Articles Posted in Cybersecurity

In a digital age where much of our financial, personal, and professional lives exist online, an often overlooked question arises: what happens to those digital assets when we die? In a recent article, “What Happens to Your Online Accounts When You Die—And How to Make Sure Your Family Isn’t Left Scrambling,” Adam H. Douglas, writing for The Epoch Times (April 16, 2026), explores the growing importance of digital estate planning and offers practical steps to ensure loved ones are not left navigating a maze of inaccessible accounts and unresolved obligations.

Read the full article here: What Happens to Your Online Accounts When You Die—And How to Make Sure Your Family Isn’t Left Scrambling

As artificial intelligence rapidly enters the criminal justice system (shaping everything from policing strategies to judicial decision-making) the need for clear guidance has become increasingly urgent. Two recent publications from the Council on Criminal Justice provide a timely and authoritative response:

Synthetic data acts as a “hidden lever” in responsible AI by enabling organizations to train, test, and validate AI models without violating privacy, using copyrighted material, or relying on biased real-world datasets. It allows for the deliberate creation of diverse, balanced datasets, transforming AI development from reactive bias correction to proactive “fairness by design“.

In a recent analysis, Professor Peter Lee of UC Davis School of Law argues that synthetic data could reshape the legal and economic landscape of AI. For organizations navigating compliance, intellectual property risks, and data privacy obligations, this development deserves close attention. Synthetic datasets promise to reduce reliance on sensitive real-world information, potentially lowering exposure to copyright disputes and privacy liabilities. For executives responsible for innovative budgets and risk management, that sounds like a compelling proposition.

Yet the opportunity comes with tradeoffs.  Synthetic data does not eliminate risk — it transforms it. Lee highlights issues such as hidden bias, model degradation, and governance challenges when artificial datasets begin influencing real-world decision making. In other words, the question for leadership is not whether to adopt AI tools, but how to ensure that the data behind them remains trustworthy and aligned with organizational values.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Professor Peter Lee’s VERDICT essay argues that synthetic data may revolutionize AI development by providing scalable, legally safer training material. Yet he warns that artificial datasets introduce new risks such as model collapse, bias, and misuse that demand proactive legal oversight. Rather than replacing existing regulatory debates, synthetic data transforms them, requiring courts, policymakers, and information professionals to rethink how innovation, privacy, and intellectual property intersect in the AI era

BETTER THAN THE REAL THING?

SciTech Magazine is published by the Science and Technology Section of the  American Bar Association.

INTRODUCTION:

The Winter 2026 issue of The SciTech Lawyer, published by the American Bar Association’s Science & Technology Law Section, arrives at a pivotal moment in the legal profession’s evolving relationship with artificial intelligence. Centered on the theme of responsible AI use, this issue explores how rapidly advancing technologies are reshaping legal practice while raising urgent ethical, regulatory, and professional responsibility concerns.

Introduction.

The “big three” credit reporting companies, TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian, hold highly sensitive consumer financial data that can affect people’s access to credit, housing, employment, and insurance. Their data security posture depends not only on resisting large-scale hacking events, but also on preventing “low-tech” account takeovers that exploit customer service processes.

This post is based on  Shira Ovide’s article, “It Wasn’t Hard to Highjack Trans Union Credit Reports, I Did it Myself.  published  in Tech Friend , a publication of the The Washington Post on December 12. 2025. In her article, drawing on months of testing by the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), Ovide describes a vulnerability in TransUnion’s customer service hotline that allegedly allowed callers, with minimal identity proof, to reset passwords and change account contact information, potentially enabling account takeover and unauthorized access to credit report details. TransUnion reported that it updated protocols after being contacted, and PIRG later found that additional verification was requested in most retests.

A review of  Unlocking the Future: Leveraging Technology for Personal and Professional Success, by Jeffrey M. Allen & Ashley Hallene (ABA Book Publishing 2025), 480 pp., ISBN 978-1-63905-629-3; e-book ISBN 978-1-63905-630-9; Senior Lawyers Division sponsor; list price $39.95.

The Book in Brief

In this book, Jeffrey Allen and Ashley Hallene aim to demystify fast-moving technologies for working professionals, especially lawyers, law librarians  and others specializing in the law, by pairing plain-English explanations with practical checklists, tool rundowns, and risk-management advice. The American Bar Association positions the book as a comprehensive guide to “essential tools, AI, cybersecurity, [and] health tech,” organized into meticulously crafted chapters that double as a reference you can consult as needed. It runs 480 pages and is available in both print and e-book formats, with the Senior Lawyers Division serving as sponsor.¹ The ABA’s “New Books” listing shows a $39.95 list price.²

Spring 2025.

Letter from Hon. Gale Brewer:

Tens of thousands of people nationwide are victims of a scam every year—in 2024 alone, scams cost Americans $47 billion. As the New York Times reported,

These News Briefs and Decision Summaries are from  the  the New Jersey State Bar Association. They are an exclusive benefit of the Association in partnership with the New Jersey Law Journal. A subscription may be necessary to access the full text of some of the items listed:

NEWS BRIEFS:

The digital age has dramatically expanded how we connect, communicate, and share. Yet with these advances come new risks—especially for vulnerable individuals targeted through online platforms. One of the most alarming forms of harm emerging in this environment is cyber sexual misconduct, which encompasses a broad range of non-consensual, sexually inappropriate behaviors conducted via digital means.

As technology evolves faster than the law can keep up, cyber sexual misconduct presents pressing questions about privacy, consent, and accountability. Increasingly, these acts are being recognized not merely as ethical violations, but as criminal offenses requiring serious legal and societal responses.

What Is Cyber Sexual Misconduct?

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