Social Services and Networks News Digest. What is new?
This monthly digest explores how major technology and social media companies responded to the COVID‑19 crisis. From Big Tech navigating privacy concerns around data sharing, Facebook and Google supporting research with anonymized data, and Zoom strengthening security amid rapid growth, to LinkedIn offering free mental health courses and YouTube adjusting video quality and tackling misinformation – these updates highlight how digital platforms adapted to global challenges while balancing responsibility, trust, and innovation.
In the current environment of overall tension, a new working model, and an ongoing crisis, it sounds good to provide you with a piece of the latest news overview on social networks and services. How the major of them react to the current situation in the world and what steps they take to adjust to a new format: these and much more are going to be found in the digest below.
Big Tech faces a ‘Big Brother’ trap on coronavirus
More and more companies and organizations are offering their assistance in the coronavirus pandemic struggle. Recently, the US government turned to tech giants, such as Apple, Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc., with a request to lend a hand in overcoming the crisis. The case is, all the companies mentioned have a highly powerful and helpful tool: immense data storage.
There are two sides of the same coin, though. On the one hand, to provide the government with all the data needed would be a perfect marketing move to raise the company’s rates. On the other hand, there exists a very serious risk of waking up Big Brother suspicions and claims. The line is very fragile and extremely easy to cross. That is why the tech companies take their time and do not hurry to respond to the US government’s requests.
Google has been the one to comment on the issue by stating that it is currently searching for ways to cooperate through aggregated and anonymized data provision. So, what will be the final of the story? Will the risk of sharing personal data outweigh the desire to become more popular and profitable in the long run? Maybe some compromise will be reached? Read further, and you will get some answers to your questions.
Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/18/big-tech-coronavirus-134523
Facebook adds data muscle to Covid-19 fight
Our monthly digest cannot go without Facebook news, as one of the most popular social networks in the world. The company, being encouraged by Google, decided to use its huge data store to help the researchers and scientists fight the coronavirus. Facebook announced its readiness to provide information on the population connectedness, movements, as well as some close friends and relations, to assist in:
- sticking to quarantine or violation of the norms surveillance;
- visualizing a possible map of infection spreading ;
- predicting some virus outbreaks and possible contamination incidents.
What about the anonymity? Good question. Facebook claims that all the data is ‘aggregate and anonymized’ with a number of additional steps taken to mitigate the issue: “Our datasets can show information at a city or county level, not the patterns of individuals,” a Facebook statement summed. Unlike Google, the social network made its tools available to worldwide academics only.
Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/06/facebook-coronavirus-data-google-168794
Video Meeting App Zoom Vows to Focus on Improving Security Amid Massive User Growth
Amid all those tumults caused by the pandemic and worldwide crisis, we cannot forget about Zoom, whose out-of-nowhere popularity is beating the records. In the environment of lockdowns, more and more users are launching the video conferencing tool every minute. The Zoom boom we are witnessing cannot help but popularize the app greatly. However, every single rapid popularity growth is tiptoed by a wide array of challenges.
Zoom is no exception. With the demand for meetings increasing, a number of flaws not identified before rose up. To get rid of any personal element in sharing moments, the application removes Face SDK and LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator. What is more, to resist Zoombombing, new passwords, limiting screen sharing, etc., are being integrated into the system.
Is Zoom flawless? Definitely not. However, it is taking steps to solve the issues arising, and it seems to be transparent and trustworthy enough to use.
LinkedIn Provides Free Mindfulness Courses on LinkedIn Learning to Help People Deal with the COVID-19 Lockdowns
What about LinkedIn in the atmosphere of the vast crisis? LinkedIn, as a social network for career development, pursues a logical algorithm by providing its audience with several free learning courses for those who have difficulties adjusting to the lockdowns regarding their mental health and work-life balance. ‘Wild ride’ times we are having presently are highly difficult to survive psychologically and emotionally. A human being is a social creature. Being put in isolation, along with new working rules and home issues, is a huge challenge for everyone. LinkedIn takes care of that new aspect of living by offering its courses on mediations, work-life balancing, stress management strategies, and so on.
Besides, the social network organizes courses on productive remote work, online teaching, and much more.
Coronavirus: YouTube to cut video quality to standard definition in an attempt to limit the impact on the internet
A global video-sharing service, YouTube, has also joined a worldwide initiative to fight the coronavirus crisis. It announced a decision to cut its default video quality in order to preserve the Internet bandwidth. In the current situation, when the absolute majority of people all over the world are working remotely and staying at home, online resources are highly demanded and widely used. Consequently, the network is considerably overloaded and is faced with a number of new challenges and issues to tackle.
Due to that fact, YouTube has appeared to be the first major service to limit its video streaming quality, targeted at lessening its impact on Internet performance. What is more, YT is the first one to make an unpopular decision to be active across the whole world, while some other companies limited their video quality rates to decrease across the European countries only.
However, it should be stressed that the users still have an option to switch to a higher quality video mode without the automatic one being available.
5G and coronavirus: YouTube vows to crack down on videos spreading baseless conspiracy theory
To go on with the YouTube line, it would be proper to mention the response of the video website to the wave of stormy reaction of the public regarding the videos on the conspiracy theory that 5G causes the coronavirus pandemic to spread. YT’s first reaction was not to interfere with the issue in order not to deny the existence of the coronavirus. Nevertheless, having weighed all the negative effects following the situation, the service administration decided to suppress the videos mentioned by pushing their rates down but not removing them from the site. All the ‘borderline content’ videos are ruled by the statement.
YouTube has underlined its first priority tasks to help humanity fight the virus by reducing the spread of misinformation and providing timely and helpful information instead. “We’ll continue to evaluate the impact of these videos on the UK community and look forward to continuing our work with the UK Government and the NHS to keep the British public safe and informed during this difficult time,” a YouTube spokesperson added.
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