Some shaking from across the world this week! Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the barrage of tech events next week as well!
Analytics, Digital, Design In Action
Oversight Board - A Pill to Restore Trust
In this week's newsletter, we would like to double click on the pros of having an independent oversight board for social media companies. Facebook's oversight board serves as a cross-check system to evaluate the decisions made by Facebook of involvement in content censorship and controls. It is not a secret that Facebook has been under water for a few years now, even before Mr. Zuckerberg explained the Internet to congress in 2018.
Before we talk about the specifics, we have to explain the differences between the oversight board and content moderator. Content moderator makes decisions on whether a certain image or post complies with Facebook's rules whereas the oversight board exists to ensure "freedom of speech" of its 3Bn users. The necessity of having content moderators lies in the need of preventing the spread of false or misleading information - something that Facebook has been accused of for many years. Facebook has also been criticized by almost everyone.
One tip of the iceberg is Facebook's removal of an iconic Vietnam war photo that shows a naked girl fleeing a napalm attack, as this Pulitzer Prize winning image violates the nudity rules of Facebook, and that decision got backfired due to worldwide criticism.
Similarly, TikTok, a Chinese social media app that achieved wide success in the U.S, also established Facebook's Oversight-Board-alike, advisory board, after getting heat from the incident when TikTok instructed its content moderator to suppress contents from "ugly" or poor users.
The Southeastern Hydra Enters Europe
Shopee, the ecommerce arm of Singapore-based Sea Limited, enters Europe, marking its newest market, on the heels of its Poland test launch earlier. Shopee is now in 13 markets across Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Europe.
Meanwhile, its gaming brother, Garena, is even more global, with its hit FreeFire game rising to the top-ranks in the US, India, and Sea’s home markets.
While largely unknown in North America, Sea’s ecommerce, gaming, and fintech arms have been proving to be dominant in every market they’ve entered. The firm is also sprouting a new head as it enters the delivery market.
Appreciate Your Commute
Meditation app Headspace partners with Waze to roll out a new “Drive with Headspace” experience that aims to make commuting less stressful. Waze says the new integration is meant to help drivers learn how to “find more joy and meaning on the road.” The Headspace experience allows users to choose from five moods, including aware, bright, hopeful, joyful and open.
Users will also be able to stream a custom Spotify playlist with music and content from Headspace.
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