AI: It’s All About the Context

Without the right context, decisions made with AI support can create ethical and legal dilemmas for many enterprises.

As the new year gets rolling and I see increasing numbers of ads on tv and/or online for AI “solutions” (I HATE that word in this context), I remain concerned (to the point of neurotic) about the serious downside of reliance on AI. Is AI a powerful tool? Absolutely. But its judicious use is critical if it’s going to bring sound and useful results to the enterprise. If answers to tough questions were always in black and white, answers would be much easier to find and implement. The challenge is that business, government, and life are much, much messier. Can AI help sort through the glop? Absolutely, but reliance on its outcomes must be made with careful consideration and great care.

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The California Consumer Privacy Act Comes of Age

With new Californian privacy laws taking effect in the new year, enterprises are rethinking their strategy and preparing for similar state or federal regulations.

I’ve written about privacy regulation before. But on January 1, 2020, when the California Consumer Privacy Act takes effect, the importance of managing privacy for California residents and entities will take on a whole new level of seriousness.

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Data Privacy and 911

A Few in the Big Apple Spoil the Whole Bunch. Listen to this Avaya podcast featuring Martha Buyer.

9-1-1 services in New York City took a hit this week as several members were accused of selling caller information to fake caller center that essential preyed on the most vulnerable of the callers.Targeted were individuals whose addresses reflected their locations in less affluent New York communities, and who likely were not sufficiently sophisticated to realize the scam going on. The calls went through, and first responders were dispatched. What went wrong occurred after the emergency ended and follow up began.
Fletch sits down with APN legal correspondent Martha Buyer To hear about the story, and exactly what happened.

Mozilla Case Could Have Ramifications for VoIP Pre-emption

This is a guest article written by Adam Bender in which he quotes Martha Buyer
A fight over states seeking to regulate interconnected VoIP could return to the Supreme Court if it reviews the 2017 FCC net neutrality repeal, some experts told us. The court last month denied certiori to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, which appealed an 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' decision that VoIP is an information service exempt from state regulation (see 1910210059). Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch’s concurrence said their court should address in an “appropriate” case an underlying question about if federal nonregulation can pre-empt state regulation. That's seen opening a new path of attack for states.

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VoIP Legality: What Does Federal Inaction Mean?

Following the Supreme Court's decision not to hear a VoIP regulation case, states now have the potential to enact their own laws related to VoIP taxes, surcharges, and fees.
The Supreme Court decision, released on Monday, Oct. 21, not to hear an appeal of a case about whether Charter Advanced Services’ VoIP offering can be regulated by the Minnesota public utilities commission (PUC) has major implications for the communications market.

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