A follow-up to The TikTok War, including Xi Jinping’s ideology, Facebook’s blindspot, and why TikTok should be compared to YouTube.
The TikTok War
How TikTok exposed Facebook’s blindspot, thanks to its Chinese roots, and why those Chinese roots make TikTok a genuine concern.
Hong Kong and Facebook, The Pacific Light Cable Network System and Stripe, Facebook Lasso and Instagram Reels
Facebook responds to China in Hong Kong, while Stripe avoids the complication. Then, Instagram Reels shows why Instagram Stories succeeded.
India Bans Chinese Apps, The App Store Firewall, Reddit and The Donald
India is banning Chinese apps, in a reminder that nations still matter; China knows the more than anyone. Then, why centralized App Stores make this easier, and why Reddit is a reminder that infrastructure matters.
Apple’s New Reality; Apple’s Transition Strategy; Apple v. Developers, Continued
How Apple’s moat was built, the parallels to the Intel transition, and more developer tension.
Zuckerberg’s Choice, Zuckerberg’s Power, Zuckerberg’s Conviction
Why Mark Zuckerberg has made the right choice about Trump’s posts, why his power is a problem, and why his conviction is impressive.
Dust in the Light
The Internet ends gatekeepers and increases transparency, which has world-altering effects — both good and bad.
Trump’s Executive Order, Section 230 In Court, Public Forums
President Trump is poised to sign an executive order that applies to social networks; its reasoning about Section 230 and public forums is not in line with judicial precedent.
Twitter and Trump, YouTube and China, Facebook and Polarization
Twitter fact-checks Trump, YouTube censors Chinese words, and Facebook reportedly declines to police polarization.
Capability and Policy Revisited; Isolation and Surveillance; Netflix’s Earnings
Once tech companies have the capability to do what government’s tell them to, they are increasingly willing to comply; that is not a good sign for increased surveillance. Then, Netflix is cautious about its huge earnings.