Regulating Access to Adult Content (with Privacy Preservation)

In the physical world we have well-established mechanisms for keeping children out of adult-only areas. In the virtual world this is generally replaced by self declaration. Some service providers resort to using heavy-weight identification mechanisms, judging adulthood as a side effect thereof. Collection of identification data arguably constitutes an unwarranted privacy invasion in this context, if carried out merely to perform adulthood estimation. This paper presents a mechanism that exploits the adult's more extensive exposure to public media, relying on the likelihood that they will be able to recall details if cued by a carefully chosen picture. We conducted an online study to gauge the viability of this scheme. With our prototype we were able to predict that the user was a child 99% of the time. Unfortunately the scheme also misclassified too many adults. We discuss our results and suggest directions for future research

Regulating internet access in UK public libraries: legal compliance and ethical dilemmas

Purpose – This paper aims to consider selected results from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded “Managing Access to the internet in Public Libraries” (MAIPLE) project, from 2012-2014. MAIPLE has explored the ways in which public library services manage use of the internet connections that they provide for the public. This included the how public library services balance their legal obligations and the needs of their communities in a public space and the ethical dilemmas that arise. Design/methodology/approach - The researchers used a mixed-method approach involving a review of the literature, legal analysis, a questionnaire survey and case studies in five public library authorities. Findings - UK public library services use a range of methods to regulate internet access. The research also confirms previous findings that filtering software is an ubiquitous tool for controlling access to and protecting library users from “inappropriate”, illegal and harmful internet content. There is a general, if sometimes reluctant, acceptance of filtering software as a practical tool by library staff, which seems to contrast with professional codes of ethics and attitudes in other countries. The research indicates that public library internet access will be a valued service for some time to come, but that some aspects of how public library services regulate internet access is currently managed can have socially undesirable consequences, including blocking legitimate sites and preventing users from accessing government services. Education could play a greater part in helping the general population to exercise judgement in selection of materials to view and use. This does not preclude implementing stricter controls to protect children, whilst allowing public libraries to continue providing a social good to those who are unable to otherwise participate in the digital age. Research limitations/implications – The response to the survey was 39 per cent meaning that findings may not apply across the whole of the UK. The findings of this study are compared with and supplemented by other quantitative sources, but a strength of this study is the depth of understanding afforded by the use of case studies. Originality/value - This paper provides both a quantitative and qualitative analysis of how internet access is managed in UK public libraries, including how library services fulfil their legal obligations and the ethical implications of how they balance their role in facilitating access to information with their perceived role as a safe and trusted environment for all members of their communities. The findings add to the international discussion on this issue and stimulate debate and policy making in the UK

Regulating speech on the internet

This paper considers the way in which traditional legal tools for regulating speech have been applied in the Internet environment. The paper commences by describing the aspects of this environment which are regarded as attracting regulatory interest. It then moves on to consider the way in which the regimes of defamation law, censorship law and intellectual property law impact on the Internet. Through this examination the paper raises the question of the appropriateness of the current approach of regulation by analogy

Funding Era Free Speech Theory: Applying Traditional Speech Protection to the Regulation of Anonymous Cyberspace

Abstract Background Blunt trauma is the most frequent mechanism of injury in multiple trauma, commonly resulting from road traffic collisions or falls. Two of the most frequent injuries in patients with multiple trauma are chest trauma and extremity fracture. Several trauma mouse models combine chest trauma and head injury, but no trauma mouse model to date includes the combination of long bone fractures and chest trauma. Outcome is essentially determined by the combination of these injuries. In this study, we attempted to establish a reproducible novel multiple trauma model in mice that combines blunt trauma, major injuries and simple practicability. Methods Ninety-six male C57BL/6 N mice (n = 8/group) were subjected to trauma for isolated femur fracture and a combination of femur fracture and chest injury. Serum samples of mice were obtained by heart puncture at defined time points of 0 h (hour), 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, 3 d (days), and 7 d. Results A tendency toward reduced weight and temperature was observed at 24 h after chest trauma and femur fracture. Blood analyses revealed a decrease in hemoglobin during the first 24 h after trauma. Some animals were killed by heart puncture immediately after chest contusion; these animals showed the most severe lung contusion and hemorrhage. The extent of structural lung injury varied in different mice but was evident in all animals. Representative H&E-stained (Haematoxylin and Eosin-stained) paraffin lung sections of mice with multiple trauma revealed hemorrhage and an inflammatory immune response. Plasma samples of mice with chest trauma and femur fracture showed an up-regulation of IL-1β (Interleukin-1β), IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p70 and TNF-α (Tumor necrosis factor- α) compared with the control group. Mice with femur fracture and chest trauma showed a significant up-regulation of IL-6 compared to group with isolated femur fracture. Conclusions The multiple trauma mouse model comprising chest trauma and femur fracture enables many analogies to clinical cases of multiple trauma in humans and demonstrates associated characteristic clinical and pathophysiological changes. This model is easy to perform, is economical and can be used for further research examining specific immunological questions

Implementation of the patient's right to obtain information in the concept “health and human rights”

The article explores the features of legal regulation of patient’s right to access information in the medical activity field. The reasons for violation of saving of  information  about patient’s health are the lack of knowledge of  law and no understanding the harm that caused if patient’s confidentiality is violated. The analysis of medical confidentiality content, lawful disclosure cases, the conditions and procedure for its legal support. Subjects who received information constituting a medical secret don`t have  right to disclose it, legal liability is provided for such norms violation. The medical confidentiality concept and the group of subjects of such legal relations is established. The purpose of the article is to determine the peculiarities of realization of patients’ right to access information in the medical activity field and its protection ways when studying the “health and human rights” concept. Comparative legal and comparative methods were used when studying legislative acts governing the preservation by persons who received information constituting medical secrecy  and legal cases of their disclosure. The formal logical method was used to differentiate “medical secret” and “professional secret”. Modeling, analysis and synthesis methods helped to identify the legal basis for protecting the patient`s rights when receiving information about their health, legal responsibility types for its disclosure. The results of this work  have determined the legislation of legal problems  that arise when patients’ rights to receive reliable information about their health aren`t respected and require immediate resolution