Advocacy & Public Policy Committee News v. 11 n. 9, September 2025

Advocacy & Public Policy Committee News support the committee's mission to monitor governmental activities and social justice issues affecting the professional interests of ARLIS/NA and to keep the ARLIS/NA membership informed. The monthly alerts are intended to be conversation starters, help members keep up on public policy issues and alert members to new developments. The articles compiled in the News Alerts bring to the forefront recent news from a range of perspectives designed to elicit discussion; they are not compiled to represent the views of ARLIS as an organization or the members of the Advocacy and Public Policy Committee.

Previous issues can be found here: https://www.arlisna.org/news/appc-news-alert 

Art & Activism

• Farfan, Isa. “Activists Arrested at Brooklyn Navy Yard in Protest Against Israeli Military Ties.” Hyperallergic, September 17, 2025. 

• Farfan, Isa. “Activists Condemn Arrest of NYC Protest Photographer Alexa Wilkinson.” Hyperallergic, September 29, 2025. 

• Jacobs, Harrison. “In Interview With Mahmoud Khalil, Nan Goldin Says Her Market ‘Tanked’ Due to Pro-Palestine Activism.” Artnews, September 11, 2025.

• Mohtasham, Diba. “A Defiant Gaza Biennale Opens in New York City.” Hyperallergic, September 12, 2025.

Copyright & Licensing; Open Access

• Belanger, Ashley. “‘First of its kind’ AI settlement: Anthropic to pay authors $1.5 billion.” Ars Technica, September 5, 2025.

• Belanger, Ashley. “Warner Bros. sues Midjourney to stop AI knockoffs of Batman, Scooby-Doo.” Ars Technica, September 5, 2025.

• Gorman, Michael. “Access-to-information overhaul increases commissioner's independence, but not power.” CBC, September 26. 2025.

Funding 

• Boucher, Brian. “Is This the Breaking Point for Museums?” Artnet, September 22, 2025.

• CBC News. “Permanent facility for National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation 'closer than ever'.” CBC, September 12, 2025.

• Donovan, Larissa. “Beltrami County Board votes to reduce library funds, end museum funds.” KAXE, September 17, 2025.

• Martin, Jenna. “As local governments struggle with budgets, they discover libraries, museums as new revenue sources.” Daily Montanan, September 4, 2025.

• Maxwell, Noelle. “Libraries prepare for financial hit.” Indiana Capital Chronicle, September 2, 2025.

• Peet, Lisa. “Samuels Public Library, in Rift with County, Loses Funding.” Library Journal, September 10, 2025.

• Short, Aaron. “When Casino Developers Use Museums to Sweeten the Deal.” Hyperallergic, September 29, 2025.

Technology and Digital Privacy

• Cameron, Dell. “A New Platform Offers Privacy Tools to Millions of Public Servants.” Wired, September 9, 2025.

• CBC News. “'Major risk' of bias against some groups with Canadian AI border screening, expert warns.” CBC, September 3, 2025.

• Diaz, Jaclyn. “A judge ordered Google to share its search data. What does that mean for user privacy?” NPR, September 19, 2025.

• Edwards, Benj. “ChatGPT’s new branching feature is a good reminder that AI chatbots aren’t people.” Ars Technica, September 5, 2025.

• Goodin, Dan. “New attack on ChatGPT research agent pilfers secrets from Gmail inboxes.” Ars Technica, September 18, 2025.

• Press Release. “Massachusetts Senate Unanimously Passes Strong Privacy Bill.” Electronic Privacy Information Center, September 25, 2025.

• O’Brien, Matt, and Beaty, Thalia. “Attorneys general warn OpenAI and other tech companies to improve chatbot safety.” AP News, September 5, 2025.

• Whitwam, Ryan. “Google announces massive expansion of AI features in Chrome.” Ars Technica, September 18, 2025.

Workplace

• AFSCME Staff. “AFSCME urges court to block the closing of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.” AFSCME, September 4, 2025.

• Aton, Francesca. “New York Foundation for the Arts Workers Move to Unionize.” Artnews, September 10, 2025. 

• Cassady, Daniel. “Chicago History Museum Cuts Research Hours Amid Labor Dispute.” Artnews, September 17, 2025.

Miscellaneous

• Greenberger, Alex. “You Can Now Borrow Solange’s Art Books, Including Catalogs for Pope.L, Adrian Piper, and More.” Artnews, September 29, 2025.

• Pontone, Maya. “AI Company Says It Has Outsmarted Caravaggio Experts.” Hyperallergic, September 29, 2025.

• Shapiro, Emma. “New Reports Expose the Global Toll of Censorship.” Hyperallergic, September 25, 2025.

Special News Alert: 47th Presidential Administration and Cultural Heritage

• Aton, Francesca. “Sally Mann Warns of Government Censorship After Art Seizure.” ARTnews, September 25, 2025.

• BELatina Daily. “Latino History Pushed Aside as Smithsonian Latino Exhibit Closes Until 2026.” BELatina, September 4, 2025.

• Farfan, Isa. “Trump’s ‘Gender Ideology’ Ban for Art Grants Ruled Unconstitutional.” Hyperallergic, September 22, 2025.

• Farfan, Isa. “Art History Professor Placed on Leave Over Charlie Kirk Posts.” Hyperallergic, September 19, 2025.

• Farfan, Isa. “Smithsonian Secretary Responds to Trump’s Museum Crackdown.” Hyperallergic, September 4, 2025.

• Joffe-Block, Jude. “A lawsuit tries to block the Trump administration's efforts to merge personal data.” NPR, September 30, 2025.

• Quintin, Cooper. “EFF Statement on ICE Use of Paragon Solutions Malware.” Electronic Frontier Foundation, September 3, 2025.

• Press Release. “ALA disappointed by FCC takebacks, lack of due process in decision to end library hotspots, school bus Wi-Fi.” American Library Association, September 30, 2025.

• Valentine, Victoria L. “Amy Sherald Exhibition Headed to High Museum in Atlanta in Spring 2026, News Follows Artist Withdrawing Show From Smithsonian Due to Censorship Concerns.” Culture Type, September 25, 2025.

This issue of News Alerts was compiled by Caroline Clavell, Michele Jennings, Stephanie Kays, Torie Quiñonez, and Annie Sollinger.