Day archives: October 22nd, 2020

Wikipedia and W.H.O. Join to Combat Covid Misinformation

The New York Times – The health agency will license much of its material to the online encyclopedia, allowing the information to be reposted widely into almost 200 languages. “As part of efforts to stop the spread of false information about the coronavirus pandemic, Wikipedia and the World Health Organization announced a collaboration on Thursday: …

Subjects: Education, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management, Medicine

Trump Issues Order Giving Him More Leeway to Hire and Fire Federal Workers

The New York Times – “President Trump signed an executive order this week that could substantially expand his ability to hire and fire tens of thousands of federal workers during a second term, potentially allowing him to weed out what he sees as a “deep state” bureaucracy working to undermine him. The executive order, issued …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

The Media Manipulation Casebook

“Using the Life Cycle of Media Manipulation, each case study features a chronological description of a media manipulation event, which is filtered along specific variables such as tactics, targets, mitigation, outcomes, and keywords…Led by Joan Donovan, PhD, the Technology and Social Change project (TaSC) is a team of interdisciplinary researchers analyzing how contemporary technologies of …

Subjects: Education, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Search Engines

United States of America, General Elections, 3 November 2020: Interim Report

Politico: “The first 2020 U.S. election report by international observers makes for sober reading, Ryan Heath emails us. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe — which has 47 member countries including the U.S. — has deployed 30 experts around the U.S. to monitor all aspects of the election through October. While that’s well …

Subjects: Congress, E-Records, Free Speech, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Social Media

ADL Launches Online Election Incident Reporting Tool in Response to Concerns of Extremist Interference

“In response to growing concerns that extremists could attempt to interfere at the polls in the next few weeks as Americans cast their ballots, ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) has established a new online incident reporting tool that will enable voters to flag any potential hate crimes or disruptions involving extremists. In addition to an online …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Pandemic Reality: Law Librarians Grapple With 24/7 Availability, Accelerated Digital Transition

Law.com – LegalTechNews [paywall] Pandemic Reality: Law Librarians Grapple With 24/7 Availability, Accelerated Digital Transition – “HBR Consulting revealed some early survey findings highlighting the impact COVID-19 has had on firms’ law librarians’ workload, print materials and innovation. In law firms’ “new normal,” lawyers may have to quarantine books for 72 hours before they’re placed …

Subjects: Health Care, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Where to Find Public Records Online

Life Hacker – “You can use the internet to find almost anything: a good restaurant, a recording of a half-remembered old commercial, recommendations for a good book, a podcast about basically anything, and yes, even public records. While our most private information (usually) can’t be found online, you can track down items like birth certificates, …

Subjects: Courts, E-Records, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Consumer Reports Study Finds Marketplace Demand for Privacy and Security

Consumer Reports – “American consumers are increasingly concerned about privacy and data security when purchasing new products and services, which may be a competitive advantage to companies that take action towards these consumer values, a new Consumer Reports study finds. The new study, “Privacy Front and Center” from CR’s Digital Lab with support from Omidyar …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Commerce, Economy, Financial System, ID Theft, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy

AI research has a big problem, and these powerhouse professors are calling it out

Fast Company – “A powerhouse list of professors from Stanford University, MIT, Johns Hopkins University, Harvard School of Public Health, and others want you to know there’s a big problem in AI research. Dozens of AI experts signed an article in Nature saying that unlike research in other scientific fields, top AI studies are often …

Subjects: AI, Education, Knowledge Management

CDC rewrites definition for coronavirus ‘close contact’

The Guardian – “The leading US federal public health agency has rewritten its definition of who is at risk of contracting coronavirus to include people who come into close contact with infected individuals in multiple short bursts over a 24-hour period. The new definition of “close contact” issued on Wednesday by the Centers for Disease …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Education, Government Documents, Health Care

Jews in Europe at the turn of the Millennium: Population trends and estimates

Institute for Jewish Policy Research: “This detailed and thorough report is rapidly becoming the ‘must-read’ study on European Jews – Jews in Europe at the turn of the Millennium – Population – trends and estimates – taking the reader on an extraordinary journey through one thousand years of European Jewish history before arriving at the most …

Subjects: Education