Quibi is considering shutting itself down, WSJ reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter, a move that points to a possible crash landing for a once-highflying entertainment startup that raised $1.75 billion in capital. From the report: The streaming service has been plagued with problems since it launched in April, facing lower-than-expected viewership, disappointing download numbers and a lawsuit from…
Tag: advertisers
Facebook Revenue Chief Says Ad-Supported Model Is ‘Under Assault’ Amid Apple Privacy Changes
Facebook Chief Revenue Officer David Fischer said Tuesday that the economic models that rely on personalized advertising are “under assault” as Apple readies changes that would limit the ability of Facebook and other companies to target ads and estimate how well they work. Apple frames the change as preserving users’ privacy, rather than as an attack on the advertising industry, and…
While Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube Announce Hate Speech Action, Some Advertisers Remain Skeptical
“Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter have agreed on first steps to curb harmful content online, big advertisers announced on Wednesday, following boycotts of social media platforms accused of tolerating hate speech,” Reuters reports: Under the deal, announced by the World Federation of Advertisers, common definitions would be adopted for forms of harmful content such as hate speech and bullying, and platforms would…
Is There A Google-Free Future For Firefox?
Forbes reports:
Firefox is exploring subscriptions and other “value exchange” services to ease its financial dependence on rival Google, according to the browser’s lead developer. Firefox maker, Mozilla, is in the uneasy position of being financially dependent on its search deal with Google, which accounts for the majority of the organization’s revenue. Although Mozilla only last month renewed the search deal, ensuring…
Apple To Delay Privacy Change Threatening Facebook, Mobile Ad Market
Apple said on Thursday that it will delay until early next year changes to its privacy policy that could reduce ad sales by Facebook and other companies targeting users on iPhones and iPads. From a report: The delay could benefit Facebook, which last week said the changes to the iOS 14 operating system would render one of its mobile advertising tools…
‘Divinity Consultants’ are Now Designing Sacred Rituals for Some Corporations
“They go by different names: ritual consultants, sacred designers, soul-centered advertisers,” reports the New York Times, describing “a new corporate clergy” working as “divinity consultants” and “designing sacred rituals for corporations.” They have degrees from divinity schools. Their business is borrowing from religious tradition to bring spiritual richness to corporate America. In simpler times, divinity schools sent their graduates out to…
Are Apple’s Privacy Changes Hypocritical, Unfair to Facebook and Advertising Companies?
iPhone users will have to opt-in to tracking starting with iOS 14. Advertisers are “crying foul,” reports the Washington Post: [W]ith Apple under the antitrust spotlight, its privacy move has also been called a power move by an advertising industry that is scrambling to adjust to the changes, expected to be included in iOS 14, the company’s latest mobile operating system…
Brave Complains Google’s Newly-Proposed ‘WebBundles’ Standard Would ‘Make URLs Meaningless’
“Google is proposing a new standard called WebBundles,” complains Brave’s senior privacy reseacher. “This standard allows websites to ‘bundle’ resources together, and will make it impossible for browsers to reason about sub-resources by URL.” This threatens to change the Web from a hyperlinked collection of resources (that can be audited, selectively fetched, or even replaced), to opaque all-or-nothing “blobs” (like PDFs…
Facebook Warns Advertisers on Apple Privacy Changes
Facebook is warning advertisers that they can expect weaker ad performance from iPhone users once iOS 14 comes out next month and is telling them to create second advertiser accounts to contain the disruption. From a report: Many of Facebook’s advertising partners rely on Apple’s “Identifier for Advertisers” (IDFA) user tracking feature to, for instance, target would-be users by interest and…
Facebook Must Better Police Online Hate, State Attorneys General Say
Twenty state attorneys general on Wednesday called on Facebook to better prevent messages of hate, bias and disinformation from spreading, and said the company needed to provide more help to users facing online abuse. From a report: In a letter [PDF] to the social media giant, the officials said they regularly encountered people facing online intimidation and harassment on Facebook. They…