After a significant amount of criticism, Twitter has decided to address its “bot” problem. In the aftermath of the 2016 election and now in the lead-up to the 2018 election, the issues regarding false information spreading and other forms of artificial intelligence (AI) interference have been making headlines on a regular basis. Back in January, …
You’re watching a movie. It’s not great, but what really has you captured is the supporting actress. She’s doing a fine job, but your captivation was not caused by anything about her performance. Rather, it’s just that she looks incredibly familiar. You know you’ve seen her in another show, but you just can’t remember which …
The Internet of Things (IoT) is the term applied to systems of sensors and actuators connected to networks and computers to store and analyze data. The coming wave of IoT has been publicized for several years now, as the price and size of hardware required to put sensors, processing power, and connectivity everywhere continues to …
Russian interference in American society through social media has been a constant in the news as of late. Of course, the most salient story has been their meddling in the 2016 US elections. However, it has not stopped there. Following the devastating shooting that left 17 people dead at a high school in South Florida, …
When was the last time you booked a vacation or picked a restaurant without first asking the world what they thought? From places to stay and restaurants to try, to brand selection and business loyalty, we are all heavily reliant on the input of others when making determinations about how to spend both our time …
A California federal judge, Lucy H. Koh, granted Apple almost $6.5 million in ongoing royalties from Samsung in the companies’ dispute over patented designs on Feb. 15, 2018 after scolding Samsun in a hearing last month for continuing to sell the infringing phones. The Federal Circuit has not squarely addressed the standard for evaluating claims for ongoing …
Final Rule to Eliminate Barriers to Electric Storage Resources On February 15th, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a final rule to support electric storage resources (like lithium-ion batteries or pumped-storage hydroelectricity) and their continued growth in regional electricity markets. This new rule directs all regional grid operators (RTOs/ISOs) to create a new “participation …
International Business Machines Corporation, more commonly known by its moniker “IBM,” alleges that the work it put into capturing and retaining a diverse set of employees is a protectable trade secret in a recent lawsuit. Lindsay-Rae McIntyre used to be the chief diversity officer at IBM, where she managed groups that developed tools and methods, …
In just three years, 16% of the U.S. population has adopted smart speaker technology. As of December 2017, a study indicates that one in six adults in the U.S. own smart speakers. This is around 39 million people, an increase of about 128% from January 2017. The recent release of Apple’s HomePod (February 9, 2018) …
On January 31st, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that Twitter can’t be held liable for allegedly allowing the Islamic State (ISIS) to use its social network to spread propaganda. The case, Fields v. Twitter, Inc., is brought by a pair of plaintiffs whose family members were killed in 2015 in …