Author: Shelby Bice

Shelby Bice is a student at Rice University and is currently studying Materials Science and Nanoengineering. She enjoys writing and exploring how law is interacting and responding to new forms and uses for technology. When she's not writing, she enjoys singing and reading.

Non-lethal drones can be used in North Dakota by police

September 1, 2015 Shelby Bice Leave a comment Criminal Law, Ethics, Privacy, Tech

Legislation was passed last spring that allows police in North Dakota to utilize drones not only for surveillance but also as non-lethal weapons. The bill, which was originally introduced by Representative Rick Becker, did not permit the use of any kind of weaponry to be used, but lobbyists advocated for the bill to be amended to allow non-lethal weapons in order to win the support of law enforcement. There are restrictions incorporated into the law that limit the scenarios in which drones can be used by police, though. For example, a drone may only be used for surveillance if the data will be used in investigating a felony, and law enforcement must obtain a warrant to use the drone which includes very specific details on how, when and where it will be used. There are also limits on how personal information that the drone uncovers may be dealt with. Even with some restrictions within the legislature limiting the use of drones, some say that the drones are providing law enforcement with too much power.

Jay Stanley from the American Civil Liberties Union states that even non-lethal weapons can still have lethal results. Tasers, though non-lethal, still lead to approximately fifty deaths a year. Additionally, using drones may lead to detachment between the person operating the drone and the suspect on the other side, which could lead to regrettable choices. Jim McGregor disagrees, explaining that police officers out in the field may have a harder time making the right call than someone operating a drone in an offsite location with less to distract them. He likens drones to other methods, including SWAT teams and snipers, to show that drones are not so different from well-known choices for dealing with dangerous situations.

Whether non-lethal drones are a positive or negative development in law enforcement technology, Representative Becker intends to propose a  new law that will make non-lethal as well as lethal weaponry on drones illegal.

Article via TechNewsWorld, August 28, 2015

Photo: Drone via ninfaj [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs]

Traders and hackers team up for $100M worth of cybercrime

August 28, 2015 Shelby Bice Leave a comment Criminal Law, Cybercrime

Over one hundred million dollars were obtained illegally by the largest cybercrime collaboration between rogue members of Wall Street and hackers to date. In order to obtain crucial information about publicly traded companies before it became public knowledge, these stock traders living in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and New York would email hackers located in the Ukraine with a list of news releases concerning certain companies that they wished to have. The hackers would respond with recorded instructions on how to obtain the stolen articles. By having advance access to news  containing earnings and other details, the stock traders were able to make favorable trades before anyone else knew about the information. For their skills, the hackers were paid a portion of the profits from the illegal trades or a flat fee.

This is not the first time hackers and stock traders have colluded to commit cybercrime. A similar case in 2005 involved stock traders in Estonia hacking into Business Wire in order to make well-informed trades. Cases such as these show that cybercrime goes far beyond identity theft, stealing bank information, or obtaining sensitive personal information. Additionally, some stock brokers in Manhattan were charged last month with illegally obtaining millions of email addresses and planning to spam them in order to try to manipulate the worth of certain stocks, and another hacker group tried to steal information from emails in the pharmaceutical industry to gain access to deals that could affect the stock market. In all of these cases, cybercrime is centered around market-altering information. As former Manhattan prosecutor Matthew L. Schwartz states, “hackers can obtain access to all sorts of valuable information and can and will profit off of it in every way imaginable.”

Article via New York Times, August 11, 2015

Photo: Frankfurt Stock Exchange via Tobias Leeger [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs]

New report shows that many top law firms are blogging

August 27, 2015 Shelby Bice Leave a comment Legal News, News

While writing has always been part of the practice of law, many top firms have gone above and beyond by becoming more accesible to the public through blogs. More than 80% of BigLaw, or firms included in Am Law 200, are blogging, and approximately 962 individual blogs are being run by those firms and their attorneys.  Of the 962 blogs, 916 are “firm-branded”, with the firm claiming ownership of the blog and its content, but the rest are operated by individual lawyers. The latter is decreasing, though, as more firms take note of how blogs can be used to generate interest and eventually clients for the firm. With this in mind, the average firm runs six blogs, with each catering to different areas and topics. The most popular topics for blog posts range from employment and labor all the way to healthcare. Also, as law is changing and welcoming the new questions that technology brings, some more recent blogs focus on intellectual property, insurance, and international law. Even though blog topics are addressing relevant concerns, most law firms are not utilizing newer resources such as responsive design, which makes blogs more accessible to readers using mobile devices.

Though law firms can certainly use blogs as part of their marketing, many firms opt out of making them a part of their site, instead only including a link to the firm’s website on the blog. This opens up many more options for the blog, including possible inclusion in articles by Google News or the ability to have a profound effect on opinions in a certain area. Developing this influence in a particular niche is something the most visited blogs do well, along with posting frequently and being well-maintained. By only focusing on a specific area, certain blogs are quickly becoming a main source of news for topics such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or pharmaceutical patents and intellectual property. Blogging about specific but relevant topics in an easy-to-read manner keeps readers returning to read more.

Article via Above the Law, July 8, 2015

Photo: Untitled via SuzieWong [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs]

Artificial intelligence raises new legal and civil rights questions

August 25, 2015 Shelby Bice Leave a comment Ethics, Human Rights, Justice, News

Artificial intelligence features heavily in science fiction, from 2001: A Space Odyssey to Star Wars, but AI systems may soon become commonplace in day to day activities. Ten years from now, one third of standard jobs are expected to be completed by robots. While this may raise many concerns, perhaps the most unexpected issue lies with which legal and civil rights will be granted to artificially intelligent beings.

Recently, an artificially intelligent system in Switzerland that was programmed to shop online purchased several illegal items and was subsequently arrested. However, neither the system nor its creators were prosecuted. Cases like this question who should be held accountable for crimes committed by AI systems. Can artificially intelligent beings be held responsible for their actions? If the system is acting independently and is charged with a crime similar to how a human being would be charged, should the AI system be considered to have its own individual identity? And if AI systems have their own identities, should they also be granted the same rights as a human being? After all, a robot was created that could pass a test signifying that that it is self aware, a test that before only humans could pass.

While science fiction appears to have spent years preparing the world for the introduction of artificial intelligence into every day activities, the ethical and legal problems concerning the new technology are still surprising law enforcers and creators alike.

Article via TechCrunch, August 22, 2015

Photo: Electric Neuron via Ronny R [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs]

New legal research center at Michigan State seeks to create T-shaped lawyers

August 25, 2015 Shelby Bice Leave a comment Education, Legal News, News

According to Daniel Linna Jr, the director of the new Center for Legal Services and Innovation, or LegalRnD, T-shaped lawyers will be leading the law profession in the near future. T-shaped lawyers are trained specifically to deal with modern issues by becoming knowledgeable in other areas such as business, coding, and management. By helping lawyers become more efficient in their business practices, it is the hope of the Michigan State Law Department that the new legal research center will help make lawyers more accessible to the three quarters of individuals and businesses who receive a moderate income but cannot always afford the expense.

Linna explains that the research and classes being conducted in LegalRnD will help lawyers connect to more modern problems, and the center will accomplish that goal by focusing on interdisciplinary classes and innovation. Introducing lawyers to technology, especially through hackathons such as LexHacks in Chicago, is part of Linna’s plan to lead the legal world towards finding new creative solutions to 21st century problems.

Article via MSU Today, July 20, 2015

Photo: Michigan State University via Jimmy Everson, DVM [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs] 

Uber granted victory regarding racketeering accusations, but may still face more lawsuits

August 19, 2015 Shelby Bice Leave a comment Court, Justice, News

Uber, which has been met with legal resistance in cities across the United States and around the world, recently had a small win against charges from taxi companies and related services when a district court judge dismissed several complaints against the company in Connecticut. The lawsuits leveled against Uber included charges of incorrectly reporting the services they offer, intentionally deceiving customers, and, most surprisingly, racketeering. Racketeering is usually associated with criminal endeavors and no disputes between related companies. With this in mind, US District Court Judge Thompson ruled that the lawsuits had no base.

While his ruling has been praised by Uber, the company may not be in the clear. Judge Thompson has given the taxi and limo companies behind the lawsuits against Uber the chance to alter their lawsuits and potentially challenge Uber in court once again. Additionally, Uber is still facing ongoing legal disputes around the US and in other countries.

Article via CNET, 14 August 2015

Photo: Taxi life n.1  via Daniel Horacio Agostini [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs]