Category «Civil Liberties»

LLRX April 2025 Issue

8 New Articles and 6 New Columns – https://www.llrx.com – LLRX.com® – the free web journal on law, technology, knowledge discovery and research for Librarians, Lawyers, Researchers, Academics, and Journalists. Founded in 1996, published monthly by a solo, independent, self funded owner, editor, publisher, researcher and writer. The U.S. as an Authoritarian State: Danger to …

Subjects: AI, Censorship, Civil Liberties, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Economy, Education, Financial System, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy

RSF World Press Freedom Index 2025

RSF World Press Freedom Index 2025: economic fragility a leading threat to press freedom: “…The ongoing wave of media shutdowns According to data collected by RSF for the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, in 160 out of the 180 countries assessed, media outlets achieve financial stability “with difficulty” — or “not at all.” Worse, news …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

100 Actions That Define Trump’s Horrifying First 100 Days in Office

RollingStone [no paywall] – “The president and his administration have waged a corrupt, chaotic, and cruel assault on the United States and its people. Donald Trump’s first 100 days have been the most chaotic and consequential in modern political memory. He has wielded the presidency like a king, seeking to bend America (and, far less …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Climate Change, Congress, Courts, E-Records, Economy, Education, Financial System, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media

From help to harm: How the government is quietly repurposing everyone’s data for surveillance

The Conversation, Nicole M. Bennett: “A whistleblower at the National Labor Relations Board reported an unusual spike in potentially sensitive data flowing out of the agency’s network in early March 2025 when staffers from the Department of Government Efficiency, which goes by DOGE, were granted access to the agency’s databases. On April 7, the Department …

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

Unlawful Orders: How Libraries Became the Front Line in the Fight for Democracy

Mostly Lawful Substack – Kyle K. Courtney – So here we are again — libraries as one of the last vanguards of real democratic values. When political power leans too hard, when laws are bent or broken, when public institutions are treated like disposable relics, somehow it’s librarians — and the people who believe in …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Education, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries

Alarm bells: Trump’s first 100 days ramp up fear for the press, democracy

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ): “The first 100 days of the Trump administration have been marked by a flurry of executive actions that have created a chilling effect and have the potential to curtail media freedoms. These measures threaten the availability of independent, fact-based news for vast swaths of America’s population. CPJ has noted a …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Courts, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

‘The Classified Catalog’ launches to track secrecy new

The Freedom of the Press Foundation has launched an ongoing secrecy news database, which they are calling The Classified Catalog, to keep track of all secrecy-related news during the Trump administration. Reporters, FOIA requesters, and the public can use it to chart stories about FOIA news and litigation, disappearing messages, information being taken down from …

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

Elite Universities Form Private Collective to Resist Trump Administration

Elite Universities Form Private Collective to Resist Trump Administration. WSJ – no paywall, April 28, 2025. Separate from public dissent, group of school leaders strategize behind scenes about how to respond and push back against White House. Leaders of some of the nation’s most prestigious universities have assembled a private collective to counter the Trump …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Education, Legal Research

Car Subscription Features Raise Your Risk of Government Surveillance, Police Records Show

“Records reviewed by WIRED [no paywall] show law enforcement agencies are eager to take advantage of the data trails generated by a flood of new internet-connected vehicle features. Automakers are increasingly pushing consumers to accept monthly and annual fees to unlock pre-installed safety and performance features, from hands-free driving systems and heated seats to cameras …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Freedom of Information, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy

American Panopticon – The Trump administration is pooling data on Americans

The Atlantic – no paywall: Experts fear what comes next. “If you were tasked with building a panopticon, your design might look a lot like the information stores of the U.S. federal government—a collection of large, complex agencies, each making use of enormous volumes of data provided by or collected from citizens. The federal government …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Records, Economy, Financial System, Food and Nutrition, Government Documents, Housing, Legal Research, Privacy

“A republic, if you can keep it” – but can the US keep it? How Trump is dismantling democracy

“A republic, if you can keep it” – but can the US keep it? How Trump is dismantling democracy – Christina Pagel has mapped out 69 actions that President Trump has taken in the last twelve weeks to undermine democracy, undermine the rule of law, attack enemies, suppress dissent and control information.

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

Skadden’s Email Policy In The Wake Of Trump Deal Triggers Government Investigation

Follow up to Inside Elite Law Firms, Protests and Quitting After Trump Deals – See also Above the Law: NLRB As Interested In Skadden’s Curious Email Policy As We Are “Nearly a month ago, it was revealed that Skadden decided to ink a deal with the Trump administration to provide $100 million in pro bono …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, E-Mail, E-Records, Legal Research