In 2019, a civilization without artificial intelligence (AI) seems unheard of. Self-driving cars, smart bots on Jeopardy!, and automated drones are becoming integrated into the everyday lives of individuals worldwide. In many ways, AI has blended into society almost seemingly, while other AI technologies have surprised and even shocked citizens and consumers. 2018, for example, …
On December 28, 2018, the Acting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew R. Wheeler signed a notice, in response to the United States Supreme Court decision in Michigan v. EPA, announcing the EPA’s intent to rescind the National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) for coal- and oil-fired electric utility steam generating units (EGUs), …
“Fake news” is deliberate disinformation spread throughout traditional mass media. It is a relatively popular term that garnered major usage among Americans around 2017, when Donald Trump often used it to describe major news outlets. But to be honest, I had never heard the phrase before the president began using it. I was surprised to …
As opioid deaths continue to rise to over 130 people a day, the state of Massachusetts is beginning to take legal action on the companies and individuals responsible for fueling the epidemic. In a complaint launched on January 31, 2019, Attorney General Maura Healey charged Purdue Pharma Inc. and seventeen others with engaging in deadly, …
In 2015, China’s President, Xi Jinping, entered into an agreement with U.S. President Barack Obama whereby China agreed to refrain from hacking the United States and American based corporations. The agreement sparked a new wave in what seemed to be an increase in Chinese cyber intrusions. However, despite the short-term effects of that deal, Chinese …
The showdown before the Supreme Court is unprecedented: Oracle Corp. has come head-to-head with Google. And what exactly are these two tech giants fighting about? Smartphone software. Oracle is suing Google for using pieces of the Java software language in the Android platform, alleging copyright infringement. Such a decision regarding the intersection of copyright law …
The gerrymandering of congressional districts is a huge issue in North Carolina politics. The N.C. state legislature has exhibited a pattern of redrawing voting districts for their own political gain, sometimes subtly and at other times blatantly. In 2010 the census was taken and in 2011 maps that reflected North Carolina’s Congressional districts were redrawn. …
On January 14, 2019, a think tank composed of tech industry giants such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft offered a “’Grand Bargain” to Congress and the American people alike. The Grand Bargain, authored by The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), states that “Congress should repeal and replace existing federal laws with a common set …
In 2018, carbon dioxide emissions in the United States rose an estimated 3.4 percent compared to previous years. Despite coal plants retiring last year, greenhouse gas emissions from “factories, planes, and trucks soared.” As climate change impacts continue to be realized both internationally and domestically, U.S. legislators are seeking innovative solutions to mitigate and account …
Despite a lagged government at the beginning of the new year, IP related claims from a variety of all industries and places are already piling up. Summarized by IPWatchDog’s “Other Barks & Bites” column, among the notable are China’s Beijing intellectual property courts that have created new formal requirements, the European Parliament members canceled meeting …