Category «Congress»

A new US data privacy bill aims to give you more control over information collected about you – and make businesses change how they handle data

With rare bipartisan support, the American Data and Privacy Protection Act moved out of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce by a vote of 53-2 on July 20, 2022. The bill still needs to pass the full House and the Senate, and negotiations are ongoing. Given the Biden administration’s responsible data practices strategy, White House support is likely if a version of the bill passes. Legal scholar and attorney Professor Anne Toomey McKenna, who studies and practices technology and data privacy law, has been closely following the act, known as ADPPA. McKenna contends that if passed this legislation will fundamentally alter U.S. data privacy law.

Subjects: Congress, Cyberlaw, Cyberlaw Legislation, Cybersecurity, Federal Legislative Research, Legal Research, Legislative, Privacy, United States Law

Confidence in the Supreme Court is declining – but there is no easy way to oversee justices and their politics

Recent evidence showing that Virginia Thomas, wife of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, sent at least 29 text messages to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows urging him to help overturn the 2020 election has reignited a long-simmering debate about judicial ethics and the nation’s highest court. Professor Eve Ringsmuth writes, “As a Supreme Court scholar, I think it is important to recognize that there is no formal code of conduct guiding the work of the Supreme Court, which contributes to a lack of clarity regarding the ethical boundaries for justices.”

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Ethics, Leadership, Legal Research, United States Law

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, July 30, 2022

Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Four highlights from this week: Cyber insurance price hike hits local governments hard; New York Counties to Get Free Services to Better Defend Against Cyberattacks; Why emergency calls sometimes can’t get through; and A Rogues’ Gallery of Robocallers.

Subjects: Congress, Criminal Law, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Education, Information Management, Legal Research

13 Ways Overturning Roe v. Wade Affects You (even if you think it doesn’t)

Kathy Biehl is a lawyer licensed in two states, as well as a prolific multidisciplinary author and writer. Roe v. Wade has been settled law during her entire career. In this article Biehl succinctly and expertly identifies how the upcoming Supreme Court decision in Dobbs V. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a draft of which was “leaked” on May 2, 2022, will impact many facets of our society as well as our democracy.

Subjects: Congress, Constitutional Law, Ethics, Health, Human Rights, Legal Profession, Legal Research, Privacy

Web Guide for the New Economy 2022

Accurate and actionable data on the economy is critical to many aspects of our research and scholarship. This guide by research expert Marcus P. Zillman provides researchers with links to information on a range of sources focused on new economy data and analysis from the public and private sectors, as well as scholarly work, news, government information, reports and alerts. Many of these sources should find a place in your customized research toolkit. The sites recommended in this guide are all free to use, and they are published by advocacy, government, corporate, academic, international financial groups and research experts. Many of the sites are updated on a regular basis, so it is recommended that you use RSS feeds or alerts to remain abreast of changes.

Subjects: Big Data, Business Research, Competitive Intelligence, Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Resources, Internet Resources, KM, Legal Research, Search Strategies, United States Law

Pete Recommends Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, February 5, 2022

Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Five highlights from this week: The modern workplace: Will remote tech workers tolerate being monitored?; How to Protect Yourself From Common Scams; Academic Journal Claims it Fingerprints PDFs for ‘Ransomware,’ Not Surveillance; Security agency director urges governors to teach cybersecurity basics; Best Password Manager Reviews; and Democratic Lawmakers Call for Ban of Surveillance Advertising.

Subjects: AI, Congress, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Economy, Education, Financial System, KM, Legal Research, Legislative, Privacy

Pete Recommends Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, January 22, 2022

Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Four highlights from this week: IRS Will Soon Require Selfies for Online Access; Ransomware and phishing: Google Drive will now warn you about suspicious files of bills and identity documents; How to avoid seeing yourself on video calls. Sometimes you can’t turn your camera off but you still want to stay out of view; and Bill to Ban Surveillance Advertising Introduced.

Subjects: AI, Congress, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Government Resources, Legal Research, Legislative, Privacy

How democracy gets eroded – lessons from a Nixon expert

Ken Hughes is a researcher with the Presidential Recordings Program of the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. Hughes argues that erosion in American democracy depends on the conspiracy theory, destructive and demonstrably false, that the 2020 election was stolen. As the author of several books on Richard Nixon – who, before Trump, was the biggest conspiracy theorist to inhabit the White House that we know of – Hughes sees conspiracy theories less as failures of rationality and more as triumphs of rationalization.

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Constitutional Law, Government Resources, Legal Research

Pete Recommends Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, January 2, 2022

Privacy and security issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and security, often without our situational awareness. Four highlights from this week: The dangers of dark data: How to manage it and mitigate the risks; US Still Lacks Federal Cyber Strategy After Decades of Attempts; The Worst Scams of 2021; and Tips for providing digital security benefits to employees.

Subjects: Comparative/Foreign Law, Congress, Copyright, Cybercrime, Cyberlaw, Cybersecurity, KM, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media, Spyware, Technology Trends