🔦 Zuck loses some friends

PLUS: The IRS is lining its pockets with crypto. August 6, 2021 [The Hustle] [The Hustle]( In case you missed your chance the first time around, Virgin Galactic has reopened ticket sales for future trips on its high-altitude space plane, with tickets starting at $450k. Send us a postcard! Today’s rundown: - Facebook unfriended a group of NYU researchers. Why? - Crazy chart: Federal crypto seizures are up 171,329%. - TikTok for podcasts: We spoke with a Kayak co-founder about his new startup. Let’s do it. The big idea [Mark Zuckerberg]( Facebook just lost some friends Usually, Facebook is all about adding new users, but it seems not everyone is welcome in Zuck’s metaverse these days. On Tuesday, the firm [booted]( a team of independent researchers from NYU, claiming its data collection methods were compromising user privacy. The researchers were digging into Facebook’s data… … to better understand ad targeting on the social platform. Last year, the team launched a browser extension called Ad Observer that allows users to share which ads are targeted to them. With 16k people using the extension, the team found: - Misleading political ads were thriving on the platform in November 2020 - Facebook [had]( flaws in its political ad disclosures More recently, the NYU team turned its attention to COVID -- tracking false claims about the virus and vaccines. Facebook has been under fire due to COVID concerns President Biden recently called out the social giant, claiming the spread of misinformation on the platform has caused people to lose their lives. Facebook argues it’s been doing its part to fight the virus: - The firm [removed]( 14m posts about COVID labeled as fake news, and added a vaccine finder tool to help users find and book appointments Critics are skeptical about Facebook’s reasoning The NYU researchers claim they aren’t gathering any private information, and argue that it’s critical to have an independent party looking after Facebook’s ad targeting methods. Facebook does allow researchers to use “privacy-protective methods to collect and analyze data,” but it’s hosted in an ad library controlled by, you guessed it, Facebook. [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=Facebook+just+lost+some+friends%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F08062021-Facebook-NYU%3Futm_campaign%3DFacebook%2BNYU%26utm_content%3D08062021-Facebook-NYU%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( SNIPPETS NEW! Introducing our new and improved [Snippets](. You can now get extra snippets on your favorite topics. Follow the button below to get started. (It takes less than 30 seconds!) B*tch better have my money: Rihanna has officially [reached]( billionaire status with an estimated net worth of $1.7B, thanks to ownership in her 2 companies: Fenty Beauty and Savage x Fenty. This shirt saves the planet: Vollebak, a UK-based clothing label, [released]( a shirt that uses black algae ink, which absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The shirt sells for $110. TikTok can copy, too: While every social app is trying to be more like TikTok, the company [announced]( plans to pilot a Stories feature -- giving Instagram and Snap a taste of their own medicine. Productivity pays: Superhuman, the waitlist-only email app that costs $30 per month, raised [$75m]( in a new round, valuing the firm at $825m. Join the 88,179 others who are now enjoying extra, personalized snippets. Click the button👇 to choose your favorite topics and see your list grow in tomorrow’s email. [Personalize Your Snippets]( Chart of the day [Amount of crypto seized by IRS by year]( The IRS has seized 185k+ bitcoins. Where the heck do they go? For the IRS, criminal sting operations stereotypically involve seizing and liquidating file cabinets and Ferraris. But today, more than ever, they involve cryptocurrencies. Since 2013, the feds have [seized]( and auctioned off 185k+ bitcoins that -- if all held onto -- would’ve been worth ~$7B today. Once liquidated, funds are split among the Treasury Forfeiture Fund or the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund, where Congress decides their fate. [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=The+IRS+has+seized+185k%2B+bitcoins.+Where+the+heck+do+they+go%3F%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F08062021-IRS-bitcoin%3Futm_campaign%3DFacebook%2BNYU%26utm_content%3D08062021-IRS-bitcoin%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( Q&A [David Yellen headshot]( (Photo Credit: David Yellen) The company that wants to be TikTok for podcasts Paul English, who shook up the travel industry as co-founder and CTO of Kayak, is back with a new startup. Moonbeam.fm is a podcast player and discovery app with a TikTok-like interface, allowing listeners to swipe through clips and find new podcasts they might not find themselves. The Hustle’s [Rob Litterst]( recently caught up with English to hear more about Moonbeam and his thoughts on the podcast landscape. What excites you about the opportunity in podcasting? I’ve been an avid podcast listener for many years, but have had a difficult time finding new ones. I’ve found that in most players, such as Apple and Spotify, you have to scroll through a lot of text and read a lot, and you’re often getting the same recommendations over and over again. How does Moonbeam help? We’ve aimed to create a TikTok-like experience for podcast discovery. The app has a feature called Beam, which serves listeners with curated clips from shows that are specific to their own interests -- if they don’t like a clip, they can keep swiping. How are the clips selected? Our clips are created using a combination of machine learning and human curation. Also, hosts have the ability to create clips from their show using the Moonbeam Console. As listeners use Moonbeam more, the algorithm gets better and better and can help find podcasts suited to your exact tastes. ([Read the full Q&A here](.) [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=The+company+that+wants+to+be+TikTok+for+podcasts%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F08062021-Moonbeam-fm%3Futm_campaign%3DFacebook%2BNYU%26utm_content%3D08062021-Moonbeam-fm%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( AROUND THE WEB 🇮🇶 That’s cool: 17k archeological artifacts were [returned]( to Iraq, including ~12k from the Museum of the Bible, which is owned by the Hobby Lobby family. 💀 On this day: In 1926, Gertrude Ederle, an American Olympic swimming champion, became the first woman to [swim]( across the English Channel. 📡 Cool site: ​​[Youarelistening.to]( pairs a city’s police scanner with ambient music. It’s very “Blade Runner.” 🤖 Wow: Former NASA and Apple engineer Mark Rober built a robot that can set up a 100k-domino mural in 24 hours. Why? [Why not](? 🎨 Chill out: This site lets you create your own Jackson Pollock-style [masterpiece](. Move your mouse to paint. Click to change colors. 🌈 Wild story: What’s a [firebow](? Well, it’s like a rainbow, except there’s no rain. Tweet of the day [Facebook NYU tweet] He’s not wrong… (Source: [Twitter]() Shower Thoughts - [“Your bank account can be empty but it can never be full.”]( - [“The Universe might've already ended, and we're just waiting for it to reach us, like cosmic dominos.”]( - [“We always refer to things being “on fire” when in reality fire is always the one on things.”]( - [“The posted speed limit is the legally-accepted maximum limit, but the socially-accepted minimum limit.”]( - [You have fallen asleep thousands of times, and seen it, but you never remember it.]( [via Reddit]( SHARE THE HUSTLE [Hustle Cons Greatest Hits ebook]( Over the years, we’ve learned… secrets. The business secrets, tips, and tricks that have helped founders go from zero to millions -- and even billions -- of dollars. Want to see ‘em? Just refer 3 more friends to The Hustle and we’ll send you our curated set of interviews with founders from brands like Zola, AWAY, Vungle, Bonobos, and more. 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