International Legal Safeguards for Children and Adolescents in the Information Space

The world is on the cusp of a new technological revolution. The rapid development of advanced technology is already moving entire industries into the virtual realm. Global digitalization is penetrating all areas of social life. The contours of the emerging global information order are gradually taking shape. All of this not only opens gigantic opportunities for the development of all countries but also creates new challenges in terms of the legal regulation of cyberspace, which does not always adjust to current realities quickly enough. Therefore, new forms and ways of committing unlawful acts in cyberspace are emerging. The COVID-19 pandemic, which to a large extent has taken economic and social life online, has also led to the transformation of information crime. The potential victims most negatively affected by this situation are primarily vulnerable segments of society - children and adolescents. According to Interpol and Europol reports, there has been a significant increase over the past few years in material that contains child sexual abuse, especially in the streaming format, as well as an increase in the effectiveness of the Dark Web at adapting to such criminal activity.

The Legitimacy of EU Soft Law: Still Nothing New or a Turn for The Worse in the Field of State Aid?

This article takes issue with the State aid soft law and its questionable legitimacy, trans-parency and compatibility with the rule of law. Although critics in this regard are almost ‘traditional', the practice of adoption of EU soft law does not imply a conclusion that some-thing is changing in this regard. What is more, the dimensions of the current pandemic seem to emphasize them. Recognising advantages of soft law and the existence of wide discretion of the European Commission this paper looks at the current state of affairs regarding EU soft law in EU State aid regime (and briefly also other EU policies), determines the gap between EU soft law and the rule of law and presupposes solutions that would improve EU soft law's quality in the European integration. © 2022, Lexxion Verlagsgesellschaft mbH. All rights reserved.

Effects of market liquidity on price dynamics in a heterogeneous belief model

To understand the effect of liquidity on asset pricing, this study constructs a boundedly rational asset pricing model, introducing market liquidity and heterogeneous beliefs. Based on our model, we conduct empirical tests using the S&P 500 index from 1991 to 2021 and the CSI 500 index from 2007 to 2021. We find that market liquidity significantly influences investors' expectations and belief switching. When market liquidity is scarce, fundamentalists in both markets expect the price to converge more quickly to its fundamental value, whereas chartists perceive that the price deviates from its fundamental value less rapidly. Lack of liquidity mitigates the investors' original switching strategy, resulting in positive feedback as a net effect. Moreover, the S&P 500 index is efficient, whereas the CSI 500 index is slightly undervalued in the long run. Both markets exhibit large fluctuations and inefficiency during short periods such as the 2008 financial crisis and COVID-19 pandemic. As such, safeguards should be implemented against sudden shocks and the resulting price deviation and market inefficiency.

Reflections on the Involvement of Managers in Supporting Romanian Companies during the Pandemic COVID -19

The wide spread of COVID -19 in Europe, which also affects Romania, and the increasingly stringent measures taken by experts to prevent negative consequences for citizens and the economy, raise a number of questions about the activities that need to be undertaken by companies to ensure compliance and those who are in a position to take these measures. Many businesses in Romania have already made a conscious effort to guard against the threat of COVID -19, whether by stopping movement altogether for an indefinite period of time, changing the way in which activities are carried out (e.g. only online now), or by working with notable safeguards to mitigate the threats.

The demand side of vaccine politics and pandemic illiberalism

We take the demand-side perspective of Sputnik V, trying to answer why facing vaccine scarcity, some countries opt for Sputnik V, and others do not. To show how the pandemic tests the institutional safeguards and soft guardrails of liberal democracy, we compiled a unique dataset and combined statistical analysis and case studies. While our quantitative analysis shows that the illiberalism of the party in power is the main explanatory factor in the import of Sputnik V, our qualitative case studies illustrate under what conditions institutional guardrails withstand the pressure of populist and illiberal leaders.

A CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF ARTICLE 16 OF THE IRELAND–NORTHERN IRELAND PROTOCOL

Article 16 of the Ireland–Northern Ireland Protocol annexed to the EU–UK Withdrawal Agreement is an escape clause which allows the parties to deviate from their obligations under certain conditions. This article maps out the main features of the safeguards provision in the Protocol in light of international trade law and international relations literature on treaty design. It provides a detailed examination of the safeguards provision in the Protocol and highlights the key design flaws associated with this regime as well as some potential solutions to such flaws.

Trump Ended WTO Dispute Settlement. Trade Remedies are Needed to Fix it

Unhappy with the rulings of the WTO dispute settlement system, which disproportionately targeted US use of trade remedies, the United States ended the entire system in 2019. There are multiple hurdles to agreeing to new terms of trade remedy use and thus potentially restoring some form of binding dispute settlement. First, a change would affect access to policy flexibility by the now large number of users of trade remedies. Second, although China's exports are the overwhelming target of trade remedies, exporters in other countries increasingly find themselves caught up in trade remedy actions linked to China. Third, critical differences posed by China's economic model may call for new rules for trade remedies, but no consensus on those rules has emerged. Even some of the most promising reforms have practical limitations, create additional challenges, or may be politically unviable.

Loyalty programs: the vital safety feature for airlines to survive COVID-19

Purpose>The airline industry has been severely impacted by COVID-19 due to widespread travel restrictions. Its current response is crucial to ensure continued operations after the global pandemic is resolved. One resource the airlines are leveraging is loyalty programs. This study aims to examine the viability of leveraging loyalty programs in times of crisis.Design/methodology/approach>This study employs a case study methodology to examine how one company, American Airlines, has used its loyalty program to survive a pandemic and alleviate the financial costs associated with limited and restricted travel.Findings>American Airlines' AAdvantage loyalty program structure may be used as a benchmark to understand how airlines can anchor their loyalty base to reinvigorate travel interest and use these programs as safeguards in critical instances that may arise in the future.Research limitations/implications>The case was bound by the fact that the pandemic was still a threat during the time of analysis. The findings of this case study go beyond the airline industry and may inform other hospitality and tourism organizations on the benefits of loyalty programs in times of financial distress.Originality/value>This is the first known case study examining the strengths and opportunities of the structure of the American Airlines' AAdvantage program as a means for surviving in a time of crisis. Moreover, understanding how to mitigate the long-term effects of crises may help to inform future short-term strategies of airlines and other hospitality and tourism organizations for navigating unexpected shocks to their ecosystem.

Social Aspects of Democratic Safeguards in Privacy Rights: A Qualitative Study of the European Union and China

Namen: Primarni cilj predmetne raziskave je identifikacija temeljnih orodij in omejitev pri varstvu zasebnosti in osebnih podatkov v Evropski uniji in na Kitajskem, tj. dveh bistveno različnih kulturnih sistemih. Prek družbeno-kulturne analize pravne regulacije, družbenih trendov in ekspertnih ocen je namen raziskave preučiti, ali so standardi varstva zasebnosti npr. po GDPR, ki velja v EU, dovolj trdni tudi v digitalni dobi. Predmet analize sta različni kulturni okolji, da se spozna njun vpliv na praktično delovanje v povezavi z demokratičnimi varovali pri uveljavljanju pravic zasebnosti v EU v primerjavi s Kitajsko. To se dosega s primerjavo družbenega nadzora in družbeno kreditnega sistema na Kitajskem. Zasnova/Metodologija/Pristop: Glede na upravnopravni kontekst je uporabljen kombiniran kvalitativni pristop, ki vključuje normativno-dogmatično metodo, analizo literature, sociološko in zgodovinsko metodo, ekspertni intervju, primerjalno in aksiološko metodo. Ugotovitve: Rezultati tako teoretičnega kot empiričnega dela raziskave kažejo, da je strožji pravni red v EU kot na Kitajskem, v smislu doslednejšega zagotavljanja zasebnosti in varstva osebnih podatkov ter transparentnosti, mogoče pripisati demokratičnemu varstvu človekovih pravic in določnejšim predpisom, zlasti GDPR. Te razlike bi lahko v prihodnje še povečale obstoječo vrzel, kar nedvomno spodbuja nadaljnje znanstveno in praktično preučevanje. Avtorja ugotavljata, da mora oblast aktivno zagotavljati pravice do zasebnosti in varstva osebnih podatkov, sicer učinkovitost vladanja vodi v družbo popolnega nadzora in propad posameznikove svobode kot civilizacijske pridobitve. Akademski prispevek k znanstvenem področju: Raziskava pomeni prispevek k upravnopravni znanosti, saj obravnava enega ključnih konceptov sodobnega javnega upravljanja, to je trk načel učinkovitosti in transparentnosti ter zasebnosti. Prek uporabe znanstvenih metod se omogoča nadaljnje primerjave v prostoru in času. Vpliv v praksi: Članek prinaša strnjen pregled relevantne literature in analizo predpisov, ki so temelj za izvajanje zakonodaje, njeno vrednotenje in izboljšave, zlasti ob razvoju IKT, npr. v obdobju pandemije covida-19. Izvirnost/Vrednost: Članek premošča vrzel, ki nastaja zaradi razlik v pojmovanju zasebnosti in javnega upravljanja na tem področju v EU in na Kitajskem, ki izhajajo iz kulturnih razlik. Običajne splošnejše ali le na pravo ali tehnologije oprte analize so nadgrajene s kombinacijo različnih metod raziskovanja.Alternate :Purpose: The primary objective of the present research is to identify the basic tools and restrictions concerning the protection of privacy and personal data in the EU and China as two fundamentally different cultural systems. Based on the socio-cultural analysis of backgrounds, trends and expert assessments, the research aims to examine whether privacy protection standards, such as those provided by the GDPR in the EU, are sufficiently robust to endure the digital age. Two different cultural frameworks have been analysed in order to understand their influence on practical behaviours regarding the democratic safeguards in privacy rights enforcement in the EU compared with China. This is accomplished by comparing social control in the Eu and the social credit system in China. Design/Methodology/Approach: Considering the administrative context, a combined qualitative approach is applied, including normative and dogmatic methods, literature analysis, sociological and historical methods, expert interviews, and comparative and axiological methods. Findings: The results of both theoretical and empirical parts of the research suggest that the stricter regulation in the EU compared to China - in the sense of more consistent protection of privacy and personal data as well as transparency rights - can be attributed to its democratic protection of human rights and more definitive regulations, particularly the GDPR. These major differences seem to create an even deeper gap in the future, to be explored sci ntifically and in practice. The authors conclude that authorities must actively guarantee the rights related to privacy and personal data protection, or else effective governance will lead to a surveillance society and erosion of individuals' freedom as a valuable civilizational asset. Academic contribution to the field: The research contributes to administrative science by addressing one of the key concepts of modern public governance, namely the collision between the principles of effectiveness and transparency on the one hand and privacy on the other. The use of scientific methods paves the way for further comparisons. Practical Implications: The article provides a concise overview of the relevant literature and an analysis of the rules that underpin the implementation, evaluation and improvement of regulations, especially in the light of ICT development, e.g. in times of the Covid-19 pandemic. Originality/Value: The paper bridges the gap created by the differences in the understanding of privacy and public governance in the field in the EU and China based on cultural differences. The usual general or merely law- or technology-based analyses are upgraded with a combination of various research methods.

Public attitudes towards sharing loyalty card data for academic health research: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: A growing number of studies show the potential of loyalty card data for use in health research. However, research into public perceptions of using this data is limited. This study aimed to investigate public attitudes towards donating loyalty card data for academic health research, and the safeguards the public would want to see implemented. The way in which participant attitudes varied according to whether loyalty card data would be used for either cancer or COVID-19 research was also examined. METHODS: Participants (N = 40) were recruited via Prolific Academic to take part in semi-structured telephone interviews, with questions focused on data sharing related to either COVID-19 or ovarian/bowel cancer as the proposed health condition to be researched. Content analysis was used to identify sub-themes corresponding to the two a priori themes, attitudes and safeguards. RESULTS: Participant attitudes were found to fall into two categories, either rational or emotional. Under rational, most participants were in favour of sharing loyalty card data. Support of health research was seen as an important reason to donate such data, with loyalty card logs being considered as already within the public domain. With increased understanding of research purpose, participants expressed higher willingness to donate data. Within the emotional category, participants shared fears about revealing location information and of third parties obtaining their data. With regards to safeguards, participants described the importance of anonymisation and the level of data detail; the control, convenience and choice they desired in sharing data; and the need for transparency and data security. The change in hypothetical purpose of the data sharing, from Covid-19 to cancer research, had no impact on participants' decision to donate, although did affect their understanding of how loyalty card data could be used. CONCLUSIONS: Based on interviews with the public, this study contributes recommendations for those researchers and the wider policy community seeking to obtain loyalty card data for health research. Whilst participants were largely in favour of donating loyalty card data for academic health research, information, choice and appropriate safeguards are all exposed as prerequisites upon which decisions are made.

Mental Health Act 1983 assessments: The use of video technology.

Covid-19 requires practitioners to reflect on how they deliver health services. Using technology, in particular video technology, has increased, especially in primary care. This article considers the implications of technology for assessments under the Mental Health Act 1983. NHS Covid-19 guidance anticipated its use in assessments, but this was held to be unlawful. Is this the right decision or is it too restrictive an interpretation of the 1983 Act? The article argues that consideration should be given to the potential role, if any, of video technology in assessments and identifies some issues that need to be addressed. Use of these technologies should be part of the current review of the 1983 legislation.

Dynamic and Static Volatility Interruptions: Evidence from the Korean Stock Markets

We conducted a comprehensive analysis on the sequential introductions of dynamic and static volatility interruptions (VIs) in the Korean stock markets. The Korea Exchange introduced VIs to improve price formation, and to limit risk to investors from brief periods of abnormal volatility for individual stocks. We found that dynamic VI is effective in price stabilization and discovery, while the effect of static VI is limited. The static VI functions similarly to the pre-existing price-limit system;this accounts for its limited incremental benefit.

Covid-19: dentistry and forensic-medicine results

OBJECTIVES The aim of the work is to analyze the responsibilities of the dentist in the management and prevention of infectious diseases and the risks of litigation. The recent Covid-19 pandemic has created the need to evaluating the practical implications in terms of re-sponsibility. MATERIALS AND METHODS The work analyzes the problem in its technical-clinical, practical, regulatory and ethical aspects both in terms of organiza-tion-management, and of responsibility and protections in the clinical and labor sector. The obligations of dentists are analyzed in the light of the le-gal-regulatory standards and scientific evidence validated in the context of the relationship of care with the patient and the employ-ment relationship with collabora-tors and employees. RESULTS The evidence indicated the risks of a fragmented regulatory frame-work between regional deroga-tions, National and European references and locally differing autho-rization and procedural regimes, but also the existence and appro-priateness of validated references in preventive matters. Standards and recommendations and guide-lines do not, however, exclude the dentist’s conscious self-determi-nation. Professional who assumes the burden of managing the infectious risk related to the specific profession. The references must remain the law, the ministerial, regional and/or local indications and the consoli-dated scientific literature. Failure to comply with validated references outlines the details of negligent conduct. Omissive or erroneous behavior in matters of prevention configure the extremes of: negli-gence, inexperience, imprudence. CONCLUSIONS The Covid-19 epidemic has had a major emotional and anxious im-pact. The citizens focus their attention more globally on the infectious risk and its management aspects. Attention that does not exclude the possibility of greater litigation. In work, individual responsibilities of health professionals and system or health organization re-sponsibilities, including in the dental field, are compared. The absence of validated precautions by the professional makes it plausible, from a civil law point of view, his culpable conduct in causal link with the appearance of infections and also of Covid-19 with recognition of the right to compensation. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Covid-19 induces reflections on topics of great technical-preven-tive and clinical interest and on the practical implications in terms of responsibility. A deficient con-duct of the health worker and the appearance of infectious diseases in the patient or staff does not exclude the existence of difficul-ties in identifying the causal link, given the possibility of other sources of contagion. A retrospective investigation is undeniable and often the its results are non-specific, generic or insufficient on the basis of the medico-legal assessment criteria and do not lead to certainty data. However the possibility of preventive actions and precaution-ary measures of proven efficacy reduce them the risk and also the possibility of litigation and conse-quent losing. © 2022.

COVID-19 vaccine risk perception in cancer patients: Psychometric validation of a new screening tool

ᴥ SUMMARY. This study aimed at pilot-testing a new screening tool for assessing risk perception of and hesitancy about anti-COVID-19 in patients diagnosed with cancer. We recruited consecutive cancer patients (n = 356) who were either in treatment or follow-up. All the participants completed several measures of risk perception, confidence in safeguards, treatment adherence, and psychosocial distress. Scree plot and parallel analysis suggest a unifactorial structure (explained variance = 47.816%). The total scale was found a reliable 7-item measure (Cronbach’s a = .806;McDonald’s Ω= .810). Correlations and comparisons to other measures confirmed concurrent and predictive validity. The new measure reports a moderate correlation (r = .410;p<.001) with treatment non-adherence, whereas the correlation with distress was not significant. In conclusion, the new measure seems to be a reliable and valid tool for assessing risk anti-COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in patients diagnosed with cancer. Further research is needed to confirm the unifactorial structure or better understand the underlying psychological mechanisms of vaccine hesitancy. © 2021, Giunti Psychometrics. All rights reserved.

The United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom Announce “AUKUS” Alliance Focused on Indo-Pacific Security

Most notably, securing nuclear-powered submarines prompted Australia to cancel an agreement with France for diesel-powered submarines,3 and France reacted furiously, recalling its ambassadors from both the United States and Australia.4 Although the announcement of the alliance made no direct mention of China, the inference that it addresses Chinese power in the region is unavoidable, and China warned that the alliance, and particularly the submarine agreement, could accelerate an arms race.5 The AUKUS announcement builds on nearly a decade of efforts to increase U.S. focus on Asia and the Pacific. 9 To that end, the United States and United Kingdom announced the “New Atlantic Charter” in June to “defend the principles, values, and institutions of democracy” among other things,10 and the Biden administration has resolved several trade disputes with Europe, removing irritants in the Atlantic alliances.11 The Biden administration has also strengthened relationships in the Indo-Pacific region by working closely with the “Quad,” which includes the United States, Australia, Japan, and India, to respond to the COVID-19 crisis, as well as climate change and other shared challenges.12 In a joint statement following their first in-person meeting in September, the Quad leaders emphasized their commitment “to promoting the free, open, rules-based order, rooted in international law and undaunted by coercion, to bolster security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” and noted that they “stand for the rule of law, freedom of navigation and overflight, peaceful resolution of disputes, democratic values, and territorial integrity of states.” 25 The treaty obligates all parties, including nuclear-weapons states, “not to provide: (a) source or special fissionable material, or (b) equipment or material especially designed or prepared for the processing, use or production of special fissionable material, to any non-nuclear-weapon State for peaceful purposes, unless the source or special fissionable material shall be subject to” IAEA safeguards.26 Both the United States and the United Kingdom use weapons-grade highly enriched uranium to power their nuclear submarines,27 and the AUKUS countries have already begun to work with the IAEA to ensure that the submarine deal meets their NPT obligations.28 IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi noted that the countries had informed the IAEA of their plans and pledged that “[t]he IAEA will engage with them on this matter in line with its statutory mandate, and in accordance with their respective safeguards agreements with the Agency.” In particular, the Act allows sharing with non-nuclear-weapon states subject to IAEA safeguards,30 and it allows the president to authorize the transfer to other countries of nuclear material for military applications when he determines that such cooperation “will promote . . . the common defense and security.”

CONSTITUTIONAL PANDEMIC SURVEILLANCE

How do people view governmental pandemic surveillance? And how can their views inform courts considering the constitutionality of digital monitoring programs aimed at containing the spread of a highly contagious diseases? We measure the perceived intrusiveness of pandemic surveillance through two nationally representative surveys of Americans. Our results show that even at the height ofa pandemic people find surveillance for public health to be more intrusive than surveillance for traditional law enforcement purposes. To account for these strong privacy concerns, we propose safeguards that we believe would make cell phone location tracking and other similar digital monitoring regimes constitutionally reasonable.

Creating an Automated Health Attestation System During the COVID-19 Global Pandemic Using Google's G Suite.

As of October 2020, the COVID-19 global pandemic has infected over 40,000,000 people and has claimed over 1,000,000 lives globally (Johns Hopkins University, 2020). To mitigate the spread of the virus and their own liability, organizations have adopted multiple strategies to protect their employees and consumers. In addition to mask wearing, social distancing, and contact tracing, health attestations are being adopted by organizations that depend on physical contact between employees and consumers. The purpose of this tutorial is to describe how an automated health attestation and notification system can be created using Google's G Suite platform at little to no cost to the organization. When combined with other mitigation strategies and strong organizational policies, health attestations may be an effective component for organizations to include in their response to the global pandemic. The benefits and limitations of including health attestations as a component within an organization's COVID-19 policies are discussed.

Perceived Threat of the Coronavirus and the Role of Trust in Safeguards: A Case Study in Slovakia.

In this exploratory research study, we developed an instrument to investigate people's confidence in safeguarding measures [Confidence in Safeguards Scale (CSS)] and we adapted an instrument measuring perceived risk of coronavirus [perceived risk of coronavirus scale (PRCS)] that was originally based on a perceived risk of HIV measure. We then explored the effect of public confidence in safeguarding measures designed to halt the spread of the coronavirus on perceived risk, controlling for related covariates. The sample consisted of N = 565 respondents; 119 were males (21.1%) and 446 were females (78.9%). Mean age was 35.42 (SD = 13.11), range was 18-77 years. We used convenience sampling to gather the data at the end of March 2020 via social media in Slovakia. The CSS showed good reliability levels and a three-factor structure: Confidence in Institutions, Confidence in Personal and Family Behaviors, and Confidence in Others' Behaviors. The PRCS showed good reliability levels and a two-factor structure: Fear of Contraction and Perceived Likelihood of Contraction. Participants with higher levels of Confidence in Others' Behaviors perceived the spread of the coronavirus to be less threatening, both cognitively (less perceived likelihood of contraction) and affectively (less fear of contraction). This finding could be used when designing public health policy and emergency communication. Enhancing confidence in others' behaviors could encourage individual responsibility, social responsibility, and solidarity through social bonds extending beyond the family. In future research we plan to replicate the data collection using the same instruments in different countries so the results are comparable across cultures and can be used to improve emergency communication.

Creating an Automated Health Attestation System During the COVID-19 Pandemic with Microsoft 365.

Identifying and isolating individuals infected with COVID-19 are critical steps in stopping the spread of the coronavirus. Until widespread testing and contact tracing systems are implemented, alternative methods must be considered. One way that organizations can protect employees and clients is by creating their own automated health attestation systems. These systems could be used to reduce the spread of the coronavirus by asking providers and consumers to self-identify COVID-19 exposure, as well as to help mitigate liability for organizations by asking providers and consumers to agree to follow relevant policies and acknowledge the risks inherent in providing or receiving services. The purpose of this article is to outline the steps for creating this type of health attestation system using Microsoft Office 365.