1. Clubhouse Is Tightening Security To Address China Spying Fears (Gizmodo)
A group of researchers at the Stanford Internet Observatory has determined that Clubhouse’s data protection practices allowed its users’ data, possibly including their raw audio, to potentially be accessed by the Chinese government. The vulnerability arises out of Clubhouse’s use of Chinese company Agora, which provides a real-time voice and video engagement platform.
In a sign the regulatory standoff may be softening, Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg held talks with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google counterpart Sundar Pichai over the weekend. “We’re very close to some very significant commercial deals,” Frydenberg told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Monday, according to a transcript sent by his office.
3. Google Fined 1.1M Euros By France Over Hotel Ranking Practices (Reuters)
After a probe found Google’s hotel rankings could be misleading for customers, Google Ireland and Google France have agreed to pay a 1.1 million euros ($1.34 million) fine. France’s ministry and fraud watchdog had told this to Reuters. This is the second time France has fined Google within six months. A few months ago France’s privacy regulator had fined Google for more than $163 million for their practices regarding the use of cookies.”
4. LinkedIn To Form A Global Creator Management Team (Axios)
LinkedIn announced the formation of a global creation management team, which will be led by its EIC Dan Roth. It aims to support and grow content creators on the platform. LinkedIn will be the latest tech giant to launch a creator program. Dan Roth tweeted, “Creators are the driving engine of LinkedIn.”
5. Publishers Should Pay Attention To Core Web Vitals To Maximize Ad Revenue (AdExchanger)
According to Chartbeat, web search precipitated equal to or greater traffic than from all social platforms combined, comprising 23% of traffic to North American publishing sites in Q2 of 2020. At the outset where Google is proposed to add three evolving sets of metrics ‘Core Web Vitals’, by May 2021, publishers are expected to balance the design and rendering of their pages for better search ranking, higher-performing ads, and ultimately, higher ad revenue.
6. IPG’s Aims At Organic Revenue Growth Despite Setbacks In Q4 (WSJ)
The American publicly traded advertising company (IPG) reported net sales of $8 billion in 2020, denoting a 6.5% decrease compared with its previous year as the net sales metric strips out billable expenses. The company’s net sales decreased 6.1% to $2.28 billion year-over-year and its organic revenue decreased 5.4% in the fourth quarter, missing analyst expectations of 4.7%, according to FactSet. Philippe Krakowsky, the new CEO said he is aiming at organic revenue growth in 2021, as markets are recovering from the pandemic effects.
7. Ad Execs Viewing Media More As A ‘Quality’ Than A Commodity (MediaPost)
Industry’s perceptions of the value of media have changed as the majority now consider media more like a “quality,” than a commodity according to a new study from consultant ID Communications. Advertiser and agency executives now “strongly believe” media as quality have a competitive advantage over those who view it as a commodity. “Media can be as strategic as any form of advertising and has moved well beyond its legacy baggage as a commodity buy,” said one anonymous advertiser quoted in the report.
