Ethical considerations of AI. cybersecurity Tag Archives

December 13, 2025

How Secure are Private Records Held by Major Credit Bureaus?

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.

August 21, 2025

Building Your Technology Toolkit: What Law Librarians and Attorneys Can Learn from Unlocking the Future

by David Badertscher

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

February 16, 2025

Potential Impacts of Government Efficiency Reforms Led by Elon Musk on U.S. Government Libraries

by David Badertscher

Introduction

Materials consulted in preparing this posting were curated from various sources including the recently introduced Deep Research by OpenAI.

With Elon Musk at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency, various agencies within the U.S. government may experience restructuring aimed at streamlining operations, reducing costs, and integrating advanced technologies. One area likely to be affected is government agency libraries—institutions that provide critical research, archival, and information services to federal employees, policymakers, and researchers. These libraries, usually housed within agencies such as the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the Department of Defense (DoD), play an essential role in supporting government functions. This essay explores how Musk’s efficiency-driven policies might reshape these libraries, with potential consequences for automation, digitization, data management, funding, privacy and information security. Although the focus of this posting is U.S. government libraries, its implications are far reaching.