NEW RESOURCES

Xinhuanet: Aussie researchers develop database detailing fish caught since 1950 . “Australian researchers have compiled an unparalleled database detailing the 5.8 trillion tonnes of global fishing since 1950. The database, created by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) at the University of Tasmania, was based on more than 867 million fishing records from 1950 to 2014.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Search Engine Journal: Google Introduces New Look for Blog Search Results. “Google has quietly rolled out a new look for blog search results, which include carousels and rich lists.”

Tech Times: Move Over, LinkedIn: Google Working On Its Own Job Site Called Google Hire. “Google is apparently gearing up to give LinkedIn a run for its money, as the company is working on its own job platform called Google Hire. It looks like a platform for tracking job applications and it launched quietly, without any official announcement from Google. In fact, Google Hire seems to be still in the beta state, available only to a few technology companies on an invite-only basis.”

USEFUL STUFF

Gizmodo: How to Spot a Link You Shouldn’t Click On. “Even as our tech gets increasingly sophisticated and intelligent, sometimes it’s falling for the oldest tricks in the book that breach the security walls we’ve put in place—like clicking on dodgy links or shady attachments that we shouldn’t. You don’t have to get tripped up by these simplest of scams though, if you know what you’re looking for.” Covers lots of scenarios, though I would have liked more external tools.

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

The Verge: Facebook’s journalism certification class is just a test on how to use Facebook. “Facebook today announced a new certification program for journalists to help them learn how to do their job using Facebook. The online courses, split into three snackable 15-minute sessions, were made in partnership with Poynter and aim to teach reporters how to incorporate Facebook’s tools within their storytelling. These tools include Instagram, Facebook Live, and 360-degree images and videos. I am happy to report that I failed the certification course. By a lot.”

TechCrunch: Alphabet’s Verily offers a more serious take on health monitoring wearables with the Study Watch. “Designed with long-term medical research in mind, the Study Watch has a vastly different set of hardware requirements than your standard smartwatch. The device was designed by Verily, the ‘V’ in Google’s Alphabet, which is devoted to serious medical studies like MS observation and contact lenses capable of monitoring wearers’ glucose level.”

Mathrubhumi: Travelling with google maps has its own perils; foreigners learn the hard way. “Foreigners who reached Azhikode jetty guided by google maps were disappointed after they learnt that the Jangar service to Ernakulam have been suspended for several days.”

SECURITY/LEGAL ISSUES

The latest retail or restaurant chain to be hit by a hack might be Shoney’s. “It’s Friday, which means it’s time for another episode of “Which Restaurant Chain Got Hacked?” Multiple sources in the financial industry say they’ve traced a pattern of fraud on customer cards indicating that the latest victim may be Shoney’s, a 70-year-old restaurant chain that operates primarily in the southern United States. Shoney’s did not respond to multiple requests for comment left with the company and its outside public relations firm over the past two weeks.”

eWeek: Adobe Patches Vulnerabilities First Disclosed at Pwn2Own 2017. “On April 11, Adobe released its monthly Patch Tuesday update, providing patches for 59 vulnerabilities across its software application product portfolio, fixing multiple issues first revealed at the Pwn2Own 2017 hacking contest in March.”

Beta News: Microsoft transparency report reveals first National Security Letter and shows doubling of FISA orders. “Microsoft has published its latest transparency report and, for the first time, disclosed the contents of a National Security Letter it received. In addition to the debut appearance of such a letter in the report, Microsoft also reveals that in the reported period in 2016 the number of FISA orders more than doubled compared to the previous period.”

Reuters: Facebook cracks down on 30,000 fake accounts in France. “Facebook Inc said on Thursday it suspended 30,000 accounts in France as the social network giant steps up efforts to stop the spread of fake news, misinformation and spam. The move, which comes 10 days before the first round of a hotly contested French presidential election, is among the most aggressive yet by Facebook to move against accounts that violate its terms of service, rather than simply respond to complaints.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Freedom to Tinker: The future of ad blocking. “There’s an ongoing arms race between ad blockers and websites — more and more sites either try to sneak their ads through or force users to disable ad blockers. Most previous discussions have assumed that this is a cat-and-mouse game that will escalate indefinitely. But in a new paper, accompanied by proof-of-concept code, we challenge this claim. We believe that due to the architecture of web browsers, there’s an inherent asymmetry that favors users and ad blockers. We have devised and prototyped several ad blocking techniques that work radically differently from current ones. We don’t claim to have created an undefeatable ad blocker, but we identify an evolving combination of technical and legal factors that will determine the ‘end game’ of the arms race.” Good morning, Internet…

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