The Ethical Honor System; U.S. News & World Report, June 9, 2017

Joseph P. Williams, U.S. News & World Report; 

The Ethical Honor System

""If people assumed a duck hunting trip would be enough to swing [my] vote," Scalia wrote in a searing, 21-page memo, "the nation is in deeper trouble than I had imagined.''

Jeffrey Toobin, a former federal prosecutor and longtime legal analyst for CNN and The New Yorker, concurs. In an essay shortly after Scalia's death, Toobin wrote that he was unperturbed by the ethical questions swirling around Scalia's final vacation, and believes the justices are doing fine by policing themselves.

"If a friend of Scalia wanted to host the Justice for a hunting trip, that also seems unproblematic to me," wrote Toobin. "Justices are allowed to have friends, and they're allowed to enjoy the hospitality of those friends."

[Rep. Louise] Slaughter, the New York congresswoman, strongly objects. 

In April, she introduced to the House – again – the Supreme Court Ethics Act, a bill designed to bring accountability to the high court. She's been pushing the issue since 2013, and the bill has repeatedly stalled, but Slaughter believes the matter is too important to drop.

While lower-court federal judges are bound by a strict ethics code, which requires more thorough reporting, "the Supreme Court is the only one that doesn't have any kind of code to go by," Slaughter said in the NBC interview. "We want the same code of ethics for the Supreme Court that we require for all federal judges. Just as simple as that.""

Digital Behavior: Exploring The Ethics Of Our Cyber Lives; New Hampshire Public Radio, June 9, 2017

New Hampshire Public Radio; Digital Behavior: Exploring The Ethics Of Our Cyber Lives

• 

  
  

  PEXELS

"We can now live-stream events through programs like Facebook Live and YouTube, turning us all into potential quasi-celebrities. But what are the ethical implications of sharing our personal lives or even criminal acts online? How has the role of bystander changed in the digital era, and how should social media companies deal with objectionable material? 

GUESTS:

• Nora Draper - Communications professor at UNH and a member of the Prevention Innovations Research Center at UNH, where she works on the role of bystanders online and in social media.
• Haney Farid - Professor of computer science and digital forensics at Dartmouth College. He has worked on various technologies that identify and remove offensive images, video, and audio from the Internet and social media platforms.
• Leah Plunkett - Associate professor of legal skills at the UNH School of Law and fellow at Harvard's Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, where she studies the digital lives of young people."

Yoga Teachers Need a Code of Ethics; New York Times, June 7, 2017

Sarah Herrington, New York Times; Yoga Teachers Need a Code of Ethics

"According to the 2016 Yoga in America survey co-sponsored by Yoga Journal and Yoga Alliance — the largest nonprofit in the United States representing the yoga community and providing teacher-training requirements — there are 36.7 million yoga practitioners nationwide, 72 percent of them women. Though Yoga Alliance has published a bullet-point code of conduct, few know it exists until they are explicitly looking, and by then it may be too late."

Leakers Are Liars. Sometimes That's OK.; Bloomberg, June 9, 2017

Stephen L. Carter, Bloomberg; Leakers Are Liars. Sometimes That's OK.

"One important lesson from former FBI Director James Comey’s congressional testimony on Thursday is that leaking needs an ethical structure. Other human activities have ethical structures. Leaking should too...

I have been discussing here what is ethical, not what is legal. I take it for granted that many leakers may be breaking the law, and some few may even be prosecuted. 8  That is a separate issue, one that I have addressed elsewhere. But ethics matter too. In some ways they matter more, for they guide us in the shadowy spaces where few are likely to discover what we have done. 

In a time when government keeps far too many secrets, leaks are often the only way we find out about what public servants are doing. But the leaker’s motives and timing matter. What Comey said in his testimony was reasonable. Now that Muller [sic] is busily investigating, perhaps it’s time the flood of leaks slowed to a trickle."

Ethics? Hah!; Letter to the Editor, The Pueblo Chieftain, June 9, 2017

Tom Carpenter, Letter to the Editor, The Pueblo Chieftain; Ethics? Hah!

"When President Trump waived the ethics rules for his White House staff, I had to reexamine my own thoughts on what I think ethics are.

In my past as a business person, I served on an ethics committee and a professional standards committee. As a Republican, I chaired a political action committee for the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce (before Rod Slyhoff was director). And again as a businessman, I was the Southern Colorado coordinator for the Better Business Bureau. Could my understanding of ethics be so wrong?

To clear up any confusion on my part, I sought an answer from Merriam Webster, to wit: "The discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation".

Nope, it is just what I thought it was. Evidently, we don't need no stinkin' ethics in the White House.

Tom Carpenter

Pueblo"

Comey’s testimony changed everything — and not in Trump’s favor; Washington Post, June 9, 2017

Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post; Comey’s testimony changed everything — and not in Trump’s favor

"Before Comey, Republicans and Democrats had many bones to pick with Comey. After Comey, both sides avoid questioning his integrity. Republicans carped about his refusal to rebuke the president in the Oval Office (for a group that has never seriously confronted Trump on much of anything, this is rich). They made hay out of — gasp!– a leak of unclassified materials after Comey was fired. Not once, however, did any senator say he disbelieved Comey’s account or try to shake his recollection. Aspects of Comey’s factual account can be supported now by others, which will further bolster his own credibility and diminish Trump’s. Comey may be prickly, overly concerned with his own reputation and even a little schoolmarmish, but few will argue that he is a liar."

Your Cellphone Privacy Rights May Depend on This Supreme Court Case; Mother Jones, June 9, 2017

Samantha Michaels, Mother Jones; Your Cellphone Privacy Rights May Depend on This Supreme Court Case

"There’s a good chance that while you’re reading this, your cellphone is either in your pocket or within arm’s reach. That phone helps produce tons of identifying data about you—and where you are located. The future privacy of that information may depend on a landmark case that the Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear. Carpenter v. United States asks whether the government can get records from phone companies showing the location of customers without first obtaining a warrant. It centers on a man in Michigan named Timothy Carpenter who was convicted of six robberies after his phone company turned over his location data to authorities.

Carpenter’s case could have broad ramifications for people across the country. “It’s not an exaggeration to say that the future of surveillance law hinges on how the Supreme Court rules in this case,” Orin Kerr, a professor at the George Washington University Law School, wrote in the Washington Post. Here are some more reasons why you should be following this one:"

Security, Privacy, Trust Remain Challenges For The Internet Of Things; Intellectual Property Watch, June 7, 2017

Elise De Geyter, Intellectual Property Watch; Security, Privacy, Trust Remain Challenges For The Internet Of Things

"It is “amazing” what can be done via the internet and the Internet of Things is a “game changer,” a speaker said during the Internet of Things Week currently taking place in Geneva. Ninety percent of the data in the world has been created in the last two years. And the speed of data creation is still increasing, another speaker said."

Why you should protect your child's online privacy; CNN.com, June 7, 2017

Caroline Knorr, CNN.com; Why you should protect your child's online privacy

"If you don't want to have the bejesus scared out of you, don't talk to an expert on kids' online privacy. If you knew what was really out there -- online predators, identity thieves, data miners -- you'd lock up the internet and throw away the key.

The truth is, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The internet is so woven into our lives, we need to be aware of the worst-case scenarios that can strike when we're unprepared. Below are a few of those scary things that can and do happen. But with some eyes and ears to the ground, they are totally preventable...

Protect yourself. Talk to your kids about keeping private things private, considering how far information can travel and how long it can last, and how they can talk to their friends about respecting one another's personal privacy."

Privacy Concerns Over Amazon Echo; WCNC, June 8, 2017

Savannah Levins, WCNC; Privacy Concerns Over Amazon Echo

"A new feature on the popular Amazon Echo is causing some major privacy concerns.

The new feature unveiled last month allows your Amazon Alexa to make calls and send voice messages. But that also means a simple slip could send your conversations out for anyone to hear.

A Cary, N.C. man says the update caused his device to record and send out a private conversation."

Israel firms urged to align with new EU privacy rules; The Times of Israel, June 7, 2017

Shoshanna Solomon, The Times of Israel; Israel firms urged to align with new EU privacy rules

"Personal data is any information relating to an individual, whether it relates to his or her private, professional or public life. It can be anything from a name, photo, email address, bank details, posts on social networking websites, medical information, or even a computer’s IP address...

The new EU rules will affect all organizations — whether in Israel or globally — that store or process personal data of European citizens. It doesn’t matter in which country the organization is based, said Ido Naor, a senior security researcher at cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab...

The new European rules may also prompt Israel to tighten its own privacy rules to align them with the new European norms, Tevet said."

GDPR: EU Goes Against The Global Grain To Protect Privacy; Forbes, June 7, 2017

Simon Crosby, Forbes; GDPR: EU Goes Against The Global Grain To Protect Privacy

"Could it be that the EU is about to save the internet? At a time when internet users worldwide are increasingly under surveillance by governments, service providers, advertising networks and social media websites, it seems that one of the internet’s greatest promises -- open communication for all -- has been lost. But the EU has an opportunity to sway the outcome with the recently adopted General Data Protection Regulation, which will become law next year.

The EU’s implementation of GDPR has an opportunity to become the most important globally recognized set of principles to protect online privacy. In recent developments, President Donald Trump and his administration promised to mandate rapid improvements in U.S. cybersecurity, but they quickly acquiesced to commercial interests by overriding regulations that the Federal Communications Commission had set up to legitimize the sale of subscriber information by ISPs.

What does GDPR mean for consumers? In short, it will strengthen the practice of fundamental privacy rights of individuals and put users back in control of their personal data. This level of regulation will apply to both corporations and governments and will have the potential to inherently disrupt the protocols for data protection on a global scale."

Trump doesn’t understand how to be president. The Comey story shows why.; Washington Post, June 7, 2017

E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post; Trump doesn’t understand how to be president. The Comey story shows why.

"Here are the things Trump still doesn’t get: (1) Comey is his own person concerned with his own reputation and standing. (2) A president, unlike a despot, can’t unilaterally change the rules that surround a legal investigation. (3) People in government don’t work only for the president; their primary obligation is to the public. (4) Personal relationships matter a great deal in government, but they aren’t everything; Comey could not go soft on Michael Flynn just because Trump likes Flynn or fears what Flynn might say. (5) Because of 1, 2, 3 and 4, Comey was not going to do what Trump asked, even if this meant being fired...

There has been a lively debate among Trump critics about whether he’s dangerous because he’s inclined toward authoritarianism or because he’s incompetent. The Comey episode allows us to reach a higher synthesis in this discussion: Trump is incompetent precisely because he believes he can act like an autocrat in a constitutional democracy. This doesn’t work, and it makes him do stupid things."

Intelligence officials’ outrageous contempt of Congress; Washington Post, June 7, 2017

Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post; Intelligence officials’ outrageous contempt of Congress

"All of these witnesses, national security adviser H.R. McMaster and other White House officials act as if they work for the president, not the American people. This is unacceptable in a functional democracy and would, if perpetuated, do serious damage to our democratic system. They need to tell the truth, the whole truth. Transparency and honesty cannot be optional for members of the executive branch. We will see if Republicans in Congress exhibit the same level of outrage as do Democrats. If not, they will be revealing their own willingness to defend the president and refusal to wholeheartedly perform their duties as required by their oaths."

Webinar: Understanding Patent Basics: Law Librarians Bringing Added Value June 28, 2017, 2pm ET

Webinar

Understanding Patent Basics:

Law Librarians Bringing Added Value

June 28, 2pm ET

As a law librarian you serve a wide array of lawyers so you may not have a background specific to patent law. Many law librarians feel they could be more productive if they could better communicate in patent attorney "speak" and may feel awkward in asking for definitions of basic patent terminology.

As part of our efforts to offer on-going support to law librarians, LexisNexis IP Solutions is offering a crash course in basic patent concepts to help you better communicate with your colleagues.

Join us for this informative webinar which will demystify patent terminology and review basic concepts. The presenters will discuss:

• Common terms in patent law, such as "What is a provisional patent application?"
• What patents lawyers are looking for in terms of help from their law librarians relevant to common concepts.
• Why research related to each of these terms, or concepts, are important in the area of patent prosecution.
• Q&A to answer those questions you have been meaning to ask.
  
  Sign up today! We will provide slides from the webinar to all registrants.
  
  The presenters are Amantha Allen, User Experience and Professional Development Manager, LexisNexis^® IP Solutions and Megan McLoughlin, Product Director, LexisNexis PatentAdvisor® 

Privacy in the Cellphone Age; New York Times, June 7, 2017

Editorial Board, New York Times; Privacy in the Cellphone Age

"Odds are you need to use that phone in your pocket many times a day — and doing so leaves you no choice but to constantly relay data revealing your location and movements to Verizon, AT&T or whatever cellphone company you pay for the service. For most people, most of the time, that’s not a concern, if they’re aware of it at all. But how easy should it be for the government to get its hands on that data?

That’s the question at the heart of a major new case the Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear. The justices’ decision could redefine not only the limits on law enforcement access to cellphone-location records, but the future of surveillance more broadly...

In 2014, Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. wrote that cellphones have become “such a pervasive and insistent part of daily life that the proverbial visitor from Mars might conclude they were an important feature of human anatomy.”

The third-party doctrine needs to be reimagined in light of Americans’ new relationship to technology and their rapidly changing expectations of data privacy.

If not, Congress should follow what several states have already done and pass legislation requiring warrants for phone-location data."

The Internet Of Things Is Becoming More Difficult To Escape; NPR, All Tech Considered, June 6, 2017

Christianna Silva, NPR, All Tech Considered; The Internet Of Things Is Becoming More Difficult To Escape

"The Internet of things will continue to spread between now and 2026, until human and machine connectivity becomes ubiquitous and unavoidably present, according to experts who participated in what Pew described as a "nonscientific canvassing."...

Unplugging is futile, and plugging in is unavoidable.

It's already difficult to create distance from the technology that surrounds us, but as connectivity increases, it might become impossible to do so.

Marti Hearst, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, says just that.

"People's businesses, homes, cars and even their clothing will be monitoring their every move, and potentially even their thoughts," she says. "Connected cities will track where and when people walk, initially to light their way, but eventually to monitor what they do and say. The walls of businesses will have tiny sensors embedded in them, initially to monitor for toxins and earthquakes, and eventually to monitor for intruders and company secrets being shared. People currently strap monitors on their bodies to tell them how many steps they take. Eventually, all fluids in and out of bodies will be monitored and recorded. Opting out will be out of the ordinary and hugely inconvenient, just as not carrying a mobile device and not using a fast pass on the highway are today."...

Amy Webb, futurist and CEO at the Future Today Institute, writes: "Technology can be like junk food. We'll consume it, even when we know it's bad for us. There is no silver bullet. The only way to effectively prevent against malware and data breaches is to stay continually vigilant. To borrow an analogy from 'Game of Thrones,' we need a 'Night's Watch' for security. Because when it comes to the Internet of Things and data breaches, 'winter is coming.' Organizations must hire enough knowledgeable staff to monitor and adjust systems, and to empower them to keep pace with hackers. IT and security staff must be willing to educate themselves, to admit when they need help and to demand that executives make decisions proactively."

Trump is now raging at Jeff Sessions. This hints at a deeply unsettling pattern.; Washington Post, June 6, 2017

Greg Sargent, Washington Post; Trump is now raging at Jeff Sessions. This hints at a deeply unsettling pattern.

"Students of authoritarianism see a pattern taking shape

Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a professor of history at New York University who writes extensively on authoritarianism and Italian fascism, told me that a discernible trait of authoritarian and autocratic rulers is ongoing “frustration” with the “inability to make others do their bidding” and with “institutional and bureaucratic procedures and checks and balances.”

“Trump doesn’t respect democratic procedure and finds it to be something that gets in his way,” Ben-Ghiat said. “The blaming of others is very typical of autocrats, because they have difficulty listening to a reality that doesn’t coincide with their version of it. It’s part of the authoritarian temperament to blame others when things aren’t working.”

Trump expects independent officials “to behave according to personal loyalty, as opposed to following the rules,” added Timothy Snyder, a history professor at Yale University who wrote “On Tyranny,” a book of lessons from the 20th Century. “For Trump, that is how the world is supposed to work. Trump doesn’t understand that in the world there might truly be laws and rules that constrain a leader.”

Snyder noted that authoritarian tendencies often go hand in hand with impatience at such constraints. “You have to have morality and a set of institutions that escape the normal balance of administrative practice,” Snyder said. “You have to be able to lie all the time. You have to have people around you who tell you how wonderful you are all the time. You have to have institutions which don’t follow the law and instead follow some kind of law of loyalty.”

Cupcake wars: Blogger sues Food Network over snow globe recipe video; Washington Post, June 5, 2017

Derek Hawkins, Washington Post; Cupcake wars: Blogger sues Food Network over snow globe recipe video

"Elizabeth LaBau’s holiday cupcake recipe was so popular it crashed her food blog.

It was clever, after all. LaBau, who runs SugarHero.com, had figured out a way to make edible snow globe cupcakes by coating small balloons in sheets of gelatin and letting them harden into translucent domes.

About three weeks after she published her tutorial, LaBau alleges, Food Network produced a how-to video on snow globe cupcakes that was so similar that it constituted copyright infringement."

Where Are the United States Attorneys?; New York Times, June 6, 2017

Editorial Board, New York Times; 

Where Are the United States Attorneys?

"Three months after President Trump abruptly fired half of the nation’s 93 United States attorneys, following the resignations of the other half, he has yet to replace a single one.

It’s bizarre — and revealing — that a man who called himself the “law and order candidate” during the 2016 campaign and spoke of “lawless chaos” in his address to Congress would permit such a leadership vacuum at federal prosecutors’ offices around the country. United States attorneys are responsible for prosecuting terrorism offenses, serious financial fraud, public corruption, crimes related to gang activity, drug trafficking and all other federal crimes.

As is usually the case when confronted with his own incompetence, Mr. Trump has spent his time looking for somebody else to blame...

There are two other obvious, and perhaps simpler, explanations, and both may be correct. Mr. Trump does not actually believe in or care about his campaign claim of “lawless chaos” in our streets. And Mr. Trump is not a good manager — not of his businesses, certainly, and not of the vastly larger, more complex organization he now runs, the one that matters to the well-being of every American."

The Lawless Presidency; New York Times, June 6, 2017

David Leonhardt, New York Times; The Lawless Presidency

"Democracy isn’t possible without the rule of law — the idea that consistent principles, rather than a ruler’s whims, govern society.

You can read Aristotle, Montesquieu, John Locke or the Declaration of Independence on this point. You can also look at decades of American history. Even amid bitter fights over what the law should say, both Democrats and Republicans have generally accepted the rule of law.

President Trump does not. His rejection of it distinguishes him from any other modern American leader. He has instead flirted with Louis XIV’s notion of “L’état, c’est moi”: The state is me — and I’ll decide which laws to follow...

Unfortunately, Trump shows no signs of letting up. Don’t assume he will fail just because his actions are so far outside the American mainstream. The rule of law depends on a society’s willingness to stand up for it when it’s under threat. This is our time of testing."

How a rigid fair-use standard would harm free speech and fundamentally undermine the Internet; Los Angeles Times, June 1, 2017

Art Neill, Los Angeles Times; How a rigid fair-use standard would harm free speech and fundamentally undermine the Internet

"In a recent Times op-ed article, Jonathan Taplin of the USC Annenberg Innovation Lab claimed that an “ambiguous“ fair use definition is emboldening users of new technologies to challenge copyright infringement allegations, including takedown notices. He proposes rewriting fair use to limit reuses of audio or video clips to 30 seconds or less, a standard he mysteriously claims is “widely accepted.”

In fact, this is not a widely accepted standard, and weakening fair use in this way will not address copyright infringement concerns on the Internet. It would hurt the music, film and TV industries as much as it would hurt individual creators...

Fair use is inextricably linked to our 1st Amendment right to free speech. We are careful with fair use because it’s the primary way consumers, creators and innovators share new ideas. It’s a good thing, and it is worth protecting."

Ivanka Trump's firm seeks new trademarks in China, reviving ethical concerns; CNN Money, June 5, 2017

Jackie Wattles and Jill Disis, CNN Money; Ivanka Trump's firm seeks new trademarks in China, reviving ethical concerns

"Ivanka Trump's business, which mostly makes clothing and accessories, says the latest trademark applications were filed to block others from profiting off of her name, not because she wants to sell the products in China.

But that's still a problem, says Larry Noble, the general counsel for the nonprofit, nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, a watchdog group.

He said the family's continued ties to their businesses raise questions about whether their profit motives could influence U.S. relations with other countries.

"China knows that to deny these applications would get a negative reaction from the president, and to expedite their approval would get a positive reaction from the president," Noble said."

IoT Devices Becoming More Important in Criminal Investigations; Inside Counsel, June 1, 2017

Amanda Ciccatelli, Inside Counsel; IoT Devices Becoming More Important in Criminal Investigations

"In addition, an area of the law which will evolve because of IoT being utilized in court is privacy law. Fitbit's privacy policies clearly state that they will cooperate with a legal subpoena or warrant. Moreover, they outline that user’s information will be stored unless the account is completely closed, and even then, the information will only be destroyed per the company's regular maintenance schedule. Accordingly, users have consented to this application.

She explained, “Users of IoT need be cognizant of the fact that these very personal devices, worn by us every minute of the day or listening in our homes, come at a very real privacy cost…If IoT is in use, users must balance the risk that their data will be used in court."

After 75 years of progress, was last week a hinge in history?; Washington Post, June 4, 2017

Lawrence Summers, Washington Post; After 75 years of progress, was last week a hinge in history?

"We may have our first post-rational president. Trump has rejected the view of modern science on global climate change, embraced economic forecasts and trade theories outside the range of reputable opinion, and relied on the idea of alternative facts rather than evidence-based truth.

Even for conservative statesmen such as Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Henry Kissinger, the idea of a community of nations has been a commonplace...

In service of this theory, the president in the past two weeks renounced any claim to U.S. moral leadership by failing to convincingly reaffirm traditional U.S. security commitments to NATO and abandoning participation in the Paris global climate agreement...

What is to be done? The U.S. president is not America. The world will be watching to see whether Trump’s words and deeds represent an irrevocable turn in the nation’s approach to the world or a temporary aberration. The more that leading figures in U.S. society can signal their continuing commitment to reason, to common purpose with other nations, and to addressing global challenges, the more the damage can be contained. And, of course, Congress has a central role to play in preventing dangerous and destabilizing steps."

Harvard withdraws 10 acceptances for ‘offensive’ memes in private group chat; Washington Post, June 5, 2017

Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post; Harvard withdraws 10 acceptances for ‘offensive’ memes in private group chat

"The students in the spinoff group exchanged memes and images “mocking sexual assault, the Holocaust and the deaths of children,” sometimes directing jokes at specific ethnic or racial groups, the Crimson reported. One message “called the hypothetical hanging of a Mexican child ‘piñata time’” while other messages quipped that “abusing children was sexually arousing,” according to images of the chat described by the Crimson.

Then, university officials caught on. And in mid-April, after administrators discovered the offensive, racially charged meme exchanges, at least 10 incoming students who participated in the chat received letters informing them that their offers of admission had been revoked...

According to Harvard college admissions policies, the university reserves the right to withdraw an offer of admission if the admitted student “engages or has engaged in behavior that brings into question their honesty, maturity or moral character,” among other conditions, Dane told The Post."

Supreme Court to decide if a warrant is needed to track a suspect through cellphone records; Washington Post, June 5, 2017

Robert Barnes, Washington Post; Supreme Court to decide if a warrant is needed to track a suspect through cellphone records

"The Supreme Court next term will decide whether law enforcement authorities need a warrant to track a suspect through his cellphone records, justices announced Monday.

The case seeks to resolve a digital-age question that has divided lower courts relying on past Supreme Court precedents about privacy."

White House Waivers May Have Violated Ethics Rules; New York Times, June 1, 2017

Steve Eder and Eric Lipton, New York Times; White House Waivers May Have Violated Ethics Rules

"The Trump administration may have skirted federal ethics rules by retroactively granting a blanket exemption that allows Stephen K. Bannon, the senior White House strategist, to communicate with editors at Breitbart News, where he was recently an executive.

The exemption, made public late Wednesday along with more than a dozen other ethics waivers issued by the White House, allows all White House aides to communicate with news organizations, even if they involve a “former employer or former client.”"

A Player Falls Injured At The French Open, And Compassion Takes Over; NPR, June 1, 2017

Bill Chappell, NPR; A Player Falls Injured At The French Open, And Compassion Takes Over

"It's still early in the French Open, but the tournament has already seen a remarkable show of sportsmanship. On Thursday, Juan Martín del Potro climbed over the net to console his opponent, Nicolás Almagro, who was visibly upset by an injury that forced him to withdraw from their match...

As del Potro stepped over the net and walked toward him, Almagro collapsed on the clay court, his sobs clearly audible over the crowd's cheers of encouragement and appreciation. Del Potro, an Argentine who has faced his own injuries, talked quietly with Spain's Almagro before the two walked slowly back to the bench.

As he passed center court, Almagro, who at 31 is ranked No. 69 in the ATP's world tennis rankings, turned back to shake hands and hug del Potro, and to shake the chair umpire's hand.

"People first, tennis players second," the Roland Garros Facebook page stated."

LeBron may or may not be a better player than Jordan, but he's a better man; Guardian, June 1, 2017

Damon Young, Guardian; LeBron may or may not be a better player than Jordan, but he's a better man

"Anyway, while the debate about their games and their talents and their respective grades of greatness remains relevant, there’s no argument that the 32-year-old LeBron far surpasses both the 32-year-old Jordan and today’s 54-year-old Jordan in integrity and bravery. And not the contrived, SkipBaylian artificial measure of character that bases and assesses a man’s testicular fortitude on his LinkedIn profile and whether he possesses an arbitrary “clutch gene,” but real actual character."

Twitter Fails E.U. Standard on Removing Hate Speech Online; New York Times, May 31, 2017

Mark Scott, New York Times; Twitter Fails E.U. Standard on Removing Hate Speech Online

"Twitter has failed to meet European standards for removing hate speech online, figures to be published Thursday show, as pressure mounts, particularly on the Continent, for tech companies to do more to tackle such harmful material.

The battle between European policy makers and tech companies over what should be permitted online has pitted freedom of speech campaigners against those who say hate speech — in whatever form — has no place on the internet.

In this standoff, European officials have called on Silicon Valley companies to take down at least 50 percent of the hate speech from their services once they are notified, and they signed up the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Google to a voluntary code of conduct last year to combat the rising tide of harmful content online."

Trump is abdicating all the country’s moral power; Washington Post, June 1, 2017

Eugene Robinson, Washington Post; Trump is abdicating all the country’s moral power

"With his backward policies and his tiresome antics, President Trump seems to be trying his best to do something that ought to be impossible: make the U.S. presidency irrelevant to world progress...

Trump is abdicating all moral power. The world has no choice but to move on."

Rethinking Ethics Training in Silicon Valley; The Atlantic, May 26, 2017

Irina Raicu, The Atlantic; Rethinking Ethics Training in Silicon Valley

"I work at an ethics center in Silicon Valley.

I know, I know, “ethics” is not the first word that comes to mind when most people think of Silicon Valley or the tech industry. It’s probably not even in the top 10. But given the outsized role that tech companies now play, it’s time to focus on the ethical responsibilities of the technologists who help shape our lives.

In a recent talk, technologist Maciej Ceglowski argued that “[t]his year especially there’s an uncomfortable feeling in the tech industry that we did something wrong, that in following our credo of ‘move fast and break things,’ some of what we knocked down were the load-bearing walls of our democracy.”...

I work in an applied ethics center, and we do believe that technology can help democracy (we offer a free ethical-decision-making app, for example; we even offer a MOOC—a free online course—on ethical campaigning!). For it to do that, though, we need people who are ready to tackle the ethical questions—both within and outside of tech companies."