<h2>Detrimental Effects</h2>
<p>In a <a href="https://theconversation.com/sex-robots-are-here-but-laws-arent-keeping-up-with-the-ethical-and-privacy-issues-they-raise-109852">new essay</a> for <em>The Conversation</em>, University of Minnesota law professor Francis Shen grapples with the difficult legal and social issues raised by sexbots — including the specter of ones designed to look like children.</p>
<p>&#8220;Childlike sex robots are robots, not humans,&#8221; Shen wrote. &#8220;Like virtual child pornography, the development of a childlike sex robot does not require interaction with any children. Yet it might also be argued that childlike sex robots would have serious detrimental effects that compel state action.&#8221;</p>
<h2>Sexbot Revolution</h2>
<p>There&#8217;s already been federal legislation to outlaw childlike sex robots, Shen pointed out. A House bill called the Curbing Realistic Exploitative Electronics Pedophilic Robots Act — with the clever acronym CREEPER — <a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/vbqjx4/a-new-bill-is-trying-to-make-child-sex-robots-illegal">passed unanimously</a> in 2018.</p>
<p>According to Shen&#8217;s analysis, that&#8217;s just one example of the hazy regulatory environment hovering over the sexbot industry, which seems <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/digisexuals-love-lust-robots">poised to go mainstream</a> before society has hammered the legal and social norms that will surround it.</p>
<h2>Uncanny Valley</h2>
<p>Muddying the waters further, according to Shen, is that some bots are blurring the line between sexbots and regular robots. The developer of the <a href="https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/meet-mark-1-50000-3d-printed-humanoid-robot-that-looks-eerily-like-scarlett-johansson-1552710">&#8220;Mark 1&#8221; bot</a>, for instance, has said that he envisions it providing all types of companionship — sexual and otherwise.</p>
<p>&#8220;Humans, of course, can navigate both sexual and nonsexual contexts adeptly,&#8221; Shen wrote. &#8220;What if a robot can do the same? How do we conceptualize and govern a robot that can switch from &#8216;play with kids&#8217; mode during the day to &#8216;play with adults&#8217; mode at night?&#8221;</p>
<div>
<p><strong>READ MORE:</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/sex-robots-are-here-but-laws-arent-keeping-up-with-the-ethical-and-privacy-issues-they-raise-109852">Sex robots are here, but laws aren’t keeping up with the ethical and privacy issues they raise</a> <time datetime="2019-02-12T11:44:24Z"></time>[<em>The Conversation</em>]</p>
</div>
<div>
<p><strong><em>More on sex robots: </em></strong><a href="https://futurism.com/sex-robots-health">We Have No Idea What Having Sex With Robots Might Do to Us</a></p>
</div>


"Childlike sex robots are robots, not humans."

This researcher is worried about child sex robots

Code Switch

In a new essay, a law professor grappled with the specter of sex robots designed to look like children — and more about the complicated future of sexbots.

This Researcher Is Worried About Child Sex Robots

The rise of sexbots is raising uncomfortable questions.

<h2>Dead Musicians</h2>
<p>Michael Jackson. Amy Winehouse. Tupac. Roy Orbison.</p>
<p>Those are just a few of the dead musicians who have been <a href="https://futurism.com/japanese-hologram-pop-star-conducts-north-america-tour">resurrected on stage</a> in recent years as holograms — and a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-29/hologram-technology-letting-dead-musicians-tour-again/10600996">new feature</a> by the <em>Australian Broadcasting Corporation </em>explores not just the critical reception and technological frontiers of the new industry, but the legal minefield it raises to dust off the visage of a famous person and bring them out on the road.</p>
<h2>Back to Life</h2>
<p>According to University of Sydney digital human researcher Mike Seymour, today&#8217;s musical holograms have only started to tap the medium&#8217;s potential. In the future, he predicted to the <em>ABC</em>, machine learning will let these long-dead holograms interact with the crowd and improvise.</p>
<p>Additionally, according to the report, the law is still grappling with how to handle <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/27/movies/how-rogue-one-brought-back-grand-moff-tarkin.html">life-after-death performances</a>. In the U.S., a legal concept called a &#8220;right to publicity&#8221; gives a person, or their estate, the right to profit from their likeness. But whether right to publicity applies after death, and for how long, differs between states.</p>
<h2>Atrocity</h2>
<p>Of course, no legal or technical measures will win over fans of an act who find it disrespectful to raise a performer from death and trot them out on tour.</p>
<p>&#8220;If you are appalled by [the idea], because you think it&#8217;s an atrocity to the original act, you are going to hate it,&#8221; Seymour told the broadcaster. &#8220;And if you are a fan that just loves seeing that song being performed again, you are going to think it&#8217;s the best thing ever.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>READ MORE: </strong><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-29/hologram-technology-letting-dead-musicians-tour-again/10600996">Dead musicians are touring again, as holograms. It&#8217;s tricky — technologically and legally</a> [<i>Australian Broadcasting Corporation</i>]</p>
<p><em><strong>More on hologram performances: </strong></em><a href="https://futurism.com/japanese-hologram-pop-star-conducts-north-america-tour">Wildly Famous Japanese Pop Star Sells Thousands of Tickets in NYC. Also, She’s A Hologram</a></p>


"If you are appalled by [the idea], because you think it's an atrocity to the original act, you are going to hate it."

Holograms are resurrecting dead musicians, raising legal questions

Future Society

Holograms are bringing dead musicians back from the grave to tour again, and the practice raises thorny legal and ethical questions.

Holograms Are Resurrecting Dead Musicians, Raising Legal Questions

Is it right to use technology to bring a dead person back on stage?

<p>If a monkey takes a selfie, who owns the photo?</p>
<p>That question has been buzzing around for literally years now, ever since 2015, when People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sued a photographer for the rights to a &#8220;monkey selfie&#8221; that went viral in 2011. At long last, we have an answer: this week, a<a href="http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2018/04/23/16-15469.pdf"> U.S. court decided </a>that, no, monkeys can&#8217;t own copyright because U.S. <a href="https://www.copyright.gov/title17/title17.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">copyright law</a> only applies to humans.</p>
<p>That ruling has implications beyond how nice a house that photogenic macaque can afford. It could set a precedent for what kind of entities legally qualify as &#8220;creators,&#8221; especially as artificial intelligence evolves to create more.</p>
<p><iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SJCHrzlKrMg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>A quick recap of the details: David Slater is the photographer at the center of this controversy, and the face that launched a million lawsuits (OK, maybe just one) belongs to an Indonesia crested macaque called Naruto.</p>
<p>In September 2015, PETA <a href="https://www.mediapeta.com/peta/PDF/Complaint.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed Naruto vs. Slater</a>, claiming it was representing the monkey under &#8220;<a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/next_friend" target="_blank" rel="noopener">next friend</a>&#8221; status. In the lawsuit, the organization asked for control of all proceeds related to the monkey selfie, noting that it would spend the money to benefit Naruto and other macaques.</p>
<p>In September 2017, things seemed to finally come to an amicable end: Slater and PETA <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2017/09/12/monkey-selfie-lawsuit-finally-settled-after-two-years-and-a-banana-boat-full-of-puns/?utm_term=.735566c542d1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">settled the lawsuit</a> out of court. Slater could own the copyright, on the condition that he would donate 25 percent of proceeds from the monkey selfie to Indonesian organizations that protected crested macaques.</p>
<p>Both parties requested that the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismiss the case, but it refused. This week, it issued its pretty scathing 41-page ruling on the case. The short version: Naruto&#8217;s not a human, so the law doesn&#8217;t apply to him. P.S. <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/24/17271410/monkey-selfie-naruto-slater-copyright-peta" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PETA&#8217;s the worst</a>.</p>
<p>While PETA might think twice before bringing another suit like this again (the court ruled it must pay all of Slater&#8217;s legal fees), it may not be the last time U.S. courts have to rule on the copyright ownership of works <a href="https://thenextweb.com/photography/2017/07/13/monkeys-selfie-determine-future-ai-copyright/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">created by non-humans</a>.</p>
<p><iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DHyUYg8X31c?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>AI can already <a href="https://futurism.com/ai-now-produce-better-art-humans-heres-how/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">create paintings</a>, <a href="https://futurism.com/a-new-ai-is-writing-perverse-horror-fiction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">write fiction</a>, and <a href="https://futurism.com/a-new-ai-can-write-music-as-well-as-a-human-composer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">compose music</a>. They are, arguably, creators in their own right. Currently, the copyrights to these works belong to the engineers that created those AI. But that very well might change if AI continues to evolve.</p>
<p>&#8220;In my view, a self-aware, autonomous AI would be the prerequisite for its works to be protectable by copyright,&#8221; copyright expert Dave Davis <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/09/how-ai-and-copyright-would-work/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote in <em>TechCrunch</em></a>.</p>
<p>According to various <a href="https://futurism.com/separating-science-fact-science-hype-how-far-off-singularity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AI experts</a>, we may meet that prerequisite within the next two or three decades. Some nations are already diving into the murky territory of <a href="https://futurism.com/should-we-give-ais-the-same-rights-as-humans/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">giving AI legal rights</a> that land somewhere between those of humans and animals.</p>
<p>Copyright laws could join the list of those in need of an AI-era revamp, and in the not-so-distant future, courts may face a somewhat altered version of the question asked by Naruto vs. Slater:</p>
<p>If an AI takes a selfie, who owns the photo?</p>


But we may soon be asking of an AI could.

Sorry, PETA: court says monkeys can't own a copyright

A court dismissed PETA's monkey selfie lawsuit this week, noting that non-humans can't hold copyrights. But what does this mean for AIs in the future?

Sorry, PETA. Court Rules Monkeys Can't Own A Copyright

That monkey selfie: a very dumb thing that actually kind of matters.

Sorry, PETA: Court Says Monkeys Can’t Own A Copyright

<p>Today, Google was legally required to hide someone from an online search. A British judge ordered the company to remove search results that referenced a man’s criminal conviction from ten years ago.</p>
<p>The legal basis for this ruling? The Right to be Forgotten, which allows people to request that outdated and irrelevant information about them be taken down. It&#8217;s explicitly <a href="https://www.eugdpr.org/the-regulation.html">laid out</a> in the EU General Data Protection Regulation, a new set of laws designed to give European citizens more data privacy, which will be enforced in May (the United Kingdom <a href="https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr">will comply</a>, despite Brexit). Google and the unnamed man first faced off in court for this suit <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2018/02/27/do-people-have-the-right-to-be-forgotten-online.html">in March</a> after the company refused to take down the search results in hopes of being able to move on with his life.</p>
<p>Google initially argued that the Right to be Forgotten is not a way to “rewrite history.” But now it will comply with the court’s decision, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/apr/13/google-loses-right-to-be-forgotten-case">a report in <em>The Guardian</em></a>. The search engine will no longer include links to news articles and other accounts of the man’s conviction of conspiracy to intercept communications. The articles and pages will not be deleted, but a Google search will not include them.</p>
<p>This decision could be used as a legal precedent to give people more rights over the monolith of online data that looms over us all. But it also may come as a relief to those who are also displeased with what Google tells the world about them.</p>
<p>But so far, it seems that the impact will be isolated. There was another plaintiff who also had a criminal record and brought Google to court after a request to remove his search results was denied. He, however, lost his legal battle because the court determined the circumstances of his case were more important for the public to know about, so his Google trail will remain searchable and un-scrubbed.</p>
<p>This distinction will likely be a critical element of future legal decisions because it introduces some <em>subjectivity. </em>There&#8217;s specific language to allow for this in the Right to be Forgotten. In order for information about a person to be removed from a search engine like Google, courts have to weigh that person’s interests against the relevance of that information to the public.</p>
<p>While today’s decision could help people take control over the data that follows them around online, it’s still unclear how this will all pan out. The only reason that the courts got involved in the first place is because Google initially refused to remove references to the two criminal records <span class="s1">— clearly, </span>the tech giant is still interested in acting as the arbiter of all online information.</p>
<p>If you’re trying to get on with your life and leave your digital past behind, no matter if it&#8217;s a mistake you made decades ago or just the embarrassing pictures from your middle school Myspace account, the mixed results from this court ruling show that it very likely won&#8217;t be a straightforward process.</p>


A decision that bolsters the complex Right to be Forgotten.

Google ordered to remove search results under "Right to be Forgotten"

Google was ordered to remove search results for a man's criminal record when a judge ruled they were no longer relevant to the public.

Google Ordered to Remove Search Results Under "Right to be Forgotten"

Google initially refused to remove references to the two criminal records — clearly, the tech giant is still interested in acting as the arbiter of all online information.

Court Orders Google to Remove Results for Man’s Criminal Record Under “Right to be Forgotten”

<h2><b></b>What is Blockchain?</h2>
<p><span class="wp-glossary wpg-tooltip" data-termid="53173" data-content="full" data-qtipstyle="dark">Blockchain</span> is a decentralised network in which each &#8216;block&#8217; represents a piece of information as computer code. When a transaction takes place, it is recorded on a completely transparent public ledger (database) and chained to every previous transaction that the piece of data is involved in using a digital signature.</p>
<p><a href="https://futurism.com/experts-are-gathering-to-discuss-how-blockchain-will-transform-our-future/">The system cuts out middlemen and bureaucracy</a>, providing a trust-based system of exchange. Rachel O’Dwyer, of Trinity College Dublin, <a href="https://www.academia.edu/11627298/The_Revolution_Will_not_be_Decentralised_Blockchain-based_Technologies_and_the_Commons">says in an essay</a>, &#8220;the blockchain is presented as an algorithmic tool to foster trust in the absence of things like social capital, physical colocation, or trusted third-party management.&#8221;</p>
<p>The most famous use of the system is to support the <span class="wp-glossary wpg-tooltip" data-termid="73321" data-content="full" data-qtipstyle="dark">cryptocurrency</span> <span class="wp-glossary wpg-tooltip" data-termid="53170" data-content="full" data-qtipstyle="dark">Bitcoin</span>, which has become notorious for its use on the darkweb, but which has the potential to act as a currency to buy anything. <a href="http://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/c.mulligan">Dr. Catherine Mulligan</a>, a Fellow and an Expert of the World Economic Forum for Blockchain Technologies, says in the video below that it could have a “Foundational impact on the way our society runs, the way our government runs, the way that we interact with one another — not just in economic transactions, but on a day-to-day basis.”</p>
<p>Its use is on an ever upward trajectory: top banks have <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-banks-blockchain-idUSKBN0TZ1MF20151216">started using blockchains</a>, the U.S government <a href="http://www.coindesk.com/us-government-awards-2-25-million-blockchain-research-projects/">has awarded $2.25 billion</a> to research projects, and bitcoin is <a href="http://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-100-doubling-price-2017/">becoming increasingly valuable</a>.</p>
<p><iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4sm5LNqL5j0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<h2>What are the Legal Issues?</h2>
<p>Like any innovative and potentially all-pervasive system (people have commonly compared it to the internet), there are some <a href="https://thenextweb.com/worldofbanking/2017/05/15/7-interesting-laws-blockchain-apps-will-force-to-change/#.tnw_8LBHIgJ1">legal issues</a> that need to be traversed.</p>
<p>Because it is decentralized, it facilitates illegal transactions. Money laundering and acquiring digital assets are hard, because in digital banking an individual has to go through a middleman and there are meetings, intimacy, or exchange between parties who know each other<i>.</i> Because blockchain exchange is conducted under pseudonyms, the parties do not know each other, but more importantly can claim that they do not. As most countries operate on a principle of Know Your Customer, in a financial system in which the customer is not validated or ratified, illegal activity becomes easier.</p>
<p>Smart contracts may be long-term detrimental. Smart contracts use the blockchain to decrease transactional friction (the economic inefficiency caused by processing a transaction) and provide a way for individuals to exchange without the middleman. However, the contracts are often too simple to cater for fiscal or legal complexities, meaning that if a problem arises they may be insufficient to help resolve it.</p>
<p>Linked to the above point is that the legal system will take time to adapt to evidence derived from blockchain. Even if contracts are complex enough, the legislative system and lawyers need time to understand and handle the evidence and how it can be used. However, blockchain is already fairly widespread in its use, meaning that over the next few years we could see incorrect legal decisions because of misinformation.</p>
<h2>What are the Benefits?</h2>
<p>Blockchain has the potential to decrease bureaucracy, democratize data, decrease risk, decentralize banking, and make asset management far easier.</p>
<p>Specific uses for it include showing where your <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/digital-transformation-in-government-and-blockchain-technology">tax money is being spent</a>, ensuring food and raw materials <a href="https://www.greenbiz.com/article/blockchains-emerging-role-sustainability">are ethically sourced</a>, giving citizens in developing countries <a href="https://bravenewcoin.com/news/factom-tackles-land-title-disputes-with-bitcoins-blockchain/">the capability to challenge</a> unfair land seizure. Imogen Heap is proposing using it to save the music industry and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/06/imogen-heap-saviour-of-music-industry">ensure artists receive a fair deal</a> to counter the mercenary approach of Spotify; the World Food Program <a href="https://futurism.com/blockchain-is-helping-us-feed-the-worlds-hungriest-families/">is using it to</a> feed the world&#8217;s poorest families.</p>
<p>Its rise or fall depends entirely on how it is legislated, and this is the tension at the heart of it. This is a system that is being used by both the world&#8217;s biggest banks and to buy drugs online, that is precisely designed to be decentralized and uncontrolled, so how can we ensure it is used for good and not abused? That it is accruing value perhaps shows the beginning of financial trust, which could develop into total trust in a more transparent and democratized world.</p>


Blockchain technology has the potential to change the world as much as the internet, but it faces legal challenges.

Blockchain Faces Legal Questions Before Widespread Use

Like the internet before it, this tech's impact will be far-reaching.

<h2>Crime Scene Investigation</h2>
<p>Researchers from Staffordshire University are looking into a revolutionary way to provide jurors with more insight as they study crimes—through <a href="https://futurism.com/?s=VR">virtual reality</a> (VR).</p>
<p>The first of its kind in Europe, this project will use traditional VR gaming headsets with green screen technology to recreate crime scenes and “transport” jurors to where it all happened.</p>
<p>&#8220;What we want to do is to come up with the best solution that helps the criminal justice system &#8211; help the police in their detection and recording of crime and then to help jurors in court to understand those crimes better that they ever did before,” <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-36363172">says Dr. Caroline Sturdy Colls</a>, Associate Professor of Forensics.</p>
<figure style="width: 603px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/05/VR-crime-scene-Dr-Caroline-Colls.jpg" alt="Image Credit: BBC" width="603" height="339" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text"><em>Image Credit: BBC</em></figcaption></figure>
<h2>Investigative Process</h2>
<p>While the technology could certainly change the legal process, the logistics for collecting crime scene data and information will have to change significantly. Currently, to recreate the space and scene as accurately as possible, the university has been using lasers and drones.</p>
<p>However, he idea of having jurors be completely immersed in a crime scene through VR means possible compromised crime scenes. If the data collection for its digital reconstruction isn&#8217;t conducted properly, it could affect the jury&#8217;s decision.</p>
<p>Already, critics are noting that VR technology in courtrooms is no more effective than playing videos for jurors. However, those who support this research believe that if used properly, this technology could cut down on unnecessary hearings and even lower litigation costs.</p>


Virtuality

Virtual Reality (VR) doesn't have to be exclusively for gaming. Researchers are now looking into using VR with green screen technology to recreate and "transport" jurors to crime scenes.

Virtual Reality Could Be Used to “Transport” Jurors to a Crime Scene

New technology in the courtroom? Virtual Reality could be the key to giving jurors better insight into cases. 

<h5>National Drone Registry</h5>
<p>The US Department of Transportation (DoT) is reportedly set to require drone owners to legally register devices &#8211; and it might take effect as early as December, just in time for Christmas. This move by the DoT indicates that they believe drones pose as a real danger to aircrafts, security, and privacy. The program is still in its early stages, and no specific details have been released regarding the types of drones that are required to be registered, and how the program will deal with existing unregistered drones. Many believe that the program must be implemented retroactively in order to prevent the creation of a black market for previously unregistered drones.</p>


Artificial Intelligence

With dangerous drone-related incidents on the rise, the US has decided to require all drone owners to register their devices - but it has yet to address numerous concerns before the initiative launches

/Legal

Code Switch

This Researcher Is Worried About Child Sex Robots

Future Society

Holograms Are Resurrecting Dead Musicians, Raising Legal Questions

Future Society

Sorry, PETA: Court Says Monkeys Can’t Own A Copyright

Future Society

Court Orders Google to Remove Results for Man’s Criminal Record Under “Right to be Forgotten”

Future Society

Blockchain Faces Legal Questions Before Widespread Use

Virtuality

Virtual Reality Could Be Used to “Transport” Jurors to a Crime Scene

Artificial Intelligence

The US will begin requiring drone registration as early as Christmas

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