NEW RESOURCES

Air Quality News: New database for carbuyers reveals vehicle pollution levels. “The AIR Alliance has created a database for car buyers that reveals the levels of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions created by a particular vehicle. Covering hundreds of models, the AIR Index details vehicle emissions information and rates each from A (the best) to E (the worst). The database is the result of rigorous on-road testing according to the legal standard method, CWA17379.”

DigitalNC: Air-O-Mech issues now on DigitalNC. “The Air-O-Mech is a newspaper published at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base (known at the time as Seymour Johnson Field) during World War II. It is now on DigitalNC thanks to our partner Wayne County Public Library. The paper’s first issue was published on January 8, 1943 and asked readers to submit a name for the paper and have a chance to win $5 if their name was selected.”

Radio Prague International: Website Puts Spotlight On Waves Of Czechoslovaks Interned In Notorious Soviet Gulag. “Thousands of Czechoslovak citizens were among those who passed through the vast network of brutal Soviet labour camps known as the Gulag. In recent years Prague’s Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes has carried out extensive research into this little-known historical chapter – and has just shared its findings via a brand new website. I spoke to the Institute’s Adam Hradilek, who said Czechoslovaks had ended up in the Gulag in several waves.” The site is current in Czech, but English and Russian versions are on the way.

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

CNET: Facebook stops letting advertisers target people interested in ‘pseudoscience’. “Facebook will no longer allow advertisers to target their ads at people interested in ‘pseudoscience.’ The move follows a report from The Markup that said Facebook was allowing such ads even amid companywide efforts to crack down on misinformation about the COVID-19 outbreak circulating on its platforms.”

Search Engine Land: Bing can now answer queries with a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. “Bing can now return a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answer for certain queries, the company announced Tuesday. The new search feature includes the one-word answer as well as a carousel of related excerpts from various sources.”

Vox Recode: Facebook Messenger will now try to fight scammers without reading your messages. “Facebook Messenger is rolling out a new tool to prevent scammers and imposters on its platform. The company will use artificial intelligence to help identify these potential bad actors and provide safety notices to users about messages from shady accounts.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

DCist: National Building Museum Lays Off Two-Thirds Of Its Staff. “Less than a month after it put much of its staff on furlough, the National Building Museum is permanently cutting two-thirds of its staff, citing loss of revenue due to the pandemic. More than 40 administrative and hourly visitor services positions will be eliminated, effective June 1, a museum spokesperson confirmed to DCist on Wednesday. That will leave just 18 core staff who are on partial furlough and two staff members working on grant-based projects.”

Reuters: Ireland should consider forcing Google, Facebook to pay media for content: PM. “The Irish government should consider copying Australia’s plan to force Facebook Inc (FB.O) and Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google to share advertising revenue with local media, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said [in April].”

Dayton Daily News: UD project to digitally preserve Paul Laurence Dunbar’s legacy. “The legacy of Dayton native Paul Laurence Dunbar will be forever preserved in a digital archive thanks to a nearly $100,000 grant awarded to the University of Dayton. On April 7, the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded UD a three-year $99,992 implementation grant to develop interdisciplinary courses and create a digital archive to help preserve the legacy of Dunbar, one of the first influential black poets in American literature.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Law .com: Social Media Postings May Risk User Copyrights. “Most people sign up for social media platforms without taking the time or effort to read the platform’s Terms of Use. In his Technology Law column, Peter Brown discusses a recent decision from the Southern District of New York that illustrates why this may be a risky proposition for professional photographers, artists or anyone who values their creative intellectual property.”

CNN: Virtual cybersecurity school teaches kids to fix security flaws and hunt down hackers. “What started as a school-based program to teach kids a new skill is extending into a virtual cyber school. It’s filled with lessons and games to teach users how to fix security flaws on webpages, uncover trails left by cybercriminals and decrypt codes used by hackers. The program is now available online for any student ages 13 – 18 for free in the UK, and $100 a year in the US.”

CNN: Nintendo reveals 160,000 accounts were breached. “Nintendo revealed on Friday that 160,000 accounts were breached since the beginning of April, by hackers using others’ Nintendo Network IDs without permission. The company announced users will no longer need to use these IDs to log into their accounts, and that passwords on accounts that may have been breached will be reset.” Good morning, Internet…

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