Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

CategoryLaw

internet-law-concept-stockpack-adobe-stock
Internet law concept
Type
post
Author
Richard W. Stevens
Date
June 7, 2021
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Law
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Can a Robot be Arrested and Prosecuted?

An Uber driver is held liable if he runs over someone. But what if a driverless taxi ran over someone?
Richard W. Stevens
June 7, 2021
8
Artificial Intelligence, Law

The title, “Can a Robot Be Arrested? Hold a Patent? Pay Income Taxes?”, is bound to attract clicks and attention. Posted on the IEEE Spectrum site, a podcast transcript by that name reports Steven Cherry’s interview of Ryan Abbott about artificial intelligence and the law. Abbott, a physician, lawyer, and professor, wrote the aptly titled book, The Reasonable Robot: Artificial Intelligence and the Law, published by Cambridge University Press in 2019. To the point: Can a robot be arrested? Technically, an arrest occurs when a person is forcibly but lawfully detained. Of course, one can forcibly detain a robot – we’ve seen that done in many science fiction movies. Abbott was talking specifically about how criminal law should apply to actions taken by artificial intelligence (AI) Read More ›

3d-rendered-medically-accurate-illustration-of-a-grey-alien-holding-the-earth-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
3d rendered medically accurate illustration of a grey alien holding the earth
Type
post
Author
News
Date
May 29, 2021
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Environment, Law
Tagged
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When the Human Race Is Down to Its Final Offer … Sci-fi Saturday

The downbeat human lawyer and the alien corporate lawyer in Final Offer achieve artful comedy by the too-little used technique of witty dialogue, NOT gags
News
May 29, 2021
13
Arts & Culture, Environment, Law

“Final Offer” at DUST by Mark Slutsky (July 19, 2018, 11:23 min) “A down-on-his-luck lawyer awakes in a doorless room to find he’s been selected to negotiate on behalf of the human race.” Review: Henry, a lawyer accustomed to late night barhopping, wakes up in a strange boardroom: “Henry, you have been selected to represent your species in what is almost surely the biggest trade agreement in the history of your planet.” “My planet?” Well, it’s science fiction. The corporate lawyer (Anna Hopkins) announces that her client — an alien the very sight of which causes our hero (Aaron Abrams) to retch — wishes to “acquire” Earth’s oceans. Or appropriate them if a few minutes of negotiations don’t work for Read More ›

this-is-the-state-capitol-building-it-has-a-large-concrete-stairway-leading-up-to-it-with-large-columns-holding-up-the-facade-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
This is the State Capitol building. It has a large concrete stairway leading up to it with large columns holding up the facade.
Type
post
Author
Caitlin Cory
Date
May 26, 2021
Categorized
Censorship, Law, Social Media
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Florida Governor Signs Bill Reining in Big Tech

The bill Governor DeSantis signed is the first in the nation to ban social media companies from deplatforming political candidates
Caitlin Cory
May 26, 2021
5
Censorship, Law, Social Media

In the current national battle between Big Tech and Big Government, a new Florida law will punish social media companies for discriminating against political viewpoints and deplatforming political candidates. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 7072 into law on Monday. The legislation protects Florida citizens and political candidates from inequitable viewpoint censorship. “Now more than ever, social media has really become the twenty-first century public square,” John Snyder, a Representative in the Florida House, told Mind Matters News. “It’s evolved from what used to be just a platform where people could post thoughts and pictures to now this is a tool that people rely on to communicate with their family, to talk with their friends, to air their grievances, and really to Read More ›

in-the-dzhokang-temple-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
in the dzhokang temple
Type
post
Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
May 23, 2021
Categorized
Law, Religion, Technocracy
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Why the Chinese Communist Party Feels It Must Destroy Religion

Persecution of religious groups is not based on what they actually teach but on whether their separate existence could pose a threat to the Communist Party
Heather Zeiger
May 23, 2021
9
Law, Religion, Technocracy

The U.S. Department of State’s just-released 2020 Annual Report on the state of religious freedom around the world devotes 136 pages to China. That’s because the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses an extensive network of surveillance cameras coupled with facial recognition software — as well as cell phone tracking, internet and message monitoring, and biometric profiling — to persecute adherents of non-state-sanctioned organizations. Advances in collecting and storage of massive amounts of data to be sifted by algorithms have made this possible. In 2020, according to the report, the CCP used the COVID-19 pandemic to suppress religion through monitoring house church locations, shutting down online services, and creating bureaucratic barriers to opening buildings for worship. Through this “stability maintenance program,” Read More ›

retro-robot-orator-speaker-3d-render-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
retro robot orator, speaker, 3d, render
Type
post
Author
Eric Holloway
Date
May 19, 2021
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Law, Philosophy of Mind
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Can a New AI Debating Program Win All the Debates?

While billed as an autonomous debating system, Project Debater features very little autonomy
Eric Holloway
May 19, 2021
5
Artificial Intelligence, Law, Philosophy of Mind

From ancient days, reason has been considered the hallmark of what sets humans apart from animals. Aristotle defined humans as the rational animal and this definition has stuck through the history of Western philosophy. Human reason is best demonstrated in debate. Thus, if we can create programs that argue a point effectively, then computers will have conquered an important frontier of what it means to be intelligent. Recently, we learned at Nature that one research team claims to have developed such a program: A fully autonomous computer system has been developed that can take part in live debates with people. The findings hint at a future in which artificial intelligence can help humans to formulate and make sense of complex Read More ›

frozen-british-traditional-post-office-mailbox-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Frozen British traditional post office mailbox
Type
post
Author
News
Date
May 10, 2021
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Ethics, Law, Work
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Who Will Your Boss Believe? You or That Glitzy New Computer?

In the largest miscarriage of justice in decades, the British Post Office chose to believe the computer, resulting in bankruptcies, jail, and suicide. At last the truth emerged…
News
May 10, 2021
6
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Ethics, Law, Work

Texas State professor of electrical engineering Karl Stephan (pictured) has the story, reprinted with permission from his blog Engineering Ethics. Dr. Stephan is the author of Ethical and Otherwise: Engineering in the Headlines, a collection of his writings on ethics and technology: Suppose you enjoy a secure government job at which you work diligently, and you have advanced to the managerial position of a sub-postmaster in Post Office Ltd, the quasi-public organisation that provides postal services in most of the UK.  Then your organisation installs a new computerised system called Horizon that promises to eliminate a lot of paperwork accounting and make things easier for everybody.  But soon after it is installed, you find that your accounts are not matching up with Read More ›

face-recognition-and-personal-identification-technologies-in-street-surveillance-cameras-law-enforcement-control-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Face recognition and personal identification technologies in street surveillance cameras, law enforcement control.
Type
post
Author
Caitlin Cory
Date
April 28, 2021
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Law, Surveillance
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Canada Orders Facial Recognition App to Cease and Desist

Your face is likely already stored in this app's database
Caitlin Cory
April 28, 2021
9
Artificial Intelligence, Law, Surveillance

In February, Canada released the findings of a year-long investigation into the US-based facial recognition app, Clearview AI. The investigation declared Clearview’s actions illegal within Canada and ordered the company to cease operations within the country and to remove all Canadian citizens from its database. “What Clearview does is mass surveillance, and it is illegal,” said Canadian Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien. So what is Clearview AI? And why has it raised the ire of our neighbors to the North? Clearview AI, Inc. Clearview AI is a facial recognition company marketed primarily to law enforcement agencies. It boasts a database of over 3 billion facial images “scraped” from public sources online such as news articles and social media sites. In other Read More ›

skid marks tack.jpg
Motorsport racing track and car slammed brakes sign
Type
post
Author
Richard W. Stevens
Date
April 28, 2021
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Law
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Artificial Intelligence Slams on the Brakes

The problem of autonomous cars suddenly slamming the brakes is becoming well known and it has no known fix
Richard W. Stevens
April 28, 2021
9
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Law

Having just donated your well-worn 1994 Toyota Camry to charity, you’re driving a brand new 2020 Honda sedan on a major street, enjoying air-conditioned comfort on a sunny day, with the satellite radio service narrowcasting tunes from the soundtrack of your life. Then, WHAM! In a half second, the car slows from 45 to 20 — and you never touched the brake pedal. You never saw it coming but your neck is still reminding you painfully of your whiplash injury. A close family member experienced this exact scenario just a month ago. She never touched the brake pedal. What happened? The dealership’s sales representative had not explained each and every feature of this postmodern car and certainly didn’t warn about Read More ›

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Young male employee in industrial espionage concept
Type
post
Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
April 9, 2021
Categorized
Business and Finance, Creativity, Global Technology, Law
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Why Do Huawei’s “Inventions” Look Oddly Familiar?

One former Motorola employee was arrested at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago with more than 1,000 documents, on her way to Beijing on a one-way ticket
Heather Zeiger
April 9, 2021
7
Business and Finance, Creativity, Global Technology, Law
Earlier we looked at how Huawei stole intellectual property from Canada’s once world-class Nortel, which most likely led to the company’s demise. But Nortel wasn’t the only company that Huawei targeted. Read More ›
Texas State Capitol Rotunda
Texas State Capitol Rotunda
Type
post
Author
Caitlin Cory
Date
April 8, 2021
Categorized
Censorship, Law, Social Media
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Texas Senate Passes Bill Prohibiting Big Tech Censorship

The bill seeks to reign in Big Tech power and protect the principle of free speech for Texas citizens
Caitlin Cory
April 8, 2021
4
Censorship, Law, Social Media

Last week, the Texas Senate passed a measure that would prohibit large social media companies like Facebook and Twitter from censoring political and religious viewpoints of Texas citizens. The bill now awaits a vote in the Texas House. Senate Bill 12 was introduced in March by State Senator Bryan Hughes. Titled “Relating to the censorship of users’ expressions by an interactive computer service,” the bill would not only prohibit censorship, but would require social media companies to disclose their moderation policies, publish reports about any blocked content, and create a legal route for people to appeal any censoring or deplatforming decisions. Social media companies currently enjoy legal protections against lawsuit under Section 230 of the U.S. Code, which on the Read More ›

powder explosion.jpg
red vs orange
Type
post
Author
Caitlin Cory
Date
April 6, 2021
Categorized
Censorship, Law, Social Media
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Parler vs. Amazon: Amazon Strikes Back!

Amazon is trying to avoid a state lawsuit through a hardball legal maneuver
Caitlin Cory
April 6, 2021
6
Censorship, Law, Social Media
Parler, an alternative social networking site, has been in a fierce legal battle with AWS/Amazon since it was removed from Amazon's platforms on January 10. Read More ›
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Arrested man handcuffed hands at the back
Type
post
Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
April 2, 2021
Categorized
Business and Finance, Ethics, Global Technology, Law, Programming
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How China’s “Hostage Diplomacy” Traps Unsuspecting Visitors

Canada’s “Two Michaels” await their fate in prison in China, hostages to the growing tensions in a high-tech war
Heather Zeiger
April 2, 2021
6
Business and Finance, Ethics, Global Technology, Law, Programming

Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor (pictured) and former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig were arrested in China in 2018 on charges of espionage and sharing state secrets, and held in prison since then. Spavor’s trial was on March 19, 2021, in Dandong near China’s border with North Korea. Kovrig’s trial was on March 22 in Beijing. As of this writing, no verdict has been announced. Their trials coincided with the U.S-China Summit in Anchorage, Alaska, on March 18 and 19, 2020, which involved a tense back-and-forth between the two countries. Court proceedings were closed-door and Spavor’s and Kovrig’s lawyers were not allowed to be present. That, according to Canada’s deputy chief of mission in China, violates the Canada-China consular agreement. Prime Minister Read More ›

a-man-using-digital-tablet-with-building-hologram-and-internet-media-icons-smart-city-5g-internet-and-networking-technology-concept-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
a man using digital tablet with building hologram and internet media icons. Smart city, 5g, internet and networking technology concept
Type
post
Author
Caitlin Cory
Date
March 18, 2021
Categorized
Business and Finance, Censorship, Data Privacy, Law
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Nevada Announces New Cities in State To Be Run By Big Tech

The zones promise technological freedom, but what are the dangers to handing so much political power to big corporations?
Caitlin Cory
March 18, 2021
5
Business and Finance, Censorship, Data Privacy, Law

Nevada is courting technological business by offering them the opportunity to develop cities independent of government regulation. In his State of the State address on January 19th, Nevada Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak announced proposed legislation to create “Innovation Zones” in order “to jumpstart the state’s economy by attracting technology firms.” The long-term vision for these Innovation Zones is a county independent of local government, run solely by a technological corporation for the purpose of pursuing advanced technology without the red tape of bureaucracy. The proposed legislation draft calls “traditional forms of local government” “inadequate” in their ability “to provide the flexibility and resources conducive to making the State a leader in attracting and retaining new forms and types of businesses…” Read More ›

hand-holding-smartphone-with-media-icons-and-symbol-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Hand holding smartphone with media icons and symbol
Type
post
Author
News
Date
March 5, 2021
Categorized
Business and Finance, Economics, Law
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Arizona Fights Back Against Big Tech App Store Monopoly

North Dakota’s anti-monopoly legislation was defeated but Arizona’s passed
News
March 5, 2021
3
Business and Finance, Economics, Law

Big tech, flexing political muscles, is starting to get pushback at the state level. Political analyst Matt Stoller tells us a tale of two states: A loser and a winner: Two weeks ago, Apple and Google managed to defeat a major bill in North Dakota to force competition in app stores. This week, the Arizona House of Representatives defied the tech giants and passed the very same bill… Matt Stoller, “Apple Threatens North Dakota, Suffers Crushing Loss in Arizona: “A Lot of It is Just Fear”” at Substack Even sovereign states like Australia have felt the heat from pushing back against the likes of Facebook. Facebook blocked access to the Australian government’s Facebook pages during the forest fire season, due Read More ›

orange-monopoly-houses
Type
post
Author
News
Date
March 3, 2021
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Business and Finance, Censorship, Law
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Does Amazon’s Near-Monopoly Justify Its Use of Censorship?

Caitlin Basset looks at the little-known Seattle law that might make Amazon’s censorship much more costly
News
March 3, 2021
5
Arts & Culture, Business and Finance, Censorship, Law

Recently, Caitlin Basset told Stream readers about the Seattle law that could give Amazon — currently big on censorship — pause for thought: Last week Amazon spiked a [2018] book critical of transgender policy. The book — When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Movement, by Ryan T. Anderson. Amazon removed it without warning or explanation. “I hope you’ve already bought your copy,” Anderson wrote on Twitter, “cause Amazon just removed my book.” Amazon has breached free speech principles before. In the past two years, they banned products, films and ad campaigns for ideas it deems “objectionable.” Caitlin Bassett, “Could an Obscure Seattle Law Be Big Tech’s Undoing?” at Stream (February 28, 2021) Under an apparent new rule, Amazon Read More ›

smart-digital-city-with-globalization-abstract-graphic-showing-connection-network-concept-of-future-5g-smart-wireless-digital-city-and-social-media-networking-systems-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Smart digital city with globalization abstract graphic showing connection network . Concept of future 5G smart wireless digital city and social media networking systems .
Type
post
Author
News
Date
February 16, 2021
Categorized
Business and Finance, Law, Social Media, Technocracy
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Florida Governor, Nation States, Take On Big Tech

Rattled by censorship and deplatforming, many jurisdictions are looking at ways to make Silicon Valley respect citizens’ rights. Florida’s Governor DeSantis may be the most colorful
News
February 16, 2021
6
Business and Finance, Law, Social Media, Technocracy

At a press conference on Monday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis offered a look at new legislation that forms part of his initiative to reduce the power of Big Social Media to harvest and sell data on users: The act, should it pass muster in the state House and Senate, would force tech platforms to disclose what data they have on Floridians to those users and delete that information if requested. The law would also ask companies not to sell the data and would create legal avenues to sue for noncompliance. Whether one state will be able to regulate such massive companies that operate on a global scale remains to be seen — likely in a court of law. Emily Jacobs, Read More ›