Observed Signal · Jun 4, 2020 · Policy Update · Source: OnlineMarketing.de · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Negative
Snap Removes Trump from Snapchat Discover Feed
Snap Inc. has removed Donald Trump’s account from Snapchat’s Discover feed, significantly limiting the president’s reach on the platform without suspending the account. Snap stated, “We are not currently promoting the president’s content on Snapchat’s Discover platform. We will not amplify voices who incite racial violence and injustice by giving them free promotion on Discover.” Trump’s Discover profile reportedly had about 1.5 million followers. The move follows Trump’s controversial Facebook post, which remains on Facebook, and comes as other platforms take actions against his content elsewhere.Trump’s campaign manager Brad Parscale accused Snap of attempting to manipulate the 2020 election by promoting Joe Biden and suppressing Trump. Bloomberg noted that a large share of Trump’s followers grew through Discover promotions.
Moderate impact on platform moderation of political content within the AdTech ecosystem.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Snap removed Donald Trump's account from Snapchat's Discover feed, reducing its amplification on Discover.
- Snap stated it is not currently promoting the president's content on Discover and will not amplify voices inciting racial violence and injustice.
- Trump's Discover profile reportedly had approximately 1.5 million followers.
- The move followed a controversial Facebook post by Trump that remains on Facebook.
- Brad Parscale accused Snap of trying to rig the 2020 election by promoting Biden and suppressing Trump.
- Bloomberg reported that a large portion of Trump's followers came via Discover promotions.
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3 Entities mappedOntology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
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Windows 11 Search Upgrade, Copilot Gets File Access
Microsoft announced two upcoming updates for Windows 11: an enhanced search feature and expanded Copilot capabilities. The new search allows users to directly adjust settings like dark mode, take screenshots, and change volume from the search bar, with future ability to compose and send messages. Copilot's 'Hybrid Intelligence' feature, introduced at a Microsoft event, enables the AI to access local files and perform actions across the OS, such as finding, renaming, zipping documents, and attaching them to emails. Jacob Andreou, EVP of Copilot, demonstrated this in a tax return example. The rollout will be gradual, requiring user permission for file access. The search upgrade is expected later this year, with no exact date specified.
Publishers Use Registration Walls to Fight AI Traffic Decline
As referral traffic from search engines declines, especially due to AI Overviews, publishers are increasingly turning to registration walls to convert anonymous visitors into known users. This strategy aims to deepen engagement, gather first-party data for better ad targeting, and potentially increase programmatic ad rates. The Verge plans to test a hard registration wall on a cohort of readers. Publishers report that registered users can yield ad rates up to eight times higher. However, some publishers found that registration walls do not always lead to subscriptions, and for many, the revenue from subscriptions is insufficient to offset traffic losses. The trend reflects a broader shift towards first-party data and known audiences in response to AI-driven changes in search and referral traffic.
Snap Exec: Much AI-Generated Content Is Just Crap
In an interview at DMEXCO 2026, Jan Müller, Senior Sales Manager for Largest Customers DACH at Snap, discussed the platform's stance on AI-generated content. Snap has stopped recommending wholly AI-generated videos in Snapchat's Spotlight feed to combat what is often referred to as 'AI slop'. Müller acknowledged that while some AI-generated content is good, much of it is low quality. He also touched on the importance of authenticity and the mix of brand and performance advertisers on the platform.
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