This Week In PR | No. 2

• It appears that Europeans' protest against driving company Uber may have been the best publicity they've ever received. Uber saw a major spike in profits after protests broke out against the company saying that they are taking money away from taxi drivers. Despite posing fierce competition for taxi companies and having what many feel is a less than thorough driver screening process, "Uber's signups in the UK alone rose 850%." It seems in this case big business may just win out in the end. (Forbes)
• It's been clear for a while that video is the newest and most popular trend in social media so, of course, Facebook wants in on some of the action. The company is introducing a new feature to their Messenger app that will allow users to record and send 15-second videos. All this comes after their accidental launch of the Slingshot app, which had the same video capabilities. But good luck trying to download Slingshot; the app was removed from the App Store shortly after it was added. (Mashable)
• Since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, there have been 74 school shootings in America. In an effort to come up with a solution for student protection, ProTecht invented the "Bodyguard Blanket," a bulletproof pad for students to put over their bodies in the event of a school shooting. However, people are beginning to question whether ProTecht's motives are noble or profiteering. You decide. (PR Daily)
• Twitter COO Ali Rowghani resigns, ironically, via a tweet saying, “Goodbye Twitter. It’s been an amazing ride, and I will cherish the memories.” Though his resignation may seem abrupt to the public, Rowghani had been losing responsibilities within his position for months now. Originally appointed to help bring in a new audience and increase current users participation, Rowghani's leadership has only seen plunging stock prices and a less than impressive growth in users. Despite Twitter's recent struggles, Rowghani will stay on as an adviser and no one new will be appointed to the vacant COO position. (NY Times) 
• On Tuesday, 11 of the leading public relations firms made a public statement saying that they would not alter the Wikipedia pages of their clients. After years of sneaky editing, these firms have promised to abide by the Wikipedia rules in an effort to mend the relationship between the two industries that has experienced strain over the past few years. Hopefully this statement signed by firms such as Edelman, Ogilvy & Mather, and Ketchum will encourage smaller PR firms and agencies to follow suit. (Ad Age)