NEW RESOURCES

Congressional Budget Office: CBO Updates Its Interactive Tool for Analyzing the Effects of Federal Minimum-Wage Increases . “Today, CBO updated its interactive tool—initially released in November 2019—that allows users to create custom policy options to examine how different approaches to changing the minimum wage would affect earnings, employment, family income, and poverty. The estimates shown in the tool were generated using the same methods underlying CBO’s most recent reports on minimum-wage increases: The Budgetary Effects of the Raise the Wage Act of 2021, published in February 2021, and The Effects on Employment and Family Income of Increasing the Federal Minimum Wage, published in July 2019.”

News12: New Jersey launches searchable site of police use-of-force reports. “The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General has launched an online database that allows the public to search reports of police use of force from across the state’s more than 500 police departments. Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said Tuesday in a statement that the new site, which his office says is a beta, or test, version, is part of an ongoing effort to increase police accountability and openness.”

News Tribune: Missouri Supreme Court launches bicentennial website celebrating courts. “The new website, which features interactive timelines, offers users a chance to explore the early days of Missouri’s courts, discover how the courts expanded to address the state’s increased case volume, learn about additional changes in the 20th century and explore how Missouri’s courts reorganized to better serve citizens. Its final timeline on the judiciary’s much more recent history examines how embracing new technologies are helping the courts improve their service.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Neowin: TikTok will automatically generate subtitles for videos in accessibility push. “In an attempt to make the app more accessible, TikTok announced today that it is introducing auto captions, which would automatically generate subtitles so users can read or listen to the content that they’re viewing.”

9to5 Google: New Gmail with Google Chat tabs rolling out for free accounts, here’s how to turn on. “Last year, Google announced that the future of Gmail will see Chat messaging and group Rooms join the existing Meet video calling integration. This is already available to enterprise Workspace users, and Google is now letting personal Gmail accounts get this ‘integrated workspace.'” Isn’t this something GMail had several years ago, or was that a different integrated chat?

USEFUL STUFF

The Scotsman: Google Easter eggs 2021: best secret tricks from Barrel roll to Askew and Zerg Rush – and how to do them. “While Google is considered a helpful and informative search engine, it’s actually packed full of fun hidden tricks that many users aren’t aware of. From pop culture references to games and animations, these are the best hidden Easter eggs scattered around Google, and how to find them.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

New York Times: Pinterest Is Said to Be in Talks to Acquire the Photo App VSCO . “Pinterest has held talks to buy VSCO, a photography app that spawned a teenage social media craze, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.”

Politico: Facebook’s ‘supreme court’ struggles to set global free speech rules. “Roughly two months since a group of outside experts started ruling on what people could post on Facebook, cracks in the so-called Oversight Board are already starting to show. So far, the independent body of human rights experts, free speech supporters and legal scholars that rules on what content Facebook must take down or put back up has reversed the social media giant’s decisions in four out of its first five cases.”

Washington Post: Corporations are working with social media influencers to cancel-proof their racial justice initiatives. “Advocating for racial allyship is not something corporate America has traditionally embraced. But the multiracial protests against police brutality last year prompted many companies to examine their role in combating systemic racism and pushing White Americans to reflect on their understanding of race and privilege — all while trying to increase market share. With every new well-meaning — or opportunistic, depending on the details — effort comes the potential for public and painful missteps.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Atlantic Council: Social media helps and hurts Iranian elections. Here’s how.. “The internet has always been one of the most challenging issues for the Iranian government, especially during elections. Over the past three years alone, Iran has tried to meet this challenge on numerous occasions by shutting down the internet during nationwide protests or blocking popular apps and websites. According to the 2020 Internet freedom index, Iran ranks at the bottom at fifteenth or, to put it in another way, “not free”. In this piece, I will try to examine the pros and cons of social media during every Iranian election since 2009 and speculate about the potential of a new app ahead of the June vote.”

Sky News Australia: Federal government considering ID verification for social media accounts. “The federal government is considering a ban on anonymous social media accounts as part of major changes to tackle the scourge of domestic violence.”

SAMAA: Court seeks report on Pakistan social media rules. “The Islamabad High Court has ordered the government committee on social media rules to submit its report on May 10. A bench headed by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard the case on Friday.” Good morning, Internet…

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