Olives @olives@qoto.org

https://ij.org/press-release/public-interest-law-firm-urges-honolulu-to-change-sign-regulations-to-save-businesses-protect-free-speech-rights/

"Today, the Institute for Justice (IJ) sent a letter to city officials in Honolulu, Hawaii, calling on them to change a city ordinance that’s driving several popular restaurants in Honolulu’s Waikiki District out of business.

One of those restaurants is EbiNomi, which was opened by Stewart Chung and his brother Andy. The brothers opened the restaurant just before the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. The restaurant’s comfort-style cuisine helped it survive the pandemic, but EbiNomi is now weeks away from closing due to a city ban on portable signs. Since opening, Stewart has relied on a small A-frame sign (also known as a menu board sign) to help guide customers to his restaurant, which is tucked away in a private courtyard, nearly invisible to pedestrians from the street.

However, last September a city inspector told Stewart he could no longer use his sign because Honolulu bans certain businesses from using portable signs, even if they’re on private property near sidewalks."

"In a letter to Honolulu city leaders, IJ warned that Honolulu’s ban is almost certainly unconstitutional."

#FirstAmendment

https://www.aclu.org/cases/commonwealth-v-kurtz
"“Reverse searches” are a novel surveillance technique where the police can obtain records reflecting everyone who used a search engine to look up a particular word or phrase. In this case, the lower court approved the police using a reverse search, ruling that people do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy for any query they enter into a search engine. The ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project and State Supreme Court Initiative along with the ACLU of Pennsylvania filed an amicus brief in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court urging the court to reverse the lower court’s decision and hold that search history data is protected by the state and federal Constitution."
#privacy #FourthAmendment

Big Snack Is Watching You.

https://www.aclu.org/cases/hm-florida-orl-llc-v-griffin
"On January 24, 2024, the ACLU and ACLU of Florida filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit supporting HM Florida-ORL, which operates the restaurant and bar Hamburger Mary’s in Orlando, in its lawsuit alleging that a Florida law infringes upon minors’ First Amendment rights by prohibiting them from attending drag performances."
#FirstAmendment

https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-aclu-of-south-carolina-challenges-state-law-that-seeks-to-silence-the-incarcerated

"The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of South Carolina filed a federal lawsuit today challenging the South Carolina Department of Corrections’ (SCDC) total ban on news media interviews with incarcerated people on First Amendment grounds. In addition to filing a complaint, the ACLU of South Carolina is seeking emergency relief that will allow the organization the right to interview incarcerated clients and publish their speech.

“Incarcerated peoples’ speech has long played a critical role in our public discourse,” said Allen Chaney, legal director for the ACLU of South Carolina. “If applied historically, SCDC’s rule would suppress publication of Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail,’ Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, and four books of the New Testament. Today, it operates to insulate SCDC from real public accountability and to suppress the public’s knowledge about the violence committed against prisoners — wrongs that are committed in the public’s own name.”"

#FirstAmendment

https://reclaimthenet.org/clearview-ai-ohios-ongoing-use-of-a-controversial-photo-collection-firm-for-facial-recognition-searches
"Despite facing substantial civil-liberties concerns, Ohio has chosen to forge ahead with its utilization of facial-recognition software in state crime investigations. This decision could see the technology in use until at least 2025, courting help from a company with a contentious track record."
#privacy #FaceRecognition

https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/29/fisa_section_702_wyden/
"The Biden Administration has asked a court, rather than Congress, to renew controversial warrantless surveillance powers used by American intelligence and due to expire within weeks."

#privacy

https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/29/push_notification_privacy/

"More than 130 petitions seeking access to push notification metadata have been filed in US courts, according to a Washington Post investigation – a finding that underscores the lack of privacy protection available to users of mobile devices."

"App developers can encrypt these messages when they're stored (in transit they're protected by TLS) but the associated metadata – the app receiving the notification, the time stamp, and network details – is not encrypted."

#privacy

https://reason.com/2024/03/01/town-says-burger-joints-mural-cant-show-any-burgers/
"Is a painting of a giant burger a sign or a mural? The answer to that question could determine whether Steve Howard can keep some half-finished burger art on the side of his restaurant or be forced to take it down."

#FirstAmendment

https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/16/black_box_government/
"Democratic lawmakers once again have proposed legislation to ensure that the software source code used for criminal investigations can be examined and is subject to standardized testing by the government."

"The bill, introduced in 2019 and in 2021 to no avail, aims to guarantee that criminal defendants have the opportunity to assess the fairness of software used against them."

#SixthAmendment

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2024/03/01/kentucky-state-senator-karen-berg-suggests-child-sex-dolls-pedophiles-maps-ky-hb-207/72802875007/
Clear violation of the #FirstAmendment and 14th Amendment. It also sets a dangerous precedent.

Strong https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_of_the_children energy and a weak appeal to potentially unsympathetic defendants. If someone has committed a crime, they can be prosecuted via other laws.

https://ntupsychology.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6ViWsBtawXH7yjs
Speaking of forensic psychologists, there is actually a study going on right now (being carried out by a forensic psychologist from Nottingham Trent University in the U.K.) into the public's attitudes towards sex robots. Note: Qualtrics might not work with a VPN.

Is there any research into the sorts of people who use "sex robots" which we don't already know about? A fair bit of this science seems to come from forensic psychologists (psychologists who work with criminals, i.e. Dr. Harper), and that is probably not terribly representative of a group (and looks at people a lot through the lens of whether they "might commit a crime"). It can be a lot like figuring out what sort of people play video games by interviewing someone in a prison.

Preferably, not empty philosophical musings about how they are "wrong", "I heard a random cop claim this", conspiracism, or reaching. That is not research.