Digital Platform Policy Highlights - Digest 18
Q3 2023: This post continues to outline how digital platforms change their policies to safeguard against users' misconduct, and also offer opportunities for users' enhancement of behavior.
TL;DR →Policy changes to curb bad behaviors on the platforms:
Policy Changes for SafeGuarding Against Misconduct: Strategies for Users-Protection
Policy Changes for Enhancements of Behavior:
Twitch to let streamers ban viewers from their streams entirely
YouTube offers content creators a chance to remove warnings by taking a class
In Q3 2023, there were a few policy changes aiming to protect users from misconduct or illegal malware attacks.
Twitter releases DM spam filter for Verified Subscribers
Twitter’s new feature, available to premium subscribers, filters message requests from accounts that users do not follow. Turning this option on means that unverified accounts cannot send any message requests to users, effectively creating a paywall for communication (the option is turned on by default). This restriction adds to a long line of limitations that X has been imposing free users, such as limiting the number of tweets a user can read per day and requiring an account to view any tweets. An interesting play between the right to information and a guardian of privacy.(link)
Apple to enforce new privacy policy for APIs on App Store
API, also known as application program interface, has the ability to let two applications communicate, but also makes transmitting and sharing data more accessible and dangerous. Apple will require developers to declare the reasons for using certain APIs that can collect data about users’ devices. This is to prevent the misuse of these APIs for “fingerprinting”, a practice prohibited by Apple where specific device info is collected to identify specific users.(link)
Instagram limits message requests to curb spam
Instagram has restricted users from sending more than one message request to people they don’t follow. The feature also prevents users from sending any images, videos, or voice messages in their first message request. It is intriguing to observe the divergence between the strategies of Twitter and Instagram (recall: Twitter made DMing those who do not follow you a premium feature). Regardless of whether Meta/Instagram is motivated by a broader commitment to the common good or is responding to influencers' demands to reduce harassment, this change is appreciated. (link)
Google to alert users when their contact information appears in search results
Under the Privacy Act of 1974 in the United States, individuals' data is regulated by federal agencies; however, there remains a potential vulnerability where users themselves may inadvertently leak this information on websites. Google, through a feature called “Results about You”, now notifies users when their contact information, such as phone numbers or email addresses, appears in search results, allowing them to remove or edit their contact information from public sources. Currently available in the US, this feature is a potent solution to address the privacy paradox exhibited by consumers. (link)
YouTube bans links in Shorts to fight spam and scams
YouTube has decided to make links in Shorts (YouTube’s equivalent of TikTok) unclickable starting from August 31st. The reason for this change is to prevent users from being exposed to harmful or misleading links that may lead to malware, phishing, or other scams. While a commendable security feature, restrictions on links could force content creators to further rely only on YouTube for monetization, since they won’t be able to direct viewers to outside platforms like Patreon as easily. (link)
Verizon lets customers block email-to-SMS-Text
Email-to-SMS-text is an intriguing method to bridge internet and mobile networks; however, it may result in increased spams, scams, and phishing attacks (I have personally received "texts" from email addresses, masquerading as UPS delivery notifications, prompting me to "track" an undelivered package). Verizon customers, who want to stop receiving spam texts from random email addresses, can now text “Off” to 4040 to block all texts from emails on Verizon’s network. This may have some unintended consequences for legitimate package tracking solutions or network alerts. (link)
Gmail adds extra verification for risky actions
A commonly known social-engineering vulnerability is when someone with access to your open Gmail tab can easily "forward" all emails to their own email address. Gmail is introducing a new feature that will ask users to confirm their identity when they try to do “risky” tasks, such as adding a forwarding address or editing their filters. It's unclear whether Google is adopting a soft-paternalistic approach (focused on protecting apparently less-sophisticated Gmail users) or restricting businesses/individuals from utilizing Gmail as a spam-filtering layer. (link)
In Q3 2023, there are a few policy changes aiming to enhance users’ behavior on platforms.
Discord adds parental oversight tools for teen users
Discord, a messaging platform popular with gamers, has launched a new Family Center feature that allows parents to see who their teens are friends with, which servers they join, and who they message or call on the app. The feature is opt-in and respects the teens’ privacy by not showing the content of their messages or calls. The new feature is part of Discord’s effort to improve its trust and safety and address the child safety issues that have plagued the platform in the past. As Discord hopes to appeal to a wider audience beyond gamers, it will need to add such features to be more palatable for new users.(link)
Twitch to let streamers ban viewers from their streams entirely
Twitch, a live streaming platform, is launching a new feature that will allow streamers to block banned users from watching their streams. Currently, Twitch only lets streamers ban users from the chat section of a stream, but not from viewing the stream itself. The feature may have a critical flaw: users may circumvent the ban by simply watching the stream while signed out. Given how easy it is to go around the ban, it remains to be seen how effective the feature will be. (link)
YouTube offers content creators a chance to remove warnings by taking a class
YouTube is changing its policy for content creators who violate its community guidelines. Instead of issuing a lifetime warning/ban, YouTube will allow creators to take an educational course to learn about the policy they broke and to waive the warning from their account. YouTubers will still have to abide by the 3-strike policy, and may have their accounts terminated if they continue violating the platform’s rules. This policy change may be mutually beneficial, enhancing platform behavior (via educational means) and fostering loyalty from content creators by avoiding permanent bans.(link)
This is the sixth part of a multi-part post. You can find part one, part two, part three, part four and part five here. If you know someone who enjoys these kinds of posts, please share it with them :)
Research help from Anantesh Mohapatra and John Mai (Thanks a ton, folks!)