Follow-up on Meltdown and Spectre, Intel’s obfuscation, and why serverless is better.
The Pollyannish Assumption
Moderating user-generated content is hard: it is easier, though, with a realistic understanding that the Internet reflects humanity — it is capable of both good and evil.
Tech Goes to Washington
Facebook, Google, and Twitter testified before a Senate committee: it provided evidence of how tech prefers power over decentralization, even if it means regulation
Google Earnings, TAC and Apple, Google’s Growing Network
Google’s crushed earnings even more than usual, and Network growth may be a big reason why. Plus, why Google continues to pay TAC, plus notes on Google coverage and “innovation” in ads.
Google’s Search for the Sweet Spot
Google’s hardware event shows the company’s commitment both to devices and to artificial intelligence; just doing what you are good at, though, is not always enough.
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.
Uber in London: A Correction, Books and Blogs Revisited, More Aggregators
A comment on Twitter 280, and a correction on Uber in London. Then, why blogs are better than books (in some cases), and a whole list of aggregators not covered in Defining Aggregators.
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.
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.