Technology and Privacy Update

Today, a coalition of more than 140 technology companies and other experts and organizations--including Google and Apple--sent a letter to President Obama urging him to protect privacy rights by not undermining strong encryption technologies as the government considers law enforcement's need to access increasingly encrypted data.  The background of the letter and related issues are discussed in a Washington Post article by national security reporter Ellen Nakashima, available here. 

Looking at technology and privacy from from another angle, focusing on surveillance and data use by vendor-produced machines and apps, is a recent Guardian article by Bruce Schneier, a security technologist, author, and fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School.  Together, the letter and the two articles shed light on some of the competing and coalescing interests shaping our developing privacy policy.

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How Americans View Privacy: New Report

This week the Pew Research Center published a fascinating report, "Public Perceptions of Privacy and Security in the Post-Snowden Era."  The Center's Internet Project commissioned a representative online panel of 607 adults to take four surveys over the course of a year.  The findings of this report are based on results from the first survey, conducted in January 2014, and reflect Americans' views of how secure they feel various channels of communication are for sharing private information. According to a recent BBC News article by Jane Wakefield based on comments from report author Mary Madden, a Pew Internet Project senior researcher, "the next survey, due next month, will look specifically at attitudes to how information is stored and secured and the following one will focus on behavioural changes in the post-Snowden world."

Read the report, and engage with the profiles and views of survey participants via this interactive created by the Internet Project.

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"Big Data" Report

On May 1, the White House released a major report on technology, innovation and privacy: "Big Data: Seizing Opportunities, Preserving Values." The report is based on a 90-day study examining "how big data will transform the way we live and work and alter the relationships between government, citizens, businesses, and consumers."  "Big Data" makes a number of specific recommendations to the President in an attempt to "present solutions that can enhance accountability, privacy, and the rights of citizens" while at the same time focusing on "how the public and private sectors can maximize the benefits of big data while minimizing its risks." Presented and endorsed by a working group of cabinet members and high level officials headed by John Podesta, the President's Counsel, the recommendations include advancing the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights and amending the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (18 U.S.C. Sec. 2510-22) to ensure protection for modern digital content.

The White House web site provides both a brief summary of findings and a fact sheet for the "Big Data" report. The assessment of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which advocates for electronic privacy rights, is here.




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Computer Chronicles

Exams are coming, but things could be worse.  For example, it could be 1987, when law students were handwriting all of their exams with pens for three solid hours.  The "portable computer" or laptop of the day, as this amusing You Tube video from the TV series Computer Chronicles (broadcast on PBS stations from 1983 to 2002) clearly demonstrates, would have been a hopeless hindrance, not a help. The Computer Chronicles episodes, while seriously documenting twenty years of impressive progress and innovation, today provide a very entertaining window as well on the earliest years of browsers, laptops, email and video games.  They also make great short study breaks.  Enjoy, and be grateful for the blessings of 2013 technology!

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Babbage

What could be more timely or relevant than a blog devoted to the "intersections between science, technology, culture and policy?"  The Economist has a very good one called Babbage (named after a Victorian mathematician, philosopher, inventor, and engineer), which offers daily news features, videos, and commentary on everything from internet privacy to antibiotics, space exploration, stem cell experiments, and the environment. While U.S. topics are covered, the range and perspective is global.  Enjoy. Non-subscribers to The Economist can register to view up to six articles per week.

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Research Resources: Computer Technology Law Report (BNA)

If you are interested in a semi-monthly publication that provides legal developments in liability and insurance coverage issues relating to computers, try the Computer Technology Law Report. The report also offers coverage of computer technology issues on the federal, state and international levels.  Dates of coverage are from May 5, 2000 to the present.
To access the Computer Technology Law Report (BNA):

• Go to the Library's home page, click "Online Resources"
• Then, click "Intellectual Property" link
• Scroll down, click the " Computer Technology Law Report(BNA)" link

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Remembering passwords

How many times have you had to click on those "forgot password" links on web sites where you do business, check accounts, do legal research?

With LastPass, you need to remember only one password.  LastPass is a fantastic, free, well-respected for security tool for keeping track of the passwords required for web sites.  LastPass is also quite easy to install and use.  You can use LastPass on your laptop/desktop for free.  For a $12 annual fee you can access your LastPass database on your cell phone and tablet.

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E-book Cognitive Disadvantages

E-books have many advantages such as portability, access and ease of use.  However, there are several cons like eye strain, battery power issues and cost (purchase price of books as well as device).  However, we rarely think about the cognitive disadvantages of e-books.  The AALL Spectrum recently published an article entitled "The Cognitive Disadvantage of E-books" which discusses several interesting cons of this format.  Some disadvantages discussed are longer reading times, stress and recall deficit.  Read the entire article here.

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A New Mashable is Launched

Mashable, one of my favorite technology and media sites, announced this week the launch of a newly designed version that promises to be "more social, visual and mobile than ever before."  Some of the featured improvements will be incorporation of articles that are gaining traction or being shared the most on social media services, a "great reading experience" on any type of mobile device or monitor, and high resolution images that can be individually shared to social networks. Read more about the new features in the announcement. Then sign up to try out the beta version here, and give them some feedback.

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Let the Space Race begin

All of you know how much of a fan of  DropBox (the great cloud-based storage site) I am.  Well it turns out DropBox is a fan of academia.    For all of us in the world of higher education, we can earn up to 3GB extra space, plus possible extra space depending upon how many other Hofstra accounts sign up.

And it's easy (as DropBox always is).  Go to DropBox - Great Space Race and either register or sign in with your existing account.  If you invite friends and they join DropBox, Hofstra earns points.  The more points Hofstra earns, the more space we all get.

If you need an invite, comment to this post or ask your favorite Reference librarian.

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Pondering a New Tablet?

If you are in the market for a tablet, check out the the pros and cons of 10 available tablets here: http://bit.ly/THHtqI.

The new Apple iPad came out on top when compared to its competitors, according to Laptop Mag's website.  They list 5 tablets they recommend you buy (and 5 tablets you should avoid). Don't make a costly mistake.  Check out their list before you buy!

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CALI's "Topics in Digital Law Practice" Begins Friday

Looking forward to job interviews or your first job or internship in a "real practice" setting? Here's a great opportunity to learn--online, for free, and with no stress--about "the changes that are occurring in the practice of law today, especially with respect to technology."  CALI (Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction), the same folks who provide all those lessons and electronic texts, is offering a free online course, "Topics in Digital Law Practice," to be given as nine one-hour sessions on Friday afternoons beginning February 10.  It's fine if you have to miss one or two of the live webcasts, but you must register here to participate.  Check out this great opportunity to find out what's happening with digital technology in today's law offices and courtrooms before you set out into the brave new world.

A hat tip to Law Librarian Blog.   

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Apps for Lawyers

With the advent of smartphones many of us use various apps to help us in our everyday lives.  In the past few years, many legal vendors have introduced apps for various lawyer functions.  Legal Technology News recently published a guide entitled "Librarian-Recommended Apps for Lawyers."  This handy guide categorizes the apps by purpose and provides summaries on what you want to accomplish with the app, it's features and more.  Some highlighted apps include Evernote, FastCase,  Lexis Case Pull, GoodReader and more.   Click here to access the full guide of recommended apps for lawyers.

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Recap of 2011 Legal Technology

Legal technology tools have become increasingly popular in the past year and will continue to do so in the future. Although, legal technologies has made the lives of lawyers much easier it has also raised many issues and concerns from privacy, ethics and professional responsibility.  Nonetheless, lawyers should be aware of emerging technologies as well as its pros and cons.  As such, LTN  has created a year of opinions on legal technology. This handy list compiles many articles from the last year that are helpful for attorneys using or thinking about using top tech trends, marketing tools,devices and more . Click here to access the full article.

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Futurelawyer

If you want a quick and fun way to keep up with new legal technology and technology-related legal issues, including cool new features and developments in mobile devices, email, and legal software, try attorney Rick Georges' blog, Futurelawyer. Georges is a Florida practitioner, author, and adjunct law professor with an avid interest in technology and its impact on both the law and the work and lives of lawyers. The site has a sense of humor and a lawyer-centered focus on what technology works best. You can also set up an RSS feed.


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Changes, changes...

Clocks are set for a change this weekend, and so is the Internet as you know it.

The nonprofit group that controls domain codes for Internet addresses announced yesterday that as of November 16, it will begin a "Fast Track" process for approving web addresses ending in non-Latin characters for the first time since the Internet was created. Rod Beckstom, President and CEO of the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), hailed this development as "an historic move toward the internationalization of the Internet." We should see URLs with country codes in Cyrillic, Arabic, Hindi, Chinese, and other scripts by the middle of next year.

Expansion beyond the Roman letters A-Z for characters after the "dot" is expected to dramatically increase the number of Internet users among people worldwide that never use Roman characters, help local businesses, and make the Internet a more valuable resource for millions, including children. For more about this development, see ICANN's video and press release, and today's New York Times article.




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Law School Summary -- Laptops in Class Helps

The National Law Journal has posted a summary of a national study of law students.  Among the findings highlighted is that laptops in class do have academic value.  That's because students can, for instance, instantly look up cases that are mentioned in class.  (The summary doesn't mention what might be open on other browsing tabs at the same time.) 

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Laptops in Class

Law students may or may not be aware of this, but the distraction that many law professors think is created by allowing students to take notes on laptops in class is an ongoing topic of discussion. One recent development in this discussion is noted here, with Eugene Volokh experimenting with a one-laptop policy, where one student in the class takes notes on a laptop and shares them with the other students.



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Laptop Distraction

Do you sometimes find yourself playing games during class, rather than taking notes? Apparently members of certain foreign parliaments have the same problem.



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Slashdot

If you are interested in law and technology, take a look at Slashdot.org-- the leading place to find "news for nerds". Although much of Slashdot deals with highly technical and scientific issues, it often features legal news in its Your Rights Online section. Recent "Your Rights Online" posts have reported on the RIAA vs. the University of Maine law clinic, open source and patents, and subpoenas requesting text messages.




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