Yes, the ratings for Sunday's Super Bowl were the worst in years — but in terms of ratings per point scored, it actually fared exceptionally well.
Yes, the ratings for Sunday's Super Bowl were the worst in years — but in terms of ratings per point scored, it actually fared exceptionally well.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
For all the talk of a "techlash," Google, Facebook and other tech giants are still raking in the profits.
The big picture: Such rosy results for all 4 companies in the face of controversy have been the case for nearly every quarter over the past 2 years, with the exception of Q2 2018, when Facebook lost roughly $120 billion in market value in one day after barely missing revenue projections.
Yes, but: There are clouds on the horizon, both in terms of business and regulation.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to remove a sentence that originally described a passage in Google's earnings report about a European compliance cost as a new disclosure. The company had previously disclosed the issue.
T-Mobile CEO John Legere promised Monday that the company won't raise prices if it's allowed to purchase Sprint, at least not for the next 3 years.
What's new: In a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, Legere touted his company's track record as the "un-carrier" and said if it were to raise prices it would break faith with its customers and "destroy the future of our brand." In his letter, Legere states...
To remove any remaining doubt or concerns about New T-Mobile's prices while we are combining our networks over the next three years, T-Mobile today is submitting to the Commission a commitment that I stand behind – a commitment that New T-Mobile will make available the same or better rate plans for our services as those offered today by T-Mobile or Sprint.
We believe this merger makes consumers better off, and we're willing to put our money where our mouth is. Period.
Meanwhile: The Hill reports that Sprint and T-Mobile have tapped former FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn to help advise on the bid.
Between the lines: The deal has a variety of detractors and opponents, but it's unclear just how strongly the companies' arguments are resonating with state and federal regulators who have to sign off on the purchase. Several Democratic lawmakers have come out against the deal, though, and have scheduled hearings.
Photo: Chesnot/Getty Images
Facebook is adding Lead Stories as a new fact-checking partner, the company will announce today, Axios' Sara Fischer writes in an exclusive report.
Why it matters: The announcement comes as Snopes, one of the first online fact-checking websites, says it is reevaluating its relationship with the Facebook fact-checking unit. The Associated Press is renegotiating its contracts with Facebook but says it plans to continue in the Facebook program.
Details: In addition to fact-checking posts that Facebook flags, Lead Stories will also use its own technology, called "Trendolizer," to detect trending hoaxes from hundreds of known fake news sites, satirical websites and prank generators. Lead Stories specializes in hoax debunking as well as fact-checking.
Go deeper: Sara has more here.
Speaking of Facebook, the social network is once again sending senior executives to Capitol Hill to address questions from concerned policymakers, Axios' David McCabe reports.
Driving the news: Ime Archibong, the company's VP of product partnerships, is meeting with House and Senate staffers this week in response to their requests for more information, a Facebook spokesperson confirmed.
Why it matters: Tech leaders used to leave worrying about Washington to their lobbyists, but that doesn't cut it any more. Facebook senior executives keep trooping to Washington because the social network sits at the heart of so many policy debates — and those debates are also central to its future.
Go deeper: David has more here.
Google today is debuting a free Chrome extension that lets people see if their username and passwords are among the 4 billion credentials that have been compromised.
Why it matters: Many people have had their account information stolen but don't actually know it. Google already does such checks when people log into its G Suite, but this works with most other sites on the web.
The hard part was creating a tool that neither forces people to upload their information to Google nor allows a malicious user to gain access to a bunch of compromised accounts, Google tells Axios.
How it works: Google, along with researchers at Stanford, created a tool that uses hashes and other techniques to ensure that all a user gets is a notification if the account information they are entering has been compromised. Meanwhile, no account information gets uploaded to Google's servers.
Try it for yourself by downloading it here.
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