Xavier Romero VidalNov 19, 2022
Lilian Edwards

Completely fascinating a/c by former head of trust&safety at Twitter of overwhelming power of app stores even over platforms & the arbitrariness of their rules ( h/t @joris )

"the most direct explanation is that platform policies are shaped by the preferences of a small group of predominantly American tech executives".

When can we see human rights and rule of law applied to platforms? Capricious autocracy can't rule the internet for ever. Aux barricades les citoyens!

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/18/opinion/twitter-yoel-roth-elon-musk.html

Opinion | What’s Twitter’s Future? The Former Head of Trust And Safety Weighs In

Elon Musk’s brand of radical transformation has unavoidable limits.

The New York Times
Nov 19, 2022 at 9:07amWeb
Show threadRachel Coldicutt has movedNov 19, 2022
@lilianedwards @joris this particularly interesting from a regulation perspective
Show threadSimonetta VezzosoNov 19, 2022
@lilianedwards DMA, DSA, competition law, and barricades if not enforced properly and swiftly!
Show threadLilian EdwardsNov 19, 2022
@wavesblog it's an amazing revelation to me that app stores actually issue warnings as if they were the ICO or something
Show threadJames Stewart - datacontroversNov 21, 2022
@lilianedwards @wavesblog absolutely - they were set up to police the behaviour of apps, first technically, then morally, but mutated into a massive stranglehold on the entire industry.
Show threadLilian EdwardsNov 21, 2022
@Jkjacobus any empirical lit for @joris
Show threadKaranjaNov 19, 2022
@lilianedwards @joris that was quite an admission. Also instructive to note that Twitter verification for blue badges (or what they are calling it this hour) depends on App Store ID rules. The extent of global dependency on Apple and Google accounts is ridiculous were it not as scary as it is.
Show threadJoris van HobokenNov 19, 2022
@karanja @lilianedwards interesting! do you have a source for this?
Show threadKaranjaNov 19, 2022

@joris @lilianedwards

“Accounts that receive the blue checkmark as part of a Twitter Blue subscription will not undergo review to confirm that they meet the active, notable and authentic criteria that was used in the previous process.”

How can you get Twitter Blue? Via iOS and Android stores.

https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/twitter-blue

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Learn about our subscription service offering exclusive access to premium features.

Show threadLilian EdwardsNov 19, 2022
@karanja @joris
Show threadLilian EdwardsNov 19, 2022
@karanja @joris a minute ago....?
Show threadKaranjaNov 19, 2022
@lilianedwards @joris as I understand the process they used before the emergency brakes, the Twitter App subscription is for service information, from where they route you to the App stores. If App Stores accepted your payment, Twitter technically approved you.
Show threadKaranjaNov 19, 2022
@joris @lilianedwards these images are from Nov 05.
Show threadIanStockportNov 19, 2022
@karanja @lilianedwards @joris App Store IDs are hard to generate at scale as each is locked to a physical device that costs money, hence makes the automated creation of many "verified" twitter accounts hard.
Show threadIanStockportNov 19, 2022
@karanja @lilianedwards @joris Interesting with disabled access regulations for disabled people who can only use a desktop computer.
Show threadMaxNov 19, 2022

@lilianedwards @joris that was an interesting little line, yes.

Of course, it’s a similar problem some fediverse (and other opensource) apps have run into; not being accepted into an appstore, or being thrown out of one. Usually without fanfare and with little or nothing in terms of getting to speak to a human, at best being spoken to by one.

At least Twitter gets a little forewarning and possibly some actual flesh and blood folks to smooth things out with, but at the end of the day, there’s two companies who wield an inappropriate amount of power.

It’s exactly why #decentralisation is so important (and why being able to sideload software onto a device is, to me, an absolute, non-negotiable must-have).

Show threadBill ThompsonNov 27, 2022
@lilianedwards @joris capricious autocracy’ is a great phrase. Describes so many aspect of current lived online experience
Show threadPaul EvansNov 27, 2022
@billt @lilianedwards @joris here's my solution fwiw: https://mastodonapp.uk/@pauliewaulie/109415525300690125
Paulie Waulie (@[email protected])

I hope that most of us, deep down, recognise that "when you aren't paying for a service that you use, you are part of the product that those who do pay are buying." Surely a paid-for version of Mastodon is the way forward? No ads*, and all algorithms etc designed in the interests of paying customers. (I know, we have a collective action problem getting enough initial signups to make it work). *or at least a transparent relationship with advertisers

Mastodon App UK
Show threadPaul EvansNov 27, 2022
@billt @lilianedwards @joris also 'capricious autocracy' is what you get with *all instances* of engagement with the privatised public sphere. Tech just offers some very visible pinch-points.