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Daily Archives: December 7, 2020

Covid disinformation sites often use tools from Google, Facebook and Apple

Washington Post: “Google, Facebook, Apple and other technology companies that try to keep covid-19 disinformation and fraud off their own platforms are enabling their spread through online services, tools and code used by websites that push such content, according to a new report from Oxford University. The 120 websites studied by the Oxford researchers support protests against government health restrictions or spread misleading information about the disease caused by the coronavirus — false cures, fake charities or misleading health advice. These sites use web hosting, ad-tracking services, web development tools and social media links from leading technology companies. Some of the tools are free “widgets” or bits of computer code that allow web designers to expand the capabilities of their sites and are used widely across the Internet, often without the companies that produce them knowing who is deploying them. Several problematic sites, for example, support financial transactions through Apple Pay, use Apple’s affiliate links or enable compatibility with Apple devices such as the iPhone, the Oxford researchers said. Some of the content pushed by the websites using these tools and services probably would not be permitted on platforms run by several of the same top technology companies, including Facebook and Google, whose web tools were “particularly pervasive” on the sites, the report found. These and other companies have worked for months to fight scammers seeking to profit from the pandemic and disinformation that undermines the efforts of public health officials to control it.

A new global dashboard for COVID-19 monitoring

World Bank Data Blog: “This blog presents a global dashboard that compiles publicly available Google search data and can be used by policymakers and the general public to understand how internet search interest for different terms or phrases can be used to effectively assess the spread of the coronavirus in real-time for almost 200 countries… Continue Reading

Never click on this kind of Zoom invite. You’ll thank us forever

Fast Company: “…According to the IT security company Check Point Software Technologies, 16,004 Zoom-related domains were registered between late April and today. Con artists are impersonating Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, too. “For people who are in this business of doing phishing schemes, it becomes the scam du jour. What’s popular now? How can I… Continue Reading

Air Pollution: Opportunities to Better Sustain and Modernize the National Air Quality Monitoring System

Opportunities to Better Sustain and Modernize the National Air Quality Monitoring System GAO-21-38: Published: Nov 12, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 7, 2020. “The national ambient air quality monitoring system measures air pollution levels at fixed locations across the country. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, state, and local agencies cooperatively manage this system’s aging infrastructure. Our… Continue Reading

Financial Presentation of Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias

JAMA Intern Med. Published online November 30, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.6432 – “About 14.7% of American adults older than 70 years have Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD), neurodegenerative conditions characterized by deteriorating cognitive function that impedes independence in daily activities through deficits in memory and other cognitive domains. Common ADRD symptoms, including memory problems and decreased… Continue Reading

EEOC Explore Tool 2/2

EEOC Explore Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)  – “What is EEOC Explore? – EEOC Explore is an interactive data query and mappingtoolthatgives users access to the mostcurrent, granular, and privacy protected aggregate EEO-1 data publiclyavailable.EEOC Exploreallows users to analyzeaggregatedata associated with more than 56 million employees and73,000 employers nationwide. The user-friendly tool enables stakeholders to explore… Continue Reading

How Japanese People Stay Fit for Life, Without Ever Visiting a Gym

Medium – For people stressed or intimidated by fitness culture – try walking! – “In the United States, I’m often bombarded with images and ads of fitness culture. Athleisure is the craze, and it seems that the majority of people are members of gyms like Anytime Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness, or LA Fitness. Any decent… Continue Reading