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PLATFORMS
Google told U.S. senators that Project Dragonfly — that stupid, controversial plan to build a search service for/in China — has been killed. But that doesn’t actually rule out any other plan to build services for China. #sorrynotsorry
Facebook testified at two hearings on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers wanted to know wtf this Libra thing was, but in the end, even Facebook had a hard time explaining it. A security? An exchange-traded fund? A payment tool? How do you even regulate this thing? Everyone’s confused.
The European Commission formally started an antitrust probe into Amazon. It wants to know whether the e-commerce giant is breaking antitrust rules by acting as both a marketplace and seller. It’s also investigating if Amazon is using private data about sellers to undermine competition.
Netflix’s stock plummeted about 12% in after-hours trading after it reported that it actually lost subscribers in the U.S. in Q2. It was the first drop in subs since 2011. The company attributed this to its higher prices on the top tier of its service to help pay for all the original content it wants to make (and can’t afford).
Facebook was fined $5 billion by the U.S. FTC for violating users’ privacy in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. (This one broke last weekend and didn’t make it into the last newsletter.) This is no more than just a parking ticket. Proof: The stock rose on the news because it isn’t big enough to hurt the company. Here’s another way to think about it: Zuck actually got richer on the back of the news.
In Australia, you can’t see how many Likes someone got on their Instagram post. It’s part of a global test to make Instagram not “feel like a competition”.
YouTubers seem to have found a way to use IGTV. Shorter, more casual, less production. “An IGTV video is more personal. On YouTube you have to set up the camera, the lights. My IGTV videos are not professional at all; it’s just like my iPhone.”
Which platform has the highest amount of watched live videos? Twitch.
GOVERNMENTS
A prominent filmmaker in Myanmar has been charged for comments he made about the country’s military on Facebook. Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi, who runs a human rights film festival, was detained three months ago. An army officer took offense at 10 of his FB posts that criticized the military's political role. Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi pleaded not guilty to Section 505(a) of the penal code, which carries a prison term of up to 2 years for making statements that could cause a soldier or other service member "to mutiny or otherwise disregard or fail in his duty".
Vietnam’s information minister wants the country to come up with its own replacements for Facebook and Google. Nguyen Manh Hung told a tech conference, "The time has come for us to build a new social network and a new, more humane search engine, which focuses more on users and brings them more value."
Do you know that FaceApp thing that everyone is using to share photos of their old(er), future selves? U.S. senators want it investigated — because it comes from Russia. But in case you were wondering, the app uploads photos to the cloud (like most), where “most images are deleted from our servers within 48 hours from the upload date.” Most.
REPORTING
News Corp Australia’s tabloid the Herald Sun plans to hand its reporters bonuses of A$10 to A$50 based on page views — or better yet, if the story converts a casual reader to a paid subscriber. What could possibly go wrong?
Silicon Valley tends to brief tech reporters “on background”. That means that information can be published, but negotiated in advance. And often, sources won’t want to be named, but would agree to a description of their role in the company. This needs to end.
As a journalist, is it fair to characterize Trump’s recent tweets about Democratic congresswomen as "racist"? I would. But here are some good reasons why you shouldn’t.
TALENT
Bangkok-based Jon Russell is leaving TechCrunch after 5 years to join The Ken, that groundbreaking one-article-a-day news service out of Bangalore. “This is a media company run by media people who are exploring an entirely new business model. I’m honoured to join and help further that push.”
The U.S. Embassy in Singapore is looking for a Malay-speaking media coordinator to join their Public Affairs section. The job requires a comprehensive understanding of Singapore’s press and media institutions and professional journalism standards and practices.
FUNDING
The UK and Canada started a fund to train and provide legal support for journalists working in hot spots. The Global Media Defense Fund will be administered by UNESCO.
LAUNCHES
Ffwd launched on Medium. It covers one thing: the world of online video.
PODCASTING
Apple is reportedly planning to commission podcasts to run exclusively on its app. This is an interesting step for the company which already owns 50-70% of the podcast app space (Android still doesn’t come with a pre-installed podcast app). So who’s Apple trying to take down? Spotify.
Let’s talk microphones for a bit (my new obsession). It doesn’t matter how much your mics cost if you’re not using it right. Here’s some good “mic technique”.
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