Intelligence

Growing secrecy limits government accountability

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

By the 1990s, the clipboards were moved out of the lobby, so we asked at the counter to see them.

Key Points: 
  • By the 1990s, the clipboards were moved out of the lobby, so we asked at the counter to see them.
  • For decades, journalists and civic activists have lamented the increasing secrecy of government – the times, they were denied government information, particularly from public records requests.
  • Reports have shown secrecy getting worse at the federal, state and local government levels.

Openness benefits people and society

  • And there are clear benefits: Open records are proven to lead to less sex-offender recidivism, fewer food service complaints, increased trust in government institutions and reduced corruption.
  • Stanford University professor James Hamilton calculated that for every dollar spent by newspapers on public records-based journalism, society realizes benefits worth US$287 in lower taxes and saved lives.

Less transparency year after year

  • Today, you might get it about 12% of the time, and the trend is steadily downward.
  • Every year in mid-March, since 2005, national Sunshine Week has promoted the right of people to acquire public records and attend public meetings.
  • Our research indicates that U.S. government secrecy has never been so prevalent.
  • President Donald Trump’s administration was more secretive than Obama’s, and transparency continues to slide under the Biden administration.

Data tells a piece of the story


According to annual data collected by the U.S. Department of Justice, federal agencies have become more secretive over the past decade:
The prevalence of people getting what they asked for through FOIA requests declined from 38% of the time in 2010 to 17% in 2022.
In 2010, about 13% of the time, federal agencies would reply to FOIA requests by saying they couldn’t find records pertaining to the request. By 2022, the rate of that type of response had increased to 21%, which officials often attributed to outdated record management systems incapable of keeping up with the massive amounts of electronic records, particularly emails.
Backlogs, where requests languish beyond the 20-day legal requirement for completion, have nearly doubled since 2010, from 12% of total requests to 22%. The average number of days it takes to process simple requests, which require little staff time and a smaller volume of records, has doubled since 2014, from 21 days to 41 days, according to Justice Department reports.

  • That includes denying people’s requests about properly withheld intelligence information.
  • But it also includes refusing to release information on topics of great public interest, such as defective consumer products and employment discrimination cases.
  • And some agencies’ public information officers obstruct public access to information.
  • They limit access to the people and documents most important for government transparency and accountability.

Research-based solutions

  • Independent oversight offices with enforcement power, such as in Connecticut, Ohio, Pennsylvania and more than 80 nations, provide private citizens an alternative to litigation.
  • Our preliminary assessment indicates that there is a lot of work left to do, and that Congress and government agencies have ignored many of the recommendations.
  • He is currently director of the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project, a nonpartisan organization at the University of Florida dedicated to research and education in freedom of information since 1977.
  • The Brechner FOI Project coordinates Sunshine Week to educate the public about their right to know.

AI is creating fake legal cases and making its way into real courtrooms, with disastrous results

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

AI has also played a hand in creating music, driverless race cars and spreading misinformation, among other things.

Key Points: 
  • AI has also played a hand in creating music, driverless race cars and spreading misinformation, among other things.
  • It’s therefore highly concerning that fake law, invented by AI, is being used in legal disputes.

How do fake laws come about?


There is little doubt that generative AI is a powerful tool with transformative potential for society, including many aspects of the legal system. But its use comes with responsibilities and risks. Lawyers are trained to carefully apply professional knowledge and experience, and are generally not big risk-takers. However, some unwary lawyers (and self-represented litigants) have been caught out by artificial intelligence.

  • When prompted by a user, they can create new content (both text and audiovisual).
  • Although content generated this way can look very convincing, it can also be inaccurate.
  • This is the result of the AI model attempting to “fill in the gaps” when its training data is inadequate or flawed, and is commonly referred to as “hallucination”.

It’s happening already

  • The lawyers, unaware that ChatGPT can hallucinate, failed to check that the cases actually existed.
  • Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former lawyer, gave his own lawyer cases generated by Google Bard, another generative AI chatbot.
  • He believed they were real (they were not) and that his lawyer would fact check them (he did not).

What’s being done about it?

  • Several US state bars and courts have issued guidance, opinions or orders on generative AI use, ranging from responsible adoption to an outright ban.
  • Law societies in the UK and British Columbia, and the courts of New Zealand, have also developed guidelines.
  • In Australia, the NSW Bar Association has a generative AI guide for barristers.
  • Many lawyers and judges, like the public, will have some understanding of generative AI and can recognise both its limits and benefits.


Vicki McNamara is affiliated with the Law Society of NSW (as a member). Michael Legg does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

What can we expect from six more years of Vladimir Putin? An increasingly weak and dysfunctional Russia

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

The only real question is whether he will receive more than 75% of the vote.

Key Points: 
  • The only real question is whether he will receive more than 75% of the vote.
  • It could be tempting to see these results as a sign of the strength of the Russian system.
  • It is also increasingly dysfunctional, trapped in a cycle of poor quality and weak governance that cannot be solved by one man, no matter how much power he has.

The constitutional dark arts

  • This centralisation is the product of an increasingly common logic that I call the “constitutional dark arts”.
  • This logic generally holds that democracy and rights protection are best guaranteed in a constitutional system that centralises authority in one elected leader.
  • This line of thinking is present in many populist, authoritarian countries, such as Hungary and Turkey.
  • Thirty years later, however, we can see how this use of the “constitutional dark arts” backfired spectacularly.

Poor quality governance in Russia

  • Although this centralised system has allowed Putin to dominate politics, it fosters weak and poor governance, particularly outside Moscow.
  • First, centralised decision-making in Russia is often made using incomplete or false information.
  • It was based on intelligence that the operation would be over quickly and Ukrainians would likely welcome Russian forces.
  • In his February 29 address to parliament, Putin tacitly acknowledged these problems, promising new national projects to improve infrastructure, support families and enhance the quality of life.

An increasingly dysfunctional Russia

  • Externally, this centralisation is likely to produce an increasingly unpredictable Russia, led by a man making decisions on the basis of an increasingly paranoid world view and incorrect or manipulated information.
  • It will likely foster harsher repression of any dissenting voices inside Russia, as well.
  • We are also likely to see an increasingly dysfunctional Russia, one in which roads, housing, schools, health care and other infrastructure will continue to deteriorate, particularly outside of Moscow.


William Partlett does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

The surprising key to magpie intelligence: it’s not genetic

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Are their sharp cognitive abilities innate – something coded into their genetic makeup?

Key Points: 
  • Are their sharp cognitive abilities innate – something coded into their genetic makeup?
  • Or are magpie smarts more a product of their environment and social experiences?
  • In a new study, we shed light on the “nature versus nurture” debate – at least when it comes to avian intelligence.
  • Instead, the key factor influencing how quickly the fledglings learned to pick the correct colour was the size of their social group.

EQS-News: DATAGROUP With Very Strong Order Intake in the First Quarter 2023/2024

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

The first quarter was mainly characterized by a very strong order intake of more than EUR 15m on an annual basis.

Key Points: 
  • The first quarter was mainly characterized by a very strong order intake of more than EUR 15m on an annual basis.
  • As expected, revenues of EUR 121.1m were down slightly compared to the same quarter of the previous year (EUR 126.2m).
  • "We are very pleased with the extremely strong order intake in the first quarter, which proves that our CORBOX core business with Managed IT Services is in excellent shape", comments DATAGROUP CEO Andreas Baresel on the quarterly figures.
  • "The demand for CORBOX IT services and for our consulting services, especially in the SAP environment, is very strong."

EQS-News: q.beyond generates positive free cash flow one year earlier than expected

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

For 2024, q.beyond has budgeted EBITDA growth to € 8 million to € 10 million, with revenues of € 192 million to € 198 million and sustainably positive free cash flow

Key Points: 
  • For 2024, q.beyond has budgeted EBITDA growth to € 8 million to € 10 million, with revenues of € 192 million to € 198 million and sustainably positive free cash flow
    Cologne, 11 March 2024 – The IT service provider q.beyond improved its free cash flow by € 11.4 million to € 1.7 million in 2023.
  • It thus achieved a positive full-year free cash flow one year earlier than planned upon the presentation of the “2025 Strategy” in spring 2023.
  • As expected, in the short term the various measures had the benefit of boosting the financial strength of the debt-free company.
  • This will be accompanied by revenues of between € 192 million and € 198 million and a continued sustainably positive free cash flow.

EQS-News: Exasol announces preliminary figures for the 2023 financial year and outlook for 2024

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

For the 2024 financial year, Exasol expects ARR to increase by up to 10% compared to the previous year*.

Key Points: 
  • For the 2024 financial year, Exasol expects ARR to increase by up to 10% compared to the previous year*.
  • In the second half of 2024, pipeline from market initiatives launched in Q4 2023 will again lead to a positive ARR trend.
  • Exasol will report additional preliminary figures for the 2023 financial year in the conference call scheduled for February 21, 2024.
  • The publication of the complete and audited consolidated financial statements for the 2023 financial year is scheduled for May 7, 2024.

Sora Unleashes Market Storm, Global Mofy Metaverse (GMM.US) Rides High on AI Wave in 2024

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

This impact is reflected in the capital markets, with Sora concept stocks causing a surge in both domestic and international AI markets.

Key Points: 
  • This impact is reflected in the capital markets, with Sora concept stocks causing a surge in both domestic and international AI markets.
  • Besides text-based video generation, Sora also possesses capabilities such as image-based video, video extension, video stitching, video editing, and image generation.
  • Currently, Global Mofy Metaverse is one of the leading digital asset banks, consisting of over 30,000 high-precision 3D digital assets.
  • In recent years, Global Mofy Metaverse has been actively expanding into cross-modal domains such as Sora's image and video generation.

Medical technology back on track

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

The broad healthcare sector and the medical technology sector, buoyed by resurgent investor interest, delivered even better returns.

Key Points: 
  • The broad healthcare sector and the medical technology sector, buoyed by resurgent investor interest, delivered even better returns.
  • “We also anticipate a big boost in growth from the increasing use of artificial intelligence in the medical technology and healthcare services industries,” Stefan Blum adds.
  • These were generally characterized by strong growth momentum in surgical procedures and an optimistic outlook for the 2024 fiscal year,” Marcel Fritsch comments.
  • Elevance, which is focused on employer-sponsored health insurance plans, reported better-than-expected profits thanks to a drop in medical costs and an increase in management’s earnings guidance for 2024.

EQS-News: cyan AG: Orange Spain is implementing cyan’s digital security solutions to offer online safety for its over 17,1 million mobile subscribers

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Munich, March 7, 2024 – cyan AG, a provider of intelligent cybersecurity solutions today announced that Orange Spain, the second largest communication service provider in Spain, has selected cyan digital security to provide cybersecurity solutions for its customers.

Key Points: 
  • Munich, March 7, 2024 – cyan AG, a provider of intelligent cybersecurity solutions today announced that Orange Spain, the second largest communication service provider in Spain, has selected cyan digital security to provide cybersecurity solutions for its customers.
  • The partnership includes a range of network-integrated and device-based products for mobile devices, which have been implemented and are available from now on.
  • Cyan’s network-based cybersecurity solution is deployed for mobile subscribers of Orange Spain, bringing state-of-the-art cyber-threat detection through cyan’s proprietary and patented threat intelligence platform to the Iberic peninsula for the first time.
  • “We are happy to expand our cybersecurity solution within Orange Group and jointly offer online protection to 17,1 million subscribers in Spain.”