Former Facebook chief security officer Alex Stamos is responding to Tim Cook’s criticism of the social giant, earlier this week. Cook “called out social media companies for abusing user privacy to create algorithms to ‘serve up increasingly extreme content,’” CNBC notes. In response, Stamos “called out Apple for blocking the ability to download VPN and encrypted messaging apps in China.”

Trying to win back younger consumers, Facebook is developing an app that will let users record and share videos of themselves lip syncing or dancing to popular songs, sources tell TechCrunch. “The app is designed to be a standalone competitor to Musically, which was a hit with teens and even pre-teens before the 60 million monthly user product was acquired by Chinese tech giant ByteDance for around $1 billion and rolled into the company’s TikTok app.”

To continue pumping original content, Netflix plans to raise $2 billion in financing through debt securities. “The latest proposed debt offering is the sixth time in less than four years that the company is raising $1 billion or more through bonds,” Variety reports. “As of Sept. 30 … Netflix reported $8.34 billion in long-term debt, up 71% from $4.89 billion a year prior.”

CNet reviews the Google Home Hub, and finds the video streaming gadget wanting. “The sound quality is fine for background music, but nowhere near the level of other smart displays like the Amazon Echo Show or the JBL Link View,” it writes. “It’s more on par with the diminutive Google Home Mini.”

This week, the White House wants to meet with leaders of Amazon, Google, Microsoft and IBM, and encourage them to steer their employees toward government work. “For the Trump administration, the hope is that private companies might encourage employees to take leaves of absence to help modernize state and federal agencies,” The Washington Post writes.

YouTube plans to spend $20 million developing educational and how-to content, BBC News reports. “Critics say YouTube’s algorithms favour long and sensationalist videos,” it writes. “The company says its new fund will make the platform ‘better for educators and learners.’”

Google is adding a number of developer features for Google Play, Venture Beat reports. That includes “better support for larger Android app bundles, subscription improvements, in-app updates, more Google Play metrics, an expanded Google Play Instant, and Academy for App Success,” it writes. “In addition to an average size reduction of 35 percent, Google has improved Android App bundle’s support for large apps.”

Amazon is officially rolling out Alexa’s “whisper mode,” this week. “It’s particularly useful around bedtime or nighttime scenarios, where you’re trying to keep the room quiet,” TechCrunch reports. “And, of course, it’s especially helpful for parents, who don’t want to wake a sleeping child to command Alexa.”

Twitter has suspended a network of bots suspected of promoting pro-Saudi Arabia talking points about the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. “Twitter became aware of some of the bots on Thursday when NBC News presented the company with a spreadsheet of hundreds of accounts that tweeted and retweeted the same pro-Saudi government tweets,” NBC News reports.

Per a new partnership with Eventbrite, YouTube will now show tour listings just below videos from Official Artist Channels. “Tap a ‘tickets’ button on a listing and you’ll go directly to Eventbrite to purchase a spot at the show,” Engadget reports. “The experience will be familiar if you've ever used YouTube’s Ticketmaster tie-in.”