The Global Linkup is a summary roundup of important tech news curated from around the world. On this week’s edition of the global news round up, Cambridge Analytica was planning an ICO, you may soon pay for Facebook and there is cryptocurrency news as usual. Read on.
Will you pay for Facebook?
Last week Tuesday in a testimony before the Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees, Senator Orrin Hatch asked Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg if the platform will always be free. According to a report on The Verge, this question was in reference to Mark's assertion in 2010 that Facebook will always be free. The Zucks told the senator that their will always be a free version of Facebook and this led to speculations he was leaving room for a paid version.
Quartz cited a survey conducted by economists from MIT and the University of Groningen where respondents valued a monthly usage of Facebook somewhere between $30 and $70. Another speculation by The Sun UK put the monthly fee at £3.90.
A survey on Recode says 77% will pay for an ads-free version of Facebook and 23% won't and the prices ranged from $1 to $10.
Meanwhile, a VentureBeat article explains why paying for Facebook won't fix your privacy.
On Cambridge Analytica
On Tuesday, Brittany Kaiser a former Cambridge Analytica employee and second whistleblower said there are probably more than 87 million breached profiles as claimed. According to TechCrunch, she outlined some other ways data was collected.
Meanwhile, Cambridge Analytica had earlier planned a cryptocurrency and Initial Coin Offering(ICO). The New York Times examines this intended move.
What's cryptocurrenting?
There are lighter and encouraging stories this week.
During the weekend, Business Insider sat down with George Weikneser, a 12-year old crypto CEO and his father Michael Weikneser. George and Micheal are equal partners in a Pocketful of Quarters; a cryptocurrency gaming platform.
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On Tuesday, one of the world's biggest pornography merchants PornHub announced it now accepts cryptocurrency.
According to The Verge, Verge cryptocurrency was chosen because of its anonymity.
In Silicon Valley, Basis a year old cryptocurrency startup has raised $133 million. The startup wants to build a stable coin that does not fluctuate and according to TechCrunch, investors love this value proposition.
On Wednesday, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde endorsed cryptocurrency in a blog post. According to a Techpoint report, she highlighted the transformative effect and importance of crypto-assets .
