Digital Platform Policy Highlights - Digest 38

Q4 2024 policy updates: This post breaks down how platforms are tweaking their policies to bring in fresh users and stand out in the crowd. Catch all the insights here! OMG, we're back again :)

Mar 10, 2025

This post is part one of a series documenting policy changes and feature improvements introduced by platforms in Q4 2024.

TL; DR→ Here are policy changes to to attract new users:

YouTube launches online shopping in Indonesia to challenge TikTok Shop

YouTube’s Indonesian shopping launch, which may eventually expand to Thailand and Vietnam, allows viewers to purchase products directly from videos, shorts, and live streams through links to Shopee, an e-commerce platform. The compelling angle isn't just the Shopee partnership, but how YouTube's leveraging its established creator base to rapidly scale commerce functionality. The program allows its 250,000 creators to tag products from small businesses on Shopee, enhancing monetization options and simplifying the purchasing process for viewers. An interesting shift from ad revenue to transaction fee regime, of course nudged by TikTok. (link)

Chinese Tech Giants Tencent and Alibaba Break Digital Wall with Taobao, WeChat Integration

Tencent and Alibaba's integration of WeChat and Taobao signals the end of an era in Chinese platform economics, where users can now shop on Taobao directly through Tencent’s WeChat app. Whereas this mirrors EU’s DMA forcing WhatsApp to offer technical interoperability (link), this is a case study of how regulatory pressure has succeeded where market forces typically fail. In breaking down the "walled gardens" between two of China's largest tech companies, the regulator may be signaling a shift away from the super-app era. (link)

Meta Tests Cross-Posting Instagram Comments to Threads

Meta's test of Instagram-to-Threads comment cross-posting illustrates a classic platform bootstrapping strategy using an established network. While there was no doubt Meta is capable of this technical integration, it partially signals Meta’s recognition that Threads can’t reach critical mass organically despite its initial growth. The real question is whether artificially created engagement through cross-posting will produce the authentic community dynamics necessary for Threads to establish its own identity beyond being Instagram's text layer. (link)

Epic Games Lowers Royalties to Attract Developers to Its Store

Epic's Unreal Engine royalty reduction from 5% to 3.5% is an interesting marketplace growth strategy. To benefit from this lower rate, developers must release their games on the Epic Games Store at the same time as other platforms. This almost feels like the use of its engine pricing to battle Valve Steam’s distribution dominance. Btw, this move pairs interestingly with Epic's recent pivot to subscription pricing for non-game developers (my post). Only one platform is currently exempt from the simultaneous release requirement: iOS, because of Apple's Core Technology Fee (link)

Capitec Bank and MultiChoice Partnership on Showmax Streaming

A financial institution (Capitec Bank) partnering with media platform (Multichoice) for digital acquisition is a very interesting cross-sector bundling strategy. Obviously, offering Showmax (a streaming service) at half their normal selling price through the Capitec banking app resulted in over 50,000 new sign-ups in the first month. But I wonder if this signals a broader trend where banking apps evolve beyond financial services into lifestyle super-apps, particularly in emerging markets where financial inclusion and digital content consumption are simultaneously growing. (link)

Google Cloud’s ‘DPI in a Box’ to help Expand India’s Digital Public Infrastructure

It is commendable that Google Cloud developed a "DPI in a box" tool to help expand India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), which includes unique identification (Aadhaar), Digital Payment (UPI) and hyperlocal commerce (ONDC). The Gemini localization to nine different Indian languages further suggests a strong commitment towards supporting digital inclusion. Google’s participation in open ecosystems, even those designed to limit Big Tech dominance, demonstrates a sophisticated long-term thinking. This approach of accepting some constraints to avoid complete exclusion reflects platform economics maturity. (link)

Research help from Simran Joshi, Nicole Wu, Aarav Gupta, Anantesh Mohapatra, and John Mai (Thanks a ton, folks!)

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