Happy Friday and, to those who celebrate, happy 4/20! In recognition of this holiday, our Editor-in-Chief, Bob Ambrogi’s, weekly newsletter featured all you could possibly want to know about the latest on cannabis law. You can subscribe to that newsletter here. This week’s top 10 also highlights a compelling post from Alexa Halloran, about what could happen when cryptocurrency and cannabis merge. Other great posts this week include Domenic B. Sanginiti, Jr. on the danger of a new vaping device that has sent the number of underage nicotine users skyrocketing; Molly Alcorn’s update on President Trump’s plan to summon the National Guard to the US-Mexico border; and Christopher Boll on the development of bike-share programs.
The Juul of Teen Nicotine Addiction – By Domenic B. Sanginiti, Jr.: The Juul looks like a computer flash drive but it is a vaping device. It’s sleek, it’s discrete, and it’s becoming very popular with underage nicotine users. Juul, the company that manufactures the device, states it targets only adults; however, the nicotine liquid flavors include “virginia tobacco, cool mint, fruit medley, creme brulee & mango,” which are arguably appealing to children. View Full Post
Tech & Security Companies Sign Cybersecurity Tech Accord – By David Bender: Today, 34 global technology and security companies announced that they have signed a Cybersecurity Tech Accord, which publicly commits them “to protect and empower civilians online and to improve the security, stability and resilience of cyberspace.” The signatories include Cisco, Dell, Facebook, HP, Intuit, and Microsoft.The text of the Accord references recent events that have put online security at risk, and sets forth four principles: Protect all of our users and customers everywhere. View Full Post
Facebook Collects Shadow Profiles of People Who Never Signed Up for Facebook – By Sharon Nelson: Naked Security reported on something we all should have known, but which was confirmed when Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress. As it turns out, even if you NEVER signed up for Facebook, it was collecting information about you. While Zuckerberg didn’t seem to know the term “shadow profiles,” he did seem to know the concept. View Full Post
National Guard to Patrol California-Mexico Border – By Molly Alcorn: President Trump announced on Wednesday, April 4th that he planned to deploy the National Guard to patrol the U.S. – Mexican border to prevent illegal immigration. California Governor Jerry Brown, who is in charge of overseeing the deployment of National Guard troops in California, agreed to cooperate. View Full Post
NYU Takes on the Travel Ban – By Seth Fiur: On March 30, 2018, Proskauer filed an amicus brief on behalf of New York University in the United States Supreme Court. The brief was filed in support of the State of Hawaii and its challenge to Proclamation 9645, the most recent version of the Trump Administration’s “travel ban.” The Proclamation at issue in the litigation sets significant restrictions on immigration from specified countries, most of which have a large Muslim-majority population. View Full Post
It’s Quittin’ Time – By Lai K. Lam: House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) announced that he would not be seeking re-election in 2018. While it was not a complete surprise to those in the know, the decision sent a shockwave through Washington. Ryan is now part of the growing list of Republicans (about 46) who will not be returning to Congress next year. View Full Post
Using an Artificial Intelligence Software Platform to Streamline the Trademark Infringement Process – By Justin Evans: On Friday, April 20th LegalRnD will host the “Measuring Lawyer Quality and Setting an Empirical Research Agenda for Legal Technology and Innovation” Conference from 9 am to 12 pm at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing. Students from Dan Linna Jr.’s Litigation: Data, Theory, Practice, Process Course will present on legal technology tools that have been developed to address real-world problems provided by project partners. View Full Post
I’m Legal Counsel To Our Diversity Office; What Do I Need To Know About Data Analytics? – By John Bryson: As if you don’t have enough on your plate already. You just heard in the lunchroom that your Chief Diversity Officer is making a presentation to a trade group on the company’s workforce demographics. Should you care? An often-overlooked area of data analytics is in a company’s diversity office. View Full Post
Fueled by Auto Industry Support, Bike Sharing Systems are Taking Over Cities – By Christopher Boll: Back in November 2017 we discussed the “last mile” issue facing cities and urban planners around the globe. At that time we noted that “… transit options often fail at providing a solution of getting people to their final destination with relative ease.” We noted the benefit of Vehicle-to-Vehicle and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure communication systems as a way to better coordinate transit infrastructure systems. View Full Post
Cryoptocurrency and Cannabis: A Difficult Relationship – By Alexa Halloran: Two of the biggest buzzwords of 2018 have been cyrptocurrency and cannabis. Both industries have seen an tremendous influx of investment from people trying to capitalize on these new business ideas. Almost every week, I see a new event pop up for people who are interested in finding the synergies between these different industries. View Full Post