Author Archives: Frederick Lane

Art & Ethics: Censorship [Lecture]

2017-04-27 Art & Ethics: Censorship from Frederick Lane A presentation delivered to the Art & Ethics class at Fordham University on April 27, 2017. If you are interested in discussing a presentation or professional development program for your organization on this topic, please contact me for information regarding my rates and availability.

Anatomy of a Digital Investigation: FBI Rapidly IDs Sender of High School Threats

It is a problem that has afflicted numerous schools around the country: threats of violence sent from anonymous email accounts, messenger apps, and transient phone numbers. In the wake of multiple serious school attacks, administrators cannot afford to take such threats lightly, notwithstanding the fact that the majority of the threats are little more than…

ABC Nightline Shines Light on Practice of “Passing the Trash”

[Updated 2017-04-12] The video from last night’s broadcast is embedded at the bottom of the page in two separate segments. April 11 — Barring any sudden dramatic developments in the Middle East or elsewhere, the ABC news show “Nightline” will run a special edition this evening on the phenomenon known as “passing the trash.” The…

Tennessee Issues Amber Alert for 15-yo Student on the Run with 50-yo Teacher

[Update — 2017-04-02] On March 31, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released screen grabs from a surveillance video recorded at a Walmart in Oklahoma City on March 15, 2017. (Oklahoma City is approximately a 10-hour drive west of Culleoka, TN.) The images show student Elizabeth Thomas, 15, entering the store on East I-240 Service Road…

Can the Military Maintain Core Values in a Smartphone World?

For Some Servicemen In the US Military, Misogyny Outranks Discipline and Honor Honor This is the bedrock of our character. It is the quality that empowers Marines to exemplify the ultimate in ethical and moral behavior: to never lie, cheat, or steal; to abide by an uncompromising code of integrity; to respect human dignity; and…

“Are We There Yet, Sisters?” Cindy Gallop and Julie Scelfo in Conversation

One of the great things about New York City is the endless number of lectures hosted by various organizations and institutions. Last night, I had the pleasure of attending an event hosted by the Brooklyn Historical Society. Entitled “Are We There Yet, Sisters,” the event featured a wide-ranging conversation between journalist Julie Scelfo and Cindy…

Cybertraps for Educators [Lecture]

2017-03-09 Cybertraps for Educators from Frederick Lane A presentation delivered at the Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES in Yorktown Heights, NY on March 9, 2017. This event was organized by Anonymous Alerts, which produces a school safety app to facilitate the anonymous reporting of various types of incidents. [Disclosure: I am a member of the Board of…

Selfie-Absorbed: Body Image, Narcissism, and Empathy in the Smartphone Era [Lecture]

2017-02-20 Selfie-Absorbed: Body Image, Narcissism, and Empathy in the Smartphone Era from Frederick Lane A presentation delivered twice at the Alaska Society for Technology in Education 2017 Annual Conference on February 19 and February 20, 2017. If you are interested in discussing a presentation or professional development program for your organization on this topic, please…

Cybertraps for Administrators & School Boards [Lecture]

2017-02-19 Cybertraps for Administrators and School Boards from Frederick Lane A presentation delivered at the Alaska Society for Technology in Education 2017 Annual Conference on February 19, 2017. If you are interested in discussing a presentation or professional development program for your organization on this topic, please contact me for information regarding my rates and…

“The Nineties” — My Interview with CNN for Its Upcoming Documentary

Just about twenty years ago, in the wake of the passage of the Communications Decency Act, I began researching what would become my first mainstream book: Obscene Profits: The Entrepreneurs of Pornography in the Cyber Age. It was published by Routledge (now part of Taylor & Francis) in 2000 and remains one of the only…