The business savvy behind Amazon's Ring purchase

[Amazon's Ring is saving Amazon's e-commerce business money](. When Amazon purchased security doorbell company Ring last year, it wasn't just increasing its smart device footprint — it was trying to save its online shopping business money. Amazon already spends billions each year on shipping. Package theft means it has to pay for the product — and shipping — twice. Enter Ring. The more Amazon advertises it and the more people and police departments join its attendant social media app, Neighbors, the more effective it becomes in deterring would-be thieves. It's a win-win for Amazon, which makes money on selling Ring and saves money on package theft. - There's a societal cost: Fear-based social media like Ring’s Neighbors convinces people that the world is a more dangerous place than it really is. That fear, however, sells more security devices. [[Rani Molla / Recode](] [Verizon is going to sell Tumblr to the owner of WordPress.]( Tumblr, which once was purchased by Verizon subsidiary Yahoo for $1 billion, was offloaded on Automattic Inc, the owner of another popular online-publishing tool WordPress, for a “nominal amount,” the Wall Street Journal reported. The sale is part of a larger effort by Verizon to revamp its media group after missing revenue targets. - What about adult content? Last year, Verizon alienated some of its user base by banning adult content on Tumblr, which, as Vox’s Aja Romano wrote at the time, was “about so much more than porn.” Automattic’s CEO plans to continue the ban. [[Sarah Krouse / Wall Street Journal](] [Facebook is trying to change its behavior before the government forces it to change.]( In light of a Federal Trade Commission antitrust investigation and presidential candidates threatening to break up Facebook, the company is playing defense, according to the New York Times’ Mike Isaac. That’s meant backing off from potential acquisitions, including talks with video social network Houseparty, and further integrating previous acquisitions like Instagram and WhatsApp under a Facebook banner. Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), a critic of the plan, said the latter move deserves more scrutiny since it’s “a clear attempt to evade effective antitrust enforcement by making it harder for the company to be broken up.” - Why this matters: The government is reconsidering what a monopoly means and tech companies are at the center of its focus. [[Mike Isaac / New York Times](] [WeWork’s IPO filing could be available next week.]( The public will finally be able to get a better look at the coworking unicorn’s finances. WeWork, which confidentially filed for a public offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission in April, had previously only offered select financial metrics, including the highly questionable "community-adjusted Ebitda." It’s looking to raise $3.5 billion, which would make it the second-biggest IPO this year after Uber. - What we do know: Last year, WeWork lost $1.9 billion on $1.8 billion in sales. [[Gillian Tan and Michelle Davis / Bloomberg](] [YouTube radicalized Brazil.]( The platform’s search and recommendation algorithm “systematically diverted users to far-right and conspiracy channels in Brazil,” according to new research from the New York Times. Google said YouTube’s recommendation system is meant to make people watch longer and it doesn’t have a political ideology built in. However, right-wing extremism plays on emotions of fear and anger, which results in longer viewing times — meaning it’s favored by YouTube’s algorithms. [[Max Fisher and Amanda Taub / New York Times](] [Insert alt text here] [The CBS and Viacom merger, explained.]( The two media companies are combining. To compete with Netflix, Disney, and Apple, they’ll have to merge with something else. [Peter Kafka] [Insert alt text here] [Thousands of people in Hong Kong are occupying one of the world’s busiest transportation hubs to protest dangerous police crackdowns on long-running protests.]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences]( to receive fewer emails, or [unsubscribe]( to stop receiving all emails from Vox. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2016. All rights reserved.