Facebook went down, making the point that it is does not have a monopoly on communication; that is a good thing as the company will likely be pushed to further control information.
An Interview with Dan Wang About China’s Tech Crackdown
Discussion about China’s tech crackdown, the impact on entrepreneurship, and the difference between hard tech and consumer tech.
Regulators and Reality
The FTC’s new Facebook case isn’t any better than the old one, even as there are ever more questions about the potential harm of regulatory interference
Facebook Messenger Updates, WhatsApp vs. Apple, Facebook’s CSAM Approach
Facebook may have taken advantage of Apple’s controversy to make its own encryption announcements; the company made its own news in its criticism.
Google Makes Deal With News Corp, Facebook Blocks News in Australia, Microsoft’s Cynicism
Google gives in in Australia, not to the government, but to News Corp. Facebook, meanwhile, pulls out; they are right on the merits, but terrible at the politics.
The WhatsApp Kerfuffle, Comparing Messaging Services, Network Effects
Some number of people are downloading alternative messaging apps after WhatsApp changed its privacy policy; Facebook’s problem is a narrative one, not a factual one.
Context Collapse, Circles and Timing, Facebook’s Missing Platform
The ideas behind Social Networking 2.0 are not new, but the Idea Adoption Curve takes time. Plus, how Facebook missed its platform chance a decade ago.
Social Networking 2.0
Facebook and Twitter represent the v1 of Social Networking; it’s a bad copy of the analog world, whereas v2 is something unique to digital, and a lot more promising.
Facebook Sued by FTC and States, The FTC’s Case, Antitrust and Politics
Facebook clearly tried to eliminate competition by acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp, but it’s not clear they were successful, which is the question that matters in a case that is ultimately about politics and power.
Privacy Labels and Lookalike Audiences
Apple’s position on privacy seems unimpeachable, but it ignores trade-offs, and risks a bad outcome for the Internet as a whole.