Richmond Journal of Law and Technology

The first exclusively online law review.

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Who is Responsible in an Accident Involving a Car With Autonomous Driving Features?

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On June 29, 2025

In Blog Posts

Who is Responsible in an Accident Involving a Car With Autonomous Driving Features?

By: Bo Li

Advanced driver assistance systems (“ADAS”) are technological features designed to improve vehicle driving safety.[1] These systems improve safety and reaction time to potential hazards through warning and automated systems.[2] With 42,514 people dying in motor vehicle crashes in 2022, many of which were related to human error, ADAS can not only help keep drivers and passengers safe, but also protect other drivers and pedestrians.[3] Tesla’s Autopilot is an ADAS that improves the safety and convenience of driving, and when used properly, can reduce the overall workload of the driver.[4] In 2021, many other manufacturers also offered ADAS, with at least 97 models featuring adaptive cruise control with lane-centering steering.[5]

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Increased IRS Tracking of Cryptocurrency: Form 1099-DA

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On June 29, 2025

In Blog Posts

Increased IRS Tracking of Cryptocurrency: Form 1099-DA

By: Elise Norotsky

Beginning January 1, 2025, cryptocurrency will have its first form of standardized reporting, the form 1099-DA, Digital Asset Proceeds From Broker Transactions.[1] The form reports gross proceeds and gain, loss and cost-basis information and is filed by brokers dealing with digital assets, such as Coinbase, Kraken, or Gemini.[2] Prior to its enactment, the lack of standardized reporting made the realm difficult to efficiently audit, and thus regulate. This significant shift in how digital assets like cryptocurrencies and NFTs are taxed aligns digital asset reporting with traditional financial and tax reporting practices.[3] While it makes certain aspects easier for investors, taxpayers with digital assets should expect an uptick in audits and investigations in addition to complexities introduced by new rules for computing gains and losses, determining cost basis, and applying backup withholding.[4] Additional problems arise for those holding previously unreported crypto, foreign exchanges, and real estate transactions involving digital assets.[5]

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The Environmental Crisis: How Social Media is the Turning Point Needed to Drive Change

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On March 31, 2025

In Blog Posts

The Environmental Crisis: How Social Media is the Turning Point Needed to Drive Change

By: Kaelynn Wallace

Our way of life is deteriorating both our health and the habitability of our planet, yet we remain indifferent.[1] The methods by which our global society produces food, utilizes land and water, travels, consumes energy, and manages a growing population have all contributed to these environmental shifts.[2] Environmental change is alteration of the environment that can be driven by both natural processes and human activities.[3] These changes lead to climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion.[4] The consequences of these changes can be seen right now.[5] Global temperatures are rising, with the rate of warming accelerating three times as fast as it did in 1982.[6] Nearly the entire global population now lives in areas where the air quality exceeds guidelines, contributing to the premature deaths of 6.7 million people annually.[7] Since 1970, the global wildlife population has declined by an average of 68%, and one million species are currently at risk of extinction.[8] Furthermore, in the past five decades, global resource extraction has tripled.[9]

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Sweet Deal or Sweet Scam? How Honey is Allegedly Hurting Content Creators’ Commissions

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On March 7, 2025

In Blog Posts

Sweet Deal or Sweet Scam? How Honey is Allegedly Hurting Content Creators’ Commissions

By: Anneliese McInniscoiny-paypal-1-dragged-e1684957590871.jpg

About 17 million consumers have downloaded Honey, PayPal’s free browser extension that finds the “best” deals and coupons to help you save money.[1] However, under Honey’s sweet facade lies an alleged commission-poaching scheme that has harmed content creators, influencers, and bloggers who earn revenue from online-shoppers using their affiliate links.[2]

Many content creators earn commission through product promotion and rely on affiliate marketing to generate revenue.[3] Affiliates earn commission by generating sales from consumers who use the affiliate’s assigned link.[4] Affiliates get credit for referring customers through tracking technology, which most people know as cookies.[5] “When a consumer clicks on an affiliate link, a cookie is placed in their browser. If that consumer makes a purchase, the affiliate responsible for the last-clicked link earns a commission.”[6] This model is called “last-click attribution.”[7]

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Building a Digital Future: Is America Ready for a Federal Digital Bill of Rights?

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On March 7, 2025

In Blog Posts

Building a Digital Future: Is America Ready for a Federal Digital Bill of Rights?

By: Evan Lees

In 2014, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in Riley v. California, mandating that law enforcement obtain a warrant before searching digital information and underscoring the critical need for privacy protections in the digital age.[1]

With the rise of data breaches, expansion of Big Tech companies, and continued advancement of technology designed to steal online information, Americans are now desperate for a modern legal framework to protect their rights online. A study conducted by Ipsos found that “over 80% of Americans were concerned with the safety and privacy of their online data. Another study found that over 70% of Americans support establishing national standards for how companies collect personal data and support treating data privacy for individuals as a national security threat.”[2]

A nationwide digital bill of rights could be the solution.

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Why Do Companies Get to Profit Off My Period Cramps?

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On February 17, 2025

In Blog Posts

Why Do Data Companies Get to Profit Off My Period Cramps?

By: Mollie Turczyn

Data autonomy is premised on the ideology of having free control over your own actions, beliefs, and desires.[1] Generally speaking, autonomy provides a safe space for individuals to experiment with a set of choices instead of being confined to a singular result.[2] As such, individuals are able to think freely, form their own opinion, and make the choice that best aligns with their own belief system without fear of punishment.[3] Thus, autonomy is a key cornerstone of a democratic society.[4] Therefore, a democratic society is threatened when the government eliminates the set of choices to the point there is only one outcome to which an individual is confined.[5]

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Is Time up on TikTok?

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On February 17, 2025

In Blog Posts

Is Time Up for TikTok?

By: Rebecca Herzog

With over 170 million U.S. users, TikTok has a chokehold on the American public.[1]  Although the popular social media platform has had immense success, it has also faced years of controversy and criticism in the United States. The U.S. government has fought across presidential administrations to either ban or force the sale of the app to an American company.  This post examines the use of an executive order to force a sale and what such an order might mean for the future of TikTok and U.S. government compliance.

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Strategic Patenting Stifles Antibiotic Innovation

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On January 30, 2025

In Blog Posts

Strategic Patenting Stifles Antibiotic Innovation

By: Brian Wilmans

Antibiotics are one of humanity’s greatest discoveries. They’ve made it possible to eradicate instances where a cut on a finger could turn fatal due to bacterial infection.

However, today, antibiotics are losing their efficacy. The CDC tracked seven different strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from 2019-2022, and six out of the seven increased their prevalence by 20 percent.[1] Overprescription of antibiotics is certainly a contributing factor in the increase in resistance, but another factor is the decreased number of new antibiotic classes being brought to market. Since the first antibiotic, penicillin, was discovered in 1940, the largest gap between new types of antibiotics being invented had been 13 years.[2] We are now in year 15 since the last novel class of antibiotic was created. There are myriad reasons for that, from funding for R&D to decreased profit margin for pharmaceutical companies. However, another reason for it that may be more on the periphery: pharmaceutical companies’ practice of strategic patenting.

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Who Owns GMOs?

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On January 30, 2025

In Blog Posts

Who Owns GMOs?

By: Brian Wilmans

Genetically modified organisms (GMO) have been around since the early 1970s and have steadily grown to impact all forms of commerce. From food to healthcare, the growing impact of GMOs has been felt around the world but very heavily in the United States specifically. As the landmass and population of the U.S. are significantly larger than that of most other countries and most of its farming is done on a larger, industrial scale, the U.S. has leaned more heavily on the use of GMOs to provide security for the country’s food supply.[1] In the U.S., it is estimated that over ninety percent of crops are genetically modified and that up to ninety-five percent of meat and dairy products feed on genetically modified crops.[2]

This has led to questions surrounding the ownership of those GMOs. If the organism could be obtained naturally, how do you determine that someone is the owner?

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