11.12.2015
Good to Know: We all know what it’s like to have the case of the Mondays but turns out that people actually hate Thursdays more according to posts on the Whisper app.
THE SKINNY
Yikkity Yak, Don’t Post That …
Using anonymous messaging app Yik Yak to post racial threats is a pretty terrible idea. Just ask 19-year-old, Missouri University of Science and Technology student Hunter Park.
What Went Down?
Park took the app and allegedly posted a message threatening black students and faculty at the University of Missouri (Mizzou), the sister campus to Missouri University of Science and Technology. The actual words used were “I’m going to shoot any black people tomorrow, so be ready.” Umm… terrifying … Black students fled campus before police arrested Park on suspicion of making terrorist threats.
Posters Beware …
College kids are very into Yik Yak, but most of them probably didn’t read the fine print. The app says it can hand over users’ information (e.g. Internet protocol address, GPS coordinates, date and time of message, etc.) to police if there’s a subpoena, court order, or search warrant involved. But, all that paper work isn’t needed in the event of an emergency like death threats.
Not the First Time …
Park’s threats along with some others surfaced on Yik Yak after Mizzou’s President and another senior university official were forced to step down. Their departure came after weeks of protests calling out the university’s handling of students’ concerns over racial incidents on campus. The app has a history of users’ posting these types of messages. In recent weeks, a few arrests have been made on college campuses across the U.S. for similar threats by other students. Yik Yak founder Brooks Buffington says the app is not meant for this type of behavior.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
Paying Your Fair Share …
AirBnB was fired up when it scored its major “W” by shutting down San Francisco’s Proposition F, which would have been bad news bears for short-term rentals. But now, the home-sharing service is taking things down a notch. This week, the company’s out with what it’s calling the “AirBnB Community Compact” to mend relations with local governments. AirBnB is willing to pay taxes, share unidentified data on its hosts and guests, and banning illegal hotels for participating on the platform.
When Someone Tries To Put You in a Box …
“Don’t do it,” says Chinese Internet company Alibaba. The company thinks it can do better and is looking to expand its empire. Alibaba is getting into U.S. territory by throwing money at high-tech U.S. startups. The company also wants to export goods from U.S. small and medium-sized businesses over to China. Btw, the company’s setting the record straight … It’s no e-commerce company. Instead, it wants to help other businesses compete with the Amazons of the world.
We Still Need Confirmation …
The U.S. and EU are working hard to figure out a deal that will allow American companies to transfer Europeans’ data back to the States. The EU may have some new stipulations. EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova says it may want American companies to turn over reports detailing just how many times U.S. intelligence agencies are reaching out to them and inquiring about EU residents. You know, just to double-check that things aren’t getting out of hand.
THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’
Social media company Facebook’s out with its new “breaking news” feature called Notify. You get your pick of what type of news you want to see from over 70 publishers.
Apple wants you to be able to make instant payments to your friends. It’s rumored to be working with banks to figure out a mobile peer-to-peer payment service.
Ride hailing app Uber wanted to get Nokia Maps in its corner to improve its navigation service, but things didn’t work out. Uber has moved onto navigation company TomTom and worked out partnership deal.
Online music streaming service Spotify’s trying to get you to the next big show with concert recommendations curated just for you.
IAC/Interactive Corp, owner of brands like OkCupid and CollegeHumor.com, wants to add Angie’s List, reviewer of local businesses, to its collection via a merger. Angie’s List is thinking things over.
LinkedIn knows it sends way too many emails and is working on a tool to fix that. Internally, the tool is known as Air Traffic Controller.