‘Watergate Girl’ give an inside look at special prosecution team that brought down Nixon; ABA Journal, Modern Law Library, March 24, 2021

Lee Rawles, ABA Journal, Modern Law Library; ‘Watergate Girl’ give an inside look at special prosecution team that brought down Nixon

"Jill Wine-Banks was barely 30 when she became an assistant Watergate special prosecutor investigating President Richard M. Nixon. In Watergate Girl: My Fight for Truth and Justice Against a Criminal President, Wine-Banks (who was then known as Jill Wine Volner) shares her experience battling political obstruction, courtroom legal wrangling and the era’s sexism. Though she’d originally attended law school with the thought it would help her become a hard-news journalist, she found herself instead under the microscope of a ravenous press that dubbed her “the mini-skirted lawyer.”

Her memoir, which has been optioned by actress Katie Holmes’ production company to be made into a feature film, concentrates on her time in the Watergate special prosecution. She candidly shares not only the work the team was doing behind the scenes but also the difficult time she was having with her marriage and personal life.

In this episode of the Modern Law Library, Wine-Banks and the ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles discuss her winding career path, which also led her to becoming the first female general counsel of the U.S. Army and the first woman to be hired as the executive director and COO of the American Bar Association."

Zoom classes felt like teaching into a void — until I told my students why; The Washington Post; March 11, 2021

C. Thi Nguyen, The Washington Post; Zoom classes felt like teaching into a void — until I told my students why

"In the end, I see this as a question of informed choice. Given who I am, it’s very predicable that my teaching will get worse as more cameras go off. Students deserve to know that, and take that into account, in their own choices. I suspect that honesty is the best we can do right now.

This experience has also changed how I behave when I’m on the other side of the exchange — in the audience of an online lecture. In that situation, I would almost always prefer to turn my camera off. But now I go camera-on most of the time, because of my understanding of the impact of my decision on the speaker.

Right now, our knowledge of one another’s lives is slim, gathered as it is through impoverished channels like Zoom. When our connections are so tenuous, a little trust can go a long way."

What is research misconduct? European countries can’t agree; Science, March 10, 2021

Cathleen O’Grady, Science; What is research misconduct? European countries can’t agree

"In Sweden, a national code takes 44,000 words to define research misconduct and discuss scientific values. Next door, Norway’s equivalent is a brisk 900 words, little more than in this news article. And it’s not just the size of the codes that differs across Europe: A new analysis of scientific integrity policies in 32 nations has found widely varying standards and definitions for research misconduct itself, despite a 2017 Europe-wide code of conduct intended to align them.

Research ethicists say the differences threaten to create confusion and disputes for international scientific collaborations. Teams often include members working in different countries; if a team member is accused of research misconduct, which country’s rules should apply? The decision affects who can be held responsible, and which behaviors are considered unethical. “It really is a difficult issue,” says Nicole Föger, managing director of the Austrian Agency for Research Integrity."

Libraries oppose censorship. So they're getting creative when it comes to offensive kids' books; CNN, March 3, 2021

Scottie Andrew, CNN; Libraries oppose censorship. So they're getting creative when it comes to offensive kids' books

"Books with offensive content remain available to check out, she said, but they better serve readers as a "springboard for conversations and healing." The library's attention remains on widening its selections that center members of historically marginalized groups.

If a classic is still popular, librarian Kaitlin Frick wrote in a blog post for the Association for Library Service to Children, library staff should attach to it a guide for discussing racism for parents and young readers. She also suggests librarians encourage parents to check out anti-racist books or more inclusive titles along with a classic book. 

Spotlighting books that feature diverse characters while sidelining, but still offering, books that reduce diverse characters to stereotypes is an option that sticks to librarians' anti-censorship stance and, hopefully, carves out a place for more books to join the wider canon of notable children's literature, Caldwell Stone said.

"It's always been the role of libraries to foster cultural understanding," she said. And with a larger emphasis on books that don't rely on stereotypes and prejudice to entertain, librarians hope, libraries can be havens for readers from all backgrounds."

How Dr. Seuss Responded to Critics Who Called Out His Racism; Slate, March 3, 2021

Rebecca Onion, Slate; How Dr. Seuss Responded to Critics Who Called Out His Racism

 "I liked the reframing done by scholar Ebony Elizabeth Thomas yesterday on Twitter, and so I’ll borrow that: “Curation isn’t cancellation.”"

Emerging technologies pose ethical quandaries. Where does IT leadership fit in?; CIO Dive, February 22, 2021

Katie Malone, CIO Dive; Emerging technologies pose ethical quandaries. Where does IT leadership fit in?

""More organizations are seeing that trust is a measurement of profitability, of organizational health, of success," said Catherine Bannister, Tech Savvy and ethical tech leader at Deloitte. "This notion of ethics is becoming much more visible to stakeholders across the board and they are using that as a measure of trust, both internally and externally."

But there's no common definition for what ethical technology looks like and the conversation is ongoing. Instead, CIOs and other members of IT leadership are responsible for figuring out what tech ethics mean for their organizations in the near- and long-term. 

If an organization doesn't do its ethical due diligence, customers will catch on and trust will be diminished, according to Bannister."

Balancing Privacy With Data Sharing for the Public Good; The New York Times, February 19, 2021

 David Deming, The New York Times; Balancing Privacy With Data Sharing for the Public Good

"Governments and technology companies are increasingly collecting vast amounts of personal data, prompting new laws, myriad investigations and calls for stricter regulation to protect individual privacy.

Yet despite these issues, economics tells us that society needs more data sharing rather than less, because the benefits of publicly available data often outweigh the costs. Public access to sensitive health records sped up the development of lifesaving medical treatments like the messenger-RNA coronavirus vaccinesproduced by Moderna and Pfizer. Better economic data could vastly improve policy responses to the next crisis."

Virginia governor signs nation’s second state consumer privacy bill; The Washington Post, March 2, 2021

Cat Zakrzewski The Washington Post ; Virginia governor signs nation’s second state consumer privacy bill

"Gov. Ralph Northam signed data privacy legislation into law on Tuesday, making Virginia the second state in the nation to adopt its own data protection rules.

The law, known as the Consumer Data Protection Act, had broad support from the tech industry, including Amazon, which is building an Arlington, Va., headquarters. The legislation will allow residents of the commonwealth to opt out of having their data collected and sold, similar to a California law that went into effect last year. Under the new law, Virginia residents can also see what data companies have collected about them, and correct or delete it. (Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

The Virginia law is widely viewed as more industry friendly than the California provision, however, and privacy advocates have called for Virginia to adopt some of California’s provisions that make it easier for people to opt out of data collection from multiple companies. The Virginia law also does not allow individuals to bring lawsuits against tech companies for violations and will be enforced by the state’s attorney general, not a separate enforcement agency."

How a San Francisco bookstore owner made America freer, braver and more interesting; The Washington Post, February 25, 2021

 Bill Savage, The Washington Post; How a San Francisco bookstore owner made America freer, braver and more interesting

"Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s life was full of lessons about what makes American culture great: the courage to stand against censorship, a profound love of language and the creation of art that expresses unspoken desires and dissatisfaction — and creates the possibility of something new."

BYU professors create ethics field guide to help US special forces; KSL.com, February 23, 2021

 Dan Rascon, KSL.com; BYU professors create ethics field guide to help US special forces

"The U.S. special forces are getting help from two Brigham Young University professors to deal with critical ethical dilemmas.

The professors teach business ethics, and they never dreamed they would be called upon to help with top military operations...

Several years ago the two professors wrote a book called "The Business Ethics Field Guide" — a guide that breaks down common ethical dilemmas into 13 categories. Never did they think a top military official would come across this book and want to adapt it for U.S. special forces."

How to Make ‘Immunity Passports’ More Ethical; Scientific American, February 24, 2021

Nicole Hassoun, Anders Herlitz , Scientific American; How to Make ‘Immunity Passports’ More Ethical

"In short, immunity passports should only be offered to people who pose very little risk to others, and have ethical immunity passport systems, we must allow some exceptions.These must include health and welfare exemptions so that people who cannot access vaccines for health reasons but need to work, attend school, travel and so forth can do so when the expected benefits exceed expected costs. If prospective travelers, or their family members, have serious economic, health or other needs, they should be able to secure a limited passport to access essential services—whether that requires going to work, traveling or attending school as long as they agree to take appropriate precautions (e.g., get tested, wear a mask, and social distance insofar as possible)."

DU discusses Catholic universities, LGBTQ+ community; The Duquesne Duke, February 25, 2021

 Kellen Stepler, The Duquesne Duke; DU discusses Catholic universities, LGBTQ+ community

"How can Catholic universities welcome LGBTQ+ students?

On Feb. 24, Duquesne’s Faculty Senate, Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Gumberg Library held an event on Zoom with keynote speaker the Rev. James Martin titled, “Catholic Universities Welcoming LGBTQIA+ Students.”

Martin is the editor-at-large for the Jesuit Review magazine America and a consultor to the Dicastery for Communication of Vatican News. He shared practices to help Catholic colleges sustain an environment where LGBTQ+ students feel welcomed while honoring a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

“Duquesne is already doing such wonderful work. Even by having a conversation like this shows that they are open and welcoming,” Martin said. “But we can all improve; everybody can sort of do better.”"...

Martin encouraged Catholic institutions to be clear and creative with programs that welcome LGBTQ+ individuals, to stand with them and to make the whole school a place where LGBTQ+ individuals can feel safe and supported.

“It’s important for gay students to know that they are not alone, that there are others like them on campus and for them to form a support,” Martin said.

Being open to learning new things, asking questions when you don’t understand and educating yourself and the school can also make an environment feel more inclusive."

Life amid the ruinsof QAnon: ‘I wanted my family back’; The Washington Post, February 23, 2021

Greg Jaffe and 

Jose A. Del Real

, The Washington Post ; Life amid the ruins of QAnon: ‘I wanted my family back’ An epidemic of conspiracy theories, fanned by social media and self-serving politicians, is tearing families apart.

"Like many conspiracy theories, QAnon supplied a good-versus-evil narrative into which complicated world events could be easily incorporated. “Especially during the pandemic, Q provided a structure to explain what was going on,” said Mike Rothschild, author of “The Storm Is Upon Us,” which documents QAnon’s rise.

And it offered believers a sense of meaning and purpose. “We want to believe that we matter enough [that someone wants] to crush us,” Rothschild said. “It’s comforting to think that the New World Order would single us out for destruction.”

A big part of what made it novel was that it was interactive, allowing its followers to take part in the hunt for clues as if they were playing a video game. Social media algorithms, built to capture and keep consumers’ attention, helped expand the pool of hardcore believers by leading curious individuals to online groups of believers and feeding them fresh QAnon conspiracy theories."

Pizzagate’s violent legacy; The Washington Post, February 16, 2021

 Michael E. Miller, The Washington Post; Pizzagate’s violent legacy

The gunman who terrorized a D.C. pizzeria is out of prison. The QAnon conspiracy theories he helped unleash are out of control.

"Alefantis had hoped Pizzagate would be the end of the baseless claims, but it had been only the beginning. The sickness had spread to members of Congress. The fraying social fabric had snapped completely.

He still believed that the country would get through the madness. But he was no longer surprised when people came to Comet, screaming hate and searching for something, as Welch had, that did not exist.

“It’s not just a pizza place,” a male protester shouted into a megaphone on Jan. 19. "It’s a pedophilia place as well.”And so Alefantis did what he had done four years earlier, when the same group first showed up. He pumped music from Comet’s outdoor speakers to drown them out, and customers began to dance.

As Lady Gaga’s “Perfect Illusion” boomed, Alefantis greeted the picketers with a tray of champagne. A protester stepped forward, grabbed a coupe and poured it onto the sidewalk.

Then he tipped over the tray, and all the champagne came tumbling down in a riot of broken glass."

VA issues new data ethics principles; FedScoop, February 22, 2021

Jackson Barnett, FedScoop; VA issues new data ethics principles

"The Department of Veterans Affairs issued new ethics principles for accessing and handling veterans’ data, it announced Monday.

The nine principles are designed to ensure the safe and responsible use of data, especially personally identifiable information like medical data. With the increased use of data, particularly during COVID-19 response, comes thorny issues of how that data is used, protected and accessed, which the new principles aim to address.

In full, the principles developed by VA’s Data Ethics Group are:

• The primary goal for use of Veteran data is for the good of Veterans.
• Veteran data should be used in a manner that ensures equity to Veterans.
• The sharing of Veteran data should be based on the Veteran’s meaningful choice.
• Access to and exchange of Veteran data should be transparent and consistent.
• De-identified Veteran data should not be reidentified without authorization.
• There is an obligation of reciprocity for gains made using Veteran data.
• All parties are obligated to ensure data security, quality and integrity of Veteran data.
• Veterans should be able to access to their own information.
• Veterans have the right to request amendments to their own information.

“VA’s principle-based ethics framework takes a proactive approach to data management and privacy by setting standards for our partners to follow,” acting VA Undersecretary for Health  Richard Stone said in a statement. “VA is applying this framework to all data interoperability initiatives, including those tied to our COVID-19 response and modernization efforts.”"

The Librarian War Against QAnon; The Atlantic, February 18, 2021

 Barbara Fister; The Atlantic; 

The Librarian War Against QAnon

As “Do the research” becomes a rallying cry for conspiracy theorists, classical information literacy is not enough.

"We are experiencing a moment that is exposing a schism between two groups: those who have faith that there is a way to arrive at truth using epistemological practices that originated during the Enlightenment, and those who believe that events and experiences are portents to be interpreted in ways that align with their personal values."

The Marrakesh Treaty in Action: Exciting Progress in Access to Published Works for the Blind and Print-Disabled Communities; U.S. Copyright Office, February 22, 2021

Anandashankar Mazumdar, U.S. Copyright Office; The Marrakesh Treaty in Action: Exciting Progress in Access to Published Works for the Blind and Print-Disabled Communities

"The following is a guest blog post by Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights and Director, U.S. Copyright Office

Domestic stakeholders, congressional staff, and the U.S. government all worked collaboratively to implement the treaty obligations into our law. In the 2018 Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act (MTIA), Congress made a few amendments to the scope of the existing exception in section 121 of the Copyright Act, and added a new section 121A. The latter allows nonprofit or governmental entities that serve blind or print-disabled persons—known as “authorized entities”—to import and export accessible format copies for the benefit of those patrons. For more details, the Copyright Office has information on both the treaty and the MTIA posted on our website.

The Marrakesh Treaty has already been a tremendous achievement for the blind and visually impaired communities in the United States. Since it entered into force in May 2019, much has been done, including here at the Library of Congress, to start reaping its benefits. The Library’s National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), founded in 1931, has long administered a free national library program that provides braille and recorded materials to people who cannot see regular print or handle print materials. U.S. membership in Marrakesh has allowed NLS, as an authorized entity, to make thousands of accessible format works available throughout the world, as well as to import over 1,700 foreign titles in at least 10 languages for its patrons. NLS has developed a number of practices and policies to support its work as an authorized entity under the MTIA.

One of NLS’s partners in leveraging the Marrakesh Treaty to maximize the availability of accessible format works worldwide is the Accessible Books Consortium’s (ABC’s) Global Book Service (GBS), a project under the aegis of WIPO."

Hundreds of helpless cold-stunned sea turtles rescued by Navy pilots and pickup trucks; The Washington Post, February 18, 2021

Alex Horton, The Washington Post; Hundreds of helpless cold-stunned sea turtles rescued by Navy pilots and pickup trucks

"“Most of these people didn’t have good conditions in their own homes,” he said. “But they came out to help.”

The hardships of the extreme weather, coupled with the pressure of the coronavirus pandemic, compelled the volunteers to do something tangible and positive amid the bleakness, Bellamy said.

“Things have been rough over the past year. It’s fun to see people come together focused on recovering these turtles. People just need it.”"

"The Longest Time"; Phoenix Chamber Choir, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, April 24, 2020

YouTube, Phoenix Chamber Choir, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; "The Longest Time"

"Wishing everyone the best of health from Vancouver, Canada! Stay home, stay safe, and keep singing!"

Two young women in Florida ‘dressed up as grannies’ to get vaccinated, health official says; The Washington Post, February 18, 2021

  

Meryl Kornfield, The Washington Post; Two young women in Florida ‘dressed up as grannies’ to get vaccinated, health official says

"The coronavirus vaccine is so coveted that two women in Florida went to extremes Wednesday to get inoculated: They dressed as if they were elderly, health officials said.

The women, both younger than 45, “dressed up as grannies,” wearing bonnets, gloves and glasses to disguise themselves as older than 65, the age cutoff to be prioritized to get the coronavirus vaccine in Florida, according to Raul Pino, the director of the health department in Orange County, where Orlando is located. He attributed the deception to growing interest in the vaccine, giving the example of the women while explaining how high demand is in the area...

Meanwhile, an Indiana health department issued a warning earlier this month against what it called “a substantial lack of morality” after people had lied to vaccination site workers about their addresses, jobs and ages."

Pennsylvania GOP official on Toomey: “We did not send him there to ‘do the right thing’”; Pittsburgh City Paper, February 16, 2021

Ryan Deto,  Pittsburgh City Paper; Pennsylvania GOP official on Toomey: “We did not send him there to ‘do the right thing’”

"We did not send him there to vote his conscience,” said Ball during the TV interview. “We did not send him there to ‘do the right thing’ or whatever he said he was doing. We sent him there to represent us.”"

Pitt Cyber Presents: Battling the Infodemic: Covid-19 Mis- and Disinformation; University of Pittsburgh Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security, February 16, 2021

University of Pittsburgh Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security ; Pitt Cyber Presents: Battling the Infodemic: Covid-19 Mis- and Disinformation

"February 16, 2021 - 

2:00pm to 3:30pm

Add to Calendar

Battling the Infodemic: Covid-19 Mis- and Disinformation 

Please join Pitt Cyber for a timely conversation about how mis- and disinformation could jeopardize control of the pandemic. Disinformation and medical experts will discuss what’s happening, what to expect, and what we can do. 

The discussion will feature: 

Michael Colaresi, Pitt Cyber Research and Academic Director and Professor of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh 

Beth Hoffman, Research Assistant, Center for Research on Behavioral Health, Media, & Technology; PhD student, Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh 

Jaime Sidani, Assistant Professor of Medicine; Core Faculty of the Center for Research on Behavioral Health, Media, & Technology; and Pitt Cyber Affiliate Scholar, University of Pittsburgh 

Todd Wolynn, CEO, Kids Plus Pediatrics 

February 16 | 2-3:30 pm 

REGISTER NOW!"

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is barred from Instagram over false coronavirus claims.; The New York Times, February 11, 2021

Jennifer Jett , The New York Times; Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is barred from Instagram over false coronavirus claims.

"Instagram took down the account of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the political scion and prominent anti-vaccine activist, on Wednesday over false information related to the coronavirus.

“We removed this account for repeatedly sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines,” Facebook, which owns Instagram, said in a statement.

Mr. Kennedy, the son of the former senator and U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, worked for decades as an environmental lawyer but is now better known as an anti-vaccine crusader. A 2019 study found that two groups including his nonprofit, now called Children’s Health Defense, had funded more than half of Facebook advertisements spreading misinformation about vaccines.

He has found an even broader audience during the pandemic on platforms like Instagram, where he had 800,000 followers. Though Mr. Kennedy has said he is not opposed to vaccines as long as they are safe, he regularly endorses discredited links between vaccines and autism and has argued that it is safer to contract the coronavirus than to be inoculated against it."

Meet the Four Harvard Law Grads Taking on the Entire Legal System; The New York Times, February 10, 2021

Stephanie Russell-Kraft , The New York Times; Meet the Four Harvard Law Grads Taking on the Entire Legal System\

The founders of the People’s Parity Project are hoping to eliminate harassment and discrimination within the legal profession — and everywhere it operates. “You’re not alone in this.”

"Kohnert-Yount: If I’ve ever tried to explain forced arbitration to a nonlawyer, they’re like, “Mmm sounds fake. It’s so ridiculous, how is it possibly legal?” And I say: “Wait until I tell you what else is legal! When you democratize the access to information that we’ve learned in law school, people get mad.”"

Warren Buffett Says These Often Ignored Traits Separate Successful Leaders From All Others; Inc., January 18, 2021

 Marcel Schwantes, Inc.; Warren Buffett Says These Often Ignored Traits Separate Successful Leaders From All Others

"2. Value your employees' whole being.

I have found that leaders of the best organizations value the whole person -- their emotional, mental, physical, and even spiritual well-being -- to achieve outstanding business outcomes. The evidence overwhelmingly asserts that a more humane and human-centered approach to leadership will produce great results.

3. Lead with empathy.

An empathetic leader is important in keeping employees engaged. Empathetic leadership involves investing in the individual contributors on the team and listening and acting on employee needs. However, if managers are not trained to understand how to recognize and respond to these needs, it can negatively impact employee engagement."

The Ethical Dilemmas Prompted By The Vaccine Rollout; FiveThirtyEight, February 5, 2021

 Anna Rothschild and Sinduja Srinivasan, FiveThirtyEight; The Ethical Dilemmas Prompted By The Vaccine Rollout

"Should you take a leftover dose of the COVID-19 vaccine? Should you pass up a dose if you think you don’t need it as much as someone else does? On this week’s episode of PODCAST-19, we talk to bioethicists to get their answers on these questions and more."

Want to Reverse Inequality? Change Intellectual Property Rules.; The Nation, February 8, 2021

Dean Baker, February 8, 2021; Want to Reverse Inequality? Change Intellectual Property Rules.

Changes in IP have done far more than tax cuts to increase inequality—and US protection of IP could lead to a cold war with China.

"While the Reagan, George W. Bush, and Trump tax cuts all gave more money to the rich, policy changes in other areas, especially intellectual property have done far more to redistribute income upward. In the past four decades, a wide array of changes—under both Democratic and Republican presidents—made patent and copyright protection both longer and stronger."

Washington state hospital apologizes after inviting donors to sign up for Covid-19 vaccine; CNN, January 28, 2021

 Andy Rose and Amir Vera , CNN; Washington state hospital apologizes after inviting donors to sign up for Covid-19 vaccine

"A hospital in Bellevue, Washington, has apologized for emailing about 100 benefactors an invitation to sign up for the Covid-19 vaccination.

"We're pleased to share that we have 500 new open appointments in the Overlake COVID-19 vaccine clinic," said an email from an Overlake Medical Center, which also provided a special access code to register.

The email was obtained by The Seattle Times.

Overlake sent the email to about 4,000 members of its community "including volunteers, retired nurses and physicians, all employees and about 100 donors from our Foundation database," according to a statement by the hospital."

Wealthy couple chartered a plane to the Yukon, took vaccines doses meant for Indigenous elders, authorities said; The Washington Post, January 26, 2021

 

Antonia Noori Farzan

, The Washington Post; Wealthy couple chartered a plane to the Yukon, took vaccines doses meant for Indigenous elders, authorities said

"“I can’t believe I’ve ever seen or heard of such a despicable, disgusting sense of entitlement and lack of a moral compass,” Mike Farnworth, the British Columbia solicitor general, said Monday, according to the Vancouver Sun.

Canadian media outlets have identified the couple as casino executive Rodney Baker, 55, and his wife, Ekaterina Baker, a 32-year-old actress whose recent credits include the 2020 films “Fatman” and “Chick Fight.” Each faces fines totaling the equivalent of about $900 for violating quarantine guidelines."

What Buddhism can do for AI ethics; MIT Technology Review, January 6, 2021

• Soraj Hongladaromarchive page

, MIT Technology Review ; What Buddhism can do for AI ethics

"The explosive growth of artificial intelligence has fostered hope that it will help us solve many of the world’s most intractable problems. However, there’s also much concern about the power of AI, and growing agreement that its use should be guided to avoid infringing upon our rights.

Many groups have discussed and proposed ethical guidelines for how AI should be developed or deployed: IEEE, a global professional organization for engineers, has issued a 280-page document on the subject (to which I contributed), and the European Union has published its own framework. The AI Ethics Guidelines Global Inventory has compiled more than 160 such guidelines from around the world.

Unfortunately, most of these guidelines are developed by groups or organizations concentrated in North America and Europe: a survey published by social scientist Anna Jobin and her colleagues found 21 in the US, 19 in the EU, 13 in the UK, four in Japan, and one each from the United Arab Emirates, India, Singapore, and South Korea.

Guidelines reflect the values of the people who issue them. That most AI ethics guidelines are being written in Western countries means that the field is dominated by Western values such as respect for autonomy and the rights of individuals, especially since the few guidelines issued in other countries mostly reflect those in the West.

Guidelines written in different countries may be similar because some values are indeed universal. However, for these guidelines to truly reflect the perspectives of people in non-Western countries, they would need to represent the traditional value systems found in each culture as well."

Violence at Capitol and beyond reignites a debate over America's long-held defense of extremist speech; CNN, January 19, 2021

Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN ; Violence at Capitol and beyond reignites a debate over America's long-held defense of extremist speech

"With most Americans hoping this week's expected inauguration protests look nothing like the Capitol siege, questions emerge about unrestrained free expression, long championed by First Amendment theorists as a benefit to society, no matter how ugly and hateful."

Why Ethics Matter For Social Media, Silicon Valley And Every Tech Industry Leader; Forbes, January 14, 2021

Rob Dube, Forbes; Why Ethics Matter For Social Media, Silicon Valley And Every Tech Industry Leader

"At one time, the idea of technology and social media significantly influencing society and politics would’ve sounded crazy. Now, with technology so embedded into the fabric of our lives, it’s a reality that raises legitimate questions about Silicon Valley’s ethical responsibility. 

Should tech companies step in to create and enforce guidelines within their platforms if they believe such policies would help the greater good? Or should leaders allow their technology to evolve organically without filters or manipulation? 

One authority on this fascinating topic is Casey Fiesler—a researcher, assistant professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, and expert on tech ethics. She is also a graduate of Vanderbilt Law School. There, she found a passion for the intersections between law, ethics, and technology."

Biden Picks Lawyers Tasked With Undoing Trump Ethics Legacy; Bloomberg Law, January 11, 2021

 Courtney Rozen, Dean Scott, Bloomberg Law; Biden Picks Lawyers Tasked With Undoing Trump Ethics Legacy 

"President-elect Joe Biden named more than 20 lawyers to his White House counsel’s office, where they will help the new president revise ethics standards and put his imprint on the federal bench.

The attorneys draw on expertise in civil rights, health, and environmental law, all topics that Biden has also said will be focal points in his administration."

The Ethics Of Who Gets The COVID-19 Vaccine And When; NPR, December 20, 2021

NPR; The Ethics Of Who Gets The COVID-19 Vaccine And When

"NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Ruth Faden, founder of the Berman Institute of Bioethics at Johns Hopkins University, about the ethics of determining who gets vaccinated when resources are limited."

Ethics Case Studies Collection Continues to Grow; Daily Nous, January 15, 2021

Justin Weinberg, Daily Nous; 

Ethics Case Studies Collection Continues to Grow

"The Media Ethics Initiative at the University of Texas, Austin (reported on previously), directed by Scott Stroud, has a new website and new case studies on topics such as free speech and cancel culture, the ethics of investigative journalism, presidential tweeting, lobbying, AI, race and representation in Game of Thrones,  the ethics of documentary film, the ethics of art, and more...

You can check out the whole collection here."

AI ethics groups are repeating one of society’s classic mistakes; MIT Technology Review, September 14, 2020

• Abhishek Gupta archive page
• Victoria Heatharchive page

 , MIT Technology Review; AI ethics groups are repeating one of society’s classic mistakes

Too many councils and advisory boards still consist mostly of people based in Europe or the United States

"We believe these groups are well-intentioned and are doing worthwhile work. The AI community should, indeed, agree on a set of international definitions and concepts for ethical AI. But without more geographic representation, they’ll produce a global vision for AI ethics that reflects the perspectives of people in only a few regions of the world, particularly North America and northwestern Europe."

This Guy is Suing the Patent Office for Deciding an AI Can't Invent Things; Vice, August 24, 2020

Todd Feathers, Vice; This Guy is Suing the Patent Office for Deciding an AI Can't Invent Things

The USPTO rejected two patents applications written by a "creativity engine" named DABUS. Now a lawsuit raises fundamental questions about what it means to be creative

"A computer scientist who created an artificial intelligence system capable of generating original inventions is suing the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) over its decision earlier this year to reject two patent applications which list the algorithmic system, known as DABUS, as the inventor.

The lawsuit is the latest step in an effort by Stephen Thaler and an international group of lawyers and academics to win inventorship rights for non-human AI systems, a prospect that raises fundamental questions about what it means to be creative and also carries potentially paradigm-shifting implications for certain industries."

Algorithms can drive inequality. Just look at Britain's school exam chaos; CNN, August 23, 2020

Zamira Rahim, CNN; Algorithms can drive inequality. Just look at Britain's school exam chaos

""Part of the problem is the data being fed in," Crider said.

"Historical data is being fed in [to algorithms] and they are replicating the [existing] bias."

Webb agrees. "A lot of [the issue] is about the data that the algorithm learns from," she said. "For example, a lot of facial recognition technology has come out ... the problem is, a lot of [those] systems were trained on a lot of white, male faces.

"So when the software comes to be used it's very good at recognizing white men, but not so good at recognizing women and people of color. And that comes from the data and the way the data was put into the algorithm."

Webb added that she believed the problems could partly be mitigated through "a greater attention to inclusivity in datasets" and a push to add a greater "multiplicity of voices" around the development of algorithms."

The Ethics of Wildlife Photography: Drones Meet Animals; Fstoppers, August 17, 2020

Mark Dunsmuir, Fstoppers; The Ethics of Wildlife Photography: Drones Meet Animals

"Do photographers have any ethical obligations towards wildlife? Drones can cause significant damage to wildlife and should be used with caution, not abandon."

Self-Driving to Federal Prison: The Trade Secret Theft Saga of Anthony Levandowski Continues; Lexology, August 13, 2020

Seyfarth Shaw LLP - Robert Milligan and Darren W. Dummit; Self-Driving to Federal Prison: The Trade Secret Theft Saga of Anthony Levandowski Continues

"Judge Aslup, while steadfastly respectful of Levandowski as a good person and as a brilliant man who the world would learn a lot listening to, nevertheless found prison time to be the best available deterrent to engineers and employees privy to trade secrets worth billions of dollars to competitors: “You’re giving the green light to every future engineer to steal trade secrets,” he told Levandowski’s attorneys. “Prison time is the answer to that.” To further underscore the importance of deterring similar behavior in the high stakes tech world, Judge Aslup required Levandowski to give the aforementioned public speeches describing how he went to prison."

Ethicist: Coronavirus reduces complex moral codes to the essential — protect your neighbor; USA Today, August 17, 2020

Tom Cooper, USA Today; Ethicist: Coronavirus reduces complex moral codes to the essential — protect your neighbor

"It is time not only for increased ethics education and learning from the best practices of the great ones. It is time to wake up our leaders and ourselves.  

Our complex moral codes can be simplified rather quickly these days: “Wash your hands." “Wear your mask.” “Stand six feet apart.” Behold, the Ten Commandments are reduced to three."