ESMH Media Review – June 2, 2021

In the spotlight

Commission sets the bar for anti-disinformation measures

euractiv-en, 27.05.2021

The freshly published Guidance on Strengthening the Code of Practice on Disinformation illustrates the European Commission’s expectations on the anti-disinformation measures for online platforms. While the Code is non-binding, the measures are likely to become mandatory following the adoption of the Digital Services Act (DSA).

If we want to put the pandemic behind us, we’ll have to crack down on vaccine disinformation

forbes, 16.05.2021

"Vaccines contain microchips": a ridiculous idea that withstands no scrutiny, and that typically portrays Bill Gates as the head of a global conspiracy to control us. There is no technology capable of creating these hypothetical microchips...

EU cites ‘anti-vaccine campaign’ as reason to toughen social media code

guardian, 26.05.2021

Companies such as Facebook, Google and Twitter would need to show why particular material is disseminated and prove that false information is being blocked.

Influencers say they were urged to criticize Pfizer vaccine

nytimes, 27.05.2021

The mysterious London public relations agency sent its pitch simultaneously to social media influencers in France and Germany: Claim that Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine is deadly and that regulators and the mainstream media are covering it up, the message read, and earn thousands of euros in easy money in exchange.

https://twitter.com/risj_oxford/status/1397797507191746561

https://twitter.com/DisinfoIndex/status/1397821362966872064

Digital transition

Ready for a world of (AI-powered) superhuman precision? It’s coming

forbes, 18.05.2021

Today most people still think of AI as a mere computer program, solving problems in the digital realm. A formidable application of computer science, it can assist us with once inconceivable tasks, such as detecting cancer and analyzing data far too complex to wrap our minds around.

https://twitter.com/TheEconomist/status/1397832062233632770

https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1397816186209857536

https://twitter.com/wef/status/1397809834108534784

https://twitter.com/TheEconomist/status/1397719469129179139

Environmental sustainability

How sustainable is hydrogen production?

deutschewelle-en, 25.05.2021

Hydrogen could play a major role in slowing global warming. But currently its production emits large amounts of climate-harming CO2. Are there more sustainable ways of producing this energy source?

FAO “walks the talk” on climate

fao-en, 24.05.2021

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations launched a new Corporate Environmental Responsibility Strategy that aims to reduce the Organization’s total Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) by 45 percent by 2030.

https://twitter.com/EUEnvironment/status/1397832843083104257

https://twitter.com/TheEconomist/status/1397808188506841089

Mobility & Energy

The costly pursuit of self-driving cars continues on. And on. And on.

nytimes, 24.05.2021

It was seven years ago when Waymo discovered that spring blossoms made its self-driving cars get twitchy on the brakes. So did soap bubbles. And road flares. New tests, in years of tests, revealed more and more distractions for the driverless cars. Their road skills improved, but matching the competence of human drivers was elusive.

Light is the key to long-range, fully autonomous Electric Vehicles

techcrunch, 25.05.2021

While photonic chips are faster and more energy efficient, fewer chips will be needed to reach SAE Level 3 [level of driving automation]; however, we can expect this increased compute performance to accelerate the development and availability of fully SAE Level 5 autonomous vehicles.

https://twitter.com/ERC_Research/status/1393865118346145793

Agriculture & Food

Supermarkets will seek soy alternatives if Amazon protections weakened

guardian, 25.05.2021

British supermarkets will look at alternatives to Brazilian soy if president Jair Bolsonaro and congress passes new legislation this week to weaken protections for the Amazon rainforest.

https://twitter.com/EP_ThinkTank/status/1397801494556995589

https://twitter.com/EU_MARE/status/1397849708530372609

Health

Pandemic risk assessments are never truly objective, because one of the variables is you

theatlantic, 25.05.2021

More than six weeks ago , I received my second Moderna shot, so I’ve had time to ease into fully vaccinated life. And yet I still haven’t eaten a meal inside a restaurant. Is that because I’m an overcautious ninny who can’t estimate risk?

Singapore approves COVID-19 breath test that gives immediate result

japantimes, 24.05.2021

A breath test designed to detect COVID-19 and give accurate results within a minute has been approved for use in Singapore, the National University of Singapore said in a statement. The test, developed by NUS spin-off startup Breathonix, works much like a standard breathalyzer test that police might use to see if an erratic driver is drunk.

https://twitter.com/EU_Commission/status/1397453344394854400

https://twitter.com/UniofOxford/status/1397809842480467969

https://twitter.com/EU_ScienceHub/status/1393495211926380548

Science policy & Communication

https://twitter.com/OECDEduSkills/status/1397836518333505538

EU initiatives

Could the 'Future Europe' conference actually help fix climate change?

euobserver, 25.05.2021

For the first time, citizens will play a central role in the debate. Citizens' panels and a dialogue platform will make recommendations on the future course of the EU. Parliament, the Commission and the Council have committed to following up on these recommendations.

Wojciechowski: CAP reform ‘a new chance’ for small, medium sized farms

euractiv-en, 25.05.2021

As negotiators from the European Parliament, Council and Commission kick off this week’s jumbo trilogue in an attempt to seal a deal on the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform, EURACTIV spoke to Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski about his expectations for the week ahead.

https://twitter.com/EP_ThinkTank/status/1397438349120507904

Curious news

A new dating app, Schmooze, matches people based on their affinity for memes

techcrunch, 27.05.2021

Vidya Madhavan always wanted to be in business. Growing up in India, she thought she might be in the business of running a factory, given the power and influence of outfits like Tata Group, the Indian multinational conglomerate. She certainly had an affinity for school, graduating at the top of her....

AI: fridges that teach you to cook

shanghaidaily, 25.05.2021

Onlookers in an exhibition area at the fifth World Intelligence Congress, a major artificial intelligence event that concluded on Sunday in north China’s Tianjin city, were treated to a musical performance like no other — from a band of both robots and humans.

https://twitter.com/TheEconomist/status/1397793696196841474

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