NEW RESOURCES

WTTW: New ‘Get Outside’ Map Features 350 Places to Enjoy Nature in Chicago. “Chicago-based environmental nonprofit Openlands recently launched a ‘Get Outside Map’ that serves as an interactive guide to hundreds of outdoor sites in and around the city, including parks, forest preserves, hiking trails, picnic shelters and more.”

KMUW: New Website Intended To Increase Transparency Around Asset Forfeiture In Kansas. “A new website tracking property seizures by Kansas law enforcement went live on Monday. The Kansas Bureau of Investigations established the Kansas Asset Seizure and Forfeiture Repository as part of a 2018 law aimed at increasing transparency around the tool known as civil asset forfeiture.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

CNET: Facebook creates civil rights task force as review of policies continues. “Facebook is making an internal civil rights task force permanent, COO Sheryl Sandberg said in a blog post Sunday, a decision that grew out of an ongoing review of the civil rights impact of the social network’s policies and practices. The task force, which includes key leadership and is to be chaired by Sandberg, will focus on Facebook’s content policies, the fairness of its artificial intelligence, and issues regarding privacy and elections, areas Facebook has struggled with.”

USEFUL STUFF

Lifehacker: Create Written Notes From YouTube Videos Instantly With this Chrome Extension. “There are a ton of informative YouTube videos out there. When you’re watching one where you’re hoping to learn something; however, you have to take your own notes on the topic for later. Gnotes is an extension that can help with that.”

PC Magazine: 7 Simple Steps for Cleaning up Your Google Drive. “You can organize files in your Google Drive by putting them into folders and using other tools, both conceptual and actual, to ensure you can always find what you need. These tips and points of advice will show you how to organize files in Google Drive, and they should also work well if you’re using Google Drive for Work.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

BBC: Wikipedia founder calls for social media strike. “People are being urged to stop using social media for up to 48 hours later this week in an effort to pressure the networks into restoring control of personal data to users. The call to strike has been issued by Dr Larry Sanger – a co-founder of the Wikipedia online encyclopaedia.”

CNN: The Church of England has some ideas on how to improve social media. “The Church of England has launched its first set of guidelines for social media, designed to make online platforms happier places. The aim is to tackle online abuse and misleading content as well as making for a more positive atmosphere online, according to a press release.”

TechCrunch: China silences podcast and music apps as online crackdown widens. “Audio apps are flying high in China. In 2018, online listeners in the country grew 22.1% to surpass 400 million, at a rate far exceeding that of the mobile video and e-reading populations, according to market researcher iiMedia. But the fledgling sector is taking a hit.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Ars Technica: Deepfake revenge porn distribution now a crime in Virginia. “The new law amends existing law in the Commonwealth that defines distribution of nudes or sexual imagery without the subject’s consent⁠—often called revenge porn⁠—as a Class 1 misdemeanor. The new bill updated the law by adding a category of ‘falsely created videographic or still image’ to the text.”

Z6 Mag: ‘Orvibo’ Smart Home Devices Leaked 2 Million Users’ Exact Geolocation. “More than 2 million records have been compromised due to an unsecured online database that contains sensitive information, including the precise location of the devices manufactured by Orvibo, a smart-home manufacturing company. Orvibo, a China-based tech company that manufactures more than 100 products and smart systems for homes, hotels, and offices including remote home monitoring, alarm systems, and entertainment devices.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Florida International University: Citizen scientists collect vital data on microplastics – from their yachts. “As part of a new collaborative project, dubbed the S.A.R.A.H. initiative, privately owned yachts become platforms for FIU scientists to conduct field research. Special nets are towed behind the vessels to gather samples of plastic debris in the water. They are designed to collect even the tiniest bits of plastic – that can be smaller than a grain of rice – known as microplastics.”

The Next Web: The world isn’t ready for deepfakes. Here’s what we need to do.. “But here’s the thing: deepfakes are getting so impossibly convincing, even the best discerners aided with the right technology are having trouble telling the difference between what’s faked and what’s real. This isn’t a parlor trick. In the right hands, deepfakes have the potential to destabilize entire societies—and we’re nowhere near ready to deal with the threat.” Good morning, Internet…

Do you like ResearchBuzz? Does it help you out? Please consider supporting it on Patreon. Not interested in commitment? Perhaps you’d buy me an iced tea. I love your comments, I love your site suggestions, and I love you. Feel free to comment on the blog, or @ResearchBuzz on Twitter. Thanks!