2023-06-05
Spotify says it is now the most-used audio podcast platform in most corners of the world and the #1 podcast publisher in the US. It also says it will reduce its global podcast vertical and other functions by approximately 200 people or 2% of its workforce https://newsroom.spotify.com/ ...
Spotify
Spotify cuts ~200 jobs, or 2% of its staff, at its podcast unit, combines Parcast and Gimlet into a renewed Spotify Studios, and reports 100M+ podcast listeners
Below is an adaptation of an internal update on Spotify's Podcast Business from Sahar Elhabashi, VP, Head of Podcast Business.
2022-10-26
Some of the deepfake ads are broad parodies. Even so, the growing adoption of deepfake software could eventually shape the industry in profound ways while creating new legal and ethical questions. https://www.wsj.com/...
Wall Street Journal
A look at the increased use of celebrity deepfakes in ads, with or without their permission, raising legal and ethical questions for the marketing industry
2022-08-29
Since 2016, John Landgraf, chair of Disney's FX network, has been predicting the arrival of “peak TV” — the moment when the number of new scripted shows reaches an all-time high. Streaming keeps proving him wrong. But for how long? https://www.ft.com/...
Financial Times
Ampere: Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, and Netflix will spend $23B+ in 2023 on original content, up 10% YoY and more than twice the spending of 2019
2022-07-30
Twitter is getting a high number of legal demands from local, state or national governments that wanted Twitter to remove content from accounts or reveal confidential information such as direct messages or user locations https://apnews.com/...
Associated Press
Twitter says it fielded nearly 60K legal demands globally in H2 2021 and complied fully with ~40%; the US accounted for 20% of account information requests
Amanda Seitz / Associated Press :
2022-06-21
“They're basically strong-arming us to switch to something paid after they got us hooked on this free service.” exactly https://twitter.com/...
New York Times
Some SMB owners complain Google is ending its G Suite legacy free edition after over a decade on August 1, arguing the company lured them with a free service
Nico Grant / New York Times :
2022-06-06
Wow, who could have seen this coming? https://twitter.com/...
CoinDesk
Yuga Labs confirms BAYC's Discord server hack with 200 ETH worth of NFTs stolen, the third time a bad actor impersonated a Yuga Labs-run account to steal funds
Eli Tan / CoinDesk : Source: @boredapeyc .
Wow, who could have seen this coming? https://twitter.com/...
New York Times
As OpenSea faces a backlash over stolen and plagiarized NFTs, executives acknowledge the problem and outline steps to improve trust, including hiring more staff
OpenSea, one of the highest-profile crypto start-ups, is facing a backlash over stolen and plagiarized nonfungible tokens.
2022-04-25
Netflix has always been a fairly flat organization but now it is restructuring teams in its engineering department to create levels - junior, senior and so on. Many employees view this as an effort to cut costs. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Bloomberg
Sources: Netflix staff morale is sagging amid its cratering stock price, subscriber losses, and an engineering restructuring to create levels, such as “junior”
As Netflix shares plunge to their lowest point in five years, the company risks losing its most valuable resource: its star employees.
2022-03-22
Investors and entrepreneurs are promoting warm climes like Austin and Miami as the next big tech hubs. But they are tiny tech communities compared with the new hub growing in the cool air along the shore of Lake Ontario. https://www.nytimes.com/...
New York Times
CBRE: Toronto is now the third-largest tech hub in North America, behind New York and Silicon Valley, and its tech workforce is growing faster than any US hub
For all the excitement around places like Austin and Miami, the biggest tech expansion has been in Canada's largest city.
2022-03-01
Australia's communications minister, Paul Fletcher, has the air of a man in the middle of a victory speech. He credits his team and the country's competition regulator for succeeding where others had failed: forcing tech giants to pay for news. https://www.wired.co.uk/...
Wired
Interview with Australia's communications minister Paul Fletcher on the efficacy of the country's year-old news bargaining code with Google and Meta
Morgan Meaker / Wired : Tweets: @wired , @pressgazette , @bitech , and @michellemanafy Tweets: @wired : Countries are looking at Australia's media code as a blueprint for forcing ...
2022-02-12
sure, right: who needs regulation when Apple will give a stern warning to users that they should not use an invasive technology illegally https://twitter.com/...
New York Times
A real life test to secretly follow a person using AirTags, Tiles, and a LandAirSea GPS tracker
2022-02-11
sure, right: who needs regulation when Apple will give a stern warning to users that they should not use an invasive technology illegally https://twitter.com/...
MacRumors
Apple plans AirTag updates to reduce stalking: Precision Finding for unknown AirTags, displaying alerts with sound, earlier tracking alerts, and louder sounds
but dumbing down the tech is not the answer; staying on top of the exploits is. Michael Kukielka / @detroitborg : AirTag is getting more scrutiny than other item trackers, but I al...
2022-02-09
Just as spending is booming, production costs are rising and subscription growth is flagging, streamers face with another issue: Investment targets and quotas. Such is the challenge that Netflix's Reed met with EU commissioners. https://www.ft.com/... @FT
Financial Times
A look at the effect of current and prospective regulations by EU countries on US streamers, including mandatory investments and retention of producer rights
Netflix, Disney and Amazon grapple with national investment targets and a shake-up in who owns rights
2022-02-05
Documents viewed by @restofworld shed light on the reputation management industry, revealing how these firms use spurious copyright claims and fake legal notices to remove and obscure articles linking clients to unsavory allegations. https://restofworld.org/... via
Rest of World
Leaked docs show how reputation laundering companies use fake DMCA and legal notices to scare news outlets into taking down unflattering articles about clients
by @peterguest See also Mediagazer
2021-10-31
Advocates for the blind are fighting an endless battle to access ebooks that sighted people take for granted, working against copyright law that gives significant protections to corporate powers and publishers who don't cater to their needs. https://www.wired.com/...
Wired
Advocates for the blind say DMCA exemptions to break ebook DRM for accessibility should be permanent, rather than having to be renewed every three years
regardless of what type of device it is. Read the Copyright Office's new 1201 ruling here: https://www.copyright.gov/... @internetarchive : TODAY: @librarycongress alters the #DMCA...
2021-10-30
Advocates for the blind are fighting an endless battle to access ebooks that sighted people take for granted, working against copyright law that gives significant protections to corporate powers and publishers who don't cater to their needs. https://www.wired.com/...
Wired
Advocates for the blind say DMCA exemptions to break ebook DRM for accessibility should be permanent, rather than having to be renewed every three years
Advocates will once again be granted a DMCA exception to make accessible versions of texts. They argue that it's far past time to make it permanent. Source: U.S. Copyright Office ...
2021-09-01
LinkedIn is telling advertisers to prepare for the end of its short-lived experiment with Stories, after the ephemeral videos failed to catch on among the professional social media set. https://adage.com/... via @adage
Ad Age
LinkedIn is abandoning its Stories format at the end of September and has told advertisers to adjust their ad campaigns accordingly
Brands will have to adjust ad campaigns when video format leaves the platform after September — LinkedIn is telling advertisers to prepare for the end … Source: LinkedIn .
2021-06-09
Happy 10th Birthday to Twitch, which pioneered this all-enveloping world of patronized content and of gamifying online entertainment, both for the viewer and the streamer. https://www.wired.com/... via @wired
Wired
As Twitch turns 10, a look at how the service pioneered the patronage system that is prevalent across the internet's creator economy today
2021-04-27
Today, Apple will release iOS 14.5, one of its most anticipated software updates for iPhones & iPads in years. It includes a new privacy tool, called App Tracking Transparency, which should provide more control over how data is shared. https://www.nytimes.com/...
New York Times
Overview of iOS 14.5, which includes the App Tracking Transparency tool, lets Siri play audio with 3rd-party apps, and enables Face ID unlocking with a mask on
Today, Apple will release iOS 14.5, one of its most anticipated software updates for iPhones & iPads in years. It includes a new privacy tool, called App Tracking Transparency, which should provide more control over how data is shared. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Wall Street Journal
With iPhone's privacy changes, advertisers will get more ad-performance data for ads bought through Apple than via third parties, giving its ad business an edge
Under the iPhone maker's new rules, advertisers will get more ad-performance data for ads bought through Apple than through third parties