A New Anonymous Phone Carrier Lets You Sign Up With Nothing but a Zip Code

Wired – no paywall: “Nicholas Merrill has spent his career fighting government surveillance. But he would really rather you didn’t call what he’s selling now a “burner phone.” Yes, he dreams of a future where anyone in the US can get a working smartphone—complete with cellular coverage and data—without revealing their identity, even to the …

Subjects: E-Records, Internet, Privacy

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, December 7, 2025

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, December 7, 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 increasingly …

Subjects: AI, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Records, Internet, Legal Research, Privacy

National Security Strategy of the United States November 2025

The New York Times Gift Article – Trump’s Security Strategy Focuses on Profit, Not Spreading Democracy. President Trump’s new National Security Strategy describes a country that is focused on doing business and reducing migration while avoiding passing judgment on authoritarians Lawfare: “On Dec. 4, the Trump administration released its National Security Strategy (NSS). The strategy …

Subjects: Defense, Government Documents, Legal Research

Explore NASA Science e-Books

From Earth and the other planets in our solar system, to supermassive black holes and the distant galaxies that contain them, explore NASA science and imagery through our library of e-books. Earth History Planets Image Books ISS Researcher’s Guides Children’s Books and Activities More NASA e-Books

Subjects: E-Government, Education

University of Chicago Law School AI Lab Launches LeaseChat

LawSites – “LeaseChat [in Beta] it is a free AI tool designed to help renters across the United States analyze their leases and understand their legal rights. With more than 40 million rented properties nationwide, the tool aims to level the playing field for tenants navigating complex lease agreements and landlord-tenant law. LeaseChat provides four …

Subjects: AI, E-Records, Economy, Housing, Legal Research

The Loyalty Trap: How Loyalty Programs Hook Us with Deals, Hack our Brains, and Hike Our Prices

Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator & UC Berkeley Center for Consumer Law and Economic Justice – “…But today, as seen with McDonald’s, loyalty programs have evolved into data-harvesting machines that lawmakers should scrutinize as closely as any other surveillance-based business model. They track not just what consumers buy, but who we are, what we search for, and …

Subjects: E-Commerce, Economy, Financial System, Legal Research, Privacy

Real or AI? The 7 Telltale Signs Every Fake Image Still Can’t Hide

PCMag: “AI-generated images aren’t going away anytime soon. In fact, they continue to look increasingly realistic thanks to the likes of Gemini’s advanced Nano Banana Pro image model, among others. You might not be able to immediately tell what’s fake in every instance, but it’s still worth checking for a few telltale signs. Below are …

Subjects: AI, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Marketing

Nothing Better Than a Whole Lot of Books: In Praise of Bibliomania

Literary Hub: Ed Simon Considers the Many Different Ways an Obsession Can Manifest. “Desiderius Erasmus lived his happiest months from late 1507 into 1508 at the Venetian print-shop of Aldus Manutius. A peripatetic scholar, the Dutch scholar had lived in Rotterdam and London, Basel and Paris, true to the dictum that where the humanist goes …

Subjects: Education, Knowledge Management

Study – AI chatbots used inaccurate information to change people’s political opinions

NBC News: “Artificial intelligence chatbots are very good at changing peoples’ political opinions, according to a study published Thursday, and are particularly persuasive when they use inaccurate information. The researchers used a crowd-sourcing website to find nearly 77,000 people to participate in the study and paid them to interact with various AI chatbots, including some …

Subjects: AI, E-Records, Education, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

FDA Expands Use of Advanced AI for Safety Reviews and Inspections

Civil Eats: “December 4, 2025 – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Monday that it has deployed a version of artificial intelligence called “agentic AI” for “all agency employees” to assist with complex tasks, including safety reviews, inspections, and compliance. While the release did not specifically mention food safety, the agency is responsible …

Subjects: AI, E-Records, Food and Nutrition, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research