Digital Platform Policy Highlights - Digest 26

Hope your summer was refreshing. I'm back with some interesting platform policy changes in Q1-Q3 2024. This post outlines how platforms are adapting their policies to attract new users.

Oct 01, 2024

This post is part one of a series documenting policy changes and feature improvements introduced by platforms in Q1 2024 to Q3 2024.

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

Bluesky Opens to Public

Bluesky, a decentralized X competitor, has removed its invite-only system, allowing anyone to sign up for the social network. Bluesky is the latest attempt at an “interoperable” social media, meaning that it is designed to work with other social media (think of an SMS working across phone manufacturers). Fun fact: Meta’s Threads platform, which has been open to the public for almost a year now and has been attracting disgruntled X users, has also committed to be “interoperable” . (link)

Bluesky Introduces Custom Moderation Filters

Bluesky has launched a new feature allowing users to choose their own moderation filters using an open-source tool called Ozone. This tool lets users create and subscribe to custom moderation services, giving them more control over the content they see, setting itself apart from competitors. I think of this as analogous to letting users choose their preferred antivirus/anti-malware tools on their computers. Most importantly, this approach allows Bluesky to sidestep difficult moderation decisions, such as penalizing politicians for violating platform rules. (link)

Glassdoor Adds Real Names and Job Info Without User Consent

Glassdoor acquired a networking service called Fishbowl, which led the platform to assign all its users an account on the networking service and require that users provide their names. This change has sparked significant backlash, as Glassdoor’s selling point to users was anonymity when sharing job reviews and salary details. In its pivot to networking, Glassdoor risks losing the community trust necessary for honest, quality work reviews on its core platform.(link)

Uber Launches All-Electric Luxury Rideshare Service in New York City

To woo environmentally-minded users, Uber marked its most significant market for this sustainable offering: NYC. Similar services exist in NYC: Revel has operated an all-electric taxi service since 2021. Uber’s move could be a response to the city’s mandate that all rideshare vehicles be electric by 2030. It could also be a real move towards overall sustainability: Uber now shows users the emissions avoided by choosing Uber Green rides over its standard UberX trips. Given the charged debates around emissions, it is interesting to see how these services frame their sustainable options in a way that resonates with a broad audience. (link)

Meta Rolls out “Meta AI” Chatbot in India and Africa

WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger are aggressively expanding the Meta AI chatbot (powered by LLaMa) in India and Africa, with plans to expand to additional markets shortly. Deep integration with WhatsApp is indeed Meta’s best shot at competing and winning over OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Preliminary evidence suggests that this strategy seems to be working: by Q3 2024, India has become Meta AI’s largest market (link1)(link2)

Substack Now Lets Podcasters Sync and Distribute Episodes to Spotify

Substack has introduced a new feature that allows podcasters to sync and distribute their episodes seamlessly over Spotify. This integration simplifies the process for creators who use Substack to host their podcasts, enabling them to reach a broader audience on Spotify without additional distribution steps. With this integration, Substack’s attractiveness for podcasters is likely to grow further, given a recent report indicating podcast revenues on Substack surpassing $100 million. (link)

Research help from Jennifer Xie, Angelina Wang, John Mai, Marshall Singer, Anantesh Mohapatra and Anna Li (Thanks a ton, folks!)

Thank you for reading Platform Policy Research. If you know someone who like this stuff, please share it with them :)

Platform Policy Research