Fitbit data is being used as evidence in court →

No surprise, and obviously it should be. However, privacy law has a long way to go to catch up to common understanding and norms surrounding 21st technology.

... It's easy to imagine the same data being used to establish or disprove a defendant's alibi in a criminal case. In this case, the subject volunteered her data to the court, but it could just as easily be obtained through by subpoena if the court deems it central to the case. The legal rules for such orders have yet to be set, but cases like this one make a huge difference in establishing those precedents. And while today's Fitbit customers don't think of their trackers as leaving a trail of evidence, that could quickly change as courts become more familiar with the devices.

New Report: Child Homelessness on the Rise in US →

The number of homeless children in the U.S. has surged in recent years to an all-time high, amounting to one child in every 30, according to a comprehensive state-by-state report that blames the nation's high poverty rate, the lack of affordable housing and the impacts of pervasive domestic violence.

Titled "America's Youngest Outcasts," the report being issued Monday by the National Center on Family Homelessness calculates that nearly 2.5 million American children were homeless at some point in 2013.

Obama’s call for an open Internet puts him at odds with regulators →

Probably shouldn't surprise, as the latest head of the FCC came from the industry. 

U.S. and China Reach Climate Accord After Months of Talks →

A climate deal between China and the United States, the world’s No. 1 and No. 2 carbon polluters, is viewed as essential to concluding a new global accord...

As part of the agreement, Mr. Obama announced that the United States would emit 26 percent to 28 percent less carbon in 2025 than it did in 2005. That is double the pace of reduction it targeted for the period from 2005 to 2020.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Could Reduce Trade →

While the agreement is pursuing some trade openings, notably in agriculture, it is not clear how far they will go since there is much political resistance to these openings. On the other hand, it also calls for increased protectionism in the form of stronger patent and copyright monopolies. These will raise prices...

All Eyes on Ferguson as Gov. Nixon Declares State of Emergency Ahead of Grand Jury Decision →

The text of the Governor's order.

An analysis of the history of Ferguson, and how racist policy and policymaking has shaped it.

NYT on Autonomous Weapons and Ways to Regulate Them →

Our near-future sci-fi fantasy. Not [necessarily] as dystopian as some may assume:

In a recent article co-authored with Daniel Reisner, we argue that with proper international and national-level processes, emergent autonomous weapon systems can be effectively regulated within the existing law of armed conflict framework (Anderson, Reisner & Waxman: Adapting the Law of Armed Conflict to Autonomous Weapon Systems).

Universities Blast Congressional Probe of NSF Grants →

“If the committee wishes to override the merit review process or if it wants NSF to stop funding research related to certain issues, its members owe it to the American public to say clearly what they are doing: substituting their judgment for the expertise of scientists on the vital question of what research the United States should support,” the statement continues.