Dominion: will one Canadian company bring down Trump's empire of disinformation?; The Guardian, April 4, 2021

David Smith, The Guardian; Dominion: will one Canadian company bring down Trump's empire of disinformation?

"“Libel laws may prove to be a very old mechanism to deal with a very new phenomenon of massive disinformation,” said Bob Shrum, a Democratic strategist. “We have all these fact checkers but lots of people don’t care. Nothing else seems to work, so maybe this will.”...

Eisen, a former White House “ethics czar”, suggests that the Dominion case could provide at least one model for dealing with the war on truth.

“The United States and the world need to deal with disinformation,” he said.

“There can be no doubt that every method is going to be required but certainly libel law provides one very important vehicle for establishing consequences and while there’s no such thing as a guarantee when you go to court, this is an exceptionally high risk for Fox with a large price tag attached as well.”...

 RonNell Andersen Jones, a law professor at the University of Utah, told the Washington Post: “We are seeing the way that libel has become a real battleground in the fight against disinformation."

The Most Popular J&J Vaccine Story On Facebook? A Conspiracy Theorist Posted It; NPR, April 15, 2021

Miles Parks, NPR ; The Most Popular J&J Vaccine Story On Facebook? A Conspiracy Theorist Posted It

""This is what I would call the perfect storm for misinformation," said Jennifer Granston at Zignal Labs, a media intelligence platform...

In most cases, the social media companies say they can't do much to respond in cases such as this, since people largely are sharing articles based on factual information, even if the commentary and subtext around the posting is meant to further false ideas.

"It's a really insidious problem," said Deen Freelon, a communications professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in an interview with NPR last month. "The social media companies have taken a hard line against disinformation; they have not taken a similarly hard line against fallacies."

Many anti-vaccine activists have adopted this tactic as a way of getting around social media networks' policies designed to halt the spread of false information....

Often, misinformation peddlers with a specific agenda will fill in knowledge gaps with false information, knowing people are desperate for any information at all."

 

Our greatest libraries are melting away; The Washington Post, April 7, 2021

David Farrier , The Washington Post; Our greatest libraries are melting away

 

"Spending time in the library of ice reminds us that our history is bound up with that of the planet. As that library comes under ever increasing risk, we should remember the fate of another great library. Legend tells that the Library of Alexandria burned to the ground, but the truth is less spectacular. As the Roman Empire fell into decline, people simply neglected to protect and preserve the fragile papyrus manuscripts that were stored in the Library of Alexandria. Gone with it were the greatest treasures of the ancient world: hundreds of years of civilizations’ stories, memories, knowledge and wisdom.

The greatest library in history was lost to neglect. Unless we act now, the library of ice will meet the same fate."

Scientists Create Early Embryos That Are Part Human, Part Monkey; NPR, April 15, 2021

Rob Stein, NPR ; Scientists Create Early Embryos That Are Part Human, Part Monkey

""This work is an important step that provides very compelling evidence that someday when we understand fully what the process is we could make them develop into a heart or a kidney or lungs," said Dr. Jeffrey Platt, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Michigan, who is doing related experiments but was not involved in the new research.

But this type of scientific work and the possibilities it opens up raises serious questions for some ethicists."

He built a website showing open Covid-19 vaccine appointments across the US. Some call it a lifesaver; CNN, April 11, 2021

Christina Maxouris, CNN; He built a website showing open Covid-19 vaccine appointments across the US. Some call it a lifesaver

"For weeks, Nick Muerdter had been hearing about his coworkers' concerns and frustrations as they tried to navigate complicated and evolving Covid-19 vaccination systems to land an appointment for their parents...

In mid-February, Muerdter began creating a tool in his free time that scanned local pharmacies' vaccine appointment availability and gathered all that information in one place -- allowing users to view nearby available appointments just by plugging in their zip code and how far they were willing to drive.

Coworkers that had been searching for weeks found appointments for eligible family members in just days, he said, with the help of the new website. 

"This just really sort of tried to automate what you would have to do if you were to go the websites and enter every single zip code or ... check every single store in your area," he said. 

And soon, what started off as a small side project became an "all consuming" job, outside his full-time job. Muerdter's website now covers all 50 US states, plus Washington, DC, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

He calls it: Covid-19 Vaccine Spotter."...

"The feedback has really been sort of amazing and positive and so many people seem to have found this useful," he said. "That's just sort of what makes me happy."

And knowing he's helping is reward enough, Muerdter says. 

But flooded with offers of donations, Muerdter created an option to contribute to his efforts, money he says goes toward covering website costs. Whatever is leftover, he gives to charities like UNICEF and Direct Relief.

"I'm not trying to make money off of this," he says. "I'm just happy to help people.""

Navy says ‘liking’ or sharing extremists’ posts on social media can get you in trouble; Navy Times, February 22, 2021

Diana Stancy Correll, Navy Times; Navy says ‘liking’ or sharing extremists’ posts on social media can get you in trouble

"Sailors engaging with an offensive post regarding white supremacism on social media could themselves be viewed as contributing to extremism in the service, according to Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. John Nowell Jr.

“Just by posting, retweeting, or liking an offensive post on social media — you could be participating in extremism,” Nowell said in a new video shared on Facebook.

“You may not personally know any shipmates with extremist beliefs,” Nowell said. “But I assure you that those forces of darkness are among us.”"

4 questions to help sort through the ethics of getting a COVID vaccine before you’re eligible; MPR News, March 19, 2021

 

Catharine Richert, MPR News; 4 questions to help sort through the ethics of getting a COVID vaccine before you’re eligible

"‘Participation in the common good’

In general, University of Minnesota bioethicist Joel Wu says, the answer straightforward: If you aren’t eligible to get a vaccine according to those state rules, you should wait your turn. 

That’s especially true as vaccine demand continues to outpace supply. The state’s phased eligibility approach was designed to prioritize vaccination for people at the highest risk of getting severe cases of COVID-19. 

Because of that, Wu said, a person’s decision to jump the line to get a vaccine for which they’re not yet eligible comes down to pitting individual desires against our obligations to society at large. 

“There really needs to be a reawakening in the idea of participation in the common good, where each of us have to play our part to be healthy and safe together,” he said.""

NSF Bill Emphasizes Ethics, Includes Ethics Grants; Daily Nous, March 29, 2021

 

Justin Weinberg, Daily Nous; NSF Bill Emphasizes Ethics, Includes Ethics Grants

"The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology has introduced a bill for the funding of the National Science Foundation (NSF) that includes a noticeable emphasis on ethics in science...

Section 7 (“Fundamental Research”), subsection (d), includes a recommendation to incorporate ethical considerations into the research design and review process for Federal funding of basic scientific research, a requirement that funding proposals include ethics statements, and the creation of grants for projects on the ethics of NSF-funded research and its upshots."

Is it ever okay to jump to the front of the vaccine line? An ethics expert weighs in; Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), March 23, 2021

Stacy Weiner, Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC); Is it ever okay to jump to the front of the vaccine line? An ethics expert weighs in

When a good is scarce, people sometimes behave badly to get it. Renowned bioethicist Arthur Caplan, PhD, offers advice on how to make the COVID-19 vaccine rollout more equitable, ethical, and trustworthy.

"What went wrong with applying ethical principles to vaccine distribution?

First, it became hard to roll out the vaccines to the priority groups, particularly the elderly. It turns out it’s not a great idea to ask them to make appointments on the internet [since they often lack access]. Also, some of them were homebound, so they couldn't get to vaccination sites.

As for health care workers, that term was never clearly defined. I think people had in mind front-line workers, but some hospitals and health systems were vaccinating everybody, including people who did psychotherapy remotely, even bioethicists and the board of trustees. So it looked to the public as though the rich were getting advantages. It looked like minority people weren't getting anything much — and they often weren’t.

If people think you're prejudiced, the sense of fairness falls apart, and then fewer people are willing to follow the rules. 

In addition, once you opened Moderna and Pfizer [vials of] vaccines, you had to finish them. [Moderna has 10 doses per vial, and Pfizer has five or six.] But nobody issued any guidance about how to redistribute vaccines that are about to go bad. That destroyed trust because people said, “Well, you're just giving it to anybody who's nearby or somebody who waits in line for six hours.” All of that made better sense than throwing it away — but none of that was following any agreed-upon rules.

The rollout has been unfair, inefficient, and frustrating. It’s made the public angry, and it’s made them not trust in government.""

The CBLDF Creates Its Own Ethics Committee; Bleeding Cool, March 24, 2021

 

Rich Johnston , Bleeding Cool; The CBLDF Creates Its Own Ethics Committee

"Tomorrow, the free speech activist charity, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), will be hosting a Zoom workshop, titled Ethics for All: Building Policy Together. Schedules for the 25th of March at 5-6 pm PT, 8-9 pm ET and from midnight to 1 am GMT.

The CBDLF states "The meeting will be a Zoom workshop in which we'll discuss the principles shaping the development of CBLDF's updated ethics policies and invite you to share your ideas on how these policies can best serve the comics community as a whole. We are examining all the pillars of our ethics policy, including governance, anti-harassment, inclusiveness and diversity, convention conduct, program evaluation, operational transparency, whistleblower protections, and community oversight, including the creation of an ethics committee.

The guest speakers for the meeting will be Tea Fouger, Jenn Haines and Kristina Rogers as well as CBLDF Interim Director Jeff Trexler who will moderate the discussion, including time for live Q&A and discussion."

Slick Tom Cruise Deepfakes Signal That Near Flawless Forgeries May Be Here; NPR, March 11, 2021

Emma Bowman, NPR; Slick Tom Cruise Deepfakes Signal That Near Flawless Forgeries May Be Here

"In a crop of viral videos featuring Tom Cruise, it's not the actor's magic trick nor his joke-telling that's deceptive — but the fact that it's not actually Tom Cruise at all.

The videos, uploaded to TikTok in recent weeks by the account @deeptomcruise, have raised new fears over the proliferation of believable deepfakes — the nickname for media generated by artificial intelligence technology showing phony events that often seem realistic enough to dupe an audience.

Hany Farid, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, told NPR's All Things Considered that the Cruise videos demonstrate a step up in the technology's evolving sophistication."

Facebook and Twitter must do more to fight anti-vaccine misinformation, a dozen state attorneys general demand; The Washington Post, March 24, 2021

 

Cat Zakrzewski and Rachel Lerman, The Washington Post; Facebook and Twitter must do more to fight anti-vaccine misinformation, a dozen state attorneys general demand

"A coalition of 12 state attorneys general on Wednesday sent a letter to Facebook and Twitter, pressing them to do more to ensure online falsehoods aren’t undermining efforts to vaccinate the public against covid-19.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong (D) and 11 other Democratic state attorneys general called on Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to “take immediate steps” to fully enforce their policies against vaccine misinformation.

The attorneys general say the companies have not cracked down hard enough on prominent anti-vaccine accounts that repeatedly violate the companies’ terms of service. They also say that falsehoods about the safety of coronavirus vaccines from a small pool of individuals has reached over 59 million followers on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter, citing data from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which studies online misinformation and disinformation."

A Yale Psychiatrist’s Tweet About Dershowitz, Her Dismissal, and a Lawsuit; The New York Times, March 26, 2021

 Mihir Zaveri, The New York Times; A Yale Psychiatrist’s Tweet About Dershowitz, Her Dismissal, and a Lawsuit

The psychiatrist, Bandy X. Lee, said she was let go after the lawyer Alan M. Dershowitz complained to the university. Yale said she violated ethics rules against diagnosing public figures, her lawsuit claims.

"Others have questioned the relevance of the Goldwater rule. Jonathan Moreno, a bioethics professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said he had not heard of anyone being disciplined by the American Psychiatric Association for violating the rule, even though people repeatedly broke it.

He also said professionals in other medical fields routinely comment in the press about the health of public figures."

Some people are lying to get vaccinated, and it’s testing their friendships; The Washington Post, March 25, 2021

Ashley Fetters, The Washington Post; Some people are lying to get vaccinated, and it’s testing their friendships

"The rules seem simple enough: For hundreds of millions of people to receive a lifesaving vaccination efficiently, you have to wait your turn. But as many Americans wait, they’re watching others exploit the system in plain view. And while some of the moral murkiness of the moment is rooted in the uneven, somewhat haphazard vaccination rollout in much of the country, the truth is that some friends may never see their line-jumping loved ones the same way again."

‘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."