Mad Nunchuck Skills
2020 has been a year of bad news on top of bad news. We’re not sure if this bad news bear using nunchucks makes 2020 better or worse. We are sure it makes it cuter. Via Twitter
Road Trip
One US college student is spending his pandemic summer going on a cross country road trip in Google Street View. Starting in Seattle, he is crossing the country one click at a time and says it’s kinda like a real road trip, minus the smells. Via Vice
Librarians Rule
Life during a pandemic is scary and kinda boring. Thank goodness for clever librarians who discovered how to create digital escape rooms using simple Google forms. These fun and challenging puzzles are entertaining for young and old alike. Via The Verge
Internet at a Crossroads
The internet, like many parts of our lives during this pandemic, is having a moment of reckoning. Mozilla CEO Mitchell Baker lays out a vision for what the internet could become now that it is no longer separate from real life. Via Independent UK
Be Kind Rewind
We’re living in an age of conspiracy theories and misinformation. So, how do you talk to that friend of yours sharing crazy talk online? Rule #1: Be Kind. Rules 2-10? The folks at MIT have you covered. Via MIT Technology Review
Data Data Everywhere
Chinese-based video app TikTok has been in the news lately over concerns about data collection and privacy threats. Is it really that bad? Experts say yes, the app collects a lot of data, and so do many of your other smartphone apps. Via NBC News
Political Ad Ban
Facebook says it is considering banning political ads leading up to the US presidential election as one of many options to handle the platform’s misinformation problem. Whether they do or not, US users can now opt out of political ads. We’ve put together a post to show you how. Via CNN & Mozilla
Stop Doomscrolling
Doomscrolling—our constant need to read the never-ending barrage of awful news—is making us angry, anxious, and depressed. Some tips for how to snap out of our doomscrolling addiction: control your time online, meditate, and connect with a real person. Via NY Times
Fighting Campus Racism
High school and college students are using tools like Instagram, crowdsourced Google docs, and online petitions to tell their stories of being Black at their schools to fight racism and drive change. Via Vox
Twitter Meltdown
High profile Twitter users like Elon Musk and Apple were hacked this week, sending the Twitterverse into meltdown. It’s considered the biggest security breach in Twitter’s history. Side note: it’s always a good idea to turn on two-factor authentication (Mashable shows you how). Via Vice & Mashable
Eyes Everywhere
Privacy experts have pulled together an Atlas of Surveillance. This ever-growing map shows the creep of law enforcement’s spy tech around the US. It’s scary and eye-opening. Via Wired
The Facebook Problem
As more groups and companies join the chorus demanding Facebook stop hurting social progress around the world, one expert says Facebook has become too big to fail and won’t change without radical intervention. Via The Guardian
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