twitter SIM Swap Attack Compromises Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's Account A hacker takes over Jack Dorsey's Twitter account using a SIM swap attack, posting rogue tweets through the platform's SMS service. Twitter secures the account and blames the security breach on a mobile provider oversight.
spotify Spotify Enables Direct Music Sharing to Facebook Stories Spotify rolls out a new integration that allows users to share 15-second song previews directly to Facebook Stories. The feature aims to help artists promote their music while driving traffic back to the Spotify app.
tech leaders Tech Coalition Demands Industry Accountability for Enabling White Supremacy A coalition of tech leaders known as Build Tech We Trust publishes a public letter condemning how tech platforms amplify hate and radicalize users. The group calls for immediate accountability and systemic changes to stop the rise of white supremacist violence.
google Google's Hate Speech Algorithm Shows Racial Bias Against Black Users Research reveals that AI hate speech detection tools, including Google's Perspective, disproportionately flag tweets from African-American authors as offensive. This bias highlights the significant risk of silencing minority voices if tech companies rely too heavily on automated content moderation.
zhihu Chinese Q&A Giant Zhihu Secures $434 Million in Record Funding Round Zhihu, China's top question and answer platform, raises $434 million in a Series F round led by Kuaishou with participation from Baidu and Tencent. The company plans to use the funds for technology and product development while expanding its expert-driven content.
tumblr Automattic Acquires Tumblr for Fraction of Original Billion-Dollar Price WordPress parent company Automattic purchases the struggling blogging platform Tumblr from Verizon for a reported sum well below $20 million. The deal brings 200 staffers over to Automattic as Tumblr seeks to rebuild its once-dominant community.
telegram Telegram Introduces Slow Mode and Silent Messages for Group Chats Telegram rolls out a new Slow Mode feature that restricts how often group members can send messages, aiming to make large conversations more orderly. The update also includes a silent sending option and arrives as other messaging platforms attempt to curb misinformation.
white house White House Drafts Order to Put FCC in Charge of Social Media Oversight The Trump administration drafts an executive order that tasks the FCC and FTC with monitoring how major social media companies filter and curate content. The proposal challenges the legal protections tech platforms currently hold under the Communications Decency Act.
twitter Twitter Reports Strong Q2 Revenue Growth Driven by Video Advertising Twitter beats analyst expectations for Q2 with $841 million in revenue and introduces a new monetizable daily active user metric. Ad revenue sees a significant boost as video formats continue to gain traction.
twitter Twitter Stock Surges as Q2 Earnings and User Growth Beat Expectations Twitter surpasses analyst expectations for second-quarter earnings and revenue, driving shares up nearly 9 percent. The social media platform also reports strong growth in its newly adopted monetizable daily active users metric.
facebook Facebook Beats Earnings Expectations Despite Record $5 Billion FTC Fine Facebook reports strong second-quarter revenue growth and rising user numbers, easily beating Wall Street forecasts even after absorbing a massive $2 billion legal expense from its FTC settlement.
snapchat Snapchat Reaches 203 Million Daily Users as Growth Rebounds Snap reports a return to user growth with 203 million daily active users, driven by a redesigned Android app and improved retention rates. The company also sees a 48 percent revenue increase despite ongoing losses.
vidcon 2019 VidCon 2019 Highlights TikTok Dominance and Shifting Social Media Trends VidCon 2019 draws over 75,000 attendees as TikTok dominates conversations among tech executives and creators. The event also showcases significant growth in esports and evolving monetization strategies on platforms like Twitch.
ftc FTC Slaps Facebook With Record $5 Billion Privacy Penalty The Federal Trade Commission imposes a historic $5 billion fine on Facebook over widespread privacy violations. The settlement also mandates strict new operational restrictions on how the social media giant handles user data.
white house White House Plans Social Media Summit Focusing on Claims of Censorship The White House announces a major meeting with social media companies to address complaints of anti-conservative bias, though several key industry players do not receive invitations.