Category «Civil Liberties»

Inside the right’s effort to build a voter fraud hunting tool

NBC News: “Experts warn that EagleAI, a database that helps voters examine the voter rolls themselves, could drown election workers in unreliable reports of ineligible voters…For several months, activists around the country, organized in part by influential Trump ally Cleta Mitchell and the Election Integrity Network she founded, have been learning to use the program …

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

Government’s own experts found ‘barbaric’ and ‘negligent’ conditions in ICE detention

NPR Investigative Report: “Immigrants await processing at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Adelanto, California. By filing a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act, NPR obtained a trove of inspection reports detailing serious problems at this ICE facility and others across the United States. In Michigan, a man in the custody …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research

C-SPAN and Library of Congress Announce New Primetime Book Series for Fall 2023

Library of Congress: “C-SPAN and the Library of Congress today announced a joint original feature production for fall 2023: “Books That Shaped America.” The 10-part series – which C-SPAN will air LIVE on Mondays, starting Sept. 18 at 9 p.m. ET – will be a literary journey, tracing America’s history by exploring masterpieces in literature …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Education, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

An Iowa school district is using AI to ban books

“It certainly didn’t take long for AI’s other shoe to drop, what with the emergent technology already being perverted to commit confidence scams and generate spam content. We can now add censorship to that list as the Globe Gazette reports the school board of Mason City, Iowa has begun leveraging AI technology to cultivate lists …

Subjects: AI, Censorship, Civil Liberties, Education, Free Speech, Legal Research, Legislation, Libraries

AI Causes Real Harm. Let’s Focus on That over the End-of-Humanity Hype

Scientific American Opinion: Effective regulation of AI needs grounded science that investigates real harms, not glorified press releases about existential risk. Wrongful arrests, an expanding surveillance dragnet, defamation and deep-fake pornography are all actually existing dangers of so-called “artificial intelligence” tools currently on the market. That, and not the imagined potential to wipe out humanity, …

Subjects: AI, Civil Liberties, Government Documents, Health Care, Housing, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation

Freedom of Speech and AI Output

Lemley, Mark A. and Henderson, Peter and Volokh, Eugene, Freedom of Speech and AI Output (August 3, 2023). Available at SSRN:  https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4531003 Is the output of generative AI entitled to First Amendment protection? We’re inclined to say yes. Even though current AI programs are of course not people and do not themselves have constitutional rights, …

Subjects: AI, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Legal Research

Booklash: Literary Freedom, Online Outrage, and the Language of Harm

“In a new report,  Booklash: Literary Freedom, Online Outrage, and the Language of Harm, PEN America warns that social media blowback and societal outrage are imposing new moral litmus tests on books and authors, chilling literary expression and fueling a dangerous trend of self-censorship that is shrinking writers’ creative freedom and imagination. Offering a forceful …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Education, Free Speech, Legal Research

Authors Like Me Are Fighting the Book-Ban Zealots. We Need Help.

Mother Jones – Dashka Slater: “…The American Library Association reports that more than 2,500 books were challenged in 2022, a big uptick from the already astonishing 1,858 challenged in 2021, which was already five times the number challenged in 2019. Last year, some 41 percent of challenged books were by or about LGBTQ people, and …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Education, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Legal Research, Libraries

ABA Task Force on Law, Society and the Judiciary report recommends judicial improvements

“The American Bar Association Task Force on Law, Society and the Judiciary, formed in 2022 to identify and recommend concrete steps to improve the public’s trust and understanding of the judiciary, issued its final report with specific recommendations for advancing public confidence in the judiciary. The report addresses areas of concern including the confirmation process, …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Courts, Financial System, Legal Research

Florida ‘effectively’ bans Advanced Placement Psychology course

“The Florida Department of Education has effectively banned A.P. Psychology in the state,” the College Board said in a statement….The American Psychological Association recently reaffirmed that any course that excludes these topics would violate their guidelines and should not be considered for college credit. The APA has given this direct guidance to organizations that have …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Education, Free Speech

How governments are looking to regulate AI

Economist Intelligence – EIU: The EU has taken the lead with the strictest rules, which will have the biggest impact globally Chinese rules are also strict, but their impact is domestic, and geared towards keeping control and power with the ruling party The US favours innovation, and its political system hinders any attempt at regulation, …

Subjects: AI, Civil Liberties, Congress, Economy, EU Data Protection, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation