Can political manipulation be stopped? Probably not, but it can be curbed hopefully.
Summary: Twitter announced it will launch issue ads, which will label ads in for stream as political ads. This is being done in an effort to curtail manipulation by politically motivated groups. If they are paid for by political candidates, they will hold an additional label "paid for by" as well. Advertisers seeking to run ads in these categories will need to go through a certification process to verify their identity and info, though news organizations will have an exemption to this.
Opinion: It's apparent some type of transparency is required within this sector. Interestingly, the exemption for news organizations could be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it allows news to flow freely; on the other hand, what constitutes a "news organization"? Does an extremist group reporting on news in that arena classify as an organization?
Summary: WhatsApp announced its first revenue generating product, the WhatsApp Business API. This tool will allow businesses to respond to messages for free for 24-hours and then charges for replies after that. The company has opened the service up to a select group of businesses as a test, which seem to be larger companies like Uber, Wish, etc.
Opinion: This news surfaced a few months ago and will be a great test to monetize a platform in an "organic" sense. By organic, I mean a way that helps customers and businesses by providing a customer service platform while also helping a business monetize its product.
YouTube Fundraising Tool for Nonprofits
Summary: As released by YouTube: “Fundraisers enable fans to donate to creator-led campaigns directly on YouTube via a “Donate” button, making it easier than ever for creators and fans to raise funds for causes they care about on the platform. Creators can simply set up their campaigns, and let us take care of the logistics and payment processing.”
YouTube also rolled owed Community Fundraisers, which enables multiple creators to co-host the same event.
Opinion: For non-profits, awareness, funds, and marketing expertise aren't always readily available. This new function can help non-profits raise awareness for their causes. Allowing for Community Fundraisers is akin to crossposting on Facebook, which has been successfully used by brands to promote the same event.