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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.
Microsoft to Pay $20M to Settle US Charges for Violating Children’s Privacy (Maria)
The author writes, “Microsoft (MSFT.O) will pay $20 million to settle US Federal Trade Commission charges that the tech company illegally collected personal information from children without their parents’ consent, the FTC said on Monday. The company had been charged with violating the US Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting personal information from children who signed up to its Xbox gaming system without notifying their parents or obtaining their parents’ consent, and by retaining children’s personal information, the FTC said in a statement.”
Why Republican-Led States Keep Leaving a Group That Verifies Voter Rolls (Al)
From Stateline: “Eight Republican-led states this year left an interstate cooperative that seeks to maintain accurate voter registration rolls, and three more may join them — a move that election security experts say is fueled by conspiracy theories. [In May], Virginia’s top election official said the state would become the latest to stop participating in the Electronic Registration Information Center, commonly called ERIC, because of concerns over privacy and confidentiality of voter information, among a list of other reasons. … Election security experts worry the move is part of a larger trend away from nonpartisan election administration, potentially leading to inaccurate voter databases.”
‘Murderers’ and ‘Criminals’: Meteorologists Face Unprecedented Harassment From Conspiracy Theorists (Russ)
From CNN: “‘Murderers.’ ‘Criminals.’ ‘We are watching you.’ These are just a handful of the threats and abuse sent to meteorologists at AEMET, Spain’s national weather agency, in recent months. They come via social media, its website, letters, phone calls – even in the form of graffiti sprayed across one of its buildings. Abuse and harassment ‘have always happened’ against the agency’s scientists, Estrella Gutiérrez-Marco, spokesperson for AEMET, told CNN. But there has been a rapid rise recently, coinciding with extreme weather in Spain. A severe drought has shrunk water levels to alarming lows, exacerbated by record-breaking April temperatures.”
Japan Government Under Renewed Pressure to End Same-Sex Marriage Ban (Roshni)
The author writes, “Pressure is building on Japan’s government to legalize same-sex unions after a court ruled that a ban on them was unconstitutional. Rights advocates said the ruling on [last week] by Nagoya district court was a step forward in the campaign to end Japan’s status as the only G7 country not to fully recognize same-sex unions. It is the second time a court in Japan has ruled the ban unconstitutional, while two other courts have decreed the ban is in line with the postwar constitution, which defines marriage as based on ‘the mutual consent of both sexes.’”
Inside the Christian Legal Campaign to Return Prayer to Public Schools (Dana)
From The Hechinger Report: “A fight over prayer in schools in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, offers a glimpse into what more school districts around the country may face.”
The Real Reason Your Groceries Are Getting So Expensive (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “To understand why grocery prices are way up, we need to look past the headlines about inflation and reconsider long-held ideas about the benefits of corporate bigness.”
In Panama, Legal Rights Given to Sea Turtles, Boosting the ‘Rights of Nature’ Movement (Laura)
The authors write, “On a Panamanian beach long after dark, a group of undergraduate students dug into the sand to excavate a sea turtle nest, their lamps casting a soft red glow as they studied eggs, inventoried the success of the hatch and checked for any surviving hatchlings stuck at the bottom of the nest. Nearby, armed members of the National Border Service stood watch for protection in an area known for drug trafficking. The students worked under the guidance of Callie Veelenturf, who founded a group that works to protect leatherback turtles and pushed for a new law in Panama that guarantees sea turtles the legal right to live and have free passage in a healthy environment.”
