NEW RESOURCES

EPFL: Explore The Most Detailed Map Of The Universe. “Have you ever wanted to explore outer-space? Now you can, without leaving Earth, thanks to powerful, open-source beta software VIRUP that builds – in real-time – a virtual universe based on the most detailed contemporary astrophysical and cosmological data.”

City of Phoenix, Arizona: New Online Art Map Now Available. “The City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture’s new online Public Art Map is up and ready for self-guided tours. It features more than 200 major public art projects created throughout Phoenix by the city’s award-winning Public Art Program.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Bleeping Computer: Brave web browser will add bounce tracking privacy protection. “Brave, the privacy-conscious web browser, has announced plans to introduce additional privacy protections against ‘bounce tracking,’ a newer form of tracking that is not currently blocked by the browser.”

CNET: Instagram focuses on creators with new tools, doubles down on video. “Instagram said it’s rolling out new features, including a way to co-author posts and short videos, underscoring the Facebook-owned social network’s effort to double down on retaining and attracting creators.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

BBC: Facebook to hire 10,000 in EU to work on metaverse. “Facebook is planning to hire 10,000 people in the European Union to develop a so-called metaverse. A metaverse is an online world where people can game, work and communicate in a virtual environment, often using VR headsets.”

New York Times: Roblox, the Gaming Site, Wants to Grow Up Without Sacrificing Child Safety. “Roblox’s effort to keep in touch with an older audience while maintaining a safe environment for its youngest users offers both a road map and a cautionary note for other internet companies attempting the opposite: engaging with a younger audience.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

New York Times: Details of alleged Google-Facebook collusion must be made public, judge orders. “Details of alleged collusion between Google and Facebook to squash competition in the online ad space are set to be made public this week, a federal judge has ordered.”

PRNewswire: The Coalition of Abused Scouts for Justice Secures Commitment From Boy Scouts of America to Appoint a Survivor on National Executive Board (PRESS RELEASE). “Additionally, the Coalition announced the launch of its new website, scoutingabusesurvivors.com, to share critical information and updates to the survivor community as they vote from now until December 14, 2021 to approve the Reorganization Plan, which includes the largest sexual abuse settlement fund in history – $1.887 billion and growing.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

National Review: There’s Nothing Wrong with Section 230. “On Saturday, Nate Hochman argued in these pages that, in order to ‘secure a wider sphere of political liberty,’ the time has come for a ‘narrowing’ or ‘repealing’ of Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. Hochman is wrong on the merits, wrong on the detail, and wrong in his underlying implication, which is that the social-media companies he wishes to control are ‘state-sanctioned actor[s].'” I often hear people with lives ask what the big deal is about Section 230. This editorial is a decent overview of potential problems should it be revoked/narrowed. That said, Internet moderation is a complex and frustrating issue and if you change your mind about it ten times in fifteen minutes I don’t blame you.

Snopes: How Facebook’s Failures Line Up With Frances Haugen’s Whistleblower Docs. “We connected the dots between some of our own past investigations and the internal Facebook research that whistleblower Frances Haugen made public.” Good afternoon, Internet…

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