, The New York Times; Putin’s Long War Against American Science
A decade of health disinformation promoted by President Vladimir Putin of Russia has sown wide confusion, hurt major institutions and encouraged the spread of deadly illnesses.
"As the pandemic has swept the globe, it has been accompanied by a dangerous surge of false information — an “infodemic,” according to the World Health Organization. Analysts say that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has played a principal role in the spread of false information as part of his wider effort to discredit the West and destroy his enemies from within.
The House, the Senate and the nation’s intelligence agencies have typically focused on election meddling in their examinations of Mr. Putin’s long campaign. But the repercussions are wider. An investigation by The New York Times — involving scores of interviews as well as a review of scholarly papers, news reports, and Russian documents, tweets and TV shows — found that Mr. Putin has spread misinformation on issues of personal health for more than a decade.
His agents have repeatedly planted and spread the idea that viral epidemics — including flu outbreaks, Ebola and now the coronavirus — were sown by American scientists. The disinformers have also sought to undermine faith in the safety of vaccines, a triumph of public health that Mr. Putin himself promotes at home.
Moscow’s aim, experts say, is to portray American officials as downplaying the health alarms and thus posing serious threats to public safety.
“It’s all about seeding lack of trust in government institutions,” Peter Pomerantsev, author of “Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible,” a 2014 book on Kremlin disinformation, said in an interview.
The Russian president has waged his long campaign by means of open media, secretive trolls and shadowy blogs that regularly cast American health officials as patronizing frauds. Of late, new stealth and sophistication have made his handiwork harder to see, track and fight."
Monday, April 13, 2020
Pandemic serves up new questions of medical right and wrong; American Medical Association, April 13, 2020
Timothy M. Smith, American Medical Association; Pandemic serves up new questions of medical right and wrong
"The COVID-19 pandemic is posing unfamiliar challenges for front-line physicians while also casting new light on longstanding health equity issues. An episode of the “AMA COVID-19 Update” explores several underlying ethical questions. Among these: How much risk is too much for physicians? Which patients should get priority access to scarce resources? And how do socioeconomic factors affect quality of care in an emergency?
In a conversation with the AMA’s chief experience officer, Todd Unger, three experts from the AMA delved into relevant ethical guidance.
The AMA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are closely monitoring the COVID-19 global pandemic. Learn more at the AMA COVID-19 resource center. Also check out pandemic resources available from the AMA Code of Medical Ethics, JAMA Network™, AMA Journal of Ethics®, and consult the AMA’s physician guide to COVID-19."
Saturday, April 11, 2020
X-Men: The 10 Most Important Events in Dawn of X (So Far); Comic Book Resources, April 10, 2020
Brandon Zachary, Comic Book Resources; X-Men: The 10 Most Important Events in Dawn of X (So Far)
Take a look back at the most important things during the first phase of the current direction of the X-Men franchise, Dawn of X.
"9. Nightcrawler's Religious Ideas Become Pillars In X-Men
Discussing the ethics of the Crucible alongside Cyclops in X-Men #7, Nightcrawler reflects on the idea of the soul and what being a good mutant really means with resurrection available to them."
ADA council affirms importance of code of ethics during COVID-19 pandemic; American Dental Association, ADA News, April 9, 2020
David Burger, American Dental Association, ADA News;
"The ADA Council on Ethics, Bylaws and Judicial Affairs’ ethics subcommittee authored an online essay as part of its Ethical Moment series in the May issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association, affirming that the ADA Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct is just as important as ever when making the difficult decisions they encounter on a daily basis.
“During this crisis, when everything seems in flux, it is comforting to remember that the values we pledged to uphold remain unchanged,” said Dr. Mike Kurkowski, council chair. “This article attempts to clarify the application of our Code to some of the emerging issues our member dentists must address. With the overwhelming volume of information practitioners are currently trying to digest, it's important to stay grounded. Placing our community and patients before our needs, and communicating honestly about the evolving science regarding this virus, will help guide dentists to the best decisions.”
The nearly 800-word essay, “Ethical Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” addresses some of the ethical issues that have arisen in concert with the rise of transmissions...
ADA council affirms importance of code of ethics during COVID-19 pandemic
The Journal of the American Dental Association publishes essay that emphasizes unity of member dentists
"The ADA Council on Ethics, Bylaws and Judicial Affairs’ ethics subcommittee authored an online essay as part of its Ethical Moment series in the May issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association, affirming that the ADA Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct is just as important as ever when making the difficult decisions they encounter on a daily basis.
“During this crisis, when everything seems in flux, it is comforting to remember that the values we pledged to uphold remain unchanged,” said Dr. Mike Kurkowski, council chair. “This article attempts to clarify the application of our Code to some of the emerging issues our member dentists must address. With the overwhelming volume of information practitioners are currently trying to digest, it's important to stay grounded. Placing our community and patients before our needs, and communicating honestly about the evolving science regarding this virus, will help guide dentists to the best decisions.”
The nearly 800-word essay, “Ethical Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” addresses some of the ethical issues that have arisen in concert with the rise of transmissions...
Dr. Guenter Jonke, subcommittee member, said that it was vitally important to reiterate in a clear and concise manner member dentists’ obligations during this pandemic — not in a didactic or moralizing way, but as a way to express a shared commitment.
“Ethics is the cornerstone our profession,” Dr. Jonke said. “During this crisis, not all of us may be level-headed. This article is very timely and an important message to all dentists. Inspiring others is another skill of excellent leadership. Remaining unified allows us to achieve greatness during these uncertain times.”"
“Ethics is the cornerstone our profession,” Dr. Jonke said. “During this crisis, not all of us may be level-headed. This article is very timely and an important message to all dentists. Inspiring others is another skill of excellent leadership. Remaining unified allows us to achieve greatness during these uncertain times.”"
On the ethics of documenting a pandemic; British Journal of Photography, April 9, 2020
Hannah Abel-Hirsch, British Journal of Photography; On the ethics of documenting a pandemic
"How do you navigate the ethics of documenting a crisis where the best course of action is to stay home — what is the importance of photographing it versus the risk it may bring to subjects?
One of the fundamental aspects of democracy is press freedom. I am a journalist and filmmaker and I have a duty to consider how to ethically document the crisis. A month ago, in Italy, the only imagery circulating was that which depicted empty streets and people wearing masks. I felt part of the story was missing, and I took the time to examine how to cover it safely with the necessary protective gear, and to understand what would be the right time and location. The concern is always how you do it — the process — and how you tell the story."
"How do you navigate the ethics of documenting a crisis where the best course of action is to stay home — what is the importance of photographing it versus the risk it may bring to subjects?
One of the fundamental aspects of democracy is press freedom. I am a journalist and filmmaker and I have a duty to consider how to ethically document the crisis. A month ago, in Italy, the only imagery circulating was that which depicted empty streets and people wearing masks. I felt part of the story was missing, and I took the time to examine how to cover it safely with the necessary protective gear, and to understand what would be the right time and location. The concern is always how you do it — the process — and how you tell the story."
Friday, April 10, 2020
Brands, T-shirt makers line up to trademark coronavirus pandemic; USA Today, April 7, 2020
Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today; Brands, T-shirt makers line up to trademark coronavirus pandemic
"[Josh] Gerben [a Washington intellectual property attorney who’s been tracking daily filings] pointed out that trademark office examiners are perhaps the best equipped federal employees to keep working through the pandemic since most already telework. Trademarking is a lengthy process, he said, typically taking four months for an initial examination of an application and about eight months before a trademark is finalized.
Gerben pointed out that trademark office examiners are perhaps the best equipped federal employees to keep working through the pandemic since most already telework. Trademarking is a lengthy process, he said, typically taking four months for an initial examination of an application and about eight months before a trademark is finalized.
Examiners use simple tools such as Google to determine whether a phrase is unique. To receive the protections of exclusive national rights, a mark must be both distinct and already in commercial use by the filer. That means the dozen individuals applying for “I survived COVID-19” could be denied exclusive rights, especially if startups on Etsy or other do-it-yourself websites are selling items.
Trademark holders will have to consider the business ethics of profiting from a pandemic that’s killed thousands."
"[Josh] Gerben [a Washington intellectual property attorney who’s been tracking daily filings] pointed out that trademark office examiners are perhaps the best equipped federal employees to keep working through the pandemic since most already telework. Trademarking is a lengthy process, he said, typically taking four months for an initial examination of an application and about eight months before a trademark is finalized.
Gerben pointed out that trademark office examiners are perhaps the best equipped federal employees to keep working through the pandemic since most already telework. Trademarking is a lengthy process, he said, typically taking four months for an initial examination of an application and about eight months before a trademark is finalized.
Examiners use simple tools such as Google to determine whether a phrase is unique. To receive the protections of exclusive national rights, a mark must be both distinct and already in commercial use by the filer. That means the dozen individuals applying for “I survived COVID-19” could be denied exclusive rights, especially if startups on Etsy or other do-it-yourself websites are selling items.
Trademark holders will have to consider the business ethics of profiting from a pandemic that’s killed thousands."
Michael Schur On Ethics And Morality In A Crisis; WBUR, April 9, 2020
Meghna Chakrabarti and Brittany Knotts, WBUR; Michael Schur On Ethics And Morality In A Crisis
"How do you think "The Good Place" characters Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani and Jason would have responded to the coronavirus in their Earth lives?...
MICHAEL SCHUR, ON HOW JASON WOULD RESPOND TO THE CORONAVIRUS...
Jason: “Then there's Jason, who is just an idiot. And Jason, I don't know if you saw one of the craziest photos to me of all of the photos we've all been looking at, it was that county line in Florida. ... Where one county had shut down its beaches, and the other county had not. And so as a result, the beach was entirely empty. And there was just like suddenly just a wall of people extending further out, down the beach, because that county's beaches were open. Whatever county that is, that's where Jason would be. … So he and Eleanor probably wouldn't have been dissimilar in terms of the way they approached this, but for different reasons. Eleanor was selfish, and Jason was just sort of impulsive and didn't really think anything through.”...
"How do you think "The Good Place" characters Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani and Jason would have responded to the coronavirus in their Earth lives?...
MICHAEL SCHUR, ON HOW JASON WOULD RESPOND TO THE CORONAVIRUS...
Jason: “Then there's Jason, who is just an idiot. And Jason, I don't know if you saw one of the craziest photos to me of all of the photos we've all been looking at, it was that county line in Florida. ... Where one county had shut down its beaches, and the other county had not. And so as a result, the beach was entirely empty. And there was just like suddenly just a wall of people extending further out, down the beach, because that county's beaches were open. Whatever county that is, that's where Jason would be. … So he and Eleanor probably wouldn't have been dissimilar in terms of the way they approached this, but for different reasons. Eleanor was selfish, and Jason was just sort of impulsive and didn't really think anything through.”...
What do we owe each other?
Michael Schur: “I said before that there's a certain sort of minimum that is required of everyone, to the best of our abilities. The basics, right. Staying inside, staying away from people, trying to kind of stop the spread of the disease. But then beyond that, there's an enormous sliding scale, I think. If you have the ability to, for example, pay your dog walker, if you have the financial means to continue to pay your dog walker who can't walk your dog anymore, or someone who helps you clean your house, or anybody who works for you in any capacity. If you have that ability, I think you need to do that. And then, you know, you keep sliding up the scale. If you have the ability to keep people on the payroll at your business who are working for you, even if it means you lose money, I think you have to do that, too. And it just keeps going up and up and up."
Social distancing isn’t a personal choice. It’s an ethical duty.; Vox, April 9, 2020
Sarah-Vaughan Brakman, Vox; Social distancing isn’t a personal choice. It’s an ethical duty.
Why we should foreground our commitment to the common good in the fight against coronavirus.
"Social distancing is inconvenient at best, truly burdensome at worst. What hasn’t helped matters is the confusing messaging of why we should social distance at all. We’ve been conditioned to think social distancing is only about us — lowering the risk to one’s self and one’s family. And yet we’ve also been told that this is something we need to do to protect others.
While not necessarily incorrect, both ways of thinking about it are not equal to the task before us. What we need is an exhortation to act that is grounded firmly in an ethical foundation, one that not only gets at the deeper purpose of social distancing, but that also lays the groundwork for a more resilient society on the other side of this crisis. We as a global society need to see social distancing as nothing less than an act of solidarity, an intentional choice that binds us in a common cause."
Thursday, April 9, 2020
Past coronavirus: an open-access future for academics; The Bowdoin Orient, April 3, 2020
Radu Stochita, The Bowdoin Orient; Past coronavirus: an open-access future for academics
"What Aaron Swartz left us is the courage to try and break the wall that exists between the public and the profit-driven industry of academic publishing. In his eyes, information was meant to be free and accessible. Progress was meant for the common good, in the benefit of everyone, not only for a selected few."
"What Aaron Swartz left us is the courage to try and break the wall that exists between the public and the profit-driven industry of academic publishing. In his eyes, information was meant to be free and accessible. Progress was meant for the common good, in the benefit of everyone, not only for a selected few."
Sandia Labs offers fast-track licensing approval program for access to intellectual property; KOB4, April 7, 2020
Brett Luna, KOB4; Sandia Labs offers fast-track licensing approval program for access to intellectual property
"Sandia Labs is now offering up more than a thousand pieces of its intellectual property to help fight the pandemic.
The fast-track licensing approval program, or the Rapid Technology Deployment Program, is allowing businesses and individuals to freely use some of Sandia Labs’ intellectual property without paying fees or royalties. The program gives people approval within a few days instead of a few months.
"We have about almost 1,600 active patents so we have made 70% of those patents available to U.S. individuals and companies free of charge through the end of the calendar year,” said Mary Monson, Senior Manager for Technology Partnership at Sandia Labs...
For more information about the program, click here."
"Sandia Labs is now offering up more than a thousand pieces of its intellectual property to help fight the pandemic.
The fast-track licensing approval program, or the Rapid Technology Deployment Program, is allowing businesses and individuals to freely use some of Sandia Labs’ intellectual property without paying fees or royalties. The program gives people approval within a few days instead of a few months.
"We have about almost 1,600 active patents so we have made 70% of those patents available to U.S. individuals and companies free of charge through the end of the calendar year,” said Mary Monson, Senior Manager for Technology Partnership at Sandia Labs...
For more information about the program, click here."
Free Access to Intellectual Property is Crucial in Mitigating The COVID-19 Pandemic; News18, April 9, 2020
Simantini Dey, News18; Free Access to Intellectual Property is Crucial in Mitigating The COVID-19 Pandemic
"Furthermore, sharing intellectual property among members of academia is also important, so that the invention of a working vaccine can be accelerated, and more can be discovered about this potent virus.
To ensure such co-operation, a group of scientists, lawyers, entrepreneurs and individuals have come together and started the 'Open COVID pledge' initiative. The organisations, institutions and universities who take the 'Open COVID Pledge' will voluntarily make the commitment of sharing their Intellectual Property related to COVID-19, thereby reducing information barrier.
So far, Intel, Mozilla and Creative Commons have publically taken the Open COVID pledge. Harvard, MIT and Stanford have also agreed to this initiative. The University of Utah (Centre for Law and Biological Sciences), and Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital are among some of the other institutions that have endorsed the pledge.
The current global healthcare crisis has brought to sharp focus the need to review patent laws of pharmaceutical products and how it should be reframed in case of a pandemic, or epidemic in future."
"Furthermore, sharing intellectual property among members of academia is also important, so that the invention of a working vaccine can be accelerated, and more can be discovered about this potent virus.
To ensure such co-operation, a group of scientists, lawyers, entrepreneurs and individuals have come together and started the 'Open COVID pledge' initiative. The organisations, institutions and universities who take the 'Open COVID Pledge' will voluntarily make the commitment of sharing their Intellectual Property related to COVID-19, thereby reducing information barrier.
So far, Intel, Mozilla and Creative Commons have publically taken the Open COVID pledge. Harvard, MIT and Stanford have also agreed to this initiative. The University of Utah (Centre for Law and Biological Sciences), and Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital are among some of the other institutions that have endorsed the pledge.
The current global healthcare crisis has brought to sharp focus the need to review patent laws of pharmaceutical products and how it should be reframed in case of a pandemic, or epidemic in future."
Library workers fight for safer working conditions amid coronavirus pandemic; NBC News, April 8, 2020
Olivia Solon, NBC News; Library workers fight for safer working conditions amid coronavirus pandemic
"Despite the American Library Association recommending in a statement March 17 that libraries close to the public, many librarians and support staff are still being asked to travel to work or risk being laid off, organizers say, even though many services could be delivered remotely.
Libraries in states across the country, including in New York, Iowa, Florida, California and Minnesota, have started offering curbside pickups to reduce contact between workers and patrons. Organizers believe this puts librarians at an unnecessary risk...
Library staff, particularly those in urban areas, spend a lot of time helping people apply for jobs, housing and government services that have shifted online -- services that will be more critical than ever when the pandemic is over and libraries reopen.
"Despite the American Library Association recommending in a statement March 17 that libraries close to the public, many librarians and support staff are still being asked to travel to work or risk being laid off, organizers say, even though many services could be delivered remotely.
Libraries in states across the country, including in New York, Iowa, Florida, California and Minnesota, have started offering curbside pickups to reduce contact between workers and patrons. Organizers believe this puts librarians at an unnecessary risk...
Library staff, particularly those in urban areas, spend a lot of time helping people apply for jobs, housing and government services that have shifted online -- services that will be more critical than ever when the pandemic is over and libraries reopen.
“Libraries are used by poor people, homeless people and others with a need for basic social services that have been destroyed over the years,” Macrina said. “It’s heartbreaking to take another necessary service away from their lives, but we have to do it because it’s a life or death situation.”"
A call for ethical use of artificial intelligence; Boston Globe, March 26, 2020
John E. Kelly III, Boston Globe; A call for ethical use of artificial intelligence
"The Vatican document calls for international cooperation in designing and planning AI systems that the world can trust — for reaching a consensus among political decision-makers, researchers, academics, and nongovernmental organizations about the ethical principles that should be built into these technologies.
But we at IBM don’t think this call to action should stop with the Vatican. Leaders of all the world’s great religions, as well as right-minded companies, governments, and organizations everywhere, should join this discussion and effort."
"The Vatican document calls for international cooperation in designing and planning AI systems that the world can trust — for reaching a consensus among political decision-makers, researchers, academics, and nongovernmental organizations about the ethical principles that should be built into these technologies.
But we at IBM don’t think this call to action should stop with the Vatican. Leaders of all the world’s great religions, as well as right-minded companies, governments, and organizations everywhere, should join this discussion and effort."
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
University libraries offer online “lending” of scanned in-copyright books; Ars Technica, April 7, 2020
Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica; University libraries offer online “lending” of scanned in-copyright books
"A consortium of university libraries called HathiTrust recently announced a solution to this problem, called the Emergency Temporary Access Service. It allows participating HathiTrust member libraries to offer their patrons digital scans of books that they can "check out" and read online.
"A consortium of university libraries called HathiTrust recently announced a solution to this problem, called the Emergency Temporary Access Service. It allows participating HathiTrust member libraries to offer their patrons digital scans of books that they can "check out" and read online.
HathiTrust has a history of pushing the boundaries of copyright. It was the defendant in a landmark 2014 ruling that established the legality of library book scanning. At the time, HathiTrust was only allowing people with print disabilities to access the full text of scanned books. Now HathiTrust is expanding access to more people—though still with significant limits...
These limits distinguish HathiTrust's service from another recently announced "emergency library." Two weeks ago, the Internet Archive announced it was offering the general public the opportunity to check out 1.4 million scanned books. During the pandemic, the Internet Archive isn't limiting the number of people who can "borrow" a book simultaneously.
Cornell University legal scholar James Grimmelmann tells Ars that the limits on the HathiTrust program will put the group in a stronger position if it is ever challenged in court. The same fair use doctrine that allows HathiTrust to scan books in the first place might also justify what the organization is doing now—though that's far from certain."
Dr. Drew apologizes for being a COVID-19 denier after copyright silliness; Ars Technica, April 6, 2020
Kate Cox, Ars Technica; Dr. Drew apologizes for being a COVID-19 denier after copyright silliness
"Bharara, a former US attorney, and Boutrous, a high-profile attorney, were among the many who replied to defend or amplify Ali.
"You are safe from any 'copywrite' lawsuit, @yashar," Bharara tweeted. "Know your writes."
"Truth and fair use got you," Boutrous added in a tweet that quoted Pinsky's now-deleted threat.
It appears that either Pinsky or YouTube was inclined to agree. Sometime around noon Monday, give or take an hour, the YouTube video listing very quietly started working once again. Similarly, every message on Pinsky's @drdrew Twitter account relating to the video has been deleted."
Dr. Drew coronavirus supercut restored to YouTube after copyright takedown.
"Bharara, a former US attorney, and Boutrous, a high-profile attorney, were among the many who replied to defend or amplify Ali.
"You are safe from any 'copywrite' lawsuit, @yashar," Bharara tweeted. "Know your writes."
"Truth and fair use got you," Boutrous added in a tweet that quoted Pinsky's now-deleted threat.
It appears that either Pinsky or YouTube was inclined to agree. Sometime around noon Monday, give or take an hour, the YouTube video listing very quietly started working once again. Similarly, every message on Pinsky's @drdrew Twitter account relating to the video has been deleted."
Why do we keep treating China as a source of reliable information?; The Washington Post, April 7, 2020
, The Washington Post; Why do we keep treating China as a source of reliable information?
"The Chinese Communist Party manipulates its statistics. This is neither an opinion nor a revelation: it’s a simple fact, critical to understanding China today. Chairman Xi Jinping demands that Chinese journalists prioritize loyalty to the Party over truth or accuracy. Li Keqiang, who now runs China’s economy as the premier, once smilingly told the U.S. ambassador that most Chinese statistics are “for reference only,” and that statistics on gross domestic product especially are “man-made.”
Up until a few months ago, this felt like a domestic Chinese issue. Sure, American investment firms have always struggled with finding accurate data. American journalists have sometimes repeated misleading Chinese statistics. But the stakes are far higher today. American media outlets should add an asterisk after Chinese statistics, to inform readers that the numbers they are reading cannot be verified, and should therefore be questioned.
Why? In the coronavirus era, Chinese statistics endanger Americans. The coronavirus outbreak originated in China, and the country faced the earliest and possibly the worst ravaging from the disease. Misunderstanding the speed at which coronavirus spread in China and the current rate of infection there impairs understanding of how the disease affects Americans. Major American news outlets such as the The Post have done an excellent job covering China and the coronavirus. And yet, just over the past week, major outlets — including, among others, Reuters, The Post and Bloomberg — have occasionally reported Chinese statistics without mentioning or even implying their unreliability."
As COVID-19 stretches resources, ethical questions draw scrutiny; The Lewiston Tribune, April 8, 2020
Scott Jackson, The Lewiston Tribune; As COVID-19 stretches resources, ethical questions draw scrutiny
"WSU philosophy professor and ethicist William Kabasenche said when health care crises like the COVID-19 pandemic strike, health care workers must grapple with and reconcile two very different kinds of ethics.
The first of these, he said, is the familiar, day-to-day ethics doctors and nurses deploy on a regular basis. He called the first of these “clinical medical ethic,” which he described as more centered on individual patients. This mode of ethics respects patient autonomy, considers their health care goals and those of their family and generally seeks the best possible outcome on an individual basis.
However, in the event of a health care crisis like the pandemic facing the world today, he said another ethic begins to emerge that is more concerned with the collective well-being of many patients. He said if hospitals are overwhelmed with patients who require a ventilator, physicians may be faced with choosing to save a patient with better chances of survival over others in more severe condition...
Heine and Kabasenche agreed that forcing physicians to make decisions about who lives and who dies will likely be traumatic. What’s worse, Heine said because so little is known about the new coronavirus and the disease it causes, doctors will be making these decisions based on incomplete or flawed data. It’s difficult to make these calls in the first place, he said, but it’s especially difficult when you can’t even be sure that the information you’re acting on is correct and stands the best chance of saving the most people.
“Until we get a lot more experience, we’re going to have a hard time making really good decisions based on good data,” he said. “We will have medical challenges to make decisions and we will have very significant ethical challenges of how to make decisions to allocate resources during this pandemic.”
The full discussion between Kabasenche and Heine can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYy9-L0i1rk."
Two WSU professors discuss ethics of rationing health care resources during a pandemic
"WSU philosophy professor and ethicist William Kabasenche said when health care crises like the COVID-19 pandemic strike, health care workers must grapple with and reconcile two very different kinds of ethics.
The first of these, he said, is the familiar, day-to-day ethics doctors and nurses deploy on a regular basis. He called the first of these “clinical medical ethic,” which he described as more centered on individual patients. This mode of ethics respects patient autonomy, considers their health care goals and those of their family and generally seeks the best possible outcome on an individual basis.
However, in the event of a health care crisis like the pandemic facing the world today, he said another ethic begins to emerge that is more concerned with the collective well-being of many patients. He said if hospitals are overwhelmed with patients who require a ventilator, physicians may be faced with choosing to save a patient with better chances of survival over others in more severe condition...
Heine and Kabasenche agreed that forcing physicians to make decisions about who lives and who dies will likely be traumatic. What’s worse, Heine said because so little is known about the new coronavirus and the disease it causes, doctors will be making these decisions based on incomplete or flawed data. It’s difficult to make these calls in the first place, he said, but it’s especially difficult when you can’t even be sure that the information you’re acting on is correct and stands the best chance of saving the most people.
“Until we get a lot more experience, we’re going to have a hard time making really good decisions based on good data,” he said. “We will have medical challenges to make decisions and we will have very significant ethical challenges of how to make decisions to allocate resources during this pandemic.”
The full discussion between Kabasenche and Heine can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYy9-L0i1rk."
The Ethical Data Dilemma: Why Ethics Will Separate Data Privacy Leaders From Followers; Forbes, March 31, 2020
Stephen Ritter, Forbes; The Ethical Data Dilemma: Why Ethics Will Separate Data Privacy Leaders From Followers
"Companies themselves should proactively take a principled stand on how they will handle the personal data they collect. There’s a saying that if a product or service is free, then the users themselves are the product. It’s a disheartening view, but unfortunately one that’s been validated too many times in recent years.
Because the commoditization of consumer data isn’t likely to end anytime soon, it’s up to the businesses that gather and profit from this data to engage directly with their customers and establish data protections they will trust."
"Companies themselves should proactively take a principled stand on how they will handle the personal data they collect. There’s a saying that if a product or service is free, then the users themselves are the product. It’s a disheartening view, but unfortunately one that’s been validated too many times in recent years.
Because the commoditization of consumer data isn’t likely to end anytime soon, it’s up to the businesses that gather and profit from this data to engage directly with their customers and establish data protections they will trust."
Triage and ventilator rationing not the only ethical issues in pandemic, bioethicists say; National Catholic Reporter, April 6, 2020
Heidi Schlumpf, National Catholic Reporter; Triage and ventilator rationing not the only ethical issues in pandemic, bioethicists say
"News of life-saving ventilators being rationed, hospitals issuing blanket "Do Not Resuscitate" orders and politicians suggesting that some human lives are expendable in service of the economy have highlighted the importance of an ethical framework for decision-making during the coronavirus pandemic.
What used to be theoretical, textbook exercises have become real-life dilemmas for overburdened or soon-to-be-overburdened health care systems.
But Catholic bioethicists say clinical triage decisions, while important, are only part of a number of broader ethical concerns, including preventative strategies such as paid sick leave, truthful communication from political leaders and assistance with payment for testing and treatment.
Concern for the common good and for the most vulnerable populations become even more urgent during a pandemic, Catholic ethicists told NCR. And preparedness and prevention are as much moral issues as are end-of-life decisions.
Nearly 1,400 bioethicists and health leaders said as much in a letter to the White House and U.S. Congress dated March 21. The letter was organized by the New York-based Hastings Center, a bioethics research institute, and included a number of prominent Catholic signatories."
"News of life-saving ventilators being rationed, hospitals issuing blanket "Do Not Resuscitate" orders and politicians suggesting that some human lives are expendable in service of the economy have highlighted the importance of an ethical framework for decision-making during the coronavirus pandemic.
What used to be theoretical, textbook exercises have become real-life dilemmas for overburdened or soon-to-be-overburdened health care systems.
But Catholic bioethicists say clinical triage decisions, while important, are only part of a number of broader ethical concerns, including preventative strategies such as paid sick leave, truthful communication from political leaders and assistance with payment for testing and treatment.
Concern for the common good and for the most vulnerable populations become even more urgent during a pandemic, Catholic ethicists told NCR. And preparedness and prevention are as much moral issues as are end-of-life decisions.
Nearly 1,400 bioethicists and health leaders said as much in a letter to the White House and U.S. Congress dated March 21. The letter was organized by the New York-based Hastings Center, a bioethics research institute, and included a number of prominent Catholic signatories."
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
After a long legal struggle, Seattle band Thunderpussy is granted a U.S. trademark; The Seattle Times, April 5, 2020
Brendan Kiley, The Seattle Times; After a long legal struggle, Seattle band Thunderpussy is granted a U.S. trademark
"“There are a great many immoral and scandalous ideas in the world (even more than there are swearwords), and the Lanham Act covers them all,” Justice Elena Kagan wrote in the court’s opinion. “It therefore violates the First Amendment.” She also noted a lack of consistency in how the USPTO interpreted the Lanham Act, approving some trademarks and rejecting others that used the same potentially offensive language.
Kerr, Thunderpussy’s attorney, had argued the same point in his appeal to the USPTO.
“I mentioned over 40 trademark applications that had been accepted that included the word ‘pussy,’ ” he said. “Human discretion enters into the process, which is one person forming an opinion based on an internet search — but the implications for the band are enormous.”
The wheels of bureaucracy turned and, on April 4, Kerr finally received a letter from the USPTO granting Thunderpussy registered trademark number 6,021,338."
"“There are a great many immoral and scandalous ideas in the world (even more than there are swearwords), and the Lanham Act covers them all,” Justice Elena Kagan wrote in the court’s opinion. “It therefore violates the First Amendment.” She also noted a lack of consistency in how the USPTO interpreted the Lanham Act, approving some trademarks and rejecting others that used the same potentially offensive language.
Kerr, Thunderpussy’s attorney, had argued the same point in his appeal to the USPTO.
“I mentioned over 40 trademark applications that had been accepted that included the word ‘pussy,’ ” he said. “Human discretion enters into the process, which is one person forming an opinion based on an internet search — but the implications for the band are enormous.”
The wheels of bureaucracy turned and, on April 4, Kerr finally received a letter from the USPTO granting Thunderpussy registered trademark number 6,021,338."
SLAPP Suit Filed Against Fox News Over Awful & Dangerous COVID-19 Coverage; TechDirt, April 6, 2020
Mike Masnick, TechDirt;
"As despicable and awful as Fox News' coverage has been, it's all been protected free speech."
SLAPP Suit Filed Against Fox News Over Awful & Dangerous COVID-19 Coverage
"As despicable and awful as Fox News' coverage has been, it's all been protected free speech."
Artificial Intelligence and COVID-19: How Technology Can Understand, Track, and Improve Health Outcomes; Stanford University, April 2, 2020
Shana Lynch, Stanford University; Artificial Intelligence and COVID-19: How Technology Can Understand, Track, and Improve Health Outcomes
"On April 1, nearly 30 artificial intelligence (AI) researchers and experts met virtually to discuss ways AI can help understand COVID-19 and potentially mitigate the disease and developing public health crisis.
COVID-19 and AI: A Virtual Conference, hosted by the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, brought together Stanford faculty across medicine, computer science, and humanities; politicians, startup founders, and researchers from universities across the United States.
“In these trying times, I am especially inspired by the eagerness and diligence of scientists, clinicians, mathematicians, engineers, and social scientists around the world that are coming together to combat this pandemic,” Fei-Fei Li, Denning Family Co-Director of Stanford HAI, told the live audience.
Here are the top-line takeaways from the day. Visit HAI’s website for more in-depth coverage or watch the full conference video."
Listen to Hundreds of Free Audiobooks, From Classics to Educational Texts; Smithsonian Magazine, April 6, 2020
Theresa Machemer, Smithsonian Magazine; Listen to Hundreds of Free Audiobooks, From Classics to Educational Texts
"With classrooms closed due to COVID-19, millions of students across the United States are venturing into the realm of distance learning. To support these efforts, Amazon’s audiobook service, Audible, has launched an online collection of hundreds of free audiobooks primed for both education and entertainment.
"With classrooms closed due to COVID-19, millions of students across the United States are venturing into the realm of distance learning. To support these efforts, Amazon’s audiobook service, Audible, has launched an online collection of hundreds of free audiobooks primed for both education and entertainment.
The website doesn’t require a log-in, sign-up or payment information. To peruse Audible’s selection of novels, poetry and fables—from classics to modern favorites—simply click “Start Listening.”...
The Audible Stories website states, “For as long as schools are closed, we’re open.”
This goal is similar to that of the National Emergency Library, which—controversially—makes more than a million free books available for temporary download. Normally, the archive has about 2.5 million public domain books available for download without constraint. An additional 1.4 million copyrighted books are accessible to one reader at a time for a two-week borrowing period.
The Emergency Library removes that one-at-a-time restriction until the end of June, “or the end of the U.S. national emergency, whichever is later,” according to a statement. Backlash from authors and publishers has since framed the collection as internet piracy that violates intellectual property laws, but the campaign still has its fair share of supporters.
Audible’s offerings come without any of these concerns. So, if you enjoy audiobooks, the Audible Stories platform represents a straightforward option that can be enjoyed in conjunction with audiobook downloads offered by public libraries. Apple Books is also highlighting free book options, joining Audible Stories in a growing repertoire of at-home educational content."
Sunday, April 5, 2020
Developers - it's time to brush up on your philosophy: Ethical AI is the big new thing in tech; ZDNet, April 1, 2020
Daphne Leprince-Ringuet , ZDNet; Developers - it's time to brush up on your philosophy: Ethical AI is the big new thing in tech
"Crucially, most guidelines also insist that thought be given to the ethical implications of the technology from the very first stage of conceptualising a new tool, and all the way through its implementation and commercialisation.
The transformative potential of algorithms means that developers are now expected to think about the ethics of technology -- and that wasn't part of the job description.
"Crucially, most guidelines also insist that thought be given to the ethical implications of the technology from the very first stage of conceptualising a new tool, and all the way through its implementation and commercialisation.
This principle of 'ethics by design' goes hand in hand with that of responsibility and can be translated, roughly, as: 'coders be warned'. In other words, it's now on developers and their teams to make sure that their program doesn't harm users. And the only way to make sure it doesn't is to make the AI ethical from day one.
The trouble with the concept of ethics by design, is that tech wasn't necessarily designed for ethics."
Today’s COVID-19 Data Will be Tomorrow’s Tools of Oppression; The Daily Beast, April 2, 2020
Mona Sloane and Albert Fox Cahn, The Daily Beast; Today's COVID-19 Data Will be Tomorrow's Tools of Oppression
"For proof of the danger, one need only look at the aftermath of September 11th. When Congress enacted the USA PATRIOT Act, just a few weeks after the deadly attacks, the fear of terrorism blinded lawmakers to the threat of broad-based, suspicionless surveillance. Decades later, those same provisions, many of which were supposed to sunset in 2005, were still being renewed as recently as this week. If we pass hastily drafted measures to address the privacy impact of COVID-19 surveillance, there is no reason to think their impact would fade any sooner.
We need laws that protect citizens from the new privacy risks posed by COVID-19-induced data exploitation. This is even more crucial when we're including profit-motivated entities. Days ago, President Trump announced a larger private sector partnership as part of the White House’s COVID-19 response that included large-scale collaborations with Google, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens and others. New legal frameworks need to impose clear limits on how health data from the COVID-19 response can be exploited for other business lines."
"For proof of the danger, one need only look at the aftermath of September 11th. When Congress enacted the USA PATRIOT Act, just a few weeks after the deadly attacks, the fear of terrorism blinded lawmakers to the threat of broad-based, suspicionless surveillance. Decades later, those same provisions, many of which were supposed to sunset in 2005, were still being renewed as recently as this week. If we pass hastily drafted measures to address the privacy impact of COVID-19 surveillance, there is no reason to think their impact would fade any sooner.
We need laws that protect citizens from the new privacy risks posed by COVID-19-induced data exploitation. This is even more crucial when we're including profit-motivated entities. Days ago, President Trump announced a larger private sector partnership as part of the White House’s COVID-19 response that included large-scale collaborations with Google, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens and others. New legal frameworks need to impose clear limits on how health data from the COVID-19 response can be exploited for other business lines."
Saturday, April 4, 2020
Using AI responsibly to fight the coronavirus pandemic; TechCrunch, April 2, 2020
Mark Minevich, Irakli Beridze, TechCrunch; Using AI responsibly to fight the coronavirus pandemic
"Isolated cases or the new norm?
"Isolated cases or the new norm?
With the number of cases, deaths and countries on lockdown increasing at an alarming rate, we can assume that these will not be isolated examples of technological innovation in response to this global crisis. In the coming days, weeks and months of this outbreak, we will most likely see more and more AI use cases come to the fore.
While the application of AI can play an important role in seizing the reins in this crisis, and even safeguard officers and officials from infection, we must not forget that its use can raise very real and serious human rights concerns that can be damaging and undermine the trust placed in government by communities. Human rights, civil liberties and the fundamental principles of law may be exposed or damaged if we do not tread this path with great caution. There may be no turning back if Pandora’s box is opened."
Friday, April 3, 2020
Thousands of Zoom video calls left exposed on open Web; The Washington Post, April 3, 2020
, The Washington Post; Thousands of Zoom video calls left exposed on open Web
Many of the videos include personally identifiable information and deeply intimate conversations, recorded in people’s homes.
"Thousands of personal Zoom videos have been left viewable on the open Web, highlighting the privacy risks to millions of Americans as they shift many of their personal interactions to video calls in an age of social distancing...
The discovery that the videos are available on the open Web adds to a string of Zoom privacy concerns that have come to public attention as the service became the preferred alternative for American work, school and social life.
The company reached more than 200 million daily users last month, up from 10 million in December, as people turned on their cameras for Zoom weddings, funerals and happy hours at a time when face-to-face gatherings are discouraged or banned."
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Copyright Alliance blasts Internet Archive’s Emergency Library launch as “vile”; ZDNet, March 31, 2020
Charlie Osborne, ZDNet; Copyright Alliance blasts Internet Archive’s Emergency Library launch as “vile”
"The Authors Guild said that COVID-19 has been used "as an excuse to push copyright law further out to the edges" which, in turn, is causing authors that are already struggling to pay the bills additional harm...
The National Emergency Library opened to help learners “displaced” by COVID-19.
"The Authors Guild said that COVID-19 has been used "as an excuse to push copyright law further out to the edges" which, in turn, is causing authors that are already struggling to pay the bills additional harm...
"Acting as a piracy site -- of which there already are too many -- the Internet Archive tramples on authors' rights by giving away their books to the world," the group says.
More criticism has come in the form of comments made by the Copyright Alliance, an organization that represents the rights of those in creative industries including authors and artists. CEO Keith Kupferschmid noted that creators are among the hardest hit at present, and while projects have been set up to help those in these industries, the executive said IA's project is making "things much worse for those that need our help.""
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
A Revolution in Science Publishing, or Business as Usual?; UNDARK, March 30, 2020
Michael Schulson, UNDARK; A Revolution in Science Publishing, or Business as Usual?
"Some advocates see corporate open-access as a pragmatic way of opening up research to the masses. But others see the new model as a corruption of the original vision — one that will continue to funnel billions of dollars into big publishing companies, marginalize scientists in lower income countries, and fail to fix deeper, systemic problems in scientific publishing.
As it stands, all trends point to an open-access future. The question now is what kind of open-access model it will be — and what that future may mean for the way new science gets evaluated, published, and shared. “We don’t know why we should accept that open access is a market,” said Dominique Babini, the open-access adviser to the Latin American Council of Social Sciences and a prominent critic of commercial open-access models. “If knowledge is a human right, why can’t we manage it as a commons, in collaborative ways managed by the academic community, not by for-profit initiatives?”"
"Some advocates see corporate open-access as a pragmatic way of opening up research to the masses. But others see the new model as a corruption of the original vision — one that will continue to funnel billions of dollars into big publishing companies, marginalize scientists in lower income countries, and fail to fix deeper, systemic problems in scientific publishing.
As it stands, all trends point to an open-access future. The question now is what kind of open-access model it will be — and what that future may mean for the way new science gets evaluated, published, and shared. “We don’t know why we should accept that open access is a market,” said Dominique Babini, the open-access adviser to the Latin American Council of Social Sciences and a prominent critic of commercial open-access models. “If knowledge is a human right, why can’t we manage it as a commons, in collaborative ways managed by the academic community, not by for-profit initiatives?”"
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Internet Archive offers 1.4 million copyrighted books for free online; Ars Technica, March 28, 2020
Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica; Internet Archive offers 1.4 million copyrighted books for free online
Massive online library project is venturing into uncharted legal waters.
""The Internet Archive will suspend waitlists for the 1.4 million (and growing) books in our lending library by creating a National Emergency Library to serve the nation’s displaced learners," the Internet Archive wrote in a Tuesday post. "This suspension will run through June 30, 2020, or the end of the US national emergency, whichever is later."
The Tuesday announcement generated significant public interest, with almost 20,000 new users signing up on Tuesday and Wednesday. In recent days, the Open Library has been "lending" 15,000 to 20,000 books per day.
“The library system, because of our national emergency, is coming to aid those that are forced to learn at home,” said Internet Archive founder Brewster Kahle. The Internet Archive says the program will ensure students are able to get access to books they need to continue their studies from home during the coronavirus lockdown."
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