Disconnect's Privacy Hackathon

Last Friday, we partook in a "legal hackathon". I don't think I can explain the context more eloquently than Casey did already but the gist of the hackathon was that privacy policies are hard to understand and we can help solve this problem by applying icons. (Sort of like how your clothing has pictures to tell you not to iron it or a bottle of bleach has pictures to tell you not to drink it.) The idea was to get lots of people together to read the privacy policies of thousands of websites and select appropriate icons.

The hackathon is over now but you can still participate on your own. 

Instructions:

1. Sign up for an account if you'd like: https://icons.disconnect.me/register

2. Select a website from the sites list. Some of the websites are already done but you're welcome to make revisions. 

3. Read the privacy policy.

4. Apply four icons.

• The first slot is about collection and use. Does the website collect or use your personal information in ways that you did not expressly allow or reasonably expect? 
• The second slot is about sharing and selling your data. Does the website share or sell your personal information without your consent?
• The third slot is about disclosure requests. Does the website disclose your information if it is not legally obligated to?
• The last slot is about retention. How long does the website keep your information for?

You can also add websites that are not on the list by downloading the Firefox browser extension. This also allows you to view any icons that have already been applied to websites you visit.

Here are some popular websites that have been iconified:

• Facebook
• Tumblr
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• Youtube
• Amazon
• Linkedin
• eBay

Stanford inventions

It's no secret that Stanford is an innovation hub, especially in the technology sphere. A quick search through the USPTO database reveals that Stanford holds at least 2,640 patents - and that's not including the patents that have expired. From last year alone, Stanford received over $76.7 million in gross royalty revenue with five of these inventions earning $1 million. Cumulatively, since 1970, Stanford has gained over $1.4 billion in royalty income.

A recent study estimates that companies formed by Stanford entrepreneurs generate revenues of $2.7 trillion annually and have created 39,900 companies and 5.4 million jobs since the 1930s. If gathered collectively into a hypothetical independent nation, these companies would constitute the world's 10th largest economy. In addition to the businesses, Stanford alumni and faculty have also founded over 30,000 non-profit organizations.

Predicting the future: election results and more

Ken Jennings graciously losing to IBM's "Watson" on Jeopardy

Not only can computers steal our jobs and win at Jeopardy, they can also predict the future with frighteningly accurate results. Yesterday, Professor Daniel Katz gave a fascinating presentation on quantitative prediction in my legal informatics class. His focus was primarily in the legal field but the explanation of how we've arrived at a point in time where legal prediction is possible is applicable to many areas.

His slides are available below. I would highly recommend a quick skim of even just the first 60 or so slides if you're not interested in the legal field for a general overview of the rise of technology. (To my fellow law students, the information contained past slide 60 may disturb you but I urge you to power through!)

Legal Challenges of Autonomous Driving

On September 25th earlier this year, California became the third state in the US, following Nevada and Florida, to pass legislation in allowing the operation of driverless cars on the road. Two short years earlier, Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab director Sebastian Thrun unveiled that Google had created the world’s first autonomous car. In testing, the cars, which were manned by trained operators, drove around California, from Mountain View to Santa Clara and on to Hollywood Boulevard. They successfully navigated the Pacific Coast Highway, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, and even made it around Lake Tahoe. The test cars logged over 140,000 miles in total. The following year, Thrun gave a TED talk explaining how autonomous cars could save lives, time, and fuel:

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 32,885 motor vehicle deaths in 2010, the leading cause of death among teenagers. Furthermore, the majority of car accidents can be attributed to driver error and other human factors (from 57% to as high as 90%) that would not be present in driverless cars.