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Artificial Intelligence ("AI") decision-making is rapidly becoming a key technology in government. AI decision-making has a number of significant benefits. These include reduced costs, consistency in decision-making, and the potential for reduced bias. It is not, however, an unalloyed good. There are a number of risks associated with the technology. For example, it may have inherent biases or be prone to developing certain biases. These issues are most evident when AI is used to deal with vulnerable populations, populations unaware of or less able to deal with advanced technologies and sophisticated systems in general. With these populations, AI has the potential to do significant harm. Governments have struggled to understand and address AI decision-making appropriately. And nowhere is this clearer than in dealing with vulnerable populations. This Article addresses these issues using theories of effective regulation and two case studies of AI decision-making in Australia. It proposes two regulatory innovations: a default advocate for negative decisions "Golden Rule", and a monitoring body that, among other things, implements Professor Aziz Huq's proposed "right to a well-calibrated decision.". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the implications of the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act on the U.S. semiconductor industry. Topics discussed include the geopolitics of semiconductor manufacturing with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC) dominating the global market, the U.S. government's efforts to rethink its role in science and technology, and the importance of the law for education and philosophy.

Existing laws are insufficient to address the harms caused by deepfakes. This Note explores the characteristics of deepfakes that make preventing both the misuse of the technology and its proliferation on social media and the Internet difficult. This Note will then continue by explaining the special potential harms that deepfakes pose. The third part of this Note will address how the existing legal framework fails, includinghow Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act serves as a barrier to redress. Finally, this Note suggests potential remedies for deepfake transgressions to reduce the potential harm that deepfakes can inflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We are on the verge of a surveillance state. New technologies enable intrusions unimagined two decades ago. Our current culture voluntarily provides intimate personal details that are available to the world and to law enforcement. Current interpretations of Fourth Amendment privacy protections are failing to protect individuals from this brave new world. This Article describes the current state of technology, culture, and deficiencies in the law. We propose a specific test that can provide a workable approach to current and emerging intrusions. That test expandsupon existing theories, like the mosaic theory and a reformation of the third-party doctrine, but also relies on the basic Fourth Amendment tenets to protect against unreasonable searches and a potential dragnet state. This Article considers how the test can apply to six intrusive technologies currently in use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Article examines the privacy implications of new technologies, in particular facial recognition technology (FRT), which uses biometric software to recognize a person's facial features. When used in conjunction with closed-circuit television (CCTV) or drones, FRT has allowed governments to continuously monitor public places and has helped law enforcement officials to locate and apprehend criminals. But many are uneasy regarding the privacy implications of FRT technology, which can often be unreliable. The difficulty is that the Fourth Amendment imposes few meaningful limits on governmental use of modern technologies in public places, although some states have imposed limitations by statute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the tools to automate our lives become more commonplace, so do the concerns about their use and the data they collect. State and local governments in the United States are increasingly turning to smart city technologies for everything from law enforcement and traffic management to public health monitoring and wastewater testing. Yet often, citizens are left in the dark about the ways in which their elected officials are researching, purchasing, and implementing these technologies. Public records laws represent one mechanism to help improve the public's understanding of smart city technology and its uses in their communities. But not all public records laws are created equal. We argue that public records laws must be updated to ensure the definition of the term "public records" includes the types of records created by these technologies, including audio, video, and large datasets. Additionally, exemptions to public records laws that were designed to prevent invasions of privacy or ensure law enforcement could investigate crime must be narrowly tailored so they cannot be used as an excuse to withhold information that citizens have a right to access. Strong public oversight is crucial to guarantee these technologies are not abused, and most state public records laws are inadequate when it comes to ensuring access to records about, and created by, smart city technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a change to the remit and title of a UK government department provides a starting point for reflection on the growing role of digital technologies in the re-imagination of UK cultural policy. An early strategic report produced by the re-named DCMS was entitled Culture is Digital. Identifying the UK's cultural and technology sectors as 'the ultimate power couple,' this report directs the cultural sector towards the use of technology to enhance public engagement and to improve technical skills through the development of collaborations with technology companies. Reflecting on the place of DCMS in UK cultural policymaking and drawing on analysis of this report and associated strategic documents, including responses and updates produced in the light of the Covid pandemic, the paper analyses the claims made about the elision between culture and the digital and their consequences for the status of cultural policy within the British state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent adoption by the European Parliament of the Digital Services Act means that, when it comes into effect, it will formally introduce into EU law the term 'online platforms'. In effect, between the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act, a comprehensive framework for the regulation of online platforms is being introduced into EU law, the first of its kind both in Europe and internationally. However, European regulatory innovation invites a different viewpoint: Could states be considered platforms? What if this new regulatory framework was applied to states themselves? This article first outlines the regulations on online platforms in EU law. Then it discusses the role of states as information brokers in order to support its main argument, that states can be viewed as (online) platforms. A discussion of the consequences of such a conclusion is included in the final part of this analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to cast light on how the fast-evolving European cybersecurity regulatory framework would impact the Internet of Things (IoT) domain. The legal analysis investigates whether and to what extent existing and proposed sectoral EU legislation addresses the manifold challenges in securing IoT and its supply chain. It firstly takes into account the Cybersecurity Act, being the most recent and relevant EU legal act covering ICT products and cybersecurity services. Then, EU product legislation is scrutinised. The analysis focuses on the delegated act recently adopted by the Commission under the Radio Equipment Directive (RED), strengthening wireless devices' cybersecurity, the Medical Devices Regulation, the Proposal for a General Product Safety Regulation and the Proposal for a Machinery Regulation. Lastly, the proposal for a revised Network and Information Systems Directive (NIS2) is assessed in terms of its potential impact on the field of IoT cybersecurity. Against this backdrop, the article concludes by advocating the need for a separate horizontal legislation on cybersecurity for connected products. To avoid fragmentation of the EU's Single Market, a horizontal legal act should be based on the principles of the New Legislative Framework, with ex-ante and ex-post cybersecurity requirements for all IoT sectors and products categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do civic organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area straddle the paradox of challenging entrenched inequalities in an ostensibly progressive region that has been transformed by tech-driven wealth? Local nonprofits face the tension of maintaining access to elite resources while building connections to distribute those resources and navigate divides between the haves and have-nots. We draw on original data collected over the course of two decades on a representative sample of Bay Area nonprofit organizations. With rich information from both quantitative and qualitative data, we examine different aspects of nonprofits' relationship to their constituents and environments, including their community embeddedness, cross-sector collaborations, and engagement in advocacy. We then turn to the internal operations of these organizations and survey the professional backgrounds of nonprofit leaders and the usage of practices that purportedly make nonprofits more professional, accountable, and digitally savvy. Our findings reveal a sector that is developing its own model of what community-directed management looks like, neither tethered strictly to a Left Coast ethos nor displaying uniform responses to strong institutional pressures. Although the Bay Area sector pursues heterogeneous approaches to repairing social ruptures, there is a consistent theme of rebuilding and re-creating community. We argue that the region's diversity in values, practices, and orientations stems from fighting deep fractures that resist simple solutions in a place marked by paradox. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology may bring seismic changes to media, and China is no exception. In this article, we examine factors affecting the adoption of media technology in China, including government policies, historical contexts, and other social contributors. We also provide an analysis of changes brought about by technology, in the industry and in academic research. Our goal is to delineate a clear picture of how technology interacts with society and to provide background knowledge and contextual information for this JoBEM special issue focusing on Chinese electronic media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the classical understanding of the state sovereignty, a state is sovereign when it enjoys full control over its territory, sole authority internally, and independence of outside authority. Those aspects of control and authority will further manifest themselves in law making and law enforcing. Blockchain with its distinctive characteristics can challenge state sovereignty thus seen. Its most salient feature is ability to distribute control and authority over data. Having potential to facilitate transactions without middlemen and render some legal institutions redundant, blockchain carries with itself both great promises and chilling risks for public institutions. Meanwhile, countries implement various policies related to this technology, positioning themselves among passive observers or active regulators; as outsiders or as early adopters. The argument made in this article is that, regardless of the adopted approach, blockchain poses systemic challenges to the sovereignty of states. The article examines fundamental features of blockchain that combined cause the inherent distribution of control within a blockchain environment which, in turn, challenge traditional law making and law enforcement. Finally, I make a point that those features make blockchain equally as ground-breaking as incoherent with the legal and practical functioning of sovereign states and, therefore, some trade-offs are imperative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the use of regulatory technology (Regtech) in financial technology regulation (FinReg). Topics discussed include the possible impact of the growth of large technology companies (BigTech) and their movement into the financial sector, significance of the technological support initiative Project Innovation in Great Britain and the use of Regulatory Sandboxes, and potential of RegTech 3.0 to promote a new relationship between law and technology and code and regulation.

The performance of innovation systems depends, to a great extent, on the degree of public–private collaboration they involve. Thus, innovation policies often aim to enhance this collaboration through public–private partnerships. These partnerships are a multidimensional phenomenon whose success depends on factors related to each of their dimensions. This paper proposes the use of an analytical model that reflects the multidimensional nature of public–private partnerships and analyses to what extent they are applied in a specific innovation system in order to identify the territorial and sectorial factors that act as barriers or drivers to use them. This model aims to help policy makers design appropriate public–private partnerships in each context. The case under review is the Spanish innovation system, given that this system has been suffering from a structural lack of collaboration for several decades, despite the implementation of policies aimed to foster this. Thus, if the model works, it should be able to identify key factors that influence greater or more restricted use of the different PPP formulas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews the recent shift in Japan’s nanotechnology policy and regulation, analyzing policy documents and government guidelines as well as interviews with prominent scientists and government officials. The authors consider the potential role of nanotechnology in addressing Japan’s pressing energy security challenges after the Fukushima nuclear accident. They find that Japan’s regulatory focus on preventing and controlling exposure to nanoparticles, rather than on merely reporting and registering the use of nanomaterials, arguably provides greater flexibility and societal support for scientists to experiment with a variety of ideas for using nanomaterials—particularly solar power technologies for distributed energy generation, such as artificial photosynthesis. Japan provides a valuable case study of two major economic and political challenges to the development of energy-related nanotechnologies: industry pressure to continue investing primarily in centralized electricity generation from sources that are environmentally risky but profitable to major power companies, such as nuclear power and fossil fuels; and growing public interest in the research, development, and rapid rollout of nanotechnology-enhanced renewable energy sources that are well suited for distributed energy generation, while the effectiveness of nanotechnology regulation is still being tested. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Over the past two decades, scholars have developed undone science and inclusive innovation to explain knowledge silos, technology and development for marginalised communities. The undone science framework describes the systematic neglect of scientific issues that impact marginalised groups. The inclusive innovation framework emphasises the need to produce innovations that directly benefit marginalised groups. Despite the similar goals of the frameworks, the undone science and inclusive innovation theoretical communities have not interacted with each other, and as a result, the insights from each framework fail to help other disciplines improve opportunities for marginalised groups. This article compares the frameworks by examining nanotechnology policy and research in South Africa and shows how the frameworks help create better policies for marginalised groups. Because the frameworks emphasise different issues, policymakers should use both frameworks as opposed to over-relying on one of them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past three decades, cyberspace has gradually become an engine of unsustainable outcomes from an economic, social and environmental perspective. The European Commission has launched several new initiatives, in the attempt to restore public control over cyberspace, remedy the distributional imbalances generated by the rise of large‐scale digital platforms, and promote Europe's digital sovereignty. The paper argues that only by embedding rules and values in "code" and preserving openness towards the rest of the world will the EU manage to achieve its desired goals. Current initiatives such as the data strategy, the AI regulation, the Digital Services Act and the European Cloud Federation appear still too sparse and uncoordinated to really deliver on Europe's ambition to lead the world in the sustainable use of technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional hard law tools and processes are struggling to keep up with the rapid pace of innovation in many emerging technologies sectors. As a result, policymakers in the United States rely increasingly on less formal "soft law" governance mechanisms to address concerns surrounding many newer technologies. This Article explores four case studies from different information technology areas where soft law mechanisms have already been utilized to address governance concerns. These four sectoral case studies include domain name management, content oversight, privacy policy, and cybersecurity matters. After considering the various soft law mechanisms used to address those issues, the Article concludes with some general thoughts about the effectiveness of those approaches and what lessons those case studies might hold for the use of soft law in other emerging technology sectors and contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is positioned to be a foundational technology in most industrial sectors, societal interactions, as well as in many other technological advantages. AI is rapidly evolving with the promise of bettering our businesses, keeping us safer, and transforming us into a better society. At the same time, we know there will be concerns, some anticipated, and many that will develop alongside the technology itself. Its ubiquitous nature and rapid pace of development make traditional governance structures difficult to impose. However, there are a number of "soft-law" or non-legally binding tools that offer the flexibility needed to foster innovation safely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the creation of the Research Triangle Park (RTP), situated in the triangle formed by the cities of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 1959. Topics covered include the significant role played by then Governor Luther H. Hodges in the completion of this project, the aim to make RTP a premier center of high-technology manufacturing and research and development, and its economic impact on North Carolina.

Artificial intelligence is everywhere. And yet, the experts tell us, it is not yet actually anywhere. This is because we are yet to achieve artificial general intelligence, or artificially intelligent systems that are capable of thinking for themselves and adapting to their circumstances. Instead, all the AI hype--and it is constant--concerns narrower, weaker forms of artificial intelligence, which are confined to performing specific, narrow tasks. The promise of true artificial general intelligence thus remains elusive. Artificial stupidity reigns supreme. What is the best set of policies to achieve more general, stronger forms of artificial intelligence? Surprisingly, scholars have paid little attention to this question. Scholars have spent considerable time assessing a number of important legal questions relating to artificial intelligence, including privacy, bias, tort, and intellectual property issues. But little effort has been devoted to exploring what set of policies is best suited to helping artificial intelligence developers achieve greater levels of innovation. And examining such issues is not some niche exercise, because artificial intelligence has already or soon will affect every sector of society. Hence, the question goes to the heart of future technological innovation policy more broadly. This Article examines this question by exploring how well intellectual property rights promote innovation in artificial intelligence. I focus on intellectual property rights because they are often viewed as the most important piece of United States innovation policy. Overall, I argue that intellectual property rights, particularly patents, are ill-suited to promote more radical forms of artificial intelligence innovation. And even the intellectual property types that are a better fit for artificial intelligence innovators, such as trade secrecy, come with problems of their own. In fact, the poor fit of patents in particular may contribute to heavy industry consolidation in the A I field, and heavy consolidation in an industry is typically associated with lower than ideal levels of innovation. I conclude by arguing, however, that neither strengthening AI patent rights nor looking to other forms of law, such as antitrust, holds much promise in achieving more general forms of artificial intelligence. Instead, as with many earlier radical innovations, significant government backing, coupled with an engaged entrepreneurial sector, is at least one key to avoiding enduring artificial stupidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on electronic government focused on public services from the supply side. However, the citizens' perspective has received limited attention. This paper explores the electronic government adoption from the citizens' perspective. The objective of this study is addressing how involved are citizens from the Bahía Blanca city in e-government (mediated by the municipal website). Besides, it examines the subjective factors that could explain such e-government level. To achieve these goals, an online survey conducted to a group of local citizens, the followers of' «Moderniza Bahía» Facebook. In this vein, we could obtain a representative sample of the population by using a sample from a finite population. Results obtained shows that higher levels of awareness, expected benefits and trust on e-government can explain higher levels of e-government adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article marks the 10-year anniversary of the official shuttering of the U.S. congressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) in September 2005, and its achievements. The advisory body's 24-year body of work encompasses some 750 reports and assessments on topics ranging from acid rain to global climate change to the accuracy of polygraphs. Perhaps because the office vetted these documents so stringently, they have aged quite well. Some, on subjects like bioterrorism, even seem eerily prescient today. Ironically, the demise of OTA did not come in its early days of existence, when the office struggled to prove itself. Rather, by the time it was done away with, OTA had become a globally renowned agency and a model for science advising to politicians in a democratic society. INSET: BEST OF THE BULLETIN ARCHIVE: Office of Technology . . ..

An interview is presented with Google’s executive chairman, Eric Schmidt and the director of the Google Ideas think tank, Jared Cohen. Topics discussed include portrait of the arriving digital age where most of the Earth's 8 billion future inhabitants will be empowered through technological inclusion and connectivity; physical repression be able to contain the virtual protest in the beginning of cyberspace.

What is the expectation work required to ensure that technological innovation initially supported by government funding is subsequently taken up by market actors? This paper explores this question by applying a linked ecologies framework to the study of the Copyright Hub, a digital infrastructure for Intellectual Property trading developed in the UK. We draw our analysis from a five year long study, including forty-six interviews and six weeks of participant observation. We found that expectation work in policy-led infrastructural communities entails (1) leveraging technology to reshape the position of actors in the innovation space; (2) exploiting the different temporalities of expectation work in allied ecologies and (3) mobilising 'slow' expectations to provide momentum to the newly arranged innovation space. Highlighting difference in temporal dynamics for the various partners involved as a 'hinging' factor, our analysis contributes to clarifying the complex temporal alignment of policy and innovation processes in technology projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antiferroelectric (AFE)/ferroelectric (FE) materials with large electrocaloric effect (ECE) in a broad operating temperature range are potential candidates for next generation solid-state refrigeration applications due to its environmentally-friendly and high efficiency. In this work, we have experimentally investigated the electrocaloric response in 0.75PbZrO 3 -0.25Bi(Mg 1/2 Ti 1/2)O 3 in ceramics by prepared by a standard solid-state reaction method. Ferroelectric P-E hysteresis loops were measured over a broad range of temperature/electric field and the ECE was calculated by the indirect thermodynamic method. The maximum value of ECE (Δ T) and the electrocaloric responsivity (Δ T/ Δ E) were found to be 0.96K and 2.43 × 10−7 K.mV−1, respectively, at an operating temperature of 366 K under the external electric field of 40kV/cm. The observed ECE response has the great potential for their uses in solid state cooling technology applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ti excess La 2 Ti 2 (1+ x) O 7 (x = 0, 0.005, 0.01, 0.02, 0.05, 0.1) piezoelectric ceramics have been prepared by sol-gel technology and solid state synthesis method. Through refinement analysis, the phase structure of the ceramics varies with Ti content. Most monoclinic phase (∼93%) and a handful of orthogonal phase (∼7%) coexist in La 2 Ti 2 (1+0) O 7 ceramics. Pure monoclinic phase La 2 Ti 2 O 7 with space group P2 1 appears in La 2 Ti 2 (1+0.005) O 7 and La 2 Ti 2 (1+0.01) O 7 ceramics. Monoclinic phase La 2 Ti 2 O 7 and a certain proportion of tetragonal phase La 0.67 TiO 2.87 coexist in La 2 Ti 2 (1+0.02) O 7 , La 2 Ti 2 (1+0.05) O 7 and Ti 2 (1+0.1) O 7 ceramics. With the excess of Ti content, the monoclinic phase ratio and distortion angles in a-b projection plane of the ceramics increase first and then decrease, which is consistent with the variation tendency of piezoelectric constant d 33. The excellent piezoelectric constant for Ti 2 (1+0.01) O 7 ceramics is 2.8 pC/N. Impedance analysis shows that the conductive mechanisms of all samples include both grain and grain boundary conductivity at temperature range T ≥ 500 °C. The formation of tetragonal phase La 0.67 TiO 2.87 derives from Ti excess in pure monoclinic phase La 2 Ti 2 O 7. The existence of tetragonal phase La 0.67 TiO 2.87 can obviously increase the capacitance of ceramics at x ≥ 0.05. All prepared piezoelectric La 2 Ti 2 (1+ x) O 7 ceramics have highly frequency stability and are candidates for ultrahigh temperature piezoelectric application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a large number of datasets published as Linked (Open) Data (LOD/LD). At the same time, there is also a multitude of tools for publication of LD. However, potential LD consumers still have difficulty discovering, accessing and exploiting LD. This is because compared to consumption of traditional data formats such as XML and CSV files, there is a distinct lack of tools for consumption of LD. The promoters of LD use the well-known 5-star Open Data deployment scheme to suggest that consumption of LD is a better experience once the consumer knows RDF and related technologies. This suggestion, however, falls short when the consumers search for an appropriate tooling support for LD consumption. In this paper we define a LD consumption process. Based on this process and current literature, we define a set of 34 requirements a hypothetical Linked Data Consumption Platform (LDCP) should ideally fulfill. We cover those requirements with a set of 94 evaluation criteria. We survey 110 tools identified as potential candidates for an LDCP, eliminating them in 3 rounds until 16 candidates for remain. We evaluate the 16 candidates using our 94 criteria. Based on this evaluation we show which parts of the LD consumption process are covered by the 16 candidates. Finally, we identify 8 tools which satisfy our requirements on being a LDCP. We also show that there are important LD consumption steps which are not sufficiently covered by existing tools. The authors of LDCP implementations may use this survey to decide about directions of future development of their tools. LD experts may use it to see the level of support of the state of the art technologies in existing tools. Non-LD experts may use it to choose a tool which supports their LD processing needs without requiring them to have expert knowledge of the technologies. The paper can also be used as an introductory text to LD consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is currently an assessment system for sustainable house building in Germany for the assessment of sustainability of buildings with up to five residential units. In order to ensure practicality and update the assessment of houses to the state of the technology, selected fact sheets from the BNK criteria catalogue developed in 2015 were updated and further developed with specialist support from experts known all over Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study questions the commonly assumed variables used for studying students= rapidly changing relationships with smartphones, particularly in West Asia. To update how we think about and study cellphone use, a narrative analysis was conducted upon students= reported cellphone experiences. Students report managing contradictions between issues of necessity, distraction, lack of control, and insufficient cultural coping, which together capture a historical moment in the tensions of culture, technology, and pedagogy that drive the dialectics of socio-cultural necessities and institutional policies. The conclusion suggests ways these findings can update the categories used to study cellphone use in classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among all introduced green alternatives, hydrogen, due to its abundance and diverse production sources is becoming an increasingly viable clean and green option for transportation and energy storage. Governments are considerably funding relevant researches and the public is beginning to talk about hydrogen as a possible future fuel. Hydrogen production, storage, delivery, and utilization are the key parts of the Hydrogen Economy (HE). In this paper, hydrogen storage and delivery options are discussed thoroughly. Then, since safety and reliability of hydrogen infrastructure is a necessary enabling condition for public acceptance of these technologies and any major accident involving hydrogen can be difficult to neutralize, we review the main existing safety and reliability challenges in hydrogen systems. The current state of the art in safety and reliability analysis for hydrogen storage and delivery technologies is discussed, and recommendations are mentioned to help providing a foundation for future risk and reliability analysis to support safe, reliable operation. • Hydrogen is a great alternative for fossils fuels and can become the future energy carrier. • Optimal storage and transportation of hydrogen are keys to its widespread utilization. • Safety of storage and transportation is crucial for public acceptance of this new technology. • The current safety and reliability analyses can improve by implementing the recommendations discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses international risk management models and identifies possibilities of their application within Russian state financial control. The legislative acts regulating the organisation and implementation of state financial control will need to be changed. Based upon the studies and analysis, a conclusion was drawn as to the application of risk management technology in the system of state financial control. The results can be used for improving risk management technologies within the state financial control in the conditions of digitization of economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geosynthetics is a crucial mechanism in which the earth structures can be mechanically stabilized through strength enforcing tensile reinforcement. Moreover, geosynthetic reinforcement stabilizes steep slopes through incorporating the polymeric materials, becoming one of the most cost-effective methods in not only accommodating budgetary restrictions but also alleviating space constraints. In order to explicate on the applicability and widen the understanding of geosynthetic reinforcement technology, a synthesis study was conducted on geosynthetic reinforced steep slope. This study is very important because in not only highlighting the advantages and limitations of using geosynthetic reinforcement but also in investigating the current construction and design methods with a view to determining which best practices can be employed. Furthermore, this study also identified and assessed the optimal condition of the soil, performance measures, construction specifications, design criteria, and geometry of the slope. To further concretize the understanding of these parameters or factors, two case studies were reviewed and a summary of the best practices, existing methods, and recommendations were drawn in order to inform the employment of geosynthetics in reinforcing steep slopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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