Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Is “over
protection” the same as meddling?
Strategists
raise alarms about Facebook delays in approving Hispanic political
ads
Political strategists say recent moves by Facebook
to secure its powerful advertising engine are hampering their ability
to communicate with Hispanics and Spanish-speaking audiences ahead of
the midterm elections.
New procedures adopted by Facebook in response to
Russian meddling and allegations of racially discriminatory ad
practices often require several days for the company to review
political ads targeted to ethnic groups, while ads that target
broader audiences are approved immediately, said strategists for
three liberal organizations, Priorities USA, Latino Victory and Win
Dem PAC.
Perspective.
Phone and
internet use: Number of mobile calls drops for first time
The number of voice calls made on mobile phones in
the UK fell for the first time ever in 2017 – despite the fact we
seem hooked on our devices.
That is according to the
latest report from telecoms regulator Ofcom, which charts what it
describes as a decade of digital dependence.
A total of 78% of all adults now own a smartphone.
On average, people check them once every 12
minutes during their waking hours, the study claims.
… A high percentage (71%) say they never turn
off their phones and 78% say they could not live without it.
While three-quarters of the British public still
regard voice calling as an important function of their phones, more
(92%) say web browsing is crucial.
… The average daily time spent on a smartphone
is two hours 28 minutes, rising to three hours 14 minutes for 18 to
24-year-olds, the report indicates.
(Related)
High Speed
Internet Is Causing Widespread Sleep Deprivation, Study Finds
… The study, published Friday in the Journal
of Economic Behavior and Organization and funded by the
European Research Council, suggests that high speed internet access
is causing people to lose up to 25 minutes of sleep per night
compared to those without high speed internet. It’s the first
study to causally link broadband access to sleep deprivation.
Perspective?
Cities’
Offers for Amazon Base Are Secrets Even to Many City Leaders
… Across the country, the search for HQ2, as
the project has been nicknamed, is shrouded in secrecy. Even civic
leaders can’t find out what sort of tax credits and other
inducements have been promised to Amazon. And there is a growing
legal push to find out, because taxpayers could get saddled with a
huge bill and have little chance to stop it.
… A primary reason for the information
blackout is that, in many cases, the bids were handled by local
private Chamber of Commerce affiliates or economic development groups
that aren’t required to make their negotiations public. Many of
the groups are also not covered by Freedom of Information Act or
state open-records requests.
But another reason is gamesmanship. Some cities
say they want their Amazon proposals to remain confidential to avoid
showing their hand to rivals.
Courts are certain they are not certain?
Is
Wikipedia A Reliable Legal Authority? (2018 Update)
Associates
Mind – Keith Lee: ” Back in 2014, a Twitter exchange with
Judge Dillard prompted an article on AboveTheLaw
discussing the reliability of Wikipedia as a resource. Last year, I
updated my research here, Is
Wikipedia A Reliable Legal Authority? (2017 Update). It’s
2018, so let’s see how some recent opinions cite (or reject)
Wikipedia as an authority… Is Wikipedia A Reliable Legal Authority?
It depends…but it’s
increasingly becoming difficult to say that it isn’t.
Far too many courts rely on it what is now going on hundreds of
opinions. Courts can’t keep saying “Wikipedia is bad! Don’t
use it!” Then cite it themselves in an opinion a few months later.
At this point, every Circuit has multiple judicial opinions
that cite Wikipedia as a reliable source for general knowledge. But
then courts within the same Circuit will be dismissive of Wikipedia
as a source of general information. There is no definitive answer.
Judges seem to make determinations about Wikipedia’s reliability on
a case-by-case basis. Your best bet is to know your Court. It will
only take you a quick search to determine if a Court has relied on
Wikipedia as an authority in the past…”
-
See also Chronicle of Higher Education – Some Colleges Cautiously Embrace Wikipedia – LiAnna Davis remembers when people didn’t want to talk to her at academic conferences: “I had this woman one time who held her folder up over her head and was like, ‘Don’t let my department chair see me talking to you guys, but I’m so glad you’re here.’” Davis works for Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that was once considered anathema to the academic mission. She’s director of programs for its higher-education-focused nonprofit arm, Wiki Education. Academics have traditionally distrusted Wikipedia, citing the inaccuracies that arise from its communally edited design and lamenting students’ tendency to sometimes plagiarize assignments from it. Now, Davis said, higher education and Wikipedia don’t seem like such strange bedfellows. At conferences these days, “everyone’s like, ‘Oh, Wikipedia, of course you guys are here.’” “I think it’s a recognition that Wikipedia is embedded within the fabric of learning now,” she said. One initiative Davis oversees at Wiki Education aims to forge stronger bonds between Wikipedia and higher education. The Visiting Scholars program, which began in 2015, pairs academics at colleges with experienced Wikipedia editors. Institutions provide the editors with access to academic journals, research databases, and digital collections, which the editors use to write and expand Wikipedia articles on topics of mutual interest. A dozen institutions, including Rutgers University, Brown University, and the University of Pittsburgh, are participating. But while feedback from the participating institutions has been positive, Davis said, some are still skeptical of Wikipedia’s presence in academe…”
For my students, who seem to need all the help I
can give them.
A quote to remember?
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