Facebook’s Giphy takeover to face in-depth competition probe April 1, 2021 Facebook’s takeover of Giphy will face an in-depth competition probe in the UK after the social media giant declined to offer remedies to the regulator’s concerns. The Competition and Market Authority (CMA) last week gave the companies five days to address worries that their deal could harm the digital advertising market and the supply of [...]
Nick Clegg defends Facebook algorithms as platform revamps news feed March 31, 2021 Sir Nick Clegg has launched an impassioned defence of Facebook’s algorithms, insisting the platform had empowered people and denying it was responsible for increased polarisation. The former deputy prime minister, who is now Facebook’s vice president of global affairs, said people needed to “make their peace” with algorithms and acknowledge they were “here to stay”. [...]
Screenshot: Will workers’ rights put a puncture in Deliveroo’s IPO? March 26, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: Farewell to the real McCoy **Will workers’ rights put a puncture in Deliveroo’s IPO? **A watchdog bares its teeth Media Moment of the Week: Farewell to the real McCoy In a shock bit of transfer news this week, BBC presenter Simon McCoy announced he was leaving the Beeb [...]
Zuckerberg denies Facebook was to blame for Capitol riots March 26, 2021 Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has denied his social media site was responsible for the storming of the US Capitol in January, placing the blame instead with former president Donald Trump. Appearing in front of a House committee yesterday, Zuckerberg hit back at suggestions that tech platforms were to blame for allowing the spread of misinformation [...]
Facebook’s Giphy takeover could harm Gif supply, watchdog warns March 25, 2021 The competition watchdog has given Facebook and Giphy five working days to address concerns their merger could harm the digital advertising market and the supply of Gifs. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) today said Facebook’s planned takeover of the popular gif-maker, worth a reported $400m (£320m), could stifle competition. Following an initial investigation, the [...]
Big Tech hearing: Facebook, Google and Twitter face Congress grilling March 25, 2021 The chief executives of Facebook, Google and Twitter will be hauled in front of Congress again this afternoon to face questions about misinformation and extremism on their platforms. Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai and Jack Dorsey will appear before a virtual joint hearing of two subcommittees of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. It follows a [...]
Watchdog slams rule-breaking influencers over ‘unacceptable’ social media ads March 18, 2021 The UK advertising watchdog has ramped up the pressure on social media influencers over their continued failure to mark posts as adverts. Under the current rules online stars are required to clearly state when their posts are sponsored or when a brand has provided them with free products. But a three-week monitoring exercise carried out [...]
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp inks Facebook deal in Australia after row March 16, 2021 Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp has signed a licensing deal with Facebook in Australia, marking an end to a dispute that saw the social media site instigate a news blackout in the country. The publishing group said it has reached a three-year agreement with Facebook to provide news and information to millions of users in the [...]
Saturday Read: Investors are fleeing Myanmar as coup grows more deadly March 6, 2021 The world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, the Norwegian central bank, has put Japanese Kirin Holdings on a watch list for possible exclusion due to its ties to Myanmar’s military, in light of the recent coup and ongoing unrest in the country. The Japanese beverage group Kirin has a partnership and $1.7bn controlling stake in Myanmar [...]
Britain seeks G7 consensus on big tech company dominance February 26, 2021 Britain is seeking to build a consensus among G7 nations on how to stop large technology companies exploiting their dominance. Following Facebook’s row with Australia, Britain is seeking a consensus among the G7 nations that will “bridge the gap between what [tech companies] say they do and what happens in practice,” digital minister Oliver Dowden [...]