AI in Finance an Banking October 15, 2025

AI in Finance an Banking October 15, 2025 – This semi-monthly column by Sabrina I. Pacifici highlights news, government documents, NGO/IGO papers, conferences, industry white papers and reports, academic papers and speeches, and central bank actions on the subject of AI’s fast paced impact on the banking and finance sectors. The chronological links provided are to …

Subjects: AI, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Economy, Financial System, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Two simple VPN tweaks get you way more privacy

MakeUseOf: “Most people assume that turning on their VPN makes them invisible online. That’s one of the biggest misconceptions there is around virtual private networks and what they can do. Most people assume that turning on their VPN makes them invisible online. That’s one of the biggest misconceptions there is around virtual private networks and …

Subjects: E-Records, Internet, Privacy

Trump Team Plans IRS Overhaul to Enable Pursuit of Left-Leaning Groups

Wall Street Journal: Effort would install Trump ally at agency’s criminal unit who has drawn up list of investigative targets. “President Trump is seeking to identify financial networks that he says are fomenting political violence. The Trump administration is preparing sweeping changes at the Internal Revenue Service that would allow the agency to pursue criminal …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, E-Records, Financial System, Government Documents, Privacy

AI is not popular, and AI users are unpleasant asshats

Pivot to AI  – It can’t be that stupid, you must be prompting it wrong: “Some AI papers have a finding so good you just want to quote it everywhere. But many turn out to be trash. They’ve got bad statistics, they’ve got bad methodology, they’re really sales pieces, or they just don’t prove their …

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

Trump’s Polluter Playground: Fossil Fuel Insiders & Ideologues Prop Up Dirty Energy & Derail Clean Power

“President Donald Trump has spent the last nine months halting the growth of the American clean energy economy in its tracks, dragging the country into a vengeful, backward-leaning energy agenda that does the bidding of his fossil fuel allies and serves the interest of billionaire campaign donors. Consumers and the planet alike will suffer for …

Subjects: Climate Change, Congress, Economy, Energy, Environmental Law, Government Documents

Secretive Watchlisting Center Executing National Security Presidential Memorandum 7

NATIONAL SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM 7 – referred to as NSPM-7, September 25, 2025. SUBJECT: Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence. By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby direct the following: Section 1. Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence. Heinous …

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

Epstein survivors sue Bank of America and Bank of New York Mellon

After Epstein victims reached major settlements with JP Morgan Chase and Deutsche Bank, two more shoes dropped on allegedly “complicit” financial institutions. Adam Klasfeld – “Jeffrey Epstein’s survivors filed a pair of federal lawsuits against the Bank of America [via Court Watch] and the Bank of New York Mellon [via Court Watch] on Wednesday, accusing …

Subjects: Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research

Federal firings could skyrocket in shutdown

Axios: ” The White House threatened to fire thousands more federal employees yesterday, and rolled out new hiring standards for those who’ll replace them — then a judge issued an order complicating the whole process. Why it matters: President Trump is using the government shutdown to further his push to completely upend the federal workforce. …

Subjects: Censorship, Government Documents, Legal Research

Weaponizing the Espionage Act: What It Means for Whistleblowers, Reporters, and Democracy

Just Security – “President Donald Trump has made suppressing speech he doesn’t like a governing priority. From his first days back in office he cast dissent as disloyalty, promising “retribution” against anyone who criticized, investigated, or resisted him. He then translated that promise into action through regulatory proceedings, lawsuits, clearance revocations, and restrictions on press …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

Data Rescue Project Portal

Data Rescue Project Portal – 1289 datasets across 86 government offices compiled through the efforts of over 500 volunteers – Browse Datasets Browse Government Offices Browse Categories. About the Mission – The Data Rescue Project (DRP) serves as a clearinghouse for preserving at-risk public information. What began as a simple Google Sheet has evolved into a …

Subjects: E-Government, E-Records, Government Documents, Legal Research, Libraries

‘Save Our Signs’ Preservation Project Launches Archive of 10,000 National Park Signs

404 Media: “On Monday, a publicly-sourced archive of more than 10,000 national park signs and monument placards went public as part of a massive volunteer project to save historical and educational placards from around the country that risk removal by the Trump administration. Visitors to national parks and other public monuments at more than 300 …

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

Originalist ‘Bombshell’ Complicates Case on Trump’s Power to Fire Officials

The New York Times [gift article] “The Supreme Court will hear arguments in December about whether President Trump can fire government officials for any reason, or no reason, despite laws meant to shield them from politics. There is little question that the court will side with the president. Its conservative majority has repeatedly signaled that …

Subjects: Courts, Education, Government Documents, Legal Research