New rules of the game: upday UK’s tech recap
Big changes are happening over at Twitter and Reddit.
Twitter Transparency
Week after week, Twitter finds itself in hot water. Many were angry at the social network for suspending Rose McGowan’s account in the wake of her Harvey Weinstein allegations. Users boycotted the platform for 24 hours the following week. And let’s not forget the ever-present Twitter trolls – people have been complaining about abuse on the platform for ages.
This week, Twitter came under increased scrutiny over Russian-bought ads that targeted Americans during the 2016 election.
So, the company has announced the launch of a “transparency center” with stricter rules for ads. Twitter said it would give users additional information about ads on the microblogging service, including details about who paid for the ad and the groups being targeted.
On top of that, it also banned Sputnik and Russia Today from buying ads on the platform altogether.
There you go: problem solved.
Well, not quite.
Slate argues that Twitter hasn’t quite cracked its advertising-transparency problem yet. Twitter’s new plan doesn’t take into account bots or explain clearly how non-political ads will be impacted.
Sharing Isn’t Caring
When Facebook bought WhatsApp in 2014, it promised to keep the messaging app independent from its social network. But last summer, it announced plans to share user data with the parent company to offer up “friend suggestions” and “more relevant ads”.
The EU didn’t like the sound of that. A year after it first issued a warning to the chat app over its sharing of user data with the wider group of Facebook companies, the EU is launching a taskforce to implement “a clear, comprehensive resolution” to get Facebook to comply with EU law.
This comes after Facebook was fined £94m earlier this year for providing misleading information about its takeover of WhatsApp.
Reddit’s New Rules
Reddit has shut down several Nazi and white supremacist subreddits after a policy change that banned anything which “encourages, glorifies, incites, or calls for violence or physical harm against an individual or a group of people.” A number of subreddits linked to the far-right and animal abuse, including r/far_right, r/NationalSocialism, r/Nazi, r/SexWithHorses, and r/SexWithDogs, have been given the boot. Au revoir!
This marks a huge change of direction for Reddit. Once thought of as a bastion of free speech, Reddit used to have a very relaxed attitude towards what was posted on its site. It was home to subreddits like r/BeatingWomen and r/jailbait. As you can image, that posed some problems. The company’s own former CEO, Ellen Pao was trolled by male users.
However, over the last few years, the company has begun taking a more proactive approach towards moderation. Will policing and banning content make the platform a better place? Let’s see.
Amazon Key
Nobody enjoys those “Sorry we missed you” notes from delivery guys.
Now Amazon is coming up with a high-tech version of leaving the key under the mat. It has plans to drop off packages directly into shoppers’ homes.
Say hello to Amazon Key — a compatible smart lock and camera service that will be available only to Prime Members.
Here’s how it will work: The company will turn on its Cloud Cam and unlock your door, allowing the courier to drop off your package. You’ll be able to watch it happen live or later via a recording from the cam.
If you’re a bit uneasy about handing your keys to Amazon, you’re not alone. Not only does this raise privacy concerns, but also security issues — like what if the drop off courier goes rogue.
Amazon will begin testing Key in the US next month, so you can see how that goes down and decide if you want to leave your keys under the mat.
Look Up
We may think we are great at texting and walking, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t had a near miss or two on the road. Our smartphone obsession has forced the Hawaiian city of Honolulu to start fining people nearly $100 for staring at the devices while crossing the road.
It’s not all lost though – talking on the phone while walking is still allowed.
Facebook-killer
There was once a time when we used Foursquare for checking into locations, Tumblr for sharing viral content, Instagram for sharing pictures and Wordpress for writing down our thoughts in long-form.
Today, Facebook has either bought those social media startups, or built features to kill them.
In our pick of Comment for the Week, Wired wonders: Will Facebook kill future Facebooks?
