PICKS are stories from many sources, selected by our editors or recommended by our readers because they are important, surprising, troubling, enlightening, inspiring, or amusing. They appear on our site and in our daily newsletter. Please send suggested articles, videos, podcasts, etc. to picks@whowhatwhy.org.
Feds Seize Online Marketplace That Listed Personal Data of 24 Million People (Maria)
The author writes, ‘Federal law enforcement agencies say they shut down a group of websites that made over $19 million selling Social Security numbers and other personal data. A Justice Department press release yesterday announced ‘the seizure of the SSNDOB Marketplace, a series of websites that operated for years and were used to sell personal information, including the names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers belonging to individuals in the United States.’ SSNDOB apparently operated for about a decade, and the Justice Department said it listed the personal information of about 24 million US residents. … The seizure operation was led by the IRS and FBI, with the agencies working in ‘close cooperation with law enforcement authorities in Cyprus and Latvia.’”
Editorial: No, California Didn’t Just Send a Message on Crime — Only Voter Apathy (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “Is criminal justice reform dead in California? One certainly gets that impression from the national coverage of our June 7 election. ‘California sends Democrats and the nation a message on crime’ read the online New York Times headline Wednesday morning. California did send a message to the nation Tuesday. But it has little to do with prevailing national narratives on San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin’s recall and the strong showing of tough-on-crime mayoral candidate Rick Caruso in Los Angeles. Voter turnout was barely at 26% in San Francisco the morning after the election. It was even worse across most of the state. Sure, ballots will continue trickling in for days. But the story will stay the same.”
The Aftereffects on the Body After Excessive ‘Screen Time’ (Sean)
From Digital Information World: “He or she is up until late at night (around 12 am) watching a video on their phone. The next day, they wake up to go to work where they stare at a computer screen for around 8 hours. Upon going home, they watch a movie on TV, play a video game, and spend some time on the social network. As a result, an American adult is spending more than 7 hours a day staring at digital screens. We humans didn’t evolve to stare at bright screens all day. Especially when the screen time is significantly affecting our brain and body. In fact, a report from American Optometric Association shows that 59% of computer users experience a condition called Computer Vision Syndrome.”
New federal regulations on lobster fishing in effect, aimed at protecting endangered whale species (Carina)
The author writes, “Often, whales can get entangled in fishing rope that is attached to both a buoy on the water surface and a trap on the seafloor. Pettis said even if the whale can untangle itself, generally, they leave scars. ‘People don’t see it, so it’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that it’s happening,’ she said. Statistics from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show less than 350 endangered North Atlantic Right Whales still exist. The new regulations that went into effect for fishermen on May 1 aim to help those numbers increase.”
Poll Shows Brazil’s Lula Maintains Strong Lead in Presidential Race (DonkeyHotey)
From Reuters: “Brazil’s leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is holding a strong lead against incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro for the October election, a Genial/Quaest poll released on Wednesday showed. Lula has 46% voter support in a first-round vote, a 16-percentage-point lead over his far-right rival, with Bolsonaro two points down from his best showing in April. In an expected run-off between them, Lula has widened his advantage to 22 percentage points and would win the election by 54% versus 32% for Bolsonaro, the Genial/Quaest poll said.”
