Is it time to pay the digital tax, Reader? [Crew Review]

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Hey Reader,

If you’re in India and you buy an e-book from Amazon, how much tax do you have to pay? How about when you have a Zoom call with an employee from the other side of the world?

You may have to pay more for it soon because the World Trade Organization might not reach a consensus on renewing the moratorium on digital customs charges.

This could mean that services offered by companies like Netflix, Zoom, and Amazon will have applicable tariffs if online transactions cross borders. The latest moratorium is set to expire in March, and at least three countries may be in favor of it.

This move may negatively impact e-commerce sellers, especially those who sell digital products. The bad news is that it only takes one vote to lift the temporary tax prohibition.

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EU’s Probe on TikTok Begins

The congressional hearing where TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi’s nationality was questioned has gone viral. And it seems like we might be seeing more of Mr. Chew as it isn’t just the United States that’s looking into the company’s operations.

The European Union has officially opened its formal probe to investigate the social media platform’s compliance with the Digital Services Act (DSA). This law governs online content, advertising, and disinformation.

The investigation will focus on specific areas, including potential behavioral addictions caused by the platform’s algorithm, the safety and security of minors, and access to TikTok's publicly accessible data.

If proven to have violated the Act, this may lead the company to rethink its rules, which can potentially affect online sellers who advertise on TikTok.

Trending Products

Remember the solar eclipse craze of 2016? Well, guess what—it's back. On April 8, another solar eclipse is set to take place visible from most of the United States.

And guess what? Solar eclipse glasses are starting to go crazy on Amazon. In January there were an estimated 200,348 monthly searches up 444% from December and up a whopping 1,568% from the previous year. Search volume is likely to only continue to skyrocket heading into April. 

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Target’s Version of Walmart+?

Target is reportedly planning to create a membership program a la Amazon Prime and Walmart+.

According to Bloomberg, the so-called Project Trident could launch early this year. The program may include Shipt, the company’s delivery service.

This move may help Target increase its revenue. In its Q3 2023 report, the company stated that its comparable sales declined by 4.9 percent while the total revenue is 4.2 percent lower than in 2022. In addition, the operating income for that period was 28.9 percent higher than the year before.

Etc.

Google’s deal with Reddit. An expanded partnership between the two companies will give Google access to Reddit’s data API, providing the former with “an efficient and structured way to access the vast corpus of existing content on Reddit.”

Is AI racist? Gemini, which Google’s CEO says is their “largest and most capable AI model” has been paused due to inaccurate depictions of historical characters. A few historically white people were generated as people of color, and the company is facing backlash for it.

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