NEW RESOURCES

PV Magazine: Online mapping tool to identify policy-suitable land for renewables. “The tool is reportedly able to determine the number of rooftop or ground-mounted solar projects that can be deployed in a given area, as well as the maximum number of wind turbines within a site considering site geometry and the minimum distance required between each turbine. It can also identify buildings that can be connected to a district heating network within a specified distance.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Axios: Biden administration hires Twitter security whistleblower. “Peiter ‘Mudge’ Zatko, the high-profile hacker and Twitter security whistleblower, is joining the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Why it matters: Zatko’s hire brings more muscle to an agency that lacks — and doesn’t appear to want — regulatory authorities.”

The Conversation: The Conversation launches in Brazil. “Since The Conversation launched in Melbourne in 2011 we have grown around the world, with teams in New Zealand, large parts of Africa, Spain, France, the UK, US, Indonesia and Canada. Yesterday we welcomed a new team to our fold, working in Brazil and publishing in Portuguese, our fifth language.”

AROUND THE INTERNET WORLD

Vice: Twitter Users Are Warning Each Other About Its Junk Ads With Community Notes. “Mainstream advertisers have fled the platform in droves since erratic billionaire Elon Musk took over the site, and what’s replaced them is a flood of dropshipping companies and scammy video games. The problem has gotten so bad that users have taken it upon themselves to warn each other about the site’s junky ads: Often, they come with a community note informing users that this product ad, made by one of the few people willing to still give Elon Musk money to advertise on Twitter, is actually misleading.”

Rolling Stone: Dionne Warwick Wants a Word With ‘Young Man’ Elon Musk About Changes to X. “DIONNE WARWICK IS not totally impressed with Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, now known as X. Earlier this week, People asked the singer what she thought of Musk’s plan to remove the social media platform’s blocking feature. ‘I have yet to speak to that young man and I intend to because I am not quite sure what he’s doing or if he knows what he’s doing,’ Warwick replied. ‘So until that happens, I’ll reserve my answer to that question.'”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Channel News Asia: Malaysia mulls rules for Google, Meta to pay news outlets for content. “Malaysia said on Tuesday (Sep 5) it is considering regulations that will make internet giants Alphabet’s Google and Facebook parent Meta Platforms compensate news outlets for content sourced from them.”

Bloomberg Law: FDA’s ‘Not a Horse’ Covid-19 Twitter Posts Are Agency Actions. “‘Tweet-sized doses of personalized medical advice are beyond’ the Food and Drug Administration’s statutory authority, the Fifth Circuit ruled as to the agency’s social media posts that discouraged using ivermectin to treat Covid-19. A lower court must decide whether the case from three ivermectin-prescribing doctors has “any other jurisdictional” or standing issues that would prevent it from moving forward so remand was appropriate, the appeals court also said.”

Associated Press: Carmakers fail privacy test, give owners little or no control on personal data they collect. “Cars are getting an ‘F’ in data privacy. Most major manufacturers admit they may be selling your personal information, a new study finds, with half also saying they would share it with the government or law enforcement without a court order. The proliferation of sensors in automobiles — from telematics to fully digitized control consoles — has made them prodigious data-collection hubs.” Never thought I’d be glad our car is 15 years old.

RESEARCH & OPINION

The Verge: Elon Musk paid for our attention, but the price to keep it is getting higher. “I see Elon Musk has pivoted from pretending he’s going to physically fight Mark Zuckerberg to pretending he is going to sue the Anti-Defamation League. Okay. There are people who still take Musk seriously, and I wish them well on their journey. This blog is for the rest of us.”

The Guardian: Manchester Museum hands back 174 objects to Indigenous Australian islanders. “Manchester Museum’s return of the objects is significant because repatriation projects normally revolve around sacred or ceremonial items…. In this case, Manchester is returning everyday objects with a more mundane backstory. They include dolls made from shells, baskets, fishing spears, boomerangs, armbands and a map made from turtle shells, all being sent back to the Anindilyakwa community, who live on an archipelago in the Gulf of Carpentaria, off the northern coast of Australia.” Good afternoon, Internet…

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