Automattic, the open source force behind WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Longreads, Simplenote and , has made a $4.6M strategic investment into — the creators of an open, decentralized communications standard called . They also develop a Slack rival () which runs on Matrix.The investment by Automattic, which is at a higher valuation than the last tranche New Vector took in, extends an , from enterprise tech specialists  and plus European seed fund — and brings the total raised to date to $18.1M (which includes an earlier in strategic investment from an Ethereum-based secure chat and...…Automattic, the open source force behind WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Longreads, Simplenote and , has made a $4.6M strategic investment into — the creators of an open, decentralized communications standard called . They also develop a Slack rival () which runs on Matrix.The investment by Automattic, which is at a higher valuation than the last tranche New Vector took in, extends an , from enterprise tech specialists  and plus European seed fund — and brings the total raised to date to $18.1M (which includes an earlier in strategic investment from an Ethereum-based secure chat and...WW…

Research presented at the conference in Barcelona today supports the notion that YouTube’s platform is playing a role in radicalizing users via exposure to far-right ideologies.The study, carried out by researchers at Switzerland’s Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne and the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil, found evidence that users who engaged with a middle ground of extreme right-wing content migrated to commenting on the most fringe far-right content.A March 2018 article by sociologist Zeynep Tufekci set out the now widely reported thesis that YouTube is a...…Research presented at the conference in Barcelona today supports the notion that YouTube’s platform is playing a role in radicalizing users via exposure to far-right ideologies.The study, carried out by researchers at Switzerland’s Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne and the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil, found evidence that users who engaged with a middle ground of extreme right-wing content migrated to commenting on the most fringe far-right content.A March 2018 article by sociologist Zeynep Tufekci set out the now widely reported thesis that YouTube is a...WW…

Twitter has disclosed it’s facing a potential fine of more than a hundred million dollars as a result of a probe by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which believes the company violated a by using data provided by users for a security purpose to target them with ads.In an , reported on earlier by The , Twitter revealed it received the draft complaint from the FTC late last month. The activity the regulator is complaining about is alleged to have taken place between 2013 and 2019.Last the social media firm publicly disclosed it had used phone numbers and email addresses provided by users...…Twitter has disclosed it’s facing a potential fine of more than a hundred million dollars as a result of a probe by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which believes the company violated a by using data provided by users for a security purpose to target them with ads.In an , reported on earlier by The , Twitter revealed it received the draft complaint from the FTC late last month. The activity the regulator is complaining about is alleged to have taken place between 2013 and 2019.Last the social media firm publicly disclosed it had used phone numbers and email addresses provided by users...WW…

A highly anticipated ruling by Europe’s top court has just landed — striking down a flagship EU-US data flows arrangement called Privacy Shield.“the requirements of US national security, public interest and law enforcement have primacy, thus condoning interference with the fundamental rights of persons whose data are transferred to that third country”, and that mechanisms in the EU-US Privacy Shield ostensibly intended to mitigate this interference (such as an ombudsperson role to handle EU citizens’ complaints) are not up the required legal standard of ‘essential equivalence’ with EU...…A highly anticipated ruling by Europe’s top court has just landed — striking down a flagship EU-US data flows arrangement called Privacy Shield.“the requirements of US national security, public interest and law enforcement have primacy, thus condoning interference with the fundamental rights of persons whose data are transferred to that third country”, and that mechanisms in the EU-US Privacy Shield ostensibly intended to mitigate this interference (such as an ombudsperson role to handle EU citizens’ complaints) are not up the required legal standard of ‘essential equivalence’ with EU...WW…

Workplace instant messaging platform Slack has filed an antitrust complaint against Microsoft in the European Union, accusing the tech giant of unfairly bundling its rival Teams product with its cloud-based productivity suite.A spokeswoman for the Commission’s competition division confirmed receipt of a complaint, telling us via email: “We will assess it under our standard procedures.”We’ve also reached out to Microsoft and Slack for comment.Per the , which has a statement from Slack, the company is accusing Microsoft of illegally abusing its market power by tying its competing product,...…Workplace instant messaging platform Slack has filed an antitrust complaint against Microsoft in the European Union, accusing the tech giant of unfairly bundling its rival Teams product with its cloud-based productivity suite.A spokeswoman for the Commission’s competition division confirmed receipt of a complaint, telling us via email: “We will assess it under our standard procedures.”We’ve also reached out to Microsoft and Slack for comment.Per the , which has a statement from Slack, the company is accusing Microsoft of illegally abusing its market power by tying its competing product,...WW…

Australia’s privacy watchdog is suing Facebook over the Cambridge Analytica data breach — which, back in 2018, became a global scandal that wiped yet only led to Facebook picking up a .Should Australia prevail in its suit against the tech giant the monetary penalty could be exponentially larger.Australia’s Privacy Act sets out a provision for a civil penalty of up to $1,700,000 to be levied per contravention — and the national watchdog believes there were 311,074 local Facebook users in the cache of ~86M profiles lifted by Cambridge Analytica. So the potential fine here is circa $529BN. (A...…Australia’s privacy watchdog is suing Facebook over the Cambridge Analytica data breach — which, back in 2018, became a global scandal that wiped yet only led to Facebook picking up a .Should Australia prevail in its suit against the tech giant the monetary penalty could be exponentially larger.Australia’s Privacy Act sets out a provision for a civil penalty of up to $1,700,000 to be levied per contravention — and the national watchdog believes there were 311,074 local Facebook users in the cache of ~86M profiles lifted by Cambridge Analytica. So the potential fine here is circa $529BN. (A...WW…

Google has buried a major change in legal jurisdiction for its U.K. users, moving them out from being covered by the European Union’s data protection framework and under U.S. jurisdiction, as part of a wider update to its terms and conditions that’s been announced today which it says is intended to make its conditions of use clearer for all users.It says the update to its T&Cs is the first major revision since 2012 — with Google saying it wanted to ensure the policy reflects its current products and applicable laws.Google says it undertook a major review of the terms, similar to the...…Google has buried a major change in legal jurisdiction for its U.K. users, moving them out from being covered by the European Union’s data protection framework and under U.S. jurisdiction, as part of a wider update to its terms and conditions that’s been announced today which it says is intended to make its conditions of use clearer for all users.It says the update to its T&Cs is the first major revision since 2012 — with Google saying it wanted to ensure the policy reflects its current products and applicable laws.Google says it undertook a major review of the terms, similar to the...WW…

The use of third party cookies for ad tracking and targeting by data broker giants and is the focus of class action style litigation announced today in the UK and the Netherlands.The suits will argue that mass surveillance of Internet users to carry out real-time bidding ad auctions cannot possibly be compatible with strict EU laws around consent to process personal data.The litigants believe the collective claims could exceed €10BN, should they eventually prevail in their arguments — though such legal actions can take several years to work their way through the courts.In the UK, the case...…The use of third party cookies for ad tracking and targeting by data broker giants and is the focus of class action style litigation announced today in the UK and the Netherlands.The suits will argue that mass surveillance of Internet users to carry out real-time bidding ad auctions cannot possibly be compatible with strict EU laws around consent to process personal data.The litigants believe the collective claims could exceed €10BN, should they eventually prevail in their arguments — though such legal actions can take several years to work their way through the courts.In the UK, the case...WW…

Google has fired a lobbying pot-shot at a looming change to the law in Australia that will force it to share ad revenue with local media businesses whose content its platforms monetize — seeking to mobilize its users against “big media.”Australia’s Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) of a mandatory code that seeks to address what it described as “acute bargaining power imbalances” between local news media and tech giants (Facebook and Google) by engaging in good faith negotiations and via a binding “final offer” arbitration process.Back in the country’s government announced it would...…Google has fired a lobbying pot-shot at a looming change to the law in Australia that will force it to share ad revenue with local media businesses whose content its platforms monetize — seeking to mobilize its users against “big media.”Australia’s Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) of a mandatory code that seeks to address what it described as “acute bargaining power imbalances” between local news media and tech giants (Facebook and Google) by engaging in good faith negotiations and via a binding “final offer” arbitration process.Back in the country’s government announced it would...WW…

It’s five months since Elon Musk overpaid for a relatively small microblogging platform called Twitter. The platform had punched above its weight in pure user numbers thanks to an unrivaled ability to both distribute real-time information and make expertise available. Combine these elements with your own critical faculty — to weed out the usual spam and bs — and it could feel like the only place online that really mattered.Even if the average internet user remained baffled by Twitter, it contained essential ingredients that made it a go-to source for journalists or other curious types...…It’s five months since Elon Musk overpaid for a relatively small microblogging platform called Twitter. The platform had punched above its weight in pure user numbers thanks to an unrivaled ability to both distribute real-time information and make expertise available. Combine these elements with your own critical faculty — to weed out the usual spam and bs — and it could feel like the only place online that really mattered.Even if the average internet user remained baffled by Twitter, it contained essential ingredients that made it a go-to source for journalists or other curious types...WW…