#AcademicRunPlaylist - 9/30/25

Today was a bit hectic, but while taking some time to enjoy the beautiful weather I caught some talks for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

First was a thought-provoking talk by Jason Hartline on scoring rules for a theory of AI at the MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VwPhD_Cnow

Next was a compelling conversation with Stavros Makris on competition law and legal philosophy at the Digital Markets Research Hub https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk6Zr51aIWQ

Next was an engaging panel on risks to GDPR and digital privacy more broadly with Ellen O'Regan, Maria Magierska, Anja Wyrobek, Mariano delli Santi, and Jesper Lund at European Digital Rights https://www.youtube.com/live/EokGEfs7Oys?si=R8lphc9yor7X33KQ&t=9038

Next was a great panel reflecting on the latest US labor news with Seth Harris, Sharon Block, Elizabeth Ford, and Talia Soglin at Power At Work https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDnrormRhXI

Next was "Computers and the Law" by Robert Dunne. This book introduces core US legal concepts that are broadly related to the digital world - contracts, IP, privacy, etc. Included throughout are illustrative cases, with both concurring and dissenting opinions, in addition to insightful analysis from Dunne. As one might expect from a book from 2009, a number of the concepts and case law is out of date. However, I actually found that useful - one could see if the reasoning underlying different decisions played out in practice. Also it's interesting to discover older precedents that may apply to very modern issues - I'm now thinking about cases involving spam and how their reasoning could be applied to web scraping. Highly recommend https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/computers-and-the-law/973B8E7800D5BD5C00F87E91DA45D75E

Last was "Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine" by Noura Erakat. Erakat takes a methodical, relentless, and well-researched approach to dissecting the 100+ years of international law development around Palestine, Israel, and the employment of legal mechanisms to further Palestinian dispossession. Importantly, this book is laser focused on the inherent unfairness of the international and Israeli approach - barring Palestinians from re-entry to Israel while simultaneously expropriating land from absentee owners stands out as particularly egregious. While this book was written before the current conflict, it provides vital background for understanding its context. Highly recommend https://www.sup.org/books/middle-east-studies/justice-some