Digital Week in Review: Privacy Complains About Facebook/WhatsApp, Spotify Acquires Echo Nest, Women Use Social Media More Than Men Amsive Digital Published: March 7, 2014 2 min read Categories: News In this week’s Digital Week in Review: Privacy complaints are made to FTC over Facebook/WhatsApp acquisition, Spotify acquires Echo Nest, and women use more social media than men. Complaints To FTC About Facebook/WhatsApp Privacy Facebook has recently acquired instant messaging platform WhatsApp for $19 billion dollars. The Electronic Privacy Information Center and the Center for Digital Democracy have filed complaints with the Federal Trade Commission saying that the privacy of WhatsApp users will be affected by Facebook’s use of information. The complaint criticizes WhatsApp’s privacy policy. Jan Koum states that WhatsApp doesn’t store or use data from its users, when Facebook “regularly collects and stores virtually all valuable user data”. AllFacebook states that the complaint urges the FTC to take the following actions below: Initiate an investigation of the proposed acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook specifically with regard to the ability of Facebook to access WhatsApp’s store of user mobile phone numbers and metadata. Until the issues identified in this complaint are adequately resolved, use the commission’s authority to review mergers to halt Facebook’s proposed acquisition of WhatsApp. In the event that the acquisition proceeds, order Facebook to insulate WhatsApp users’ information from access by Facebook’s data collection practices. Provide such other relief as the commission finds necessary and appropriate. To see the full WhatsApp complaint click here. Spotify Acquires Echo Nest Spotify has acquired music intelligence company Echo Nest. Echo Nest can determine which recommendations to make for listeners of automatic streaming radio services. This will help Spotify have more access to a key technology that already informs much of its service delivery. Echo Nest’s API will remain free and open which is good news for Spotify rivals, but still ultimately means that Spotify will gain control over tech that underpins its rival’s offerings. Echo Nest’s current API partners include Rdio, iHeartRadio, Deezer, Rhapsody and more. To read more click here. Women Use Social Media More Than Men There are more women using social media platforms including Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter than men. In fact, the only social media platform that men dominate is LinkedIn. Furthermore, women are more likely to engage with brands on social media, consume more news via social sources, and are the ones leading the trend towards mobile. Finances Online has releases an infographic detailing a closer look at why women dominate the social media world. To see the rest of this infographic click here.