025 Issue – Articles and Columns The Trump Administration’s Continued War Against Science, Research and Public Health – Sabrina I. Pacifici’s overview of selected articles highlights the devastating impact of the Trump administration’s dismantling of agencies across the federal government, with a focus on cancelling critical scientific and health related research grants. The …

Subjects: AI, Censorship, Civil Liberties, Climate Change, Congress, Copyright, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Economy, Education, Energy, Environmental Law, Financial System, Government Documents, Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Medicine, Privacy, Search Engines, Social Media

Surveillance at the Border

The American Prospect – It’s only a matter of time before the drones, spy blimps, license plate readers, and motion-activated cameras come to the rest of America. Walls are but one ingredient in the borderlands’ mix of barriers. In recent years, autonomous surveillance towers, drones, spy blimps, license plate readers, and motion-activated cameras have also …

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

White House instructed NASA to terminate two major climate change-focused satellite missions

Futurism: As NPR reports, Trump officials reached out to the space agency to draw up plans for terminating the two missions, called the Orbiting Carbon Observatories. They’ve been collecting widely-used data, providing both oil and gas companies and farmers with detailed information about the distribution of carbon dioxide and how it can affect crop health. One …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Climate Change, Congress, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Legal Research, Privacy