Friday, October 22, 2021

Maria Ressa discusses the role of social media in the rise of polarization, her interactions with Zuckerberg and Sandberg in 2017, Frances Haugen, and more (New York Times)

New York Times:
Maria Ressa discusses the role of social media in the rise of polarization, her interactions with Zuckerberg and Sandberg in 2017, Frances Haugen, and more  —  The journalist, whose reporting has taken on the president of the Philippines and the C.E.O. of Facebook, discusses the “atom bomb” …



Snap and TikTok testifying for the first time before Congress next week shows how lawmakers' oversight has fixated on a few major platforms thus far (Cristiano Lima/Washington Post)

Cristiano Lima / Washington Post:
Snap and TikTok testifying for the first time before Congress next week shows how lawmakers' oversight has fixated on a few major platforms thus far  —  Happy Thursday!  We'd like to welcome you to the merriest season of all: NBA opening week.  —  Below: Facebook's Oversight Board speaks out, and the Roku-YouTube tiff is rekindled.



Electrified cars hit almost a fifth of EU Q3 vehicle sales

Nearly one in five vehicles sold in the European Union in the third quarter was an electrified model as sales continued to soar while fossil-fuel cars slumped, according to sales data released on Friday by a trade organization. https://ift.tt/3m2DWGa

Twitter acquires group chat app Sphere

In a bid to strengthen its Communities, micro-blogging site Twitter has acquired a chat app called Sphere, which was co-founded by British serial entrepreneur Nick D'Aloisio. https://ift.tt/3nbUJpK

Facebook's oversight board seeks details on VIPs' treatment

Facebook's semi-independent oversight board says the company has fallen short of full disclosure on its internal system that exempts high-profile users from some or all of its content rules. https://ift.tt/3jqimKi

Twitter Now Allows All Users to Host Their Own Space

Twitter Spaces is now open to all iOS and Android users. With the latest update, all users - irrespective of the number of followers - can hold discussions on Twitter. Users can create a Space by... https://ift.tt/2Xzkfwf

Russian cryptocurrency payment network A7 expands to Africa, as Moscow builds an alternative payments system amid western sanctions after its Ukraine invasion (Financial Times)

Financial Times : Russian cryptocurrency payment network A7 expands to Africa, as Moscow builds an alternative payments system amid weste...