A blog about forensic linguistics: the intersection of crime, language and the law.
● FEATURED ArticleS
Article: US Supreme Court allows the government to request the removal of misinformation on social media
“The ruling is a win for the Biden administration and a blow to a longstanding Republican-backed effort to equate content moderation with censorship. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which included the founder of a far-right conspiracy website, argued that the government and federal agencies were coercing tech companies into silencing conservatives…
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Article: How do laws shape who we swipe on?
“While people may think that whom they find desirable is a personal preference, attraction is influenced by family members’ views, the schools people attend, friends and society in general and dating sites themselves. I am a legal scholar who researches race and the law. As I argue in my new…
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Article: How good is ChatGPT at giving legal advice?
“We put the chatbots to the test in a recent study published in the International Journal of Clinical Legal Education. We entered the same six legal questions on family, employment, consumer and housing law into ChatGPT 3.5 (free version), ChatGPT 4 (paid version), Microsoft Bing and Google Bard. The questions…
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Article: Does better representation in the US police improve public relations?
“Our research outside of policing suggests that the public gives more weight to things such as negative online reviews and less to evidence of minority representation or diversity statements.
The challenge of changing the image of the profession as well as of individual agencies is significant. Research shows public apologies…
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Article: How similar is Sky’s voice to that of Scarlett Johansson?
“There are a few caveats, however. Johansson wasn’t always the top scorer, with the voices of Anne Hathaway and Keri Russell “often” being rated as more alike, according to NPR. Sky’s voice is slightly higher pitched and more expressive, too, while Johansson’s is breathier.
But other parts of the analysis…
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Article: How can ICC arrest warrants complicate peace efforts?
“Khan’s request has been met with anger from some political leaders partly because they think it could jeopardise the chances of eventually bringing peace to the region. In a similar way, many initially saw the ICTY’s indictment of Karadžić and Mladić in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a threat to the…
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News: Conviction rates for restraining order breaches drop putting women at risk
“The Independent can also reveal:
Data obtained via freedom of information (FOI) requests shows a 29 per cent fall in the number of breaches of restraining orders where the perpetrator is charged between 2018 and 2023
In 2018, 5,082 cases of restraining orders being breached led to a charge but…
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Article: How forensic linguists use text messages to help solve crimes
“It could be argued that breaking through anonymity in writing is yet another encroachment on civil liberties. But being able to analyse these short and fragmentary electronic texts is hugely useful to investigators. And in the novel context of mass anonymity that the explosion in the number of electronic texts…
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Article: Decisions and disagreements from the Supreme Court
“Concurring and dissenting opinions are a conversation with the majority opinion about the legal issues in the case. So the next time you hear about a concurrence or dissent, pay attention.
At the very least, you can learn about how a particular justice views the issue at hand. What’s more,…
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Article: The legal repercussions for lawyers claiming the 2020 election was stolen
“In addition to courts penalizing attorneys for inappropriate filings, bar association disciplinary authorities in multiple states have initiated proceedings to suspend or disbar those attorneys from practicing law in their jurisdictions. Despite lengthy procedures involving multiple steps met by aggressive litigation in opposition, those disciplinary proceedings are nearing final action.”
Keep reading● About the blog
Welcome to The Linguistic detective, a blog that explores the way that language is used within the legal system and how the application of linguistic knowledge can help investigate crime.
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