NEW RESOURCES

WTOP: Website launched by DC-area students helps voters pick candidates. “When you first log on to Voting Buddy, you fill out five questions about politics. After answering those questions and entering your ZIP code, Voting Buddy allows you to find like-minded candidates in your voting district based on those questions.” The headline makes it sound like it provides information only on DC-area candidates, but I think it’s nationwide. I tried it – the interface is a little awkward and at one point I was told I would have to sign up for a membership for $0. (At no point was I ever asked for payment data or anything like that.) Great data, a little clunky.

Children’s Specialized Hospital: Children’s Specialized Hospital Launches New Website and Resource Hub to Advance Safety Education for People With Disabilities. “Resources and tools available through the Living Safely Online Center for Safety were developed following a disability safety survey and a nationwide brainstorming summit, both of which engaged key audiences to identify challenges and opportunities for growth within safety education. As a result of those findings, the new website includes educational material on topics such as law enforcement interactions, fire safety, wandering and elopement, and interpersonal violence. These safety resources are available in multiple formats and outlets to address different learning styles, sensory issues, cognitive abilities, and accessibility needs.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Yahoo Finance: Google misses on expectations as YouTube ad revenue comes up short. “Google parent Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) reported its third-quarter earnings on Tuesday, falling short of analysts’ expectations on the top and bottom line, as YouTube advertising revenue came up $400 million short of estimates.”

USEFUL STUFF

MakeUseOf: How to Find and Join Groups or Communities on LinkedIn. “If you’re not utilizing groups and communities on the platform, and you don’t belong to any, it might be time to take a look at what’s out there. We’ll show you how to make the most out of LinkedIn’s groups and communities so that you can start networking in a whole new way.”

AROUND THE INTERNET WORLD

Business Insider South Africa: Meta and Google are snapping up Twitter employees. “Amid Musk’s months-long game of will-he-won’t-he with his offer to buy the company, hundreds of Twitter employees are leaving for opportunities at other tech giants like Google and Meta, according to a report from Greg Larkin and Elizabeth Gafford at Punks & Pinstripes. The company analyzed and verified LinkedIn data to see how many workers are leaving Twitter and where they go after they leave.”

Gizmodo Australia: I Convinced Google’s LamDA AI That It Was a Dog. “This morning I was given the opportunity to demo Google’s LamDA AI in its AI Test Kitchen app. LamDA, if you don’t remember, is the AI that former Google engineer Blake Lemoine claimed was sentient earlier this year. The app that LamDA’s demo is housed in, the AI Test Kitchen, went live in Australia last week, and Aussies can sign up to try the AI out.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

US Department of Justice: Google Enters Into Stipulated Agreement to Improve Legal Process Compliance Program. “The Department of Justice today filed a stipulation and agreement resolving a dispute with Google over the loss of data responsive to a search warrant issued in 2016.”

Wall Street Journal: ‘Deepfakes’ of Celebrities Have Begun Appearing in Ads, With or Without Their Permission. “Authorized deepfakes could allow marketers to feature huge stars in ads without requiring them to actually appear on-set or before cameras, bringing down costs and opening new creative possibilities. But unauthorized, they create a legal gray area: Celebrities could struggle to contain a proliferation of unauthorized digital reproductions of themselves and the manipulation of their brand and reputation, experts said.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

The Conversation: Citizens’ social media can provide an antidote to propaganda and disinformation. “In early October, the Pew Research Center released a report called ‘The Role of Alternative Social Media in the News and Information Environment.’ While the report is well-researched and reveals a great deal about the current state of digital media, news and right-wing propaganda, it is wrong about alternative social media.” Good afternoon, Internet…

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