1. Wall Street Gears Up For Second Bout Against Reddit Traders (Reuters)
Wall Street is now gearing up for another week of market mayhem, with signs that the retail frenzy that pumped up the stock prices of the likes of GameStop Corp and AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc is spreading to other assets. The price of silver rallied around 10% since messages began to circulate on Reddit urging retail investors to pile into the market and drive up prices.
2. Facebook ‘Still Making Money From Anti-Vax Sites’ (The Guardian)
An investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism found 430 Facebook pages – followed by 45 million people – using Facebook’s tools while spreading false information about Covid-19 or vaccinations. The findings come despite a promise the platform made last year that no user or company should directly profit from false information about immunization against Covid-19.
3. Facebook Knew Calls For Violence Plagued ‘Groups,’ Now Plans Overhaul (WSJ)
According to an investigative report by WSJ’s Jeff Horwitz, Internal researchers at Facebook warned the company last summer that roughly “70% of the top 100 most active US Civic Groups are considered non-recommendable for issues such as hate, misinfo, bullying and harassment.”
4. Microsoft Seeks To Fill Void If Google Exits Australia (Reuters)
If Google follows through on threats to leave Australia over plans to compel digital giants to pay news organisations for content, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison confirmed on Monday that Microsoft was confident that Bing search engine could expand and fill the gap.
5. Google And Facebook Hit With Antitrust Lawsuit By West Virginia Newspaper (MediaPost)
Google and Facebook monopolized the digital ad market to the detriment of newspapers, the owner of the West Virginia Charleston Gazette-Mail alleges in a new antitrust lawsuit against the companies. The complaint relies on the key allegations in an antitrust lawsuit brought against Google late last year by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and nine other attorneys general.
6. AAM Creates Audit Program For Digital Publishers (MediaPost)
The Alliance for Audited Media (AAM) has launched a third-party audit program for digital publishers in an effort to combat ad fraud and reassure media buyers that domains are legitimate. The new offering, the AAM Digital Publisher Audit, certifies publishers by verifying their traffic sources and analyzing their business operations and site traffic, the AAM says.
7. Apple Releases Chrome Extension For iCloud Passwords (The Verge)
Apple has released an official extension for the Windows and Mac versions of Chrome that lets one use passwords stored in their iCloud Keychain. For anyone who uses Chrome as their browser and iCloud Keychain in lieu of a dedicated password manager, this could make bouncing between Windows and Mac computers much easier.
