This year, at the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12), the International Telecommunications Regulations (ITR)s will be renegotiated. The ITRs are set of regulations set by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a United Nations entity tasked with overseeing, well, international telecommunications standards. It has been widely rumored for some time now that the upcoming WCIT-12 will see a vote to amend the ITRs to expand their scope so as to more clearly include matters of Internet governance. An amendment of this nature would potentially create a new venue for international Internet law — one that operates very differently from existing . . . [more]

There was a time when the career path of a lawyer was straighter than an arrow.

You went to law school, articled with a firm that hired you as an associate. You worked hard, made partner, at some point took part in management, then retired.

Or perhaps you shifted your practice to one other firm, but essentially the road in front of you was well-worn and clear.

Yes, I’m talking about life before 1990.

Now the road is strewn with rocks and pebbles, and juts around landslides.

The career path of lawyers is less linear.

As a result, an interesting . . . [more]

According to a recent study conducted by the Quebec Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse (Quebec's Human Rights Commission), equally skilled and qualified candidates are 60 percent more likely to be invited to a job interview when their family name is of "Québécois origin" (as stated in the study) than if it sounds like a name of African, Arab or Latin-American origin.

It was just about 50 years ago that Arthur C. Clarke wrote Profiles of the future: an inquiry into the limits of the possible (New York: Harper & Row, 1962) [Amicus No. 10912514]. On page 19, he wrote:

Suppose you went to any scientist up to the late nineteenth century and told him: "Here are two pieces of a substance called uranium 235. If you hold them apart, nothing will happen. But if you bring them together suddenly, you will liberate as much energy as you could obtain from burning ten thousand tons of coal." No matter how

. . . [more]

Further to the post earlier today about passwords at LinkedIn being hacked, LinkedIn has issued the following update:

Our security team continues to investigate this morning’s reports of stolen passwords. At this time, we’re still unable to confirm that any security breach has occurred. You can stay informed of our progress by following us on Twitter @LinkedIn and @LinkedInNews.

While our investigation continues, we thought it would be a good idea to remind our members that one of the best ways to protect your privacy and security online is to craft a strong password, to change it frequently (at . . . [more]

I’m cheered to share a happy note about Library and Archives Canada. Over the past few weeks I’ve enjoyed browsing posts on a pilot service from LAC: thediscoverblog.com, the Library and Archives Canada Blog. Subject areas vary, as they should, though a few recent posts stand out to me in opening up the world of Canadian government and legal information and research.

• Looking for the Debates of the House of Commons (Hansard) online? breaks down and explains what’s accessible online, what is not, and how to access Hansard.
• Finding Aid 300 tells us about a guide to early census

. . . [more]

A post on the TheNextWeb site indicates that a Norweigan IT webite, Dagens IT, reported the breach. That site indicates that 6.5 million encrypted LinkedIn passwords have been posted to a Russian hacker site.
LinkedIn has responded that they are looking into the breach.
To be safe, LinkedIn users should change their passwords immediately.
For more passwords tips, see this article from Law Practice Magazine: Don’t Be Passé With Passwords: Best Practices for Staying Safe.

[Updated 3:30 pm Eastern]

Not a lot of info from LinkedIn on this so far today. Two earlier tweets indicating they are investigating . . . [more]

This has been a busy week for privacy news.

Anne Cavoukian, the Ontario Privacy Commissioner, released her annual report entitled “2011 Access & Privacy – Ever Vigilant”. Topics discussed in the report include privacy by design, biometrics, mobile devices, lawful access legislation, and open data. From the report:

The theme of my 2011 Annual Report — Ever Vigilant — was chosen in large part because this year Ontarians faced what I consider to be one of the most invasive threats to our privacy and freedom that I have encountered in 25 years of safeguarding citizens’ rights and championing openness and . . . [more]

The bio or “About” page is one of the most viewed pages on a lawyer’s website. On social media, the bio or profile helps new connections or potential followers make decisions about whether or not to interact with you. Your “elevator speech” is your spoken bio and it can make or break a new relationship with a potential client or referral source. But despite its importance, the bio is an often overlooked marketing tool, and many lawyers give it short shrift.

Elements of a Good Biography

Your website bio, online profile and your spoken introduction (“elevator pitch”) are just different . . . [more]

Raise your hand if you have ever used the interlibrary loan service of a public or educational institution library. Are you sure? This service is fairly transparent and may have included interlibrary borrowing between far flung branches of a regional library system. My little library in the town of Onoway, Alberta – population hovering around 1000 people, offers a library catalogue of nearly 3 milion items. Plenty of these items are shipped using the Library Book Rate, a Canada Post services that has provided a reduced rate for mailing library books since 1939.

In 2008, a Strategic Review of Canada . . . [more]

Big doings in the sky today — so big, in fact, that no one alive now will ever see their like again. Which is perhaps some small justification for intruding this information into a site on law. You’ll likely have read about it in your newspaper. But I thought you might like a reference to some websites that go into the phenomenon in greater detail and that offer a chance to see the event online, in case your sky is clouded over at the crucial time.

Go to TransitofVenus.org, where you’ll find pretty much everything you need to . . . [more]

At the outset of a file I ask my clients for all of the documents they have that are relevant to the lawsuit. Usually they respond by asking me exactly what I want. At this point I explain to them that they are obligated under the Rules of Civil Procedure to disclose any document that they may have (or formerly had) in their power, possession or control that is relevant to the lawsuit. “Whether it helps you, or hurts you, if it is relevant we need to disclose it.” is something I have said on many occasions and it’s true… . . . [more]