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Internet & Social Media Law Blog

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The Black Box Conundrum: Go Weak or Stay Strong?

Even as artificial intelligence (AI) has become more commonplace and relied upon by businesses in different industries, it still faces criticism on whether it can be implemented in a safe and ethical manner and, related, how the bias often inherent in the underlying algorithms can be detected and reduced. Enter…

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Shining Light on the Algorithms in Your Company’s Black Box

Artificial intelligence has long since evolved from a technology with exciting potential to a near ubiquitous and integral component in the day-to-day conduct of many businesses. Take the automotive and aerospace industries—each is undergoing massive changes and movements toward more competitive, efficient and innovative uses of technology and AI in…

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FTC Will “Vigorously Enforce” the Law Against Companies That Fail to Protect Consumer Privacy

It’s no secret that every move you make on the internet can be tracked. Even when you are not actively searching, scrolling through a social media feed, or using your phone to navigate to a new local restaurant, your digital behavior can be tracked, analyzed, stored, marketed, and sold. But…

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Soulbound Tokens: Moving Away from the Hyper-Financialization of Digital Assets

Earlier this year, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, in cooperation with economist Glen Meyl and researcher Puja Ohlhaver, published a research paper on soulbound tokens (SBTs). SBTs are publicly visible, non-transferrable (but possibly revocable by the issuer) digital assets representing “commitments, credentials, and affiliations.” Buterin et al. have said that such…

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News of Note for the Internet-Minded (7/6/22) – Quantum Leaps, VR Tools and Cryptocurrency Tumult

From advancements in quantum teleportation to the possibility of intelligent digital twins and claims that Google’s AI is sentient, this week’s News of Note has sci-fi appeal, and more. Google offers more proof that traditional algorithms are no match for a quantum computer. (John Timmer, Ars Technica) Physicists at Delft…

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Regulators Zero In on AI

As previously discussed, financial services regulators are increasingly focused on how businesses use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in underwriting and pricing consumer finance products. Although algorithms provide opportunities for financial services companies to offer innovative products that expand access to credit, some regulators have expressed concern that…

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New York Legislature Passes Moratorium on Crypto Mining Operations

On June 2, 2022, the New York Legislature passed a bill, S6486D, that would place a two-year moratorium on certain new cryptocurrency mining operations at fossil fuel energy plants in New York. The bill would also limit circumstances in which mining operations currently operating at plants in New York would…

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Protecting Your Digital Identity in the Metaverse

Who are you, really? Identity can be hard to define. In the real world, we don different (often overlapping) masks depending on the situation—family, work, public service or private play. Online, the distance between the “real you” and these masks is often more pronounced. We adopt pseudonyms, handles, avatars and…

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California Governor Issues Executive Order Aimed at the Regulation of Blockchain and Crypto Assets

On May 4, 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Executive Order N-9-22 to create a coordinated state regulatory approach for cryptocurrency and blockchain, with the further aim of harmonizing the state’s laws with those (potentially) enacted at a federal level. Another goal of the Order is to determine the usage…