Starting next year, it is likely that New York City will be the nation’s latest urban area to serve as a test ground for autonomous driving technology. The development followed New York governor Andrew Cuomo’s announcement that the state is now accepting applications for autonomous vehicle testing on public roadways. So far, General Motors has …
Nearly all Internet users interact with “the cloud” every day, but most never consider what‑or where‑“the cloud” is. The “where” of data is not a straightforward inquiry. The Supreme Court has announced that it will hear a major digital privacy case, United States v. Microsoft Corp., which will determine whether law enforcement officials can demand …
An unconventional housing trend has arisen amongst millennials who want to travel the nation in a mobile home, but cannot afford the $50,000 to mid-$100,000s+ it costs to buy an RV. Their solution is a “skoolie,” or “a school bus that has been purchased by a private owner and converted for some purpose other than …
In the past year, it seems like the rate of cybersecurity incidents has been increasing. It is irrelevant whether these breaches are old or new; the issue is that they are occurring. On October 16, 2017, Chubb Ltd. (“Chubb”) released the results of a survey it conducted on businesses cybersecurity preparedness. The survey found that …
A new bill introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Mark Warner, Amy Klobuchar and John McCain aims to put online political advertising on a level playing field with the traditional mediums of television, radio, and print. House Resolution 4077, also known as the “Honest Ads Act,” comes as a direct response to the investigation …
Market forces govern almost all commodities subject to shortage. Exceptions to this rule include public utilities (although this is slowly changing with the application of deregulated electric grids). This change developed as a response to shortage and inefficiencies of monopolized service providers. In the Southwest United States, a similar shortage and inefficient use governs water …
September 28th, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) for a “Grid Resiliency Pricing Rule.” This rule directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to attribute greater value to “baseload” resources like coal and nuclear by allowing them to recover full cost of plant service. These resources are touted to …
In the quest for data on anti-administration activists, the Department of Justice requested the “names of an estimated 6,000 people who ‘liked’ a Facebook page about an Inauguration Day protest.” The DOJ has since dropped that specific request, but at a hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Borchert revealed a persisting interest in “likes” of another …
In a brief filed on October 13, 2017, the Department of Justice contends that users who have been blocked by President Trump on Twitter have no valid claim against the president. The brief was filed in response to a lawsuit brought by seven different Twitter users, as well as Columbia University’s Knight First Amendment Institute, …
In recent months, some websites have commandeered users’ computer processors to “mine” cryptocurrency. This new form of computer user abuse is called “Cryptojacking.” Cryptojacking is possible because of new “mining” technology that allows websites to run JavaScripts that use an individual’s computer processing power to mine cryptocurrency without the individual’s knowledge or permission. This allows …
