When Less Is More
Meta continues to tinker with its business model as it deals with the new European regulatory environment.
Starting this week, Facebook and Instagram will give European users the option to see “less personalized ads” that are based on context as opposed to their browsing history, the WSJ reports.
On top of that, Meta is also reducing the price of its no-ads subscription by 40%, according to a company blog post.
The less personalized ads option is meant as a concession. Users have historically had to subscribe or agree to Meta’s use of data for targeted advertising to use its services.
But Meta has a warning of sorts for those who opt out of personalization: “People will see ads that they don’t find as interesting.”
Meta, meanwhile, is taking steps to preserve its campaign ROI, which could decline if ads become less personally relevant. The company, for example, will introduce what it’s calling “ad breaks,” which will come in the form of unskippable ad experiences lasting a couple of seconds.
Similar unskippable formats are common among its competitors, Meta notes, and “will help us continue to provide value to advertisers which ensures we can offer people a less personalized ads experience at no charge.”
Very gracious.
Opting Out Of Civil Rights
Government officials liberally used location-tracking software Locate X in criminal investigations dating back to 2018 – despite concerns it wouldn’t pass legal muster.
In multiple emails obtained by 404 Media via FOIA request, federal investigators – including the Secret Service, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement – wrote they didn’t need a search warrant to use Locate X’s data. Some believed Fourth Amendment protections didn’t apply because the individuals under investigation had opted into app-based location tracking.
However, users didn’t give consent directly to Locate X, which compiles location data from other mobile apps, or to its parent company Babel Street. But whether data usage permissions extend beyond the app that a user originally granted consent to is often a murky question.
To be fair, some investigators pushed back against using Locate X. “It seems questionable that the businesses who generate these location records would provide the location information directly to the government without a warrant, but they sell it to Babel Street who then sells it to us,” one Secret Service email read.
Regardless, lawmakers are not impressed.
“The Secret Service reportedly hid behind a flimsy claim that users consented to the sale of their location data,” Senator Ron Wyden tells 404 Media, “but even back in 2022 the agency told my office it hadn’t bothered to actually verify this.”
Ready Player One
Do you know where your children are? Because it might be in the metaverse, Wired reports.
To be more specific: Kids have apparently taken over Meta’s metaverse, Horizon Worlds, as a favored virtual hangout spot. You know, the place where Mark Zuckerberg insisted all our upper torsos would be living and working circa 2021. (Avatars with feet came later. Much later.)
This trend is at least due in part to recently lowered age restrictions for Horizon Worlds – as young as 10 in the US and Canada – as well as the Meta Quest VR headset becoming more affordable.
But no doubt it’s also indicative of a lack of accessible third spaces and childcare options for American families in particular. If you’re stuck working, surely it’s safer to let your kid play pretend on the internet rather than let them run wild outside without supervision, right?
In theory, yes. In practice, not exactly. After all, it’s notoriously difficult to moderate online spaces for children, especially ones that weren’t designed for them in the first place.
Either way, Horizon Worlds still isn’t the promised land for brand activations that many marketers were hoping the metaverse could provide. Unless you run a toy company, maybe. But even then, kids might be too busy playing tag to notice.
But Wait! There’s More!
Dow Jones wins AI licensing deals for more than 4,000 news outlets, including the AP. [Adweek]
ByteDance keeps trying to make its new social app Lemon8 happen, this time by syncing with TikTok. [TechCrunch]
Netflix’s ad tier now reaches 70 million subscribers globally. [Variety]
French newspapers are considering taking legal action against X for running their content without payment. [The Guardian]
NYT tech workers are “furious” with their union for ending their recent weeklong strike without getting a contract. [Brian Stelter on X]
A new update prompts users to let Microsoft Edge import their Chrome tabs and browsing data. [The Verge]
Direct Digital Holdings reported an 85% revenue decrease YOY in Q3, with Colossus SSP down 96%. [release]
You’re Hired
The Weather Company names Rohit Agarwal as its new CEO. Sheri Bachstein, who served as chief exec since 2021, will transition to president. [Axios]
Amperity appoints Tony Alika Owens as its new CEO. [release]
OpenX promotes Julie Rooney to chief privacy officer. [release]
Rain the Growth Agency hires Rachel Baker as SVP, head of video investment and partnerships. [blog post]
