According to the New York Times, despite the fact that Jack Ma and other entrepreneurs have prospered under Beijing’s laissez-faire attitude toward the business side of the internet, new investigations by China’s authoritarian government indicate that the dynamic is shifting as the companies have grown in power. Questions: What is the investigation into Alibaba about?… Read more »
Posts Tagged: digital technology
Italy’s new web tax
Last week, Italy approved a new tax on giant digital companies, which President Donald Trump has threatened to retaliate against. Questions: According to draft legislation, what are some of the U.S. companies that will be obliged to pay a 3% levy on internet transactions? How much is the Italian government expected to recoup from the… Read more »
Who is watching you and why?
A number of companies have entered living rooms in recent years, emerging with new, granular ways for marketers to understand how people are watching television and, in particular, commercials. Questions: 1. Why has the appeal of this information increased? 2. How do they do this? 3. How much do companies spend on TV ads in… Read more »
Be Careful: Your TV may be listening to you!
Samsung is warning customers not to discuss personal information in front of their smart television set. The warning applies to TV viewers who control their Samsung Smart TV using its voice activation feature. It is possible that this information will be shared with third parties. Questions: 1. What types of steps has Samsung taken to… Read more »
The Weather Channel Buys Weather Underground
This week, Weather Underground, a unique website with a cult following was acquired by The Weather Channel for an undisclosed sum of money. As a strong competitor to The Weather Channel, the website has a devoted readership, with approximately 10 million unique visitors per month. Fans of Weather Underground have expressed outrage and disappointment in… Read more »