Antitrust

Virtual Skinny: Friday Fave

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on in Internet & Tech, Newsletter 0 Comment

5.13.2016

Good to Know: Want to delete your fave dating app? Just deleting the app from your phone won’t do the trick. Take these steps to delete your profile and avoid any awkward encounters or questions.

delete

THE SKINNY

When It’s The Same Story, Different Source … 

Facebook is having one of the worst weeks ever. More info has leaked about its editorial team and “Trending Topics” section. This time it’s courtesy of The Guardian.

When It’s More Of The Same … 

The Guardian obtained a leaked internal document intended to give FB’s editorial staff guidelines on how to determine what news is trending and what’s not. The docs confirms things that we’ve already heard. FB’s new team relied on 10 major new sources, staff can “inject” a story into Trending Topics even if it actually isn’t trending on the network, and new stories about FB are kind of off limits. A couple of things here: (1) FB’s VP Tom Stocky said earlier this week that the company does not “insert stories artificially” and (2) FB leads users to believe the stories are picked by algorithms, but there’s actually quite a bit of human involvement.  Hmmm … Whoops!

When It’s Time to Deny, Deny, Deny … 

FB responded and said that the Guardian’s doc is out of date and isn’t the current practices of the company.  FB’s VP of Global Operations Justin Osofsky responded with an official blog post of how “Trending Topics” actually works. He says the team relies on 1,000 new sources (not just 10). Osofsky says the team also uses an RSS web crawler to I.D. hot topics. And, he says that FB’s not about suppressing political views even if they are conservative.

When You Don’t Want No F&^#@! Problems …

Mark Zuckerberg is in full on damage control. He put out a lengthy FB status about the situation. He says the company is investigating the matter but has not found any wrongdoing yet. Also, he wants to pow-wow with conservatives and others to put this whole thing to bed. 

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON? 

When Amazon Isn’t Your Fave … 

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is not a fan of Amazon.  He thinks the company has a “huge antitrust problem.” It all comes down to the fact that Amazon’s Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos also owns the Washington Post (WaPo). Trump is under the impression that Bezos is using WaPo to influence politicians and ultimately avoid paying taxes. #Interesting

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’ 

Pitching your startup to venture capitalists – the latest thing you can do on Snapchat.

Basketball legend Magic Johnson is leaving payment company Square’s board.  Who knew? Johnson’s kicking off his fund for urban development.

Virtual Skinny: Diamonds and Pearls…

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on in Internet & Tech, Newsletter 0 Comment

4.22.2016

Good to Know:  Let your life shine bright like a diamond by spring cleaning with these organizational apps. 

THE SKINNY

When We’ve Lost Another Great One …

STUNNED is what we all were after learning that 57-year old, legendary pop star Prince passed away yesterday. No official word yet on the cause. So far, reports are citing his recent hospitalization for flu-like symptoms Regardless, it was a sad day for not only music lovers but the world.  Insanely private, Prince was incredibly humanitarian. #YesWeCode, an initiative to teach people of color how to code, is just one of his many social contributions.  #RIP #Prince

Prince_at_Coachella

When It’s Time to Pay Tribute …

Pretty much everyone, including celebs, took to social media to share their condolences.   Hit Broadway shows, namely Hamilton and the Color Purple, paid special tributes. But for us regular folks who wanted to stream his music, you probably had a hard time finding his work online.

When You Want To Stream “Diamonds and Pearls…” 

It’s no secret that Prince was no fan of YouTube and Spotify. In 2015, he pulled most of his work from streaming services and decided to work exclusively with Tidal, a streaming service owned by rapper turned mogul Jay Z aka Beyoncé’s hubby.  Tidal’s mission is to be more artist-friendly by giving them more money for each music stream and allowing artists to have more control over their work on the service. Prince, being protective of his image, was on board.

When Not All Hope Is Lost …

Even if you’re not a Tidal subscriber, you can still find ways to stream some of Prince’s music. Check it out here.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

Ugh, Not This Again …

The European Union doesn’t play when it comes to Google and alleged antitrust violations. It has officially charged the company with “abusing its power” with the Android operating system.  Apparently, Google requiring phone makers to pre-install some of its apps like Google Search and Google Chrome is no buneo. Kind of a big deal since Android is a monkey maker for the company, bringing in $11 billion in ad sales alone last year.

When You’re Ready to Settle …

A bunch of Uber drivers in Massachusetts and California sued the company over their employment status. The drivers wanted to be considered employees, but Uber was like nah, they’re just independent contractors. The employee v. independent contractor status matters when it comes down to benefits. But, looks like a judge won’t have to decide either way. Uber settled the case for US $100 million, of which $84 million is reserved for the drivers. That amount could increase depending on whether the company’s value continues to grow. Uber agreed to change up some of its practices and help set up a drivers’ association in each state. Copy cats, anyone?

QUICK POLL – RUN THOSE NUMBERS …

The FBI shelled out US $1.3 MILLION to crack that San Bernardino iPhone. That’s more than the FBI Director James Comey’s total compensation for the remaining seven years of his tenure. Yikes!

phone

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Feel more like a local on your next trip with AirBnB’s “Guidebook.”

Twitter users came for Snapchat after the company released its Bob Marley filter in honor of 4/20 aka the unofficial weed “holiday.” They weren’t here for virtual blackface. So, Snapchat put out a factual statement claiming that it works with Bob Marley’s estate on the feature. No apology needed.

While we’re talking Snapchat, looks like MTV Cribs is coming back via the app.

The Shade Room thinks Facebook (FB) is being shady. The popular gossip publisher, a place where people can “go in” on the latest pop culture news, had its fair share of drams this week. It was booted off FB for alleged copyright violations. The publisher, which got its start on Instagram and now has over 4 million followers, says it had no warning.  #TheShadeOfItAll

In other FB news, the social media platform could soon allow you to cash in on your posts with “tip jar.”

Wedding season is upon us. If you’re getting married (Mazel!), HoneyFund is here to help you get those coins together for your honeymoon.

Virtual Skinny: We Can Be Your Motivation…

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on in Internet & Tech, Newsletter

4.18.2016

Good to Know:  Does your LinkedIn profile bring all the recruiters to the yard? If not, you’ll need three things: a strong headline, a well-written summary, and keywords. #MondayMotivation 

shia

THE SKINNY

When Presidents Are Just Like Us … 

It’s his last year in office, and President Obama is telling us how he really feels. This time, he’s talking cable set-top boxes. Obama is not here for providers forcing you to rent old-school cable boxes from them.

When You Want to Know More…

Last Friday, he went on the record and made a public statement about the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s pending proposal to increase competition in the cable set-top box market.  Obama thinks consumers are spending billions of dollars every year to rent those damn boxes and don’t even have a say in what they get. He’d like to see the market open up to innovative players like Internet and tech companies (e.g., Google, Amazon, and Apple).

When People Come For You …

The U.S. cable market is not happy with Obama’s latest revelation. Given Obama’s close ties to the tech industry, companies like AT&T say that Obama is simply giving a little shine to his political squad.

When You Let Your Haters Be Your Motivator…

While the cable market cries over spilled milk, the Obama Administration has filed its official comments re the FCC’s proposal. The Administration wants a “measured and balanced” plan to get the market competitive again. Based on the president’s 2016 State of the Union address, this is all part of the course.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

If You Stay Ready, You Never Have to Get Ready …

Looks like Verizon is prepping for the new cable set-top box market. It’s coming out with “Mallard,” a new device (complete with new interface features) to change-up how it offers cable and Internet services to FIOS users.

The European Union’s Back At It Again …

With an antitrust probe into Google.  The company’s coming under fire in a couple of different ways. First, News Corp is the latest to question whether the Google machine’s search and news services are legal. And, EU regulators are gunning for mobile operating system Android. The EU thinks Google should let phone makers and operators do what they want. In other words, EU regulators are not cool with Google requiring phone makers to pre-load Google apps rather than allowing them to choose their own “app” adventure.

QUICK POLL – RUN THOSE NUMBERS …

Amazon v. Netflix v. Hulu: Which Streaming Service Should You Got With? Check It Out …

Screen Shot 2016-04-18 at 10.10.38 AM

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

In 2005, Mark Zuckerberg was just another “bro.” At the time, he described Facebook as “an online directory for colleges.”  He’s come a long way …

IRL, Brazil’s government is getting ready to impeach its president Dilma Rousseff for cookin’ the country’s books for her 2014 re-election.  The government’s lower chamber had no problem saying yes to Rouseff’s ousting. The Senate is up next. Meanwhile, Netflix is prepping for an original series based on Brazil’s political drams. The new show will be created by Jose Padilha, formerly of another Netflix original, “Narcos.” #MentalNotes #AddtoQue

What’s the Amazon version of “Netflix and Chill?” While you’re thinking about that, Amazon’s becoming more open. It’s going with a $9/month video-only subscription to compete with the ‘Flix.

Home-sharing service AirBnB is already in India, but now it’s taking market domination more seriously. Turns out India’s travel market could be worth a whopping US $40 billion within 5 years.  How do we sign up?

When will this whole ordeal come to an end? Verizon may be the likely buyer of Yahoo. #OverIt

Virtual Skinny: Space(d) Out …

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on in Internet & Tech, Newsletter, Uncategorized

3.3.2016

Good to Know: American astronaut Scott Kelly came back down to Earth after spending 340 days in space. And in other space news, NASA continues to work on bringing the Internet (high speed networks) to galaxies far, far away. 

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THE SKINNY

When You Need To make space…

Google, Inc. wants to come in between us and the Zika virus. It is throwing resources – as in volunteer engineers and about US $1 million in grant money – to the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

When You Need A Reminder …

Zika, which is transmitted by mosquitoes and has been linked to causing microcephaly in newborns, has been wreaking havoc across the Americas for a minute now. So much so, that the World Health Organization gave it the official “public health emergency” stamp. Note: Microcephaly tends to cause newborns to have unusually small heads, which leads to other defects.

When You’re Coming Up with Solutions, Not Problems …

Google wants to create an open source platform intended to map out the virus’ spread and i.d. potential outbreaks by looking at things like travel and weather patterns and other data points. Why stop there? Well, it’s not. The Internet industry vet also wants people to learn more about the virus via a new web-based campaign among other things (i.e., develop a vaccine since one doesn’t currently exist).

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

When You Just Need to Get Used To It …

We’ll probably be talking Apple v. FBI for a while.  This week, both sides took their arguments to U.S. Capitol Hill.  And now, FBI Director James Comey is saying “our b.” During a hearing, Comey admitted that the FBI made the wrong decision by changing the Apple ID password linked to one of the San Bernardino shooters’ phones – a “180” from the agency’s previous statement.

When You’ve Watched One Too Many Episodes of ‘Lock Up…’

Earlier this week, Brazilian law enforcement picked up Diego Dzodan, Vice President of Facebook Latin American, in Sao Paulo. By now, it’s pretty much the same story, different script: Criminal activity (drug trafficking in this case) + law enforcement wanting information + WhatsApp denying law enforcement’s request = Judge Ordering WhatsApp to fork over the info.  Well, the company stood its ground and said it doesn’t have access to what the police wants, which led to Dzodan’s arrest. FB isn’t pleased, particularly since WhatsApp operates as a separate entity.  Meanwhile, over in Germany, FB is under fire for being too big and abusing its power with regards to user data.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

uberMoto, Uber’s motorbike hailing service, is now a thing in Bangalore, India. The company responsible for putting ride-hailing apps on the map is stepping its international expansion game all the way up.   It’s shelling out US $250 million to get into areas like the Middle East and Africa. As of today, Uber’s now live in Pakistan.

Kenyan smartphone app, The Portable Eye Examination Kit (Peek), is making eye screening easy for schools located in rural areas of the country.

Tired of seeing pics of your friends’ kids every two seconds on FB? France may be the place for you.  The government’s telling parents in the country to stop posting pics of their kids on FB in the name of protecting their privacy and security. Seems like it could be a win-win for everyone involved.

Watch out, Skype and Google Hangouts … New chat app Slack is coming for you with its soon to be launched video and voice feature. Side note: Slack is killing the fundraising game! The startup has raised over a billion dollars in just a year.  #Impressive

Not so great news for SurveyMonkey employees … The cloud-based polling service is working to better its business offerings and will drop about 100 employees along the way.

BTW, new app No More Voicemail wants people to talk less and text more #YesPlease

The Virtual Skinny: Time to Give Thanks.

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on in Internet & Tech, Newsletter

11.25.2014

Good to Know: Thursday, November 27 is American Thanksgiving.  Of course, there will be a lot of turkey eating that day, but the question is – conventional (factory farmed) or heritage (free-range turkeys – which is popular amongst the foodies type)?  It pays to eat well as heritage turkeys are pricier than their conventional counters.  This year, Americans will eat an estimated 234,000 conventional turkeys compared to 30K-40K heritage. If you want to know more about what you’ll likely be eating this week, check out Bloomberg’s infographic.

THE SKINNY.

Breaking Point?

Google’s legal battles in Europe have reached an all time high.  In the midst of the European Union’s 4-year antitrust investigation into whether the Internet company favors its own services over competitors, the European Parliament announced last Friday that it is considering legislation to split up the company.

Wait… For Real?

Well, technically the European Parliament isn’t authorized to tell antitrust regulators what to do in terms setting policy or influencing their investigations.  However, it still plans to move ahead with a vote on a resolution to break up Google.  The vote is set to go down on Thursday, November 27.

In A Nutshell …

If the Parliament’s resolution turns out the be popular with European politicians, there’s a chance this could put pressure on Margrethe Vestager, Europe’s competition commissioner, to file formal charges against Google.  This would further derail efforts to settle the issue.  Like most things, we’ll have to wait and see.  But in the meantime, Pope Francis spoke to Parliament this week and said that Europe is seen by the world as “somewhat elderly and haggard.” He said it, we didn’t.

What Else is Going On This Week? 

And, the Drama Continues…

Uber’s been having a tough time lately.  First, one of its executives made a highly controversial comment about “digging up dirt” on reporters who aren’t their #1 fans.  Then came allegations of its “God View” internal tool to track a journalist without her permission.  This prompted the company to hire an expert privacy attorney to conduct an internal review of its privacy policies.  Now, Brussels is gearing up to put together a new law to regulate the app.  No word on the details of this legislation, but services like Uber often finds themselves at odds with traditional taxi firms.  Traditional taxis are subject to all sorts of safety requirements, insurance rules, and taxes.  Regulators say that Uber currently doesn’t pay taxes in Brussels so the legislation may aim to address that.  But, Uber says that it follows all applicable tax laws and pays taxes where it plays.  #TheStruggleIsReal

Somethin’ Is Better Than Nothin’… 

Last week, President Obama talked about his plans for an executive order on immigration.  For a while now, technology companies have been asking for changes to the immigration system that would allow more H1-B visas for foreign-born high-skilled workers and making the green card process more efficient, streamlined, and generally faster. While Obama can’t make that happen without Congress, his plan includes efforts such as giving special founder’s visas to foreign entrepreneurs and extend the amount of time someone with a U.S. technical degree has to temporarily work under an “optional training program.”   Some in the technology industry are pleased, but there’s still more work to be done – looking at you, U.S. Congress.

Speaking Of …

In 2013, Spain passed a law to help local businesses attract talented, foreign entrepreneurs.  The visa application is pretty straightforward merely requiring a government-approved business plan, health insurance, and enough funds to live in the country.  In addition to entrepreneurs, the government is also offering to investors who at least $625k in real estate, high skilled workers, and researchers, scientists, teachers, etc.  The new law isn’t without its challenges, especially if you’re a non-Spanish speaker; however, it’s said to be a fast track process with decisions made within 10 and 20 working days depending on the type of application.

The Streets Are Talkin’

The new thing for teens and investors is a new anonymous messaging app called Yik Yak.  It recently raised $62 million.  Unfamiliar with Yik Yak? Here are some “gems” to get familiar how it’s being used.

Rakuten, the Japanese e-commerce company, is looking to expand its reach, and it’s investing into a Singapore-based mobile ad tech company called PocketMatch.

Sony is not into its TV and mobile products. The company will be cutting these product lines to cut costs and is re-focusing on its PlayStation 4 and image sensor portfolio over the next three years.

The Virtual Skinny: Half Way There

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on in Internet & Tech, Newsletter 0 Comment

7.24.2014

GOOD TO KNOW:  Pictures of cats are popular on the Interwebs, but they can also reveal interesting things about the location of the people who post them. 

THE SKINNY.

WHAT NOT TO DO FOR CONCERT TICKETS.

Joining an international cybercrime ring to defraud eBay’s online ticketing service, StubHub, is definitely not the way to go.

LEARN FROM THEIR EXPERIENCE.

Yesterday, seven people all based in different parts of the world including New York, New Jersey, Barcelona, London, and Toronto in connection with this group that stole credit and debit card numbers to purchase tickets to a number of high profile events like the JT and Jay-Z concert, a Yankees baseball game, and a Broadway play before reselling them to net profits. They dispersed these profits through PayPal accounts and British and German bank accounts. Six of the seven were indicted in New York yesterday.

WHAT’S THE CHARGE?

In the NY State Supreme Court, the six were charged with a slew of crimes including money laundering, grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, and identity theft.

TEAM WORK, MAKES THE DREAM WORK. 

In a rare showing of international cooperation, StubHub, Manhattan’s D.A.’s office, and other authorities worked closely with law enforcement around the globe for about a year. This coalition relied on I.P. addresses, and the PayPal and bank accounts to track down the individuals and successfully complete the second largest crime bust in the last year.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

YOU SHOULD NEVER SETTLE.

The European Union’s competition commissioner, Joaquín Almunia, is feeling some pressure to either delay or get rid of certain parts of its antitrust settlement with Google. Alumnia previously proposed a settlement to address anitrust complaints against the Internet company for favoring its services over its competitors in search results. Online review companies involved believe the settlement could be stronger and want the commissioner to at least require Google to use their results to power the company’s specialized search products when appropriate. Almunia is expected to reach final decision on this case this fall in September.

ALL IT DOES IS WIN, WIN, WIN … 

Facebook basically killed it in the second quarter on Wall Street.  According to reports, the social media company saw significant revenue growth all thanks to ads shown to users who accessed its service via their mobile devices.  We recently told you that FB just closed its deal with Oculus, and it also successfully purchased WhatsApp, a popular text messaging app, before that.  Now, the Zuck wants us to turn to the book of faces to search for content.  This plan will roll out over the next six month and will likely prompt us to spend even more time on the platform.  By the way, according to the company, you’re already spending about 41 minutes on FB daily (more than the time we spend exercising). Awesome.

 

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

 

LinkedIn just bought tech ad and measurements company Bizo for $175 million.  As soon as the deal closes in the third quarter, marketers can tap into Bizo’s resources, which will allow them to better target professionals with ads and measure the effectiveness of their ad campaigns.

Twitter is joining the ranks of Google and Facebook by revealing its also lacking in the diversity department. About 60% of its employees say they are white and about 70% identify as male. Unsurprisingly, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, and black people are the most underrepresented.