The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was enacted to shine light on government activities for public review. Indeed, for our democracy to function effectively, those who govern must be accountable to those they govern. Along those lines, the Supreme Court has held that our citizenry is entitled to know “what the government is up to.” And in the wake of Watergate, the FOIA was given greater enforcement teeth. Continue reading “Private Government Emails in the FOIA Era”
The Rise of Uber Dealt a Current Blow in London
Once upon a time not that long ago, we generally took taxis for ground transport from one specific location to another within and around cities. At times, it was difficult to obtain a taxi when desired, or to avoid a wait, a taxi would need to be reserved quite a while in advance. But, then along came Uber as a ride-sharing game-changer with many positive advantages. However, Uber also has taken some recent hits, including losing its license to operate in London.
Uber is fantastic in many respects. By using an app on a smartphone, we can track the closest Uber driver, and in many urban areas an Uber car will come to us within just a couple minutes. No longer are we tied to taxis, or even the need to rent or own cars in Uber-friendly cities. Continue reading “The Rise of Uber Dealt a Current Blow in London”
How to Respond to the Huge Equifax Hacking
By now, you likely have learned that Equifax suffered tremendous hacking. Specifically, as Equifax recently announced, hackers took advantage of a website application vulnerability to access records during a several-month period from May through July of this year. Not only did these hacking activities take place over an extended period of time, but as many as a whopping 143 million consumers in the United States may have been impacted. How so? Their personally identifiable information may have been compromised, including Social Security numbers, addresses, drivers license numbers, and birth dates.
So, what should U.S. consumers do in response to the Equifax hacking?
Continue reading “How to Respond to the Huge Equifax Hacking”
What to Do About Social Media Bullying and Hate
Social media outlets now connect billions of people around the globe on a constant basis. Facebook, by headcount, has become the largest nation on the planet, with approximately two billion users. A tremendous number of these users communicate with others via their social media accounts many times a day. Of course, there are many positive aspects of social media communications; but, regrettably, there are palpable negatives as well. Continue reading “What to Do About Social Media Bullying and Hate”
Tech Acumen: Many Companies Falling Behind
Corporate America and companies around the globe are spending vast amounts of money trying to keep up with all sorts of threats in this new digital age. So, how are companies really doing?
Unfortunately, not so well. Indeed, according to PwC’s 2017 Digital IQ Survey, as reported by PR Daily, barely more than half of IT executives from the US and 52 other countries reported that their companies have a “strong digital IQ.” This is down from 67 percent so reporting in 2016, and 66 percent in 2015. Continue reading “Tech Acumen: Many Companies Falling Behind”
Breaking Out of the Social Media Loop
Every single day, billions of people spend countless seconds, minutes, and hours on social media. Why?
This occurs in part because it is the business of social media companies to do their best to hold you captive. They want their sites to be “sticky,” so that you spend your time (and ultimately your money) there.
Thus, at bottom, as businesses that have as their appropriate mission the duty to maximize profits for shareholders, they compete fiercely for the attention of social media users.
We Need Internet Stop Signs
Has our ability to stay present in the real world largely been destroyed by the internet? If so, how has that happened? If we erected internet “stop signs” would we be better off?
While we were saturated with different sources of information, news, and entertainment as recently as the Twentieth Century, those sources had naturally occurring stop cues that allowed us to pause and consider disengaging from the sources. Continue reading “We Need Internet Stop Signs”
Are Nuclear and Energy Sectors at Risk of Hacking?
Most of us are aware that our personally identifiable information, like our credit card numbers, are at risk when retailers are hacked. However, there may be even greater risks. Indeed, the U.S. government has issued a recent warning about a hacking campaign targeting nuclear and energy sectors. Continue reading “Are Nuclear and Energy Sectors at Risk of Hacking?”
The History of the Future and Back
It is natural for us to ponder the future and to wonder what is coming next. For example, right now we are considering how far will Artificial Intelligence (AI) go. Will more and more of our lives be facilitated positively by AI? Or, will AI robots ultimately work toward their own superiority and survival over that of their human creators? But let’s also consider the history of the future. What were past predictions of the future? And what about future look backs to this present time? Continue reading “The History of the Future and Back”
Are You Dealing With a Real Person or AI?
Perhaps you saw the movie “Ex Machina” a couple years ago. In that movie, a male internet coder was drawn into an unusual experiment, as he engaged with an Artificial Intelligence (AI) being provided in the form of a very attractive female robot. Is this the stuff of science fiction, or are we already dealing with AI, even when we do not know that is the case? Continue reading “Are You Dealing With a Real Person or AI?”