Social Media Weekly Roundup 15.01.21

Snap acquires US location data startup StreetCred to power up its Snap Maps feature

Snap has acquired New York-based startup StreetCred, a company building a platform for location data. The acquisition suggests users can expect an improved experience of Snapchat’s Snap Maps, a feature which allows friends to view one another on a virtual map and see public snaps from around the world. Snapchat made Snap Maps a key component of its redesign last year when it was added to the app’s main navigation bar. Last summer, Snap reported Snap Maps’ reach at 200 million users every month.

Controversial social media platform Parler removed by Apple, Google and Amazon

Parler, the social media platform known for its largely unmoderated, right-wing communities, has been kicked off the internet this week. The platform is among a cluster of alternative social networks that right-wing extremists have adopted after being banned by mainstream sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Both Google and Apple removed the Parler app from their app stores after mounting evidence suggesting that it played a large part in the planning of the deadly riots in Washington DC last week. On Sunday, Amazon joined its fellow tech giants by removing Parler from its cloud hosting service Amazon Web Services (AWS) due to the risk presented to public safety. On Monday, Parler announced that it had sued Amazon in response to the AWS ban for a multitude of reasons, although Amazon has since dismissed them, citing no merit to Parler’s claims and standing by its decision to remove the platform.

Airbnb cancels all Washington DC bookings during inauguration week

Holiday rental marketplace company Airbnb has announced that it is cancelling all reservations in Washington DC during the week of incoming US President Joe Biden’s inauguration on 20th January. Guests whose reservations are being cancelled will be refunded in full by the company and hosts will be reimbursed at Airbnb’s expense. In a post by the multi-billion dollar business, the action is said to be in response to “reports emerging...regarding armed militias and known hate groups that are attempting to travel and disrupt the inauguration.” Many are now calling for similar companies, such as Vrbo, to follow in Airbnb’s footsteps and issue refunds to customers who planned to travel to DC for the inauguration next week.

LinkedIn adds swipe-up links to LinkedIn Stories

After being spotted in testing back in September, LinkedIn has officially added a swipe-up links feature to its Stories. The new option enables users to ‘see more’ and be taken to a chosen URL via a prompt attached to the Story. As of now though, the feature is only available to users with more than 5000 followers - similar to Instagram, whose swipe-up link is only available to users with over 10,000 followers.

WhatsApp updates privacy policy, forcing US users to share more information with Facebook

A recent privacy policy update by WhatsApp is forcing its users in the US to agree to sharing more of their information with Facebook. In 2014, when Facebook first acquired WhatsApp, users were assured that their data would not be shared with Facebook or its other companies. Nevertheless, just 2 years later, WhatsApp began sharing data with Facebook - though, until now, users could opt out. With the new policy update, American users now do not have this choice; rather, they must accept the update or stop using the app altogether. The update does not affect users in the UK or Europe due to their stricter privacy laws.

Facebook rolls out updated Access Your Information tool

On Tuesday, Facebook rolled out its updated Access Your Information tool, which has been visually redesigned and made easier to both use and navigate. The first version of the tool was launched in 2018 in response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal to give users more transparency and control over how and why their personal data was being used. The new and improved tool now allows users to securely manage their Facebook posts, comments, reactions and searches. The timing of the tool’s update is significant as the platform is currently engaged in a conflict with Apple over iOS 14’s new data transparency feature, which allows users to opt-out of having their data tracked by an app.

Facebook runs new webinars covering upcoming web advertising changes

Yesterday, Facebook ran two webinars aimed at helping advertisers navigate the changes to web advertising in the wake of Apple’s new data tracking update. It comes after months of Facebook criticising Apple’s decision to implement the feature this month - a decision it says Apple made unilaterally, without industry alignment and to the detriment of small businesses who have been particularly hard hit during the pandemic. In its first webinar, Facebook talked through the changes that advertisers can expect to see on the platform and its top tips for advertisers moving forward.