TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Gizmodo: Russian-Owned LiveJournal Bans Political Talk, Adds Risk of Spying. “LiveJournal, a blog community that’s hosted a lot of science fiction authors and fans (including George RR Martin), has officially banned ‘political solicitation’ — which can mean anything that criticizes the Russian government, as well as pro-LGBTQ discussions. There are also concerns users can be subject to Russian spying.”

USEFUL STUFF

MakeUseOf: 10 Useful Google Keep Extensions for Chrome and Firefox. “If you use Google Keep on the web and on your mobile device, then why not also in your browser? Chrome and Firefox have extensions for the popular note-keeping application that give you fast access. With a click, you can save a website, open your notes, or make Google Keep more useful with these great tools.”

I am not a university, so I can’t test this, but Paul Pival doesn’t steer me wrong: Free access to the Rights, Action, and Social Responsibility Collection from de Gruyter. “Until the end of 2017, de Gruyter is offering free access to its Rights, Action, and Social Responsibility ebook Collection for “‘all students and faculty’. You do have to register, and it appears that when I did so, I did so for my entire University! I had expected an email with a username and login, but got a notice several days later (as did at least one other colleague) that “Your institution now has online access to all the titles in our Rights, Action, and Social Responsibility collection until December 31, 2017.”

Digital Inspiration: Google Can Remember Things for You. “There’s another interesting option from Google that you may wish to explore for remembering things. It’s called Google Assistant, the voice assistant app that is now available on newer Android phones. If you don’t have one, you can still use Google assistant inside the Google Allo app that is available for both iPhone and Android.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Google blog: Say bees! The buzz about Cloud Vision API. “What do declining bee populations and machine learning have in common? Natural personal care brand Burt’s Bees hopes to plant 2 billion bee-nourishing wildflowers through its latest Bring Back the Bees campaign, and has enlisted the Cloud Vision API to help.”

SECURITY/LEGAL ISSUES

ZDNet: Hackers are attacking Word users with new Microsoft Office zero-day vulnerability. “Attackers are exploiting a previously undisclosed vulnerability in Microsoft Word, which security researchers say can be used to quietly install different kinds of malware — even on fully-patched computers. Unlike most document-related vulnerabilities, this zero-day bug that has yet to be patched doesn’t rely on macros — in which Office typically warns users of risks when opening macro-enabled files.”

Coda: A Proposed Law in Russia Would Require All Social Media Users to Register With Their Passports. “Russian parliament deputy Vitaly Milonov introduced a new law today that would require all Russian internet users to register with their passport in order to use social media.”

Reuters: Ugandan academic charged for criticising president on Facebook. “The Ugandan government charged a prominent academic with a ‘cyber harassment’ offence on Monday after she repeatedly posted criticism of President Yoweri Museveni and his wife on Facebook, according to court documents.”

Reuters: Symantec attributes 40 cyber attacks to CIA-linked hacking tools. “Past cyber attacks on scores of organizations around the world were conducted with top-secret hacking tools that were exposed recently by the Web publisher Wikileaks, the security researcher Symantec Corp (SYMC.O) said on Monday.”

The Journal (Ireland): Gardaí want people who identify them on social media to be prosecuted. “Middle-ranking members of An Garda Síochána are calling for people who share pictures of them online with the aim of identifying them to be criminally sanctioned.” An Garda Síochána is Ireland’s police force. Good morning, Internet…

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