Hong Kong officials and legislators criticize Google over a pro-democracy song, “Glory to Hong Kong”, appearing among the top results for the national anthem (Newley Purnell/Wall Street Journal)

Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Google acquired Alter, an AI avatar startup that helps creators and brands express their virtual identity; source: the deal closed two months ago for ~$100M  —  Google has acquired Alter, an artificial intelligence (AI) avatar startup that helps creators and brands express their virtual identity …

Pew Research Center:
A survey of 19 developed nations: 57% say social media has been good for democracy, 35% say it has been bad; in the US, 34% think it has been good for democracy  —  Most think social media has made it easier to manipulate and divide people, but also say it informs and raises awareness

Newley Purnell / Wall Street Journal:
Audio: citing security, Meta execs privately told rights groups that a decision “at the highest levels” prevented a more detailed report on hate speech in India  —  Executives at the Facebook parent privately shared with rights groups their disappointment about the sparse report, according to audio recordings

Newley Purnell / Wall Street Journal:
A profile of e-commerce company Meesho, which accounts for ~7% of India’s online sales; Apptopia: Meesho was the world’s most downloaded shopping app in H1 2022  —  Startup makes gains in world’s biggest developing digital market, with users drawn to its prices on clothing, household goods

Newley Purnell / Wall Street Journal:
Ye’s Twitter account is suspended after he tweeted a picture of a swastika merged with a Star of David; Elon Musk replied, saying he violated Twitter rules  —  West, who goes by Ye, recently had his account restored after being banned in October  —  Kanye West Offers to Buy Parler Amid Backlash Over Anti-Semitic Posts

Bloomberg:
US congressional aides say TikTok representatives have largely ignored Republican lawmakers, which could have serious consequences if the GOP retakes the House  —  There may be no more American form of unwinding than attending a football game.  So when TikTok Chief Executive Officer Shouzi Chew …