MIT Technology Review: It’s time to rein in the data barons. “Facebook, Google, and Amazon all have business models that require them to scoop up large amounts of data about people to power their algorithms, and they derive their power from this information. It’s the sheer scale and sophistication of the data-collection empires they’ve built that make them so distinctive. For the past decade or so, these three firms have had a relatively smooth ride to the top. Their cornucopia of services, often provided for free, made them immensely popular and turned them into some of the most valuable businesses in the world. Their combined market capitalization of some $2 trillion at the end of May was roughly equal to the GDP of Italy. Now, however, debates are in full swing on both sides of the Atlantic about how to deal with their dominance.”
TechCrunch: Facebook expands fact-checking program, adopts new technology for fighting fake news
TechCrunch: Facebook expands fact-checking program, adopts new technology for fighting fake news. “Facebook this morning announced an expansion of its fact-checking program and other actions it’s taking to combat the scourge of fake news on its social network. The company, which was found to be compromised by Russian trolls whose disinformation campaigns around the November 2016 presidential election reached 150 million Americans, has been increasing its efforts at fact-checking news through a combination of technology and human review in the months since.”
Neowin: Facebook is also working on a time management feature
Neowin: Facebook is also working on a time management feature. “This year’s trend in mobile software features seems to be focusing on helping users manage how much time they spend on their devices. After Google first talked about ‘digital wellbeing’ at its I/O conference back in May, Apple was quick to follow suit with the announcement of iOS 12 earlier this month. But, while those two companies are building the feature directly into their respective operating systems, Facebook seems to believe it can do a better job. It had already started working on a similar feature for the Instagram app shortly after Google I/O, and now it’s time for Facebook itself to receive a similar treatment.”
A Day Care and a Dog Rescue Benefit: On Facebook, They Were Political Ads (New York Times)
New York Times: A Day Care and a Dog Rescue Benefit: On Facebook, They Were Political Ads. “What do a day care center, a vegetarian restaurant, a hair salon, an outdoor clothing maker and an investigative news publisher have in common? To Facebook, they looked suspiciously like political activists.”
‘Facebook is taking everything’: rising rents drive out Silicon Valley families (The Guardian)
The Guardian:
‘Facebook is taking everything’: rising rents drive out Silicon Valley families. “A group of affiliated real estate companies, including Menlo Gate and Redwood Landing Properties, purchased and began managing the 20 apartments now facing sharp rent increases – using a process that tenant activists say is cruel, but increasingly common. The firms, linked to the investor Jesshill Love, sent notices to tenants saying their rents would soon rise from $1,100 to $1,900 a month, and that they would have to leave in 60 days if they didn’t sign a lease.”
TechCrunch: Facebook tests ‘subscription Groups’ that charge for exclusive content
TechCrunch: Facebook tests ‘subscription Groups’ that charge for exclusive content . “Facebook is starting to let Group admins charge $4.99 to $29.99 per month for access to special sub-Groups full of exclusive posts. A hand-picked array of parenting, cooking and ‘organize my home’ Groups will be the first to get the chance to spawn a subscription Group open to their members.”
EurekAlert: New tool using Facebook data shows worldwide gender gap
EurekAlert: New tool using Facebook data shows worldwide gender gap. “This tool produces a metric, called the Facebook Gender Divide, based on the aggregate statistics of almost 1,5 billion users from 217 countries. The research team validated their measurements against survey data and showed a strong relationship between the Facebook Gender Divide and standard measurements of social and economic gender inequality from the World Economic Forum.”
