February 2020 SM Online
HATE CRIME
FBI research found that violent hate crimes against people in the United States rose in 2018.
IMMIGRATION
The population of unauthorized immigrants in Europe has leveled off after a 2016 surge, Pew Research Center analysis found.
GLOBAL RISK AREAS
Risk management firm Marsh released a geopolitical risk report that forecasts various risk areas around the world.
INVESTMENT
China is dedicated to shifting its economy away from resource extraction towards higher technology and productivity. But that could pose security concerns for other nations, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
TRADE SECRETS
To address China’s increased intellectual property theft, the U.S. Department of Justice created the China Initiative—identifying priority trade secret theft cases to pursue and raising awareness of the risk of theft in nontraditional environments, like labs and universities.
WORLD RISKS
International SOS released an outlook report describing its top 10 health and security risks for 2020.
PRIVACY LAWSUIT
A U.S. court of appeals advanced a $35 billion privacy suit against Facebook in relation to collection and storage of facial data.
BULLYING
The British Beauty Council is proposing that an independent body look into claims of bullying and unfair dismissal in the beauty industry.
VIOLENCE IN HEALTHCARE
A 2002 report from the World Health Organization discusses workplace violence in the health sector.
HEALTHCARE SAFETY
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration offers resources for preventing violence in healthcare settings.
FIREARMS
The U.S. Supreme Court will not block a lawsuit filed by Sandy Hook shooting’s victims’ families against Remington Arms.
FRAUD
The U.S. government filed a criminal complaint against surveillance and security equipment company Aventura Technologies, Inc., and seven employees for falsely representing that the materials were made in the United States.
FACE MASKS
The High Court of Hong Kong ruled that the recent reemergence of a law banning protestors from wearing face masks was unconstitutional.
SCHOOL SAFETY
The Luke and Alex School Safety Act was introduced in the U.S. Senate.
WILDFIRE SAFETY
California Senator Kamala Harris introduced legislation that would improve infrastructure, land-use, and evacuation route planning for wildfire prone communities.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT
New York lawmakers are proposing legislation to create a state-operated private fund to help survivors of child sex crimes pursue civil cases against their alleged abusers.
PRIVACY
Two California legislators propose a new federal agency to enforce online privacy rights.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission designated China’s Huawei and ZTE as national security risks.
RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION
The Quebec Court of Appeals is considering arguments on Bill 21, which opponents say unfairly target women and minority groups in the Canadian territory.
UNREASONABLE SEARCHES
A federal court ruled that the government must have a reasonable suspicion of digital contraband before searching electronic devices at the U.S. border.
