NEW RESOURCES

Poynter: New source databases look to encourage journalists to diversify their sourcing. “As media organizations continue to scrutinize their diversity and equity initiatives following last summer’s industry-wide reckoning, some are turning their attention to the core of every story — sources.”

CBC: Initiative to promote Black-owned businesses goes national with launch of new database. “The Torontonian creator of a website and social media account spotlighting local Black-owned businesses is taking her initiative across the country with the launch of an expanded online store and a national database she hopes will soon have hundreds of listings. Black Owned Canada debuted this week and its founder, Kerin John, is calling on business owners across the country to sign up to be featured.”

EurekAlert: Free, online course brings together 20 global experts in the field of ethical AI. “The Governance Lab (The GovLab), NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Global AI Ethics Consortium (GAIEC), Center for Responsible AI @ NYU (R/AI), and Technical University of Munich (TUM) Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence (IEAI) jointly launched a free, online course, AI Ethics: Global Perspectives, on February 1, 2021. Designed for a global audience, it conveys the breadth and depth of the ongoing interdisciplinary conversation on AI ethics and seeks to bring together diverse perspectives from the field of ethical AI, to raise awareness and help institutions work towards more responsible use.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

TechCrunch: Tweetbot 6 released with new subscription pricing. “Tapbots, the company behind Tweetbot, has released a major update for the iPhone and iPad. Tweetbot 6 is now available in the App store. While there aren’t a lot of visual changes, there are a couple of important things happening under the hood.”

Euronews: Myanmar coup: Junta blocks internet as well as social media amid growing anti-coup protests . “Myanmar’s new military authorities appeared to have cut most access to the internet on Saturday as they faced a rising tide of protest over their coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected civilian government.”

BetaNews: KB4598299 and KB4598301 are the latest problematic Windows 10 updates. “Microsoft has acknowledged that two recent updates for Windows 10 are causing problems for users. People who have installed KB4598299 and KB4598301 are reporting BSoDs as well as app crashes.”

USEFUL STUFF

Make Tech Easier: 10 Chrome Flags You Should Enable to Boost Your Browsing. “Chrome Flags come and go at a rapid rate. These features have been aptly renamed to ‘Experiments’ by Google because they let you enable, disable and customize various features that are yet to make it into the mainline Chrome release. Quite often, these features never end up making it into the full version of Chrome. But there are some real gems in Chrome flags which can really enhance your browsing, so we’ve put together a list of the best of them for you here.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

New York Times: Are Private Messaging Apps the Next Misinformation Hot Spot?. “The shift to private messaging has renewed a debate over whether encryption is a double-edged sword. While the technology prevents people from being spied on, it might also make it easier for criminals and misinformation spreaders to do harm without getting caught.”

Opelika-Auburn News: Two Auburn teens figure out how to convert unused computing power into charitable donations. “John Stanwick, a senior at Auburn High School, and Camp Steiner, an Auburn High alumnus who graduated last year, are doing their part to help save the environment with the help of Charitas.co, a nonprofit company and computer program they created that uses cryptocurrency to fund nonprofits around the world.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Human Rights Watch: Russia: Social Media Pressured to Censor Posts. “Russian authorities are escalating pressure on social media companies, forcing them to censor online content deemed illegal by the government, Human Rights Watch said today. Social media platforms have received warnings and face fines and potential blocking for failure to comply with Russia’s rapidly growing oppressive internet legislation.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Wired: I Love Reading 1980s Computer Magazines, and So Should You. “Some species of technology go extinct for good reason. The penny-farthing, with its huge front wheel, seems vaguely ridiculous in retrospect—and also pretty dangerous. In a Darwinian struggle, it should die. But sometimes an innovation dies out for some other, lesser reason—one that’s more a function of the market at the time, or other considerations, than any overarching principle of quality…. Many other good ideas have gotten buried in the past and are waiting to be rediscovered.”

CNET: Teens, social media use and mental health: What you really need to know. “Last week, the UK’s Education Policy Institute and The Prince’s Trust published a study that linked heavy social media use to negative well-being and self-esteem in teens, especially among girls. The study was widely covered by the media, featuring alarming headlines about how social media use was causing the mental health of teenagers across the UK to spiral. The message relayed by news publications left little room for nuance. But when you dig a little deeper into the science of social media’s impact on well-being, the picture looks infinitely more murky.” Good afternoon, Internet…

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