NEW RESOURCES

Reporters Without Borders: RSF opens “The Uncensored Library” – The digital home of Press Freedom within a global computer game . “In many countries around the world, there is no free access to information. Web- sites are blocked, independent newspapers are banned and the press is controlled by the state. Young people grow up without being able to form their own opinions. By using Minecraft, the world’s most popular computer game, as a medium, we give them access to independent information.”

Char-Koosta News: New website, app, and exhibit showcase Montana’s National Register properties. “The Montana Historical Society (MHS) is pleased to introduce Historic Montana… our expanded and redesigned website, mobile app, and iPad exhibit. Historic Montana features narrative histories, photographs, and links to sources for hundreds of Montana buildings, neighborhoods, and cultural sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Its abundant content is reproduced from the thousands of National Register interpretive signs at properties across the state.”

A new Web site is working to aggregate information for freelancers impacted by COVID-19: COVID-19 Freelance Artist Resources. From the front page “This list is specifically designed to serve freelance artists, and those interested in supporting the independent artist community. This includes, but is not limited to, actors, designers, producers, technicians, stage managers, musicians, composers, choreographers, visual artists, filmmakers, craft artists, teaching artists, dancers, writers & playwrights, photographers, etc.”

Motherboard: We Built a Database of Over 500 iPhones Cops Have Tried to Unlock. “One of the top level findings of Motherboard’s dataset is that many law enforcement agencies and officials can not reliably access data stored on iPhones. Whether that’s due to a device having too strong a passcode, the phone being damaged, an unlocking capability not being available at that specific point in time, or a particular agency not having access to advanced forensic technology itself, Motherboard found many cases where investigators were not able to extract data from iPhones, at least according to the search warrants.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Google Blog: Get helpful health info from the NHS, right in Search. “Now, we’re making it even easier for people in the U.K. to find trusted information from the National Health Service (NHS). Beginning this week, when you search for health conditions like chickenpox, back pain, or the common cold, you can find Knowledge Panels with information from the NHS website that help you understand more about common causes, treatments and more.”

Ubergizmo: Google Maps Gains Lens Integration When Browsing Menus. “Ever wanted to know what to order at a restaurant? If you are in a new country exploring new restaurants, then you might want to consider firing up Google Maps. This is because according to a report from 9to5Google, it has been revealed that the company has integrated Google Lens into Google Maps.”

TNW: Google Chrome can now show devs how their sites look to users with visual impairments. “Google’s popular Chrome browser has launched a new tool to help developers tune their websites for different visual deficiencies such as color blindness and blurred vision.”

USEFUL STUFF

T.H.E. Journal: Age of Learning Offers Free Access for Elementary Schools Affected by Coronavirus. “An education technology company is opening up access to its digital study programs for young and elementary students. Age of Learning announced that it would grant free home access through the spring for schools and districts affected by coronavirus closures. The offer applies to three programs: ABCmouse, Adventure Academy and ReadingIQ.”

Shine has launched a new Web site for people trying to work through COVID anxiety: Care For Your Coronavirus Anxiety. I don’t care for mine at all. It’s kind of a jerk. “We know that the internet can be an overwhelming place right now, and it can be tough to find the support you need. So the team at Shine, in partnership with Mental Health America, have vetted and compiled a wealth of research-backed and helpful tools for you—articles, meditations, access to mental health experts, anxiety screenings, and more. Think of Care For Your Coronavirus Anxiety as your mental health toolkit during this time.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

TechCrunch: New Twitter client Brizzly+ lets you ‘edit’ and auto-delete your tweets. “Brizzly, the name associated with a long-gone Twitter client, and later, a goofy project highlighting our addiction to social media, is coming back. And this time, it’s focused on serving the needs of Twitter power users in search of features Twitter itself has failed to build — like an Edit button and an auto-deletion option for tweets, among other things.”

New York Times: Where Westchester Teens Get Their Coronavirus News. “‘Westchester memes is how people know what’s going on,’ Quinn Muller said. She’s 14 and lives in Sleepy Hollow, in Westchester County. She, and many of her peers in towns just north of New York City, are using local meme pages as their news source for updates about the new coronavirus.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

CNET: Thousands of fingerprint files exposed in unsecured database, research finds. “A web server containing records of about 76,000 unique fingerprints was left exposed on the internet, researchers said Wednesday. The unsecured fingerprint data, as well as employee email addresses and telephone numbers, had been collected by Brazilian company Antheus Tecnologia.”

Tom’s Guide: New Android malware can steal your Facebook account: How to stop it. “A new strain of Android malware tries to hijack Facebook user accounts, though it’s not certain what it plans to do with them. Named Cookiethief by the Kaspersky researchers who discovered it, the malware gets ‘root’ — total system control — on infected devices.”

FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin: Optimizing Facebook for Public Assistance in Investigations. “When communicating with the public directly through social media, agencies must choose their words carefully—as they would with traditional media—to respect the privacy rights of victims, witnesses, and subjects; avoid harming a case referred for prosecution; and deliver the desired message. To this end, the authors recently examined how departments can use social media most effectively and appropriately to procure the public’s help with investigations. They focused on the most commonly used site—Facebook.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Tubefilter: Despite Some Naysayers, Influencer Marketing Set For Big Growth In 2020. “A new report from Influencer Marketing Hub and CreatorIQ says the influencer marketing industry is set to grow to approximately $9.7 billion in 2020. Despite ongoing criticism and media coverage questioning its efficacy, this form of marketing is still incredibly popular: 91% of the 4,000 brands, marketing agencies, and industry professionals surveyed said using influencers is an effective marketing tool, the study reveals. Not only that, but 66% of those surveyed plan to increase influencer marketing budgets over the next year.”

EurekAlert: A new use for museum fish specimens. “The discoloured fish that rest in glass jars in museums across the world are normally used by specialists as references to study the traits that identify certain species. But a new study proposes an additional use for such ‘samples.’ Published in the Journal of Applied Ichthyology, the paper suggests using such specimens to estimate the length-weight relationships of fish that are hard to find alive in their natural environment.” Good morning,

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