Weekly Digital Breakdown – 8.14.20
Weekly Digital Breakdown
Aug 14 2020
Twitter Gives Users Control Over Replies
In an effort to give users more control over their accounts and their mentions, Twitter has unveiled a new feature which allows the limitation of replies based on user preference. The company intends for this option to limit or exclude unwanted comments that distract from the original purpose of the conversation.
Prior to sending a tweet, users can select who can reply: everyone, which will continue to be the standard default, people you follow, or only people mentioned. All users will still be able to see the tweet, but their interaction will be limited to retweeting, sharing or liking.
The decision to change the way users interact on the platform comes as conversations are heating up around the Presidential election concerning candidates and social issues. Twitter hopes it encourages meaningful conversations without fear of abuse from opposing views.
Instagram Accused of Profiling Users
In the latest lawsuit against Facebook, the company is accused of collecting, storing and profiting from biometric data of Instagram users without their consent. The plaintiff claims Instagram uses facial recognition to create and store a template of not only users, but any faces pictured in posts and then continues to store the information in a database.
If found to be true, the practice violates an Illinois state law where the suit was filed that bans the collection of online biometric data. A spokesperson for the company insists the claims are baseless. However, this comes just a month after the company settled another case for $650 million with similar allegations against Facebook’s photo-tagging being illegally used to collect biometric information.
If the allegations are found to be true, Facebook could face damages up to $500 billion under the state law.
Google Glitch Impacts Results
Google’s algorithm experienced a glitch on Monday with its indexing system that significantly impacted ranking changes in search results. The problem was remedied, but Google has not addressed what caused the problem or how extensive the impact. However, it was noticed in all English-speaking countries as well as Europe and Asia.
The problem was immediately noticed by the SEO community and they estimated the issue lasted for several hours. It’s worth noting that organic search traffic in analytics for many could see significant spikes that will not be an accurate indicator of normal traffic during the glitch, causing unreliable data.
SEO specialists have confirmed results are back to their normal pattern and haven’t encountered issues since Monday. Google also acknowledged that they are going to fully diagnose the situation to prevent recurrence.
