LinkedIn publishes its list of Canada’s top companies, and the tech industry is well-represented, Facebook shuts down advertisements from Signal, and it’s Google Docs versus Word on Twitter
It’s all the tech news that’s popular right now. Welcome to Hashtag Trending! It’s Friday, May 7 and I’m your host Alex Coop.
LinkedIn launched its 2021 Top Companies list, which ranks 25 of the best workplaces to grow a career. The third annual list, according to LinkedIn, is anchored to “unique LinkedIn data” that also analyzes how companies invest in their workforce. RBC, TD, and Scotiabank make up the top 3, while Alphabet and Bell round fall in at rank No. 4 and 5 respectively. Other tech companies in the top 10 include SAP and Deloitte, while IBM just missed the mark by coming in at No. 11. Many of the companies on the list, including the tech firms, are also currently hiring. [Check out the list here]
Signal’s smartass ad exposes Facebook’s creepy data collection from technology
After running a series of advertisements highlighting how Instagram harvests personal data from users to blast them with ads, encrypted messaging app Signal has been kicked off Instagram’s ad platform. In a blog posted earlier this week, Signal called out the user privacy policies of both Instagram and its parent company Facebook. Both social media giants use the same technology and platform. In a tweet on May 4, Signal said, “We wanted to use Instagram ads to highlight how ad tech invades your privacy. Instead, Facebook shut our account down.” It may not be a huge surprise to many, but both Facebook and Instagram have access to all the data users create when looking through their home feeds. In addition to personal information such as age and location, the data collected can be as granular as type of employment, relationship status, real estate opportunities, oh, and even skincare routine and music interests.
And lastly, Twitter sparked a passionate battle between Google Doc and Word users this week. When the point was raised by a single user about how Gen Z doesn’t use Microsoft Word, the reaction was swift. Many people, including myself, noticed Google Docs trending and immediately panicked that they were charging for the service. Luckily that is not the case. Many people then pointed out how Microsoft Office licenses that come with a host of other software, including Word, cost $150 bucks per year. Others said that while Word has a browser equivalent, it doesn’t match up with Google Docs.