Tag: twitter

Pornhub has (jokingly) offered to purchase the mobile application now that Twitter has discontinued it.

Twitter has decided to shut down the Vine app in a choice met with considerable controversy. One of the founders of the mobile app has expressed his regret over the decision. At the same time, the Pornhub adult entertainment site has launched its own promotional stunt bid to acquire it.

When the six second video sharing platform was shut down, Rus Yusupov tweeted his disappointment.

Yusupov is one of the founders of the Vine app. He left the company last year but was still upset with Twitter’s decision to shut it down. Twitter bought the company in 2012 for what was reported to be $30 million.

According to Twitter, it decided to cease the Vine platform when that company reported a boost in its own monthly active user growth throughout the third quarter. However, at the same time it dropped 9 percent of its work force. This suggests that it is seeking to slash costs and place the focus on live streaming features.

The Vine app had developed a solid user base and generated a number of famous “Viner” celebrities.

A number of stars found their place on the six second video sharing app. Like Yusupov, those stars headed to Twitter to share their disappointment in the move.

Twitter posted a blog at the end of last week which explained that the Vine application and website wouldn’t be closed immediately. Instead, users will still be able to view and download videos. That said, it also didn’t provide very much information about what will happen to the mobile app now that it is being abandoned.

The blog post said “What’s next? We’ll be working closely with creators to make sure your questions are answered and will work hard to do this the right way.”

Pornhub saw this as a perfect opportunity to create its latest marketing scheme. It has a long history of making joke bids like the one for the Vine app in order to draw attention to itself. It submitted a tongue-in-cheek letter describing the appeal of six second porn videos.

The popular mobile messaging app will now be giving the social network its user data for ad targeting.

WhatsApp privacy is the catch users have been waiting to find. Mobile app users have wondered why WhatsApp suddenly changed from a premium application to a free one. The cost may not be in currency but will instead be in shared user data.

Facebook owns WhatsApp but has, until now, kept its fingers out of the user data files from the application.

Now, Facebook will be changing the level of WhatsApp privacy available to users. The mobile will share user data with Facebook for ad targeting purposes. Initially, it appeared that while there are certain controls being added to the mobile app’s settings, it isn’t possible to opt out entirely.

However, once a user has accepted the new terms and conditions for use of the app – a requirement for being able to use it – the mobile application automatically adds a new option within the settings for the account.  There, users can choose to opt out of the information sharing – a permanent choice that cannot be changed after it has been made.  That said, unless the users opt out, the mobile application will start sending some of the data in the account with the parent company.

This massive change was announced in a large update to the WhatsApp privacy policy.

A recent WhatsApp blog post said “[B]y coordinating more with Facebook, we’ll be able to do things like track basic metrics about how often people use our services and better fight spam on WhatsApp.” Facebook will be better capable of showing more relevant advertising and improved friend suggestions, said the blog post.

Beyond Facebook itself, WhatsApp will also be sharing user data with the entire “Facebook family of companies.” This may include other Facebook acquisitions and firms, such as Oculus Rift, a virtual reality firm. That said, Facebook also owns Instagram, the photo sharing network, which may mean information will be shared there, too.

Among the user information to be shared under the new WhatsApp privacy policy is even the phone number used for account verification. This has already caused many users to bristle, with displeased comments appearing over Facebook and Twitter. There are certain pieces of information that consumers are more and less comfortable sharing openly. A telephone number does not typically fall within the category of the data they are pleased to see shared with unknown recipients.