Facebook - The Wiser! Newsletter

Google/Facebook collusion; dark side of Roblox; Encryption and Microsoft's largest deal

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Newsletters • 10 min read

Google/Facebook collusion; dark side of Roblox; Encryption and Microsoft's largest deal

Wiser! #57: Unsealed papers in the US anti-trust against Google has revealed the extent of the collusion with Facebook. Plus: how much does Roblox exploit kids? UK Gov spending half a million on public opinion over E2EE and Microsoft's acquisition of Activision.…

Rick Huckstep • 22 Jan 2022

Google and Facebook accused of price-fixing in the digital ad space they dominate

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Essays • 6 min read

Google and Facebook accused of price-fixing in the digital ad space they dominate

Wiser! Essay: Unsealed documents in the anti-trust lawsuit against Google has revealed a 2018 agreement with Facebook to collude to fix prices and unfair advantage to Facebook.…

Rick Huckstep • 20 Jan 2022

UK Gov launch PR campaign to change BigTech’s approach to End-to-End Encryption

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Essays • 5 min read

UK Gov launch PR campaign to change BigTech’s approach to End-to-End Encryption

Wiser! Essay: The UK Government has been amongst the most vocal when it comes to opposing BigTech's use of End-to-End Encryption. Now, they are about to spend over half a million £s on a media campaign to persuade Facebook users that its a bad thing.…

Rick Huckstep • 19 Jan 2022

NFT madness; RIP Blackberry; Instagram and Predictions

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Newsletters • 13 min read

NFT madness; RIP Blackberry; Instagram and Predictions

Wiser! #54: Instagram needs to change as TikTok sets the pace. Plus the madness of NFTs, the end of the Blackberry and the origins of the iPhone. Plus more...…

Rick Huckstep • 07 Jan 2022

Gary Vee and NFTs; Instagram; Roblox plus Snap, Apple , AI and BigTech

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Newsletters • 12 min read

Gary Vee and NFTs; Instagram; Roblox plus Snap, Apple , AI and BigTech

Wiser! #51: Gary Vee makes $91m in 90 days selling NFTs (he had never heard of NFTs 9 months ago); Instagram hits 2 billion users with TikTok catching up fast; Roblox, Snap, Apple and AI, all in this issue of Wiser!…

Rick Huckstep • 17 Dec 2021

Why is TikTok so addictive?; WhatsApp launchs payments on Novi; plus AI, Ethics, Apple & Bitcoin

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Newsletters • 9 min read

Why is TikTok so addictive?; WhatsApp launchs payments on Novi; plus AI, Ethics, Apple & Bitcoin

Wiser! #50: metaFacebook start trials of a cryptocurrency service on WhatsApp using Novi. Plus leaked docs reveal TikTok's secret sauce. And Timnit Gebru launches an AI ethics research team.…

Rick Huckstep • 11 Dec 2021

Is Instagram to blame for the rise in self-harm amongst teenage girls?

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Essays • 7 min read

Is Instagram to blame for the rise in self-harm amongst teenage girls?

Wiser! Essay: Rates of self-harm, depression and social anxiety continue to rise amongst teenage girls. The question is why?…

Rick Huckstep • 05 Dec 2021

Dorsey quits Twitter & renames Square; plus Instagram, Shopping Bots and TikTok

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Newsletters • 12 min read

Dorsey quits Twitter & renames Square; plus Instagram, Shopping Bots and TikTok

Wiser! #48: Jack Dorsey quits as Twitter CEO for the 2nd time., then renames Square to Block; Plus Instagram harm to teen girls, shopping bots, TikTok and more...…

Rick Huckstep • 03 Dec 2021

Deepfakes in the Metaverse; plus Substack, NFTs, Nigeria's CBDC, and Xbox

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Newsletters • 13 min read

Deepfakes in the Metaverse; plus Substack, NFTs, Nigeria's CBDC, and Xbox

Wiser! #46: deepfakes in the Metaverse; Substack lose the plot, Tarantino sued over NFTs; Nigeria launch CBDC and Xbox hits 20.…

Rick Huckstep • 19 Nov 2021

The Metaverse Part 2; what it virtually means in reality

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Insights • 14 min read

The Metaverse Part 2; what it virtually means in reality

Wiser! #45 (Premium): All of a sudden, everyone is talking about the Metaverse. Thanks Meta! In this 2 part series, Part 1 explained what it is and Part 2 looks at what it does.…

Rick Huckstep • 16 Nov 2021

Microsoft enters the Metaverse; Facebook's on/off facial recognition, and Pinterest want your Attention

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Newsletters • 9 min read

Microsoft enters the Metaverse; Facebook's on/off facial recognition, and Pinterest want your Attention

Wiser! #43: Microsoft takes on Facebook head to head in the metaverse virtual workspace; Pinterest moves for your attention, and Facebook turns off facial recognition (for now).…

Rick Huckstep • 05 Nov 2021

The Metaverse Part 1; Facebook's big bet

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Insights • 12 min read

The Metaverse Part 1; Facebook's big bet

Wiser! #43 (Premium): When Facebook, the world's largest social network, renames to "Meta", it positions the Metaverse as the Next Computing Platform, aka Web3, the next generation of the Internet.…

Rick Huckstep • 02 Nov 2021

Big week for Bitcoin; Facebook, the Metaverse and Novi; And Social Media Anon

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Newsletters • 8 min read

Big week for Bitcoin; Facebook, the Metaverse and Novi; And Social Media Anon

Wiser #41; A big week for Bitcoin; Facebook focuses on the Metaverse and starts trials for its Novi digital wallet; and I ask the question, "Should social media be anonymous?"…

Rick Huckstep • 22 Oct 2021

As Facebook starts trials with Novi, are they about to rename themself?

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Essays • 5 min read

As Facebook starts trials with Novi, are they about to rename themself?

Wiser! Essay: Facebook start trials of digital wallet Novi using the crypto stablecoin Pax Dollar. Meanwhile, rumours abound that Facebook is to rename to reflect its strategy for the Metaverse.…

Rick Huckstep • 21 Oct 2021

A hell of a week for Facebook; plus Amazon, Google, Starlink & more

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Newsletters • 8 min read

A hell of a week for Facebook; plus Amazon, Google, Starlink & more

Wiser! #39: It's been a tough week for Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook; the whistleblower, the US Senate, the Facebook Files and a 5 hour global outage. Plus Amazon's pursuit of the home, Google are in court (again) and Elon Musk's Starlink.…

Rick Huckstep • 08 Oct 2021

Facebook's tobacco moment in the toughest of all weeks for Mark Zuckerberg

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Essays • 5 min read

Facebook's tobacco moment in the toughest of all weeks for Mark Zuckerberg

Wiser! Essay: It's hard to imagine a tougher week for Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook. The whistleblower talked to Congress, painting a damning picture, putting profits before safety. To top it off, Facebook scored an own goal, taking the entire network offline for over 5 hours!…

Rick Huckstep • 07 Oct 2021

China's CBDC rollout continues; Twitter's AI bias revealed; Uber saves lives; and more...

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Newsletters • 9 min read

China's CBDC rollout continues; Twitter's AI bias revealed; Uber saves lives; and more...

Wiser #37: China's CBDC rollout is on track according to expert Richard Turrin; Twitter opens up its algorithms to scrutiny for AI bias; Uber saves lives and a roundup of the top stories from September.…

Rick Huckstep • 01 Oct 2021

Microsoft's remote working survey; Facebook smartglasses; Epic v Apple latest

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Newsletters • 9 min read

Microsoft's remote working survey; Facebook smartglasses; Epic v Apple latest

Wiser! #34: Microsoft have conducted the largest study ever into the effects of remote working; plus an exclusive interview with Lemonade CEO Daniel Schreiber; Facebook's new smartglasses and the Litecoin pump and dump.…

Rick Huckstep • 17 Sep 2021

El Salvador go all-in on Bitcoin; Apple delay CSAM; Coinbase take on the SEC

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Bitcoin • 9 min read

El Salvador go all-in on Bitcoin; Apple delay CSAM; Coinbase take on the SEC

Newsletter #32: All eyes on El Salvador's BitcoinDay. Plus Apple delays its child protection measures, and more insights and information…

Rick Huckstep • 10 Sep 2021

Facebook's World Domination Strategy: Novi, a connected wallet for a connected world

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Insights • 11 min read

Facebook's World Domination Strategy: Novi, a connected wallet for a connected world

Newsletter #28 (Premium): Novi is Facebook's digital wallet. It allows users to move digital money between Facebook's apps for free and easily. And it's is going to be hugely disruptive. You only have to look to China and WeChat to see what is going to happen.…

Rick Huckstep • 20 Aug 2021