| UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
JAMES E. ROGERS COLLEGE OF LAW |
FEBRUARY 28, 2024 | | |
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Greetings,
This week, we feature an innovative article by Professors Albertina Antognini and Andrew Keane Woods exploring the issues at the intersection of tech, identity, democracy and more when social media users engage in casual deception like photo filters.
In addition, a recent New York Times opinion piece by Regents Professor Robert Williams looks at how conservation efforts sometimes conflict with Indigenous rights and why he believes there is a better way to promote both.
These pieces and all of the articles, books and commentary are steady demonstration that our faculty are truly at the top of their fields. Every day, our students benefit from this unique combination of intellectual and practical expertise.
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Until the footnotes,
Marc
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Article on “Shallow Fakes” Explores Societal Costs of Casual Online Deception | |
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You’ve probably heard of deepfakes, highly convincing but false AI-generated images often used to spread misinformation, but what about shallow fakes?
A new multidisciplinary article co-written by James E. Rogers Professor of Law Albertina Antognini and Milton O. Riepe Professor of Law & Distinguished Legal Scholar Andrew Keane Woods for Penn State Law Review explores the risks of the seemingly innocuous ways in which social media encourages casual deception. The article, titled “Shallow Fakes,” combines Albertina’s expertise in family law and critical legal frameworks with Andrew’s expertise in the law of technology.
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In the article, Albertina and Andrew define “shallow fakes” as “superficial, commonplace deceptions about one’s self-presentation online.” This includes everything from Instagram photo filters to taking a selfie in a sandbox to mislead viewers into believing you are at the beach.
According to Albertina, the harm of casual deception isn’t often taken seriously. “It’s related to beauty and so it’s seen as shallow and not worthy of serious study,” she says. “Also, many of the issues we describe affect women, people of color; they’re not big, ‘masculine’ national security questions.”
But Andrew and Albertina believe shallow fakes warrant serious attention. The article is a convergence of issues including mental health, gender, race, and the nature of democracy and calls for further transparency by social media companies.
For the full story, see here.
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Kicking Native People Off Their Land Is a Horrible Way to Save the Planet, Says Prof. Williams in New York Times Opinion Piece | |
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Regents Professor, E. Thomas Sullivan Professor of Law and Faculty Co-Chair, Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program Robert A. Williams, Jr. recently authored an opinion piece published in the New York Times. The article, “Kicking Native People Off Their Land Is a Horrible Way to Save the Planet,” discusses the conflict between environmental conservation efforts and the rights of Indigenous peoples, using examples from Tanzania, India and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He highlights how conservation efforts often lead to the eviction and mistreatment of Indigenous peoples from their ancestral lands, despite the fact that these communities have historically protected biodiversity. Rob advocates for Indigenous-led conservation practices, citing successful examples from around the world, and calls for international support to recognize and protect the rights of Indigenous peoples within conservation initiatives.
Drawing upon his extensive experience in Indigenous law and policy, Rob’s powerful essay criticizes policies that favor the creation of protected areas at the expense of Indigenous populations, pointing out the irony and injustice of preserving nature by removing its original stewards. His arguments underscore the importance of involving Indigenous communities in environmental conservation efforts, highlighting their historical and ongoing contributions to sustainable stewardship of the land.
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Register by February 29 for Law Grad Interview Program
Does your law office need entry-level Arizona Law talent? Consider hiring a LawCat!
Registration closes tomorrow, February 29 for employers interested in interviewing current 3Ls, LLMs and alumni for post-graduate positions.
Interviews will take place the week of March 25. Virtual-only interviews will be Wednesday, March 27, while in-person interviews will be scheduled Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Each pre-selected candidate will be scheduled for a 40-minute interview.
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Calling All 50+ Year Alumni: Celebrating LawCat Legends at Law Alumni Weekend | |
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The first-ever Law Alumni Weekend coming up on April 5-6, 2024 will feature many opportunities to connect with classmates and friends. Learn more about all of the events at our Law Alumni Weekend page.
We are excited to announce the LawCat Legend Society. All alumni who have graduated at least 50 years ago become members and will be invited to this special gathering each year. This year we will celebrate the classes of 1973 and 1974 at the event, a breakfast on Friday, April 5 at Hacienda Del Sol.
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See You in Las Vegas?
Men’s Pac12 Basketball Tournament, March 13-16, 2024
Arizona Law will be in Las Vegas cheering on the Wildcats at the final Pac12 Tournament. Will you be there? Let us know and we’ll be sure to invite you to a special event we’re planning.
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Do You Have News?
Your success is the college’s success and we want to celebrate with you! If you have landed a new job, received an award or recognition, stepped into a leadership role or have good news in general, let us know.
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Last week, the Sixth Annual Rehnquist Center National Conference of Constitutional Law Scholars brought the heat with excellent paper after excellent paper, and the highest attendance yet.
As we turn to March, we welcome a shift towards warmer weather, hot ideas in faculty scholarship and commentary and the final part of what has been a dramatic season for both men’s and women’s basketball.
In our hallways, the construction of A New Day In Court continues full speed ahead – with great care by the wonderful team doing the renovation to be safe, and minimize disruption to students and the learning that takes place every day.
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