All Research

All Research

Will Congress Allow One of the Nation’s Critical Cybersecurity Laws to Lapse?
Article
AEIdeas

Will Congress Allow One of the Nation’s Critical Cybersecurity Laws to Lapse?

On October 1, the 2015 Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA 2015) silently lapsed at the beginning of the government shutdown. With it no longer active, we lose a crucial information-sharing…

A Disquieting Post, a Public University, and the Tension Between Illegal Threats and Safeguarded Offense
Article
AEIdeas

A Disquieting Post, a Public University, and the Tension Between Illegal Threats and Safeguarded Offense

Maybe it’s merely a manifestation of our uncivil, politically polarized times, but disputes involving whether hateful or otherwise offensive social media messages cross the line separating “uninhibited, robust, and wide-open”…

Australian Social Media Regulation: When “Banning” Isn’t a Ban
Article
AEIdeas

Australian Social Media Regulation: When “Banning” Isn’t a Ban

On December 10, Australia’s long-awaited and much-heralded provisions governing social media use by individuals under 16 came into force. This regulation, which is widely described as banning under-16s from social…

Five Figures – December Bonus Issue
Article
The Honest Broker

Five Figures – December Bonus Issue

I have lots of fascinating data to share today, hence the second Five Figures of December. Before the jump, here is an excerpt from my New York Post op-ed from earlier this week, which built…

How the Financial System Invented “Climate Risk” Untethered from Climate Science
Article
The Honest Broker

How the Financial System Invented “Climate Risk” Untethered from Climate Science

Part 1 of the THB series on climate change and insurance focused on the recent financial performance of the insurance industry in the context of fevered claims of its looming collapse…

Trump’s Genesis Mission Needs the One Thing Washington Hates: Accountability
Article
AEIdeas

Trump’s Genesis Mission Needs the One Thing Washington Hates: Accountability

President Trump’s new Genesis Mission is an ambitious bid to energize American scientific leadership by harnessing artificial intelligence to accelerate discovery. It is a bold and correct step. But unless…

The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board on Financial Surveillance
Article
AEIdeas

The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board on Financial Surveillance

What a delight to see the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) taking a look at financial surveillance policy. It is as threatening to liberty and privacy as any…

Federal Multidistrict Litigation and Social Media Addiction: Onward to Summary Judgment and Bellwether Trials
Article
AEIdeas

Federal Multidistrict Litigation and Social Media Addiction: Onward to Summary Judgment and Bellwether Trials

Tom Petty sang that “the waiting is the hardest part.” It’s a take-it-to-the-heart maxim currently holding true for anyone anticipating the trial-court resolution of more than 2,000 lawsuits (as of…

Governor DeSantis Should Champion AI Innovation—Not Regulate It
Article
AEIdeas

Governor DeSantis Should Champion AI Innovation—Not Regulate It

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has built a reputation for freeing markets and trusting Floridians. During COVID-19, he reopened the state early, betting that people could manage their own affairs. He…

Supreme Court Questions Broadband Provider Liability for User Misconduct
Article
AEIdeas

Supreme Court Questions Broadband Provider Liability for User Misconduct

Intermediary liability—when a company should be liable for users’ misuse of its product by users—has been a long-standing issue in tech policy. Two years ago, the Supreme Court dismissed a…

Article
The Honest Broker

A Huge Retraction, the Usual Playbook, and Reason for Optimism

Some huge news dropped today that will reverberate through climate science and policy. Nature has finally retracted “The Economic Commitment of Climate Change,” by Kotz et al. (KLW24), more than 18 months after first learning…

Wrestling with Hulk Hogan’s Litigation Legacy for Online Journalism
Article
AEIdeas

Wrestling with Hulk Hogan’s Litigation Legacy for Online Journalism

It’s the season when celebrities-who-died-this-year lists proliferate. Terry Gene Bollea—the wrestler Hulk Hogan—will make most 2025 rolls, but his legacy may be his influence over online journalism. Bollea, who died…

Tracing Engineered Biothreats with AI Forensics: Five Steps to Improve Attribution
Article
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Tracing Engineered Biothreats with AI Forensics: Five Steps to Improve Attribution

The 2001 anthrax letter attacks in the United States, the 2007 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak, and the COVID-19 pandemic have something in common: Investigators have struggled to determine their origins despite extensive efforts. This highlights…

Comment to the Environmental Protection Agency: Visibility Protection: Regional Haze State Plan Requirements Rule Revision
Commentary

Comment to the Environmental Protection Agency: Visibility Protection: Regional Haze State Plan Requirements Rule Revision

Summary: The federal Regional Haze Program should be repealed or at a minimum scaled back dramatically so as to return haze policies to the states as reflected in their respective…

THB Insider #28 – Thanksgiving Reading
Article
The Honest Broker

THB Insider #28 – Thanksgiving Reading

It is Thanksgiving Day here in the US — My favorite holiday. Chez les Pielke we are getting ready to put the turkey in as the sun rises. We will…