NEW RESOURCES

Government of Canada: Defence Minister Bill Blair announces launch of new online database to make Defence conduct and culture research and policies more open and accessible. “The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, today announced the launch of an online Conduct and Culture Research and Policy Database. The database makes research and policies related to sexual harassment and misconduct, gender, sexual orientation, race, diversity and inclusion, and culture change more readily accessible to the public, as well as to members of the Department of National Defence (DND) and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).”

Utah State University: USU Presents Digital Exhibition on I-15’s Impact on Salt Lake City’s West Side. “The Libraries and the Department of History at Utah State University collaborated to create a digital exhibition on the construction of Interstate 15 through the west side of Salt Lake City, an under-researched topic in Utah history.”

Newsfile: Muay Thai Records Launches the Most Comprehensive Database for UK’s Thriving Fight Community (PRESS RELEASE). “Founded in July 2023, Muay Thai Records is a newly-formed website offering a deep dive into the world of Muay Thai. With a database of over 30,000 fighter records, the site is a haven for fighters, trainers, and fans alike.” The site says that this is an early release and a full launch is expected in March 2024.

AROUND THE INTERNET WORLD

Traditional Music Forum: Scottish Traditional Music Archive Directory – Call for Organisations. “The Traditional Music Forum (TMF) is developing a Directory of organisations inside and outside of Scotland with collections of Scottish traditional music as part of our work towards a Scottish Traditional Music Archive. The Directory will act as a signpost to help people interested in Scottish traditional music identify pertinent collections, contact collection holders, and make links between material.”

The Register: Mozilla’s midlife crisis has taken it from web pioneer to Google’s weird neighbor. “Mozilla, please stop aping Chrome. Copying is rarely the way to win big. The Australis Chrome-like theme in Firefox 29 annoyed users and was a driving force behind Pale Moon. Firefox Quantum killed XUL addons, and drove The Reg FOSS desk to Waterfox Classic. Others went to Basilisk instead, while XP users have MyPal.”

WIRED: The Truth About the Taylor Swift, Jets Game, Google Search Conspiracy Theory. “No one will ever know if Swift went to a Jets game specifically to shift the SEO for ‘Taylor Swift jets,’ but what is true is that interest in that search is currently the highest it’s ever been on Google Trends. Comparatively, the interest in the search term in summer 2022, when the news was going around about her PJs, has been bumped down to single digits. So if it was a gambit, it worked. Not only are the search results upended, but now TikTok videos about the ‘genius’ move are getting half a million views.” All you need to do to bypass this “genius move” is use Back that Ask Up and take one month off your search date. Presto, you’re back to reading about Taylor Swift and her carbon-burning globe hopping.

SECURITY & LEGAL

Reuters: Google changes user data practices to end German antitrust probe. “Alphabet unit Google has agreed to change its user data practices to end a German antitrust investigation aimed at curbing its data-driven market power, the German cartel office said on Thursday.”

404 Media: Food Delivery Robots Are Feeding Camera Footage to the LAPD, Internal Emails Show. “A food delivery robot company that delivers for Uber Eats in Los Angeles provided video filmed by one of its robots to the Los Angeles Police Department as part of a criminal investigation, 404 Media has learned. The incident highlights the fact that delivery robots that are being deployed to sidewalks all around the country are essentially always filming, and that their footage can and has been used as evidence in criminal trials.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

IANS: Facebook, X and YouTube Pages Most Delisted From Google Search Using ‘Right To Be Forgotten’, Says Report. “Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube pages are the most delisted from Google Search when requested by European individuals using the ‘right to be forgotten’ privacy law, a new report has shown.”

Federal Trade Commission: FTC Data Shows Consumers Report Losing $2.7 Billion to Social Media Scams Since 2021. “In a new data spotlight, the FTC also takes a deep dive into social media scam trends in the first half of 2023. Reports during the first half of the year show that the most frequently reported scams on social media are related to online shopping, with 44 percent of reports pointing to fraud related to buying or selling products online. Most of these reports come from people who never received the items they ordered after responding to an ad on Facebook or Instagram.” Good afternoon, Internet…

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