CR Permission Slip eases privacy burden, TA Report Hides Declining Reviews, Google Rushes to AI

Send us Fan MailConsumer Reports new app,  Permission Slip eases privacy requests but is still a baby step:  Permission Slip from Consumer Reports simplifies the process of making data deletion or "don't sell my data" requests to third-party websites and retailers. It is an elegant first step solution for individuals to navigate privacy exposures in states with stricter criteria. It centralizes the process and simplifies the burden on the end user. But privacy is still too complicated and put much of the burden on the end user in this case to download an app, and figure out where they need to take action. Consumer Reports, as a respected organization, has not stepped up on the privacy front. There is the need for privacy controls to be simple and global and enforced. Consumer Reports' app 'Permission Slip' centralizes and simplifies the process of making data deletion or 'do not sell my data' requests. | 00:49The app seems to be legitimate and points towards something much simpler and easier to use for the consumer. | 01:53Consumer Reports' new product, which helps consumers delist their personal information from various online sites, is a great concept that resonated well with users. | 03:07Consumer Reports is well positioned to lead the charge for opt-in privacy and has been remiss in not doing so. | 06:19TripAdvisor Review Transparency Report highlights 2022 review increases but hides declining reviews:TripAdvisor has released their 2023 Review Transparency Report which revealed that reviews increased by 20% between 2020-2022, with 30.2 million total reviews in 2022. Business owners responded to one-third of the reviews, and there was a 16% increase in the total number of businesses listed. While the press release took a bubbly positive tone, reviews have decreased by almost 60% since 2018, suggesting that the industry may have reached "Peak reviews." TripAdvisor received 30.2 million reviews in 2022, which is a 20% increase over 2020. | 00:02One-third of the total reviews were responded to by business owners, indicating high engagement. | 01:10Travel industry has been disrupted by Covid and reviews have decreased, though air travel has returned, review rates are still significantly below 2019 levels | 03:28Reviews may have gone to other platforms like Doordash or OpenTable | 03:53Google AI PR push masks lapses and fear:  Google is responding to the threat from chat GPT and Bing by releasing Bard, an AI language model, and Magi, a project combining traditional search with Bard. The recent PR push from Google seeks to reassure investors that they are still the top dog in search, although they were caught flat-footed by the AI competition. The emergence of verticalized search engines, combined with the use of AI language models, has lowered the barrier to entry for new search engines, making it unlikely that Google's push will scare away new entrants. Google's response to threats from chat GPT and Bing has been incredibly clumsy and transparent, as evidenced by the recent wave of PR and their upcoming release of Magi project. | 00:02Google may be facing potential loss of revenue from competitors rather than cannibalizing their own ads clicks in traditional search, representing a mental shift for the company. | 03:20Using search engines like Google for general high-level questions and research inquiries, rather than business lookups. | 06:37If you're a business and you just want somebody to call you, zero click is actually a good thing and local. | 10:05Disclosure: Note that while the summaries and titles may have (actually were) created by AI the videos are the real deal.The Near Memo is a weeklySubscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/