Social Media

Viewsroom: Europe fights U.S. Big Tech

15 Nov 2018

Digital titans like Alphabet and Apple may rule the roost, but EU rules on data privacy are helping startups flourish on the other side of the Atlantic. Meanwhile, Facebook’s inability to police fake content spreads to Africa. Plus: Mumbai’s ride-share drivers go on strike.

Snap shareholders deserve little sympathy

14 Nov 2018

Some are suing the social-media firm for misleading them before its IPO about competition from Instagram. Now U.S. watchdogs are conducting a probe. Bad conduct deserves punishment. But investors willingly bought stock with no rights in an immature company with lots of rivals.

Facebook’s Africa friends need heart, not darkness

5 Nov 2018

Cameroon used a fake cannibalism video Mark Zuckerberg’s $430 bln outfit left on its pages to justify a military crackdown. Facebook has not done enough to combat online abuse as social media booms on the poorest continent. But effective monitoring would hardly break the bank.

Mark Zuckerberg serves platter of creepy crawlies

31 Oct 2018

The Facebook boss candidly addressed the social network’s problems - encouraging for a company with grave transparency issues. Zuckerberg still lacks answers on how to squeeze revenue from things like private messaging and video ads, but at least the bogeyman is in plain sight.

Facebook heads into an earnings pincer movement

30 Oct 2018

The $410 bln social-media giant’s slowing sales growth is likely to continue. Combatting that, and the problems caused by fake posts, means spending more. That’ll hit both top and bottom lines and may force CEO Mark Zuckerberg to take rash countermeasures, like ill-planned M&A.

The Exchange: Leta Hong Fincher

26 Oct 2018

China’s fledgling feminist movement has laid the foundations for a #MeToo moment. In the wake of the infamous one-child policy, author Hong Fincher has documented the development of women’s rights, and activism. She joins Katrina Hamlin to explain why their work worries Beijing.

Twitter’s bot purge looks good for business

25 Oct 2018

Monthly users fell again in the third quarter but ad revenue surged, helping the $21 bln company led by Jack Dorsey top expectations. Similar trends three months ago caused a selloff; this time, Twitter’s stock soared. Keeping this version of the meme going is Dorsey’s priority.

Facebook hires one weapon for two-handed fight

19 Oct 2018

Nick Clegg, former UK deputy PM, will lead global affairs at the $450 bln social network. His anti-Brexit stance and EU background could help with tribulations in Brussels. But he’s an odd choice to deal with Washington, where scrutiny may intensify after the midterm elections.

Review: No baby boom for China’s Big Brother

19 Oct 2018

The state hopes to manipulate women for economic and political ends, says Leta Hong Fincher in “Betraying Big Brother”. Once they were workers. Today the priority is bearing babies to defuse a demographic time bomb. A falling birth rate shows the limits of Beijing’s power.

#MeToo has room to spread in India Inc

18 Oct 2018

Companies are rushing to improve practices after a wave of harassment allegations from film stars and journalists. That’s welcome: implausibly few complaints are reported. Where New Delhi has been relatively silent, firms can set the tone. It will help retain more talent too.

Facebook is late to fight second existential crisis

5 Oct 2018

User and government annoyance at poor security, low-quality content and excessive advertising is as big a danger to Mark Zuckerberg’s company as the 2012 growth of mobile. Facebook finally appears focused on the threat, but it won’t be as easy to solve.

SoftBank helps Bytedance sing a $75 bln tune

2 Oct 2018

A $3 bln cash injection from foreign investors puts the Chinese viral news and video-sharing startup on track to become one of the world's most valuable. At home, it has amassed a huge user base to challenge giants like Tencent. Success abroad makes it stand out even more.

The Exchange: Europe’s tech-slayer in chief

27 Sep 2018

Margrethe Vestager has taken on Apple, Facebook and Google as Europe’s antitrust commissioner, leaving behind huge fines and bruised feelings. She talks with John Foley about Silicon Valley’s missteps, Europe’s challenges and what she’s buying on Amazon – her latest target.

U.S. data privacy suffers from too many cooks

26 Sep 2018

Amazon, Apple and other tech executives said a single federal privacy law is needed to avoid fragmented state rules. Different standards also apply to the healthcare and financial industries, while data collection extends beyond tech. Europe has some ideas to offer.

Facebook at risk of smothering its golden goose

25 Sep 2018

The departure of Instagram’s founders after six years as part of Mark Zuckerberg’s social network isn’t worrying on its own. But the photo-sharing app could suffer if too closely identified with its parent. Facebook needs Instagram’s growth. Squeezing too hard could kill it.

Washington traps Big Tech in pincer movement

13 Sep 2018

The Federal Trade Commission may change its antitrust and consumer-protection policies, with issues like inequality part of the debate. Facebook and others already face scrutiny from the DOJ and Congress. The squeeze from all sides may restrict M&A and spur a push for breakups.

Wall Street brains mostly stumped by tech dilemmas

10 Sep 2018

Giant opportunities and pay packages lured Imran Khan and other rainmakers to Silicon Valley. Their record is mixed at best at Snap, Alphabet and Twitter. Raising capital is easy, instilling discipline harder, and finding ways to beat dominant rivals nearly impossible.

Jack Dorsey tops Sheryl Sandberg as tech’s DC rep

5 Sep 2018

The usually dry Twitter CEO seemed more genuine than Facebook’s polished No.2 at a Washington hearing. Dealing with fake accounts, election meddlers and the like may hurt growth. But the industry needs a good envoy to tackle the regulatory threat. Dorsey may be the one.

Chinese news app IPO delivers hilarious feed

23 Aug 2018

Tencent-backed Qutoutiao, or "fun headlines", filed to go public in New York hours after raising money privately. The unprofitable outfit pays users to read, lacks important licenses to operate in China, and even rights to its name are shaky. The prospectus befits the business.

Tinder parent gives Facebook a dating lesson

10 Aug 2018

Owner Match Group said the swiping app will have more than $800 mln in revenue this year. Shares have tripled since its 2015 debut as it rakes in money from subscriptions. The successful model only highlights the shortcomings of the social network’s wannabe status.