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Lewiston Maine, Myanmar Human Rights, New York City Infrastructure Spending, More: Saturday ResearchBuzz, November 4, 2023

NEW RESOURCES

State of Maine: Office of the Attorney General and Maine State Police Announce Release of Investigatory Documents in Mass Shooting. “The Office of the Attorney General and Maine State Police are announcing the release of documents in the investigation into mass shooter, Robert Card. The release includes the arrest warrant and accompanying affidavit, as well as the search warrants for Card’s phone, home, and vehicle. Given the significant interest in these documents, the organizations have created a website to house the documents for convenient public viewing.”

Christian Science Monitor: Thousands have died under Myanmar’s military rule. Can a website help?. “A group of human rights researchers officially launched a website Nov. 1 that they hope will help get justice for victims of state violence in Myanmar, where one of the world’s less-noticed but still brutal armed struggles is taking place. Since the army seized power in February 2021 from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, thousands of people have been killed by the security forces seeking to quash pro-democracy resistance.”

CityLand New York City: Mayor and Comptroller Release Comprehensive Capital Projects Tracker. “The tracker provides information about city construction projects including parks, bridges, and sewer infrastructure. The information provided includes data from agency project management systems and budget information including the total cost, the project’s current phase and expected timeline, and other details about the construction.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

ABC News (Australia): A year after Elon Musk bought Twitter, X is now a ‘worthless’ platform some say is no longer safe for activists. “Over the past 12 months, Mr Musk has gutted content moderation, restored accounts of previously banned extremists, and allowed users to purchase account verification. The blue bird logo has since disappeared, and so too have many advertisers and users who could no longer make sense of — or feel safe on — the platform now known as X.”

Search Engine Journal: Google Helps Small Businesses Stand Out With New Search Label. “In a company blog post, Google detailed upcoming changes to Search, Maps, and Merchant Center aimed at helping small businesses stand out. These include AI-powered product image generation, enhanced business information panels, and labels identifying ‘small business’ listings.”

AROUND THE INTERNET WORLD

Rolling Stone: Verified Hate Speech Accounts Are Pivoting to Palestine for Clout and Cash. “The weekslong Israeli assault on Gaza in response to a deadly surprise attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 has already cost thousands of lives, and the bloodshed will only continue as a ground invasion gets underway. But thousands of miles distant, paid clout-chasers on X, formerly Twitter, are using the conflict to boost their profiles — and a few who have successfully pivoted to pro-Palestine content were formerly known for hate speech, extremism, and conspiracy theories. Some may also be gaming social media algorithms through viral misinformation and reckless sharing of graphic imagery.”

Bloomberg: Google Deepmind Chief Calls Meta’s AI Criticisms ‘Preposterous’. “DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis hit back against criticisms from Meta Platforms Inc.’s chief AI scientist — who had criticized him and others in the industry for playing up the existential risks of the technology — calling them preposterous.”

NBC News: More Chinese migrants are crossing Panama’s jungle to come to the U.S.. “The U.S. is seeing a big increase in Chinese immigrants arriving using a relatively new and perilous route through Panama’s Darién Gap jungle, thanks in part to social media posts and videos providing step-by-step guidance.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

The Verge: Here’s a rare look at Google’s most lucrative search queries. “This week, during the US v. Google antitrust trial, we got a rare glimpse at a closely guarded secret: which search terms make the most money. The list is only for the week of September 22nd, 2018, and it is the list of top queries ordered by revenue and nothing else. Still, we’ve never seen anything quite like this before, and the list was only made public after long deliberations from Judge Amit Mehta, who has, over the course of the trial, begun to push both sides to be more public with information and data like this.”

Daily Maverick (South Africa): US couple attacked and robbed on the way to Cape Town airport after Google Maps directs them via high-risk route. “The attack on the couple, in which the husband was seriously injured, is the latest in a spate of stoning incidents on the notorious route. The City of Cape Town says it is scheduled to meet Google to determine how to warn motorists about the dangers in future.”

How-To Geek: CCleaner Got Hacked, Exposing Emails, Addresses, and More . “The incredibly popular maintenance and optimization tool for Windows, CCleaner, recently confirmed a data breach that exposed loads of user data on its paid customers. The breach was reportedly caused by the MOVEit hack back in May.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Washington State University: Positive messages can mitigate harm from objectified fitness posts. “A few words of body appreciation can help counter the negative impact of viewing objectified images of female fitness influencers, according to a Washington State University study.” Good morning, Internet…

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