NEW RESOURCES

WAFF: ADECA unveils Alabama Broadband Map and Connectivity Plan. “On Wednesday, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) released the Alabama Broadband Map and Connectivity Plan. The Connectivity Plan helps recommend broadband expansion while the broadband map shows the current broadband availability in Alabama.”

The Guardian: More than 1,000 US public figures aided Trump’s effort to overturn election. “The finding that 1,011 individuals in the public realm played a role in election subversion around the 2020 presidential race comes from a new pro-democracy initiative that launched on Wednesday. The Insurrection Index seeks to identify all those who supported Trump in his bid to hold on to power despite losing the election, in the hope that they can be held accountable and prevented from inflicting further damage to the democratic infrastructure of the country.”

New-to-me, from The Skinny: Scottish clubbers’ favourite dancefloor moments. “Featuring input from the promoters behind some of Scotland’s most famous parties from the 80s to the present day – including Subculture’s Harri & Domenic, Optimo’s JD Twitch, and trailblazing audiovisual DJ VAJ.Power – the archive provides a brief overview of Scotland’s vibrant club scene. But club culture is and always will be about the dancers, so we’ve picked out some of the recent submissions to the archive from members of the public to share some of the clubbers’ memories from the dancefloor.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Gizmodo: Google’s Improved Fast Pair Feature Will Make You Feel Like An Apple User. “If you’re deep into Google’s platforms — and I mean, you’ve got an Android phone, a Chromebook, and a Google TV set up in the living room — Google’s CES 2022 announcements might sound like a payoff to you for sticking with the ecosystem. The company revealed details for some of its most anticipated features, including a timeline for when its seamless Fast Pair feature will come to more devices. It’s also introducing new ways for Android to interact with Chromebooks.”

TechRadar: Google Chrome now lets you delete the data a website has on you. “Google has released Chrome 97, the latest iteration of its internet browser, offering not just the usual tweaks and upgrades, but also way more control over the data websites store on individual visitors.”

CNET: TikTok partners with Atmosphere to deliver its videos to commercial venues. “On Wednesday, the maker of the popular short-form-video app announced a partnership to provide curated videos to venues such as Taco Bell eateries, Texas Roadhouse restaurants and Westin hotels. The deal, with Atmosphere, a streaming TV platform for businesses, marks the first time TikTok’s user-generated content will be available on an out-of-home TV platform, the companies said.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Amherst Bulletin: Virtual summit to mark launch of Western Mass ArtsHub. “A new website that will include an online portal with information about local artists and creative businesses throughout the region is set to launch next month. Creators of the Western Mass ArtsHub say the initiative will be the first comprehensive website to list artists in every discipline.”

Washington Post: Google is manipulating browser extensions to stifle competitors, DuckDuckGo CEO says . “Google is already facing mounting legal challenges from regulators globally who accuse the tech giant of maintaining an illegal monopoly over its search and digital advertising businesses. But now one of its most prominent rivals is alleging that the titan is abusing browser extensions to favor its products and stifle competitors, adding a new wrinkle to the high-stakes antitrust debate and momentum to calls for new regulation.”

BBC: Kosovo bans cryptocurrency mining after blackouts. “Kosovo has banned the mining of cryptocurrencies to curb electricity use as it grapples with an energy crisis caused by soaring global prices. The government says security services will identify and clamp down on sources of cryptocurrency mining.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Techdirt: Google Blocked An Article About Police From The Intercept… Because The Title Included A Phrase That Was Also A Movie Title. “A week before Christmas, Radley Balko published a typically excellent story about the police chief in Little Rock, Arkansas, Keith Humphrey. It’s a good story, and you should read it…. Anyway, what caught my attention was that a few days after the article went live, The Intercept reported that it had been removed from Google search due to a DMCA copyright takedown notice.”

CNBC: Sen. Warren and Rep. Jayapal tell Google to stop trying to ‘bully’ DOJ antitrust chief into recusal. “Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., told Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Wednesday to stop trying to ‘bully’ Department of Justice antitrust chief Jonathan Kanter into recusal in a new letter shared exclusively with CNBC.”

Bloomberg: Google, Facebook Slapped With French Privacy Fines Over Cookies. “Alphabet Inc.’s Google was slapped with a record French fine of 150 million euros ($170 million) by the nation’s privacy watchdog, together with a 60 million-euro fine for Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook, over the way the companies manage cookies.” Good morning, Internet…

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