Category «Internet»

How Cops Can Get Your Private Online Data

EFF: “Can the cops get your online data? In short, yes. There are a variety of US federal and state laws which give law enforcement powers to obtain information that you provided to online services. But, there are steps you as a user and/or as a service provider can take to improve online privacy. Law …

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

Anthropic destroyed millions of print books to build its AI models

Follow-up to previous post, Copyrighted books to train AI? Fair. Storing them? Not so much, via Ars Technica: “On Monday, court documents revealed that AI company Anthropic spent millions of dollars physically scanning print books to build Claude, an AI assistant similar to ChatGPT. In the process, the company cut millions of print books from …

Subjects: AI, Copyright, Courts, E-Records, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries

House Republicans Advance Plan to Halve GAO’s Funding

Follow-up to House Bill Would Lay Waste to Congress’s Watchdogs and Information Experts, again via Daniel Schuman, House Republicans Advance Plan to Halve GAO’s Funding: “Monday evening, House Legislative Branch appropriators voted 6 to 4 on party lines to cut GAO’s funding by 50% and reduce the Library of Congress’s funding by 12%. This would …

Subjects: Censorship, Congress, E-Government, E-Records, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

AI Overviews Reduce Clicks by 34.5%

ahrefs.blog: “Google says AI Overviews increase clicks. Cold, hard logic disagrees, and so does our research. We analyzed 300,000 keywords and found that the presence of an AI Overview in the search results correlated with a 34.5% lower average clickthrough rate (CTR) for the top-ranking page, compared to similar informational keywords without an AI Overview. …

Subjects: AI, Education, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Search Engines

Project 2025 Tracker – many goals and objectives met quickly

“Project 2025 Tracker began as a humble spreadsheet created by /u/rusticgorilla, combined with /u/mollynaquafina‘s vision for making this information accessible to everyone through a dedicated website. What started as a passion project by two Redditors has grown into a community-driven resource, powered by people like you who believe in the importance of transparent, detailed analysis.” …

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

U.S. Copyright Office Replaces Online Public Catalog with Copyright Public Records System

“Today, the U.S. Copyright Office is pleased to announce that the Copyright Public Records System (CPRS) has replaced its Online Public Catalog. CPRS provides copyright registration and recordation data with advanced search capabilities, filters, and improved interfaces for public users and Office staff. CPRS is the second component of the Office’s Enterprise Copyright System (ECS) …

Subjects: Copyright, E-Government, E-Records, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Search Engines

A.I. Is Starting to Wear Down Democracy

The New York Times no paywall – “Since the explosion of generative artificial intelligence over the last two years, the technology has demeaned or defamed opponents and, for the first time, officials and experts said, begun to have an impact on election results. Free and easy to use, A.I. tools have generated a flood of …

Subjects: AI, Censorship, Civil Liberties, E-Records, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research

Few Americans pay for news when they encounter paywalls

“Newspaper revenue has been in decline for decades, and most Americans now prefer to get news from digital devices. In this environment, many news organizations – and not just newspapers – put paywalls on their websites or apps, blocking access to articles or other content unless news consumers pay or subscribe. The vast majority of …

Subjects: Education, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries

‘FuckLAPD.com’ Lets Anyone Use Facial Recognition to Instantly Identify Cops

404 Media: “A new site, FuckLAPD.com, is using public records and facial recognition technology to allow anyone to identify police officers in Los Angeles they have a picture of. The tool, made by artist Kyle McDonald, is designed to help people identify cops who may otherwise try to conceal their identity, such as covering their …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Records, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research

How to Become a Backyard Naturalist With Just Your Smartphone

Gizmodo: “In the early days of summer, backyards come to life. Warmer temperatures transform spring buds into lush greenery, coax insects from their winter slumber, and invite newborn animals to explore their surroundings on wobbling legs or wings. With smartphones, documenting this emerging wildlife has never been easier. These days, all the tools you need …

Subjects: Climate Change, Environmental Law, Internet, Knowledge Management

Copyrighted books to train AI? Fair. Storing them? Not so much.

Simon Willison’s Weblog – Anthropic wins a major fair use victory for AI — but it’s still in trouble for stealing books. Major USA legal news for the AI industry today. Judge William Alsup released a “summary judgement” (a legal decision that results in some parts of a case skipping a trial) in a lawsuit …

Subjects: AI, Copyright, Courts, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries