Casey Newton
Platformer journalist and Hard Fork co-host; deep coverage of social platforms, policy, and CEO decisions at tech companies.
Threads Gains Users, Meta Calls Data “False”
Is Threads growing or shrinking? Apptopia says it's the former — while Meta says that's "objectively false." I wrote about whether the Twitter clones are in trouble https://www.platformer.news/threads-bluesky-x-usage-utopia-twitter-clones/
AI Shopping Launches Surge, Consumer Adoption Remains Zero
There's an interesting disconnect between the number of big tech companies that have launched AI shopping experiences (most of them) and the number of people I know who have talked to me about using AI to shop (zero)
Platformer Pivots to Original Reporting Amid AI Overload
We're changing up Platformer's schedule to shift away from aggregation and toward original reporting. Some thoughts on how a newsletter glut and AI pressures got us here: https://www.platformer.news/platformer-schedule-changes-ai-automation/
Meta Turns Employee Activity Into AI Training Data
I talked with Meta employees about the company's move to track their computer use and turn them into training data. Is this the future of knowledge work? https://www.platformer.news/meta-mci-monitoring-layoffs-knowledge-work/
Anthropic's Mythos Model Escalates Cybersecurity Stakes Rapidly
Anthropic's Mythos model represents a dangerous new moment for cybersecurity. Experts tell me that hackers and nation states may catch up within months — and that the cat-and-mouse game between attacker and defender is about to become much more high-stakes...
Threads Thrives on Reposted Viral Images, No Credit
The key to Threads success is taking a viral image from another platform and posting it here with the caption "this wins the internet today" and no other attribution
Child Safety and Section 230 Can Coexist Through Design Distinction
Can you have child safety and Section 230, too? I think so. But it requires acknowledging the distinction between speech and design: https://www.platformer.news/social-media-trials-230-content-design/
Zuckerberg‑Musk Texts Reveal Bias Against Platform Fairness
I wrote about Zuckerberg's texts with Musk and how they undermine the principles of a fair and equal platform for everyone https://www.platformer.news/zuckerberg-musk-texts-trial-content-moderation/
Spotify Finally Protects Artists From AI Identity Theft
From Grok to Grammarly, more and more people are finding that AI systems have appropriated their identities for financial gain. I wrote about another of those companies — Spotify — taking a belated step to do something about it https://www.platformer.news/spotify-artist-profile-protection/?ref=platformer-newsletter
Meta Strips End-to-End Encryption From Instagram DMs
A terrible step back for privacy and it's crazy that Meta announced this by updating a support page https://www.androidpolice.com/instagram-is-getting-rid-of-end-to-end-encryption-for-dms/
Bluesky's New CEO Inherits Strong Community, Faces Tough Road
I wrote about Bluesky's CEO switch. Jay Graber deserves lasting credit for building a big and bustling community. But the challenges ahead of the company are significant: https://www.platformer.news/bluesky-ceo-change-graber/