Image: Jamison Wieser / Protocol
The link you’re not allowed to click

Good morning! This Thursday, more content-moderation chaos, Zoom's plan to be the next iPhone, and the brutal fight over Prop 22.
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After the New York Post published a cover story yesterday claiming it had gotten emails that showed Joe Biden met with Ukrainian executives at the behest of his son Hunter in 2015, things got complicated for the social platforms.
Facebook quickly said it was "reducing [the story's] distribution" on its platform, pending a third-party fact check. The company directed us to a part of its year-old viral misinformation policy, which says it will take such action if it has "signals that a piece of content is false."
Then Twitter went nuclear, banning the link from being tweeted and throwing up a warning — "this link may be unsafe" — if you clicked on it. Twitter cited its Hacked Materials policy, noting that the emails had been taken from a laptop left at a repair store last December, and said that the images in the article contained private information.
The story predictably went Full Streisand, giving it new life all over the internet. "The mainstream media doesn't want you to share this article," the House Judiciary GOP tweeted. "RT to make sure you do."
Protocol's Issie Lapowsky wrote a good piece about what happened and where it goes next. Two things are clearer than ever: Twitter and Facebook will continue to assert what they think is right and true, and every time they do that they're going to make a lot of people mad. Oh, and three, viral content still moves faster than the moderators.
It looks increasingly like video chat is going to be the next big platform, complete with app stores and new economic incentives and a big fight for market share. It's going to work on every screen you own, from your phone to your TV to your fridge, and be a new default mode of communication. (My hot take: Video is actually a stepping-stone to great augmented reality. But I digress.)
Zoom certainly sees things this way and is dead-set on making sure it's one of the dominant platforms in that market.
If video follows the smartphone playbook, we're due for a couple more years of mass expansion — new platforms, new companies, new hardware, new ideas — and then massive consolidation. Zoom's the first to cross the line from meeting tool to everyday essential, and Teams, Meet, WebEx and lots of others will try to do the same. Video, the technology, is easy now. Video, the platform, will be harder to win.
I got a notification yesterday from Uber telling me that Mothers Against Drunk Driving believes "Prop 22 will save lives." Then, in parentheses, it said: "This ad is paid for by Uber Technologies Inc." People were not thrilled to get this notification.
The gig-economy companies are scrambling to do everything they can to make sure Prop 22 passes. (Quick refresh: Prop 22 would exempt companies like Uber, Instacart and DoorDash from California's AB 5, which currently requires them to classify gig workers as employees.)
Prop 22 has become a national issue, because it has obvious national ramifications. It feels like an existential crisis to companies like Uber, Lyft, Postmates, DoorDash and others. Uber has said it'll have to kick nearly a million drivers off the platform if they become employees.
One reason they're fighting so hard is because of what voters will read on their ballot: "Exempts app-based transportation and delivery companies from providing employee benefits to certain drivers." Which sounds like something most people would be against, right? Some people think that means Uber and Lyft and the rest are starting the fight at a disadvantage, and thus have to fight even harder.
Strengthening healthcare interoperability and cybersecurity in the Covid era
A stronger healthcare system means connecting people, data and technology for a frictionless experience across care settings. At Philips, we're developing interoperable solutions that seamlessly transfer data so clinicians can stay focused on what matters most: the patient.
Elon Musk announced that the Tesla Model S will now cost what you know he's always wanted it to cost:
Audrey Gelman, the former CEO of The Wing, wrote a long apology for how she ran the company:
Bill Gates said he's glad Big Tech CEOs are taking antitrust battles seriously:
Google seems to have really touched a nerve in India, with GOQii CEO Vishal Gondal comparing its practices to British colonialism:
The We Company is now just WeWork again. Which means the company is now called … what everybody always called it. Progress!
Rick Klau is leaving GV. He's been at Google for 15 years and said he has no idea what's next: "Not knowing feels … exhilarating."
Meanwhile, Terry Burns is GV's newest partner. She's the firm's first Black female investing partner, and, at 26, its youngest ever. She's been at GV for three years.
Everybody has their go-to GIF for when someone is evil or bad, right? (Mine's Emperor Palpatine, no question.) But according to one new study, there's one GIF villain that stands above the rest: Scar from "The Lion King." The whole top 10 is pretty strong, though I can see why Scar won.
Strengthening healthcare interoperability and cybersecurity in the Covid era
A stronger healthcare system means connecting people, data and technology for a frictionless experience across care settings. At Philips, we're developing interoperable solutions that seamlessly transfer data so clinicians can stay focused on what matters most: the patient.
Today's Source Code was written by David Pierce, with help from Shakeel Hashim. Thoughts, questions, tips? Send them to david@protocol.com, or our tips line, tips@protocol.com. Enjoy your day, see you tomorrow.
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