View this email in your browser

Welcome to February's newsletter.

This month saw significant birthdays for two of the world's most popular social networks: Facebook hit 15 and WhatsApp 10. Unsurprisingly, given the cool public mood, neither made too much of a song and dance about it. Breaking news this afternoon is that digital media giants will be heavily fined in the UK if they don't clamp down on harmful content. We'll see how this might work in practice when the government's white paper on internet safety is published next month. In the meantime, here are my top stories from February.

W hy 2019 will be the year of ethical tech

From initiatives like the Social Tech Venture Fund and Data Ethics Canvas to books like Utopia for Realists, we're seeing a whole new industry in responsible social media. Here are 3 reasons why ethics are going mainstream. (My blog)

The next big wave in social content is audio

This was something I heard Matthew Postgate, BBC Chief Technology Officer, say back in December. This story tells why Spotify spent a rumoured £150million on Gimlet, a podcast company - so maybe it's true. (BBC)

Facebook finally bans Tommy Robinson

The far-right figure's Facebook and Instagram accounts were deleted after Facebook said its "rules make clear that individuals and organisations that are engaged in 'organised hate' are not allowed on the platform". (Guardian)

Live video is coming to LinkedIn

The new "LinkedIn Live" feature was launched to selected users in the US in mid February. It's anticipated the product will eventually roll out to all users in the same way LinkedIn Articles were opened up four years ago. (TechCrunch)

Instagram tests a public "collections" feature

In 2016 Instagram introduced a bookmarking button. As Pinterest goes public, Instagram is testing a feature that could steal the image-sharing network's thunder: soon users could be able to publish their bookmarks. (TechCrunch)