Amazon annihilates Alexa privacy settings, turns on continuous, nonconsensual audio uploading

Pluralistic: “Even by Amazon standards, this is extraordinarily sleazy: starting March 28, each Amazon Echo device will cease processing audio on-device and instead upload all the audio it captures to Amazon’s cloud for processing, even if you have previously opted out of cloud-based processing. It’s easy to flap your hands at this bit of thievery …

Subjects: AI, E-Commerce, Economy, Legal Research, Privacy

Trump targeting libraries, museums, community development and the press

In yet another punitive executive action, the Trump regime is explicitly targeting our communities – libraries, museums, scholars, families, minority business, community development, and the press. This action shits down the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), a federal body that has coordinated efforts across multiple government agencies to address homelessness since 1987. ALA statement …

Subjects: Economy, Education, Government Documents, Housing, Legal Research, Libraries

To overthrow a tyrant, try the 3.5 Percent Solution

Big Think: A study of 323 uprisings against repressive regimes yields stunning insights. No democracy movement has ever failed when it was able to mobilize at least 3.5 percent of the population to protest over a sustained period At that scale, most soldiers have no desire to suppress protesters. Why? Because the crowd includes their …

Subjects: Censorship, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Legal Research

These Are the 10 DOGE Operatives Inside the Social Security Administration

Wired [unpaywalled] – “The team working at the Social Security Administration appears to be among the largest DOGE units deployed to any government agency. At least 10 people associated with Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are now working at the Social Security Administration, according to government records reviewed by WIRED; this includes …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research

Fed Layoffs

“A caring community resource to help federal employees navigate their next chapter. You’re not alone in this journey. A community resource created to support federal employees affected by workforce reductions.” Links to: Career Resources; Support Services; Legal Help; Healthcare Jobs; Corporate Jobs; Additional Jobs.

Subjects: Economy, Education, Legal Research, Search Engines

A crowd-sourced repository for valuable government data

Institute for  social Research, University of Michigan: DataLumos is an ICPSR archive for valuable government data resources. ICPSR has a long commitment to safekeeping and disseminating US government and other social science data. DataLumos accepts deposits of public data resources from the community and recommendations of public data resources that ICPSR itself might add to …

Subjects: E-Government, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Libraries

Inside Elon Musk’s ‘Digital Coup’

Wired [unpaywalled] “Musk’s loyalists at DOGE have infiltrated dozens of federal agencies, pushed out tens of thousands of workers, and siphoned millions of people’s most sensitive data. The next step: Unleash the AI…In the days and weeks that followed, DOGE hit one part of the federal government after another. The Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Education, …

Subjects: AI, Civil Liberties, Climate Change, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Defense, E-Government, E-Records, Environmental Law, Food and Nutrition, Government Documents, Legal Research

Fowl Play: How Chicken Genetics Barons Created the Egg Crisis

Today’s piece is written by antitrust lawyer Basel Musharbash based on a report he researched for Farm Action. It’s the second part of an investigative series on the egg industry called “Hatching a Conspiracy.” Part one is here. “As most people in America know, egg prices have gone haywire. Shortages and high prices got a …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Food and Nutrition, Legal Research

CRS Reports Moved to Congress.gov – not full archive of all reports

Daniel Schuman Executive Director | American Governance Institute: “There was a good presentation on this change at yesterday’s Congressional Data Task Force meeting, which includes congressional and public stakeholders. Prior to the meeting, I wrote a summary of the changes. That article is here – One thing to note is that the roll out of CRS …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Legal Research