Pro tip: if you own an iOS device, next week is likely to bring you the most significant improvement in digital privacy in the history of the internet. And it will kneecap Facebook. 🍿
It’s why Facebook was running national ad campaigns, Facebook’s trade group was filing lawsuits, et al. Meanwhile, Google and others are faking privacy efforts on browser to keep up.
We’re about to find out what Facebook refuses to admit. It’s a 21st century version of direct mail. Without your data, no advertiser would choose to run its ads adjacent to FB’s unmanaged, unpredictable user-generated content environments. They’ll still dominate but this hurts.
One other aspect, if it rolls out Tue, it’s the first time Mark Zuckerberg has been rolled over. They launched a national ad campaign, lobbied aggressively, floated lawsuits to friendlies, scaremongered advertisers, built microsites waving effects on small biz/minorities. Lost.
And the data was super clear even when conventional wisdom is to expect Facebook is abusing your privacy.
Facebook also unleashed employees in closed door meetings to attempt to work up hysteria across the market. Watch this video from one of them. It’s highly misleading at times and about as disingenuous as Facebook can be.
I like this WSJ explainer a lot. Just ignore the obligatory statements from Facebook. ht @kgw
Let’s test. What will you choose at this prompt?************************
Allow Facebook to track your activity across other companies’ apps and websites?
Although it's been in Facebook (and Google's risks) for years since they're so reliant on tracking, Q4 2019 earnings report was first time Facebook's CFO seemed to acknowledge reality of regulators and Apple's continued shift towards privacy and the public's expectations of it?
(by popular demand, the "Both" option)
Apple is expected to roll out iOS 14.5 ⬆️tomorrow which will restrict Facebook's ability to track you across your other apps Facebook doesn't own.
Why does this excite you?
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As I mentioned, there are about 150 exhibits unsealed in last 24hrs for the Google adtech trial 9/9 in EDVA. I can post my highlights here if you find interesting.
Evidence is damning, trial will be lit. Basically Google sees 84% of the addressable ad market. That's insane. /1
Google had slides like this which no sane monopolist under actual regulatory scrutiny would ever create. But back in the day... and we wonder why they see 84% of the ad market. /2
On that note, Google will try to argue the market definition, "open web display," isn't valid but comically DOJ has soooo much evidence of it being used inside Google, outside Google, and even direct depositions backing it up. Like in Search case, G won't get far here. /3
About to drop a lot in US v Google adtech trial...brace. First, we're going to start with exhibits just unsealed backing up DOJ allegations Google deleted evidence despite a litigation hold. Judge will hear arguments Tuesday. Delays + lack of "produced chats" appear sus. /1
But first a PSA, this Google adtech trial starts 9/9. In the last 24hrs, incredible unsealed exhibits (150+) are flying under radar so humbly suggest press adjust focus - this week Google hosted several useless off-record pre-trial briefings with tech press. Read the docs. /2
Back to the allegations Google deleted evidence. I'm nit going to litigate here but we're seeing many new examples of Google applying "fake privilege" on comms. More interestingly, we're also seeing effect of internal chat being turned to default-off despite litigation holds. /3
Pardon me. There isn't yet enough discussion about the AI implications of Google's dominance. I want to share a bit of important math in the recent decision that Google not only has monopoly power but illegally abused it. Google sees *19 times the queries of rest of market.* 1/4
And we already learned in a landmark UK competition investigation that *15% of daily queries on Google have never been seen before.* This came up a lot at last Fall's US trial - Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce being Judge Mehta's example - as there was a day it was a new query. 2/4
So Google's never-seen-before queries amounts to nearly 3 times the total queries across the entire search market. If left unchecked, Google's scale in query and click data is a dominant asset to learn vital context quickly... even more so when tied to other business needs. 3/4
Bam. Facebook just filed its brief for Nov 6th SCOTUS hearing. As much as you may think you know the cover-up, you really should read. I will link to Facebook's petition (and response when filed) along with the actual complaint moving fwd in 9th circuit. But two things. /1
First, if Justice Kavanaugh doesn't recuse then I argue it's the biggest conflict of interest by SCOTUS this year considering he's best friends and reportedly roomed at home of Facebook's top policy exec - Joel Kaplan, in middle of scandal - during confirmation hearings. /2
It's good the complaint captures nuanced items like Facebook hiring one of the two co-founders of GSR (the other they made the fall guy) after they found out their data was being sold but before the public knew it. We knew this, but most press missed on it in the noise. /3
wow. an amazing 325 page google strategy document quietly unsealed buried in google antitrust docket. It's gonna take a long thread but I have pulled out the gems. It's from 2017 planning, no doubt Google will just say these were only ideas but many will look very familiar. /1
For more than a decade, Google has been shifting revenue away from rest of the web to its own properties where it doesn't have to share any of it (I share a chart every earnings backing this up). But here it is spelled out by their own employees as the intentional strategy. /2
In a sea of project code names, "Narnia 2.0" is all over this document. The great Julia Angwin reported late in 2016 on how Google changed its policy merging users' anonymous browsing with PII and search activity creating a single profile/cookie. Now read the yellow highlight. /3
Google has violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act by maintaining its monopoly in two product markets in the U.S....
It's 286 pages - be back with a thread shortly along with implications for the adtech antitrust trial starting in five weeks. /1
ok, here we go. I read the 286 pages for those who don't have time. Or to help translate to industry and public minds. This is a landmark decision vs Google. The court has found Google's exclusive deals, primarily with Apple, foreclosed one half of the search market. /2
it also found Google manipulated its ad prices without - even considering - competitive effects. Reminder they doubled their search text ads on surfaces so THIS ABUSE SCREWED THE PUBLIC AND PUBLISHERS BY MANY MANY TENS OF BILLIONS. /3