The Verge – How the internet reshaped itself around Google’s search algorithms — and into a world where websites look the same….Google controls around 90 percent of the search market, by some measures, so it’s too valuable a referral source to just leave up to luck. Search engine optimization — or SEO, the practice of… Continue Reading
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Category Archives: E-Commerce
AI gadgets will be hot in 2024. You don’t need one.
Washington Post [read free]: “For the past decade, tech companies have chased a dream: Invent a gadget to replace the smartphone. That’s why companies have created computers for your face and wrist, talking speakers for your living room and virtual reality goggles. And while lots of people love Apple Watches, Alexa speakers or Meta Quest… Continue Reading
Amazon crackdown on sellers spawns new legal industry
FT.com [read free]: “Merchants who have been suspended from selling goods on Amazon’s marketplace are turning to a cottage industry of lawyers to regain access to their accounts and money, amid growing scrutiny of how the retailer treats independents. Millions of accounts on the leading ecommerce platform have been prevented from engaging in sales for… Continue Reading
Meet ‘Link History,’ Facebook’s New Way to Track the Websites You Visit
Gizmodo: “Facebook recently rolled out a new “Link History” setting that creates a special repository of all the links you click on in the Facebook mobile app. Users can opt-out, but Link History is turned on by default, and the data is used for targeted ads. As lawmakers introduce tech regulations and Apple and Google… Continue Reading
How to find and cancel your unused subscriptions
engadget: “Many companies — from VR game makers to sock brands — have embraced the subscription model, which means things you used to pay for just once may now be sucking money out of your accounts regularly. And video streaming services have raised their prices so much we had to ask whether it’s still worth… Continue Reading
2023 in social media: the case for the fediverse
The Verge: “There’s this picture from more than a decade ago that still goes viral on the web every once in a while. You’ve probably seen it: it was created by the venture capitalist Andrew Parker, and it compares a few dozen startups with subsections of Craigslist. Back then, Craigslist was all things to all… Continue Reading
Wireless TVs use built-in cameras, NFC readers to sell you stuff you see on TV
Ars Technica: “It’s no secret that TV makers are seriously invested in pushing ads. Using TVs for advertising goes back to 1941 when the first TV commercial aired. But as we trudge our way through the 21st century, TV vendors are becoming more involved in ensuring that their hardware is used to sell stuff and… Continue Reading
‘It’s totally unhinged’: is the book world turning against Goodreads?
The Guardian: “The influential user review site has suffered a year of controversies, from cancelled book deals to review-bombing, and exposed a dark side to the industry.” Continue Reading
News Publishers Fear Google’s AI Search Tool as Traffic-Destroying Nightmare
WSJ via Mint: “The tech giant’s AI-powered search product is being tested on roughly 10 million users; publishers rely on Google for traffic and see a gathering storm.” Continue Reading
Saving the News from Big Tech
Saving the News from Big Tech, Cory Doctorow, Special Advisor/EFF, June, 2023: “Media is in crisis: newsrooms all over the world are shuttering and the very profession of journalism is under sustained ideological and physical assault. Freedom of the press is a hollow doctrine if the only news media is written or published by independently… Continue Reading
This Is What Happens to All the Stuff You Don’t Want
The Atlantic [free to read] “…When you order a pair of sweatpants online and don’t want to keep them, a colossal, mostly opaque system of labor and machinery creaks into motion to find them a new place in the world. From the outside, you see fairly little of it—the software interface that lets you tick… Continue Reading
DoorDash can pick up and return your packages for free. Here’s how
ZDNet: “With the holiday shopping season in full swing, online shopping is an easy way to get through your gift shopping list without leaving the house. If anything you ordered doesn’t meet your expectations, instead of leaving the house to make the return, you can ask DoorDash to do it for you. DoorDash offers a… Continue Reading
