Zone’s Ross Basham handpicks and shares the five best new stories on digital trends, experiences and technologies…
1. Stuck-at-home TV viewers stream to Netflix
It will come as no surprise to learn that Netflix has done well from the pandemic. The streaming service now has more than 200 million paid members, up more than 30% from 2019, with more than 80% of the new sign-ups coming from outside the US and Canada, helping it make a profit of almost $2.8bn in the past year.
The success of Netflix Originals such as Bridgerton and the French-language drama Lupin shows what a major force it has become in film-making and TV. Netflix has 500 titles preparing to launch and plans to release at least one original film every week in 2021 as it strives to maintain its lead over the likes of Amazon Prime and Disney.
2. EU making plans for vaccination passports
The European Union is working on a common framework for vaccine passports that would “allow member states’ certificates to be rapidly useable in health systems across the EU and beyond”. Ultimately, a trusted EU-wide approach could allow vaccinated individuals to freely travel throughout the region (and possibly the UK…)
A number of tech companies including Microsoft and Salesforce are also joining forces to establish a universal standard for vaccination status. This would take the form of “an encrypted digital copy of a person’s immunisation credentials to store in a digital wallet”, with a printed QR code available for those without a smartphone.
3. Google and Facebook accused of collusion
Google and Facebook have been accused of colluding to undermine competition in advertising, according to documents obtained by the New York Times. Filed as part of an antitrust lawsuit in Texas, the document lifts the lid on ‘Jedi Blue’ — a cloak and dagger ‘sweetheart’ deal between the two giants that monopolise online advertising.
The agreement is said to have seen Facebook win more favourable terms when bidding for advertising in return for its support for Google’s Open Bidding platform for selling adverts. This meant Facebook was almost guaranteed to win a consistent number of adverts, and in turn pledged to spend at least $500m a year with Google.
4. Social media giants grilled on hate content
Social network executives have been grilled by MPs on the role their platforms played in facilitating the recent events in Washington which saw a mob break into Congress. All said they needed to do more to monitor extremist groups and content such as conspiracy theories, but none had any radical new policies to offer.
Facebook said it had removed 30,000 pages, events and groups related to what it called “militarised social movements” since last summer. Despite its efforts, half of all designated white supremacist groups had a presence on Facebook last year, according to a study from the watchdog Tech Transparency Project.
5. Apple’s first VR headset won’t be a big seller
If you’ve been thinking of dipping your toe in the VR pool, news that Apple is working on a VR headset may be exciting news. After all, Macs, iPhones and iPads are pretty great, right? Well, the VR headset might not be such a big seller, seeing as Apple is rumoured to be anticipating it will sell less than 200,000 units a year post launch.
Why so low? In a word: price. Apple’s headset is expected to be far more expensive than the others on the market, which cost about $300-$900. This is because it includes a fabric design (to reduce weight), a fan and “some of its most advanced and powerful chips”. Nevertheless, if you love Apple, you’ll still fork out, right?
