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Daily Archives: May 27, 2020

Trump’s executive order targets political bias at Twitter and Facebook: draft

Reuters: “U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to order a review of a law that has long protected Twitter, Facebook and Alphabet’s Google from being responsible for the material posted by their users, according to a draft executive order and a source familiar with the situation. News of the order comes after Trump threatened to shut down websites he accused of stifling conservative voices following a dispute with Twitter after the company decided to tag Trump’s tweets about unsubstantiated claims [note – this link references news on this incident posted by beSpacific] of fraud in mail-in voting with a warning prompting readers to fact-check the posts. The order, a draft copy of which was seen by Reuters, could change before it is finalized. On Wednesday, officials said Trump will sign an executive order on social media companies on Thursday.

The executive order would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to propose and clarify regulations under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a federal law largely exempting online platforms from legal liability for the material their users post. Such changes could expose tech companies to more lawsuits. The order asks the FCC to examine whether actions related to the editing of content by social media companies should potentially lead to the platform forfeiting its protections under section 230…The draft order also states that the White House Office of Digital Strategy will re-establish a tool to help citizens report cases of online censorship. Called the White House Tech Bias Reporting Tool, it will collect complaints of online censorship and submit them to the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)…”

How Law Firms Are Responding to COVID-19 [Survey Results]

Via LLRX – How Law Firms Are Responding to COVID-19 [Survey Results] – On an individual level, lawyers and legal professionals are experiencing a mix of productivity challenges in a new and potentially permanently changed legal landscape. Martin Cogburn discusses the top productivity challenges individuals are facing, the tools they’re adopting, and their thoughts on… Continue Reading

Biological Informatics 2020

Via LLRX – Biological Informatics 2020 – We can and do depend upon Marcus P. Zillman’s ability to consistently provide LLRX readers with timely, informative and actionable subject matter resource guides. This month he provides an extensive bibliography on bioinformatics – “an interdisciplinary field that develops methods and software tools for understanding biological data, in… Continue Reading

How not to fall for coronavirus BS: avoid the 7 deadly sins of thought

Via LLRX – How not to fall for coronavirus BS: avoid the 7 deadly sins of thought – Luke Zaphir, Researcher for the University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project, posits that amid the panicked flurry of the pandemic, employing concepts from the field of critical thinking called vice epistemology can be demonstrably useful. This theory… Continue Reading

Gmail’s new feature makes it easier to personalize your inbox

TechCrunch: “Google is introducing a new “quick settings” menu in Gmail aimed at helping users browse, discover and use different themes and settings to customize their Gmail experience. These options include the ability to change the density of text, select from different inbox types and add reading panes and options to theme your inbox. They… Continue Reading

Appeals court rules in favor of Google, Apple, Facebook and Twitter in anti-conservative bias suit

TechCrunch: “The same day Donald Trump took to Twitter to threaten to regulate or shut down social media sites, the U.S. appeals court in Washington, D.C. dismissed a lawsuit accusing top tech companies of silencing conservative voices. Filed in 2018 by nonprofit Freedom Watch and right-wing gadfly Laura Loomer, the suit accused Apple, Facebook, Twitter… Continue Reading

Inspector General Vacancy Tracker

POGO – Where Are All the Watchdogs? “Offices of Inspectors General (OIG) serve as independent watchdogs within federal agencies and are essential to a well-functioning federal government. They conduct audits and investigations that identify wasteful government practices, fraud by individuals and government contractors, and other sorts of government misconduct, even including torture. Congress and the public… Continue Reading

COVID-19: Resources for Tracking Federal Spending and Federal Awards

COVID-19: Resources for Tracking Federal Spending May 27, 2020: “Congress has responded to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic with various legislation providing relief to individuals and families, state and local governments, businesses, healthcare providers, and other entities. This CRS Insight provides information on selected sources for tracking COVID-19 relief funding provided through these bills.… Continue Reading

A flood of coronavirus apps are tracking us. Now it’s time to keep track of them

MIT Technology Review – Our Covid Tracing Tracker project will document them. “…When we began comparing apps around the world, we realized there was no central repository of information; just incomplete, constantly changing data spread across a wide range of sources. Nor was there a single, standard approach being taken by developers and policymakers: citizens… Continue Reading

Covid-19 Hits Conservation Efforts

UNDARK: Researchers behind habitat restoration and wildlife protection groups are struggling to continue work amid the pandemic. “..Across North America, Africa, and elsewhere, conservation efforts that keep delicate ecosystems in check are struggling as the Covid-19 pandemic keeps many people confined to their homes. There are no tourists, who help fund a range of projects.… Continue Reading

Even with a vaccine coronavirus may never go away

Washington Post – “There’s a good chance the coronavirus will never go away. Even after a vaccine is discovered and deployed, the coronavirus will likely remain for decades to come, circulating among the world’s population. Experts call such diseases endemic — stubbornly resisting efforts to stamp them out. Think measles, HIV, chickenpox. It is a… Continue Reading