Google will pay $9.5 million to settle Washington DC AG’s location-tracking lawsuit

engadget: “Google has agreed to pay $9.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Washington DC Attorney General Karl Racine, who accused the company earlier this year of “deceiving users and invading their privacy.” Google has also agreed to change some of its practices, primarily concerning how it informs users about collecting, storing and using …

Subjects: E-Records, Economy, Financial System, Internet, Poverty, Search Engines

How much money will you get with the Inflation Reduction Act?

This savings calculator from Rewiring of America [in English and Spanish] allows homeowners to calculate how the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will permit them to save thousands of dollars on the upfront costs of electric machines (how we power our cars, heat our air and water, cook our food, dry our clothes and get our …

Subjects: Climate Change, Congress, Energy, Environmental Law, Legislation

Ways and Means Committee Votes to Release Investigation of the IRS’s Mandatory Audit Program Under the Prior Administration

WASHINGTON, DC, December 30 2022 — The Ways and Means Committee voted to publicly release the Committee’s investigation of the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) Mandatory Audit Program under the prior administration. The Committee’s investigation found the mandatory program was dormant, at best, with only one audit opened while the former President was in office, and …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research

Mastodon and the pros and cons of moving beyond Big Tech gatekeepers

Ars Technica: “As Elon Musk’s Category 5 tweetstorm continues, the once-obscure Mastodon social network has been gaining over 1,000 new refugees per hour, every hour, bringing its user count to about eight million. Joining as a user is pretty easy. More than enough ex-Twitterers are happy finding a Mastodon instance via joinmastodon.org, getting a list …

Subjects: Education, Financial System, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Internet, Knowledge Management, Social Media

The Case for Wearing Masks Forever

The New Yorker: “…the People’s C.D.C.: a ragtag coalition of academics, doctors, activists, and artists who believe that the government has left them to fend for themselves against COVID-19. As governments, schools, and businesses have scaled back their COVID precautions, the members of the People’s C.D.C. have made it their mission to distribute information about …

Subjects: Health Care

Subpoenaed Fossil Fuel Documents Reveal an Industry Stuck in the Past

The Intercept: “…As part of its investigation into climate disinformation, the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed documents in November 2021 from four of the world’s largest oil companies; their U.S. trade association, the American Petroleum Institute; and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The chamber did not comply with the subpoena, but the rest submitted a variety …

Subjects: Climate Change, Congress, Economy, Energy, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

World Weather Attribution

“Since 2015 the World Weather Attribution (WWA) initiative has been conducting real-time attribution analysis of extreme weather events as they happen around the world. This provides the public, scientists and decision-makers with the means to make clear connections between greenhouse gas emissions and impactful extreme weather events, such as storms, floods, heatwaves and droughts. We …

Subjects: Climate Change, Economy, Energy, Environmental Law, Financial System, Food and Nutrition, Transportation

6 Mac Browsers You Should Try for Better Productivity

MakeUseOf: “Almost every popular web browser nowadays is powerful enough to help you get things done. Safari, the web browser built into macOS, is no exception. You can also consider options like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox if you need better extensions. But, in the end, Safari, Google Chrome, and Firefox are general-purpose web browsers. …

Subjects: Internet, Knowledge Management, Privacy, Securities Law

New Biden administration guidance closes ‘ghost guns’ loophole in federal rule

Yahoo News: “The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) issued an open letter to federal firearms dealers on Tuesday saying a rule that went into effect in August applies to certain partially completed pistol frames and parts kits, subjecting them to regulation. The August rule from the Department of Justice subjected gun kits to regulation and provided …

Subjects: Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation