The Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School is a leader in the study of the law and policy around the Internet and other emerging technologies.
By Brett Frischmann on September 20, 2018 at 12:00 am
Cross-posted from Scientific American. Read more about There's Nothing Wrong with Being a Luddite
By Daphne Keller on September 13, 2018 at 10:31 am
Two important current trends in Internet law go together in ways that aren’t getting enough attention. They should, though, because the overlap is well on its way to messing up the Internet further. Read more about Why D.C. Pundits' Must-Carry Claims Are Relevant to Global Censorship
By Riana Pfefferkorn on September 10, 2018 at 9:42 am
Today was the deadline for the public to submit comments on the Australian government's draft Assistance and Access Bill 2018. The proposed legislation drew sharp criticism from numerous tech companies and civil society groups, in Australia and elsewhere, for the threats it poses to computer security, human rights, due process, and transparency. Read more about Proposed Australian Bill Would Threaten Computer Security for Everybody
By Riana Pfefferkorn on September 4, 2018 at 3:51 pm
Today, CIS is publishing a whitepaper called “Security Risks of Government Hacking.” Also called “equipment interference” or “lawful hacking,” government hacking allows investigators to exploit hardware and software vulnerabilities to gain remote access to target computers. We hope our new publication will make a valuable contribution to policy discussions about this important topic. Read more about New Whitepaper: Security Risks of Government Hacking
By Center for Internet and Society on September 4, 2018 at 6:00 am
Stanford Law School today announced the appointment of retired Federal Judge Stephen Wm. Smith as Director, Fourth Amendment & Open Courts at the Center for Internet and Society (CIS). Smith will focus on the constitutionality of digital search and surveillance, as well as public access to court records authorizing those investigative techniques. Read more about Stanford Law School Appoints Judge Stephen Smith as Director of Fourth Amendment & Open Courts at the Center for Internet and Society
By Chuck Cosson on September 3, 2018 at 5:29 pm
“Tool Without A Handle”: Tools and the Search for Meaning
In a New York Times review of Edward Tenner’s book The Efficiency Paradox, Gal Beckerman observes that a key point is not simply to watch how much time we spend using technology, but to remember that “the tools we’ve invented to improve our lives are just that, tools, to be picked up and put down. We wield them.”
Which pretty succinctly states the main point of this entire series of blog posts: that human agency matters. Or, perhaps more directly, that while we all know human agency matters, we all too frequently overlook that point. This post (on Labor Day, 2018) thus asks what is the real value of human agency? By identifying value in it, I hope to set the stage for future posts on the urgency of fostering greater awareness of it. Read more about Tool Without A Handle: Tools and the Search for Meaning
By Barbara van Schewick on August 31, 2018 at 3:39 pm
By Daphne Keller on August 23, 2018 at 10:51 am
Are Internet platforms distorting our political discourse by silencing conservatives? If they were, could Congress pass a law forcing them to play fair? Read more about Can Trump Stop Twitter from Enforcing Its Own Speech Rules? Not Likely.
By Riana Pfefferkorn on August 21, 2018 at 5:53 pm
On August 19, the CRYPTO 2018 conference on cryptographic research hosted a one-day workshop in Santa Barbara called “Encryption and Surveillance.” The goal of the workshop was to “examine how encryption and related technologies pose both challenges and opportunities for surveillance and reform of surveillance.” I was fortunate to be able to attend this workshop, listen to the panelists’ presentations, and observe the intelligent discussion between speakers and attendees about the topics at hand. Read more about CRYPTO 2018: “Middle Ground” Proposals for a Going-Dark Fix
By Ryan E. Long on August 7, 2018 at 2:12 pm
If you use Google, have you ever read their privacy policy? If you haven’t, please keep reading. The policy delineates under what circumstances Google can peruse your information, including your e-mails, for disclosure to third parties. Read more about Google privacy. Oxymoron?
