Baby Giraffe Zoomies!
Young Theo is a baby giraffe with lots of energy. Watch him and his brother Fenn zoom about for the pick-me-up you need right now. They’re so gangly! Via Twitter
Island of Support
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness month. To bring attention to suicide prevention practices, especially for LGBT youth, Animal Crossing players can now download a digital clothing collection from the Trevor Project to show support. Via Mashable
New On Netflix
The Social Dilemma—a new Netflix documentary out this weekend—makes the case that social media is humanity's greatest existential threat. It’s getting good reviews and features a couple of Mozillians, so go ahead and add it to your queue. Via Wired
Robots & Grandparents
Robot caregivers are no longer a thing of the future. The pandemic has pushed droids into everyday life helping care for and offering companionship to the elderly. The question is, is that a good thing or a bad thing? Via Vox
Faking It
Fake reviews on Amazon are a growing problem. An investigation found the number one ranked reviewer on Amazon UK gave a five-star review on average once every four hours during the month of August, mostly to little-known Chinese brands. Via Ars Technica
Ads Tracking Wars
Apple plans to make it easier for users to opt-out of having digital ads track their movements around the internet. Facebook and many news publishers say that will cost them lots of money. How will this war play out? Via Vox
I Quit!
Another Facebook employee quit publicly this week saying they “can no longer stomach contributing to an organization that is profiting off hate in the US and globally.” They cite the role the company played in genocide in Myanmar, violence in Kenosha, Wis, and more. Via Washington Post
Election Ad Mess
Facebook will ban new political ads in the US seven days before the election to try and prevent dirty tricks. Election officials who need to get last-minute info to voters on how to vote are worried this will hurt their ability to share accurate information. Via ProPublica
No Filter Needed
Wildfires burning in the US have created an apocalyptic Mars-like hellscape for residents living on the west coast. The Verge flew a drone around San Francisco to document the scary, orange, smokey glow. Via The Verge
TikTok Censorship
A new report finds that LGBT hashtags on TikTok are shadow-banned in countries including Russia, Bosnia, and Jordan. TikTok has worked to brand itself as supportive of the LGBT community. This report calls into question that support. Via BBC
Racism Is The Problem
Tech companies have jumped to address the problems of racial injustice in their ranks. One analysis found that a majority of the statements tech companies released on the issue put the cause of racial discrimination on race, rather than racism. Via MIT Technology Review
Disappearing Wildlife
The cute animal videos the internet loves are in jeopardy! The World Wildlife Fund released a report warning the planet’s wildlife population has plummeted 68% in less than 50 years. One million animal and plant species are under threat of extinction. Via Axios
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