Facebook is acquiring tbh, another burgeoning social network; regulators erred in allowing the Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions, but there is no better place to start enforcing the law than now.
Gatekeepers Follow-Up, Hollywood and Venture Capital, The New York Times versus Tech
The removal of Gatekeepers should not drive the demand for new ones; then, why venture capital has a lot in common with Hollywood, which should serve as a warning. Finally, a reminder, courtesy of the New York Times, of why the Fake News campaign is dangerous.
Oculus Connect 4, Russian Ads and the Law, Trump and Facebook
Mark Zuckerberg’s keynote at Oculus 4 gave the clearest indication yet why Facebook might be interested in Virtual Reality. Then, Trump challenges the first amendment, so why are folks eager for regulation of content? Plus, Facebook isn’t trustworthy either.
The End of AOL Instant Messenger, Innovation Versus Interoperability, Portability > Interoperability
AOL Instant Messenger is dead, and there is a new debate as to whether interoperability killed it. The answer is almost certainly no, but that doesn’t necessarily mean interoperability is a bad thing…or is it?
Trustworthy Networking
The problems Facebook are facing today are the result of running into the future without considering unintended consequences, much like Microsoft and the Internet. There are clear solutions for the ad problem, but the filter bubble issue is much more fraught.
Google Ends ‘First Click Free’, Google Subscription Services, Facebook’s Publisher-Friendly Offering
Google is announcing publisher-friendly changes, particularly the end of ‘First Click Free’. However, they still want to control the consumer, unlike Facebook, which is taking a much more publisher-friendly stance. That, though, doesn’t mean it is better.
Defining Aggregators
Building on Aggregation Theory, this provides a precise definition of the characteristics of aggregators, and a classification system based on suppliers. Plus, how to think about aggregator regulation.
Uber Loses London License (Pending Appeal), The Idea of Uber, Uber’s Existential Test
Uber is losing its London license, pending appeal: whether or not the company gets it back is a test of the company’s long-term viability. Plus, why Facebook has to realize that facts are not enough.
The GDPR and Facebook and Google, Intelligent Tracking Prevention, Data Portability and Social Graphs
The GDPR will hurt Google and Facebook; it will hurt their competitors far more, which means the position of the two biggest digital ad companies will actually be strengthened. Then, why data portability won’t help build the next social network.
The Super-Aggregators and the Russians
Facebook is in trouble — again — for Russian ads about the election; figuring out how to deal with them requires first understanding that Facebook, like Google, is a Super-Aggregator. It faces zero transaction costs in all parts of its business.