The Archives

The collection of all scholarly commentary on law, economics, and more

Showing archive for:  “AI & Big Data”

Debunking the Myth of a Data Barrier to Entry for Online Services

Recent years have seen an increasing interest in incorporating privacy into antitrust analysis. The FTC and regulators in Europe have rejected these calls so far, but certain scholars and activists continue their attempts to breathe life into this novel concept. Elsewhere we have written at length on the scholarship addressing the issue and found the ... Debunking the Myth of a Data Barrier to Entry for Online Services

Innovation Death Panels and Other Economic Shortcomings of the White House Proposed Privacy Bill

In short, all of this hand-wringing over privacy is largely a tempest in a teapot — especially when one considers the extent to which the White House and other government bodies have studiously ignored the real threat: government misuse of data à la the NSA. It’s almost as if the White House is deliberately shifting the public's gaze from the reality of extensive government spying by directing it toward a fantasy world of nefarious corporations abusing private information…. The White House’s proposed bill is emblematic of many government “fixes” to largely non-existent privacy issues, and it exhibits the same core defects that undermine both its claims and its proposed solutions. As a result, the proposed bill vastly overemphasizes regulation to the dangerous detriment of the innovative benefits of Big Data for consumers and society at large.

Interesting Upcoming Law and Economics Center Privacy Event

On Wednesday, March 18, our fellow law-and-economics-focused brethren at George Mason’s Law and Economics Center will host a very interesting morning briefing on the intersection of privacy, big data, consumer protection, and antitrust. FTC Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen will keynote and she will be followed by what looks like will be a lively panel discussion. If you are in ... Interesting Upcoming Law and Economics Center Privacy Event

A Cost-Benefit Prescription for FTC Online Data Security Regulation

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) continues to expand its presence in online data regulation.  On August 13 the FTC announced a forthcoming workshop to explore appropriate policies toward “big data,” a term used to refer to advancing technologies that are dramatically expanding the commercial collection, analysis, use, and storage of data.  This initiative follows ... A Cost-Benefit Prescription for FTC Online Data Security Regulation

Amit Singhal on the Past, Present, and Future of Search

Pretty interesting interview with Google’s Senior VP Amit Singhal on where search technology is headed.  In the article, Singhal describes the shift from a content-based, keyword index  to incorporating links and other signals to improve query results.  The most interesting part of the interview is about what is next. Google now wants to transform words that ... Amit Singhal on the Past, Present, and Future of Search

Dan Katz on Legal Informatics, Corporate Law Firm Ownership and 21st Century Legal Education

A recent article argues “65 percent of today’s elementary aged kids may end up doing work that hasn’t even yet been invented.”  This is a thought provoking number and it points to the disruptive nature of innovation and its impact on a variety of labor markets.  There is a portion of the downturn in legal ... Dan Katz on Legal Informatics, Corporate Law Firm Ownership and 21st Century Legal Education

Coding legal arguments

The NYT writes about computerized journalism: The company’s (Narrative Science) software takes data, like that from sports statistics, company financial reports and housing starts and sales, and turns it into articles. * * * The Big Ten Network, a joint venture of the Big Ten Conference and Fox Networks, began using the technology in the ... Coding legal arguments