UN human rights chief calls on Musk to respect free speech
Volker Türk, the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, sent an open letter to Musk last month urging him to place human rights at the center of his management of Twitter.
#UnitedNations #UN #ElonMusk #FreeSpeech #HumanRights #Twitter #VolkerTürk
https://thehill.com/policy/technology/3780219-un-human-rights-chief-calls-on-musk-to-respect-free-speech/
United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk urged Twitter CEO Elon Musk to respect users’ free speech rights in response to the suspension of a number of prominent tech journalists from the platform. Volker Türk, the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, weighed in after Musk polled users and lifted the suspensions of journalists the…
Elon Musk says he will resign as Twitter's CEO when he finds a replacement
#ElonMusk #Twitter
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/elon-musk-says-will-resign-twitters-ceo-finds-replacement-rcna62694
PS3 Hacker Hired To Fix Twitter By Elon Musk Quit
George Hotz barely lasted one month before announcing his resignation on Twitter
Hotz:
"Resigned from Twitter today.
Appreciate the opportunity, but didn’t think there was any real impact I could make there. Besides, it was sad to see my GitHub withering. Back to coding!"
https://kotaku.com/elon-musk-twitter-george-hotz-ps3-hacker-intern-quit-1849923347
#Twitter #ElonMusk #GeorgeHotz #GeoHot #Internship
Elon Musk blames Twitter cost cuts on "$3 billion negative cash flow"
Musk:
"We have an emergency fire drill on our hands. ... This company is like you’re in a plane that is headed towards the ground and high speed with the engines on fire and the controls don’t work," he said. "That's the reason for my actions that may seem sometimes spurious."
Many marketers have pulled out of the platform since Musk's takeover because of moderation concerns.
#Twitter #ElonMusk
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/12/elon-musk-blames-twitter-cost-cuts-on-3-billion-negative-cash-flow/
Several journalists remain locked out of their #Twitter accounts after refusing to delete tweets about an account that tracked CEO #ElonMusk’s private jet, according to The Washington Post.
The journalists — including Voice of America’s Steve Herman, the Post’s Drew Harwell, The New York Times’s Ryan Mac, CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan, Fox Business’s Susan Li and The Intercept’s Micah Lee — were suspended for reporting on Musk’s dispute with the creator of the ElonJet account.
Several journalists remain locked out of their Twitter accounts after refusing to delete tweets about an account that tracked CEO Elon Musk’s private jet, according to The Washington Post. The journalists — including Voice of America’s Steve Herman, the Post’s Drew Harwell, The New York Times’s Ryan Mac, CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan, Fox Business’s Susan Li and…
Twitter removes suicide prevention feature, says it's under revamp
After publication of this story, Twitter head of trust and safety Ella Irwin told #Reuters in an email that "we have been fixing and revamping our prompts. They were just temporarily removed while we do that."
"We expect to have them back up next week," she said.
#Twitter #Suicide #SuicidePrevention
https://www.reuters.com/technology/elon-musk-orders-removal-twitter-suicide-prevention-feature-sources-say-2022-12-23/
Twitter Inc removed a feature in the past few days that promoted suicide prevention hotlines and other safety resources to users looking up certain content, according to two people familiar with the matter who said it was ordered by new owner Elon Musk.
Musk contradicts Twitter safety chief, disavows statement as “fake news”
Ever since The Verge reported that Twitter shut down its communications office, it’s been harder to confirm information about the company, which seems to be the way that CEO Elon Musk likes it.
However, increasingly, Twitter trust and safety chief Ella Irwin seems more willing to confirm or deny rumors to media outlets, a move that’s possibly irking Musk.
#Twitter #ElonMusk #EllaIrwin
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/12/musk-implies-twitter-exec-falsely-reported-removal-of-suicide-prevention-tool/
#ElonMusk Fires Twitter Janitors, Reportedly Forcing Staff To Bring Own Toilet Paper
Musk suddenly canceled janitorial services early last month at the headquarters, NBC News reported.
Janitors said they were locked out with no warning, just weeks before the holidays, after they had sought better wages, and the company terminated a cleaning contract.
A 10 year Twitter janitor was told robots will eventually do their job.
#Twitter #Janitors #ToiletPaper #CleaningRobots
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/elon-musk-twitter-janitors-cut-smelly-toilet-paperr_n_63afb374e4b0ae9de1b706b2
Twitter's San Francisco headquarters — and the company's Seattle office — are getting smelly and gross after Musk boasted that he's "cutting costs like crazy."
"The smell of leftover takeout food and body odor has lingered on the floors ... bathrooms have grown dirty," The New York Times reported Thursday, citing accounts from employees.
Musk's Twitter to lift ban on political ads 'in coming weeks'
The announcement comes as advertisers have fled the platform in droves after Elon Musk's takeover last October.
#Twitter #ElonMusk #PoliticalAdvertising #TargetedAds #Elections #Advertising
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/03/twitter-political-advertisements-announcement-00076234
Twitter Support's statement:
https://twitter.com/twittersafety/status/1610399203481784320
Twitter blocks hashtags used to promote child sex abuse material after NBC News review
A group of Twitter employees met over the weekend to accelerate plans to address the accounts that promote the sale of such material, a Twitter executive said.
Musk in November said cleaning up the platform and addressing #ChildExploitation on it was his “priority #1.”
#Twitter #CSAM #ElonMusk
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/twitter-blocks-hashtags-elon-musk-child-sex-abuse-material-nbc-news-rcna64965
Musk's "Priority #1" tweet:
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1594548607243411456
Tweetbot, Twiterrific, Echofon, and other third-party Twitter clients have failed to work for many people since late last night, and the social network has seemingly not notified the apps' developers as to why.
#Twitter #Tweetbot #Twiterrific #Echofon
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/01/third-party-twitter-clients-are-broken-whether-by-policy-or-glitch/
Twitter Employees Escorted Out of Singapore Office
Elon Musk reportedly didn't pay the rent on time. The 22,000-square-foot office had served as Twitter's Asia Pacific headquarters since 2015.
#Twitter #Singapore #AsiaPacific #ElonMusk #DidNotPayTheRent
https://gizmodo.com/twitter-singapore-office-employees-escorted-out-1849978847
The official Twitter Developer's account tweets:
"Twitter is enforcing its long-standing API rules. That may result in some apps not working."
That's it. That's the tweet. No indication what rules are being enforced, despite the question being asked several times.
#Twitter #TwitterAPI #Tweetbot #Twiterrific #Echofon
https://twitter.com/twitterdev/status/1615405842735714304
Developer Agreement and Policy:
https://developer.twitter.com/en/developer-terms/agreement-and-policy
#Twitter changes developer agreement to ban third-party clients
A single line, changed days after a vague statement, ends a foundational era.
On Jan 19, 2023 Twitter's developer agreement effective date changed from October 10, 2022 to that day and added to the "Restrictions on Use of Licensed Materials" section:
"c) use or access the Licensed Materials to create or attempt to create a substitute or similar service or product to the Twitter Applications;"
#Twitter owes $13 billion, and it is expected to make its first payment against that debt this week, Bloomberg reports.
#ElonMusk's cost cutting measures include mass layoffs, skipping rent payments, and slashing employee benefits. But even those measures weren't enough to keep Musk from turning to penny-pinching.
Twitter held an auction last week that was essentially a #GarageSale, selling off equipment no longer needed by Twitter's drastically reduced staff.
Lawsuit: Twitter stopped paying rent at headquarters after Musk took over
The lawsuit, filed Friday by SRI Nine Market Square LLC, says Twitter leases 462,855 square feet on eight floors of the 1355 Market Street building but failed to pay $3.36 million in rent due in December 2022. Twitter also failed to pay rent of $3.43 million in January 2023, according to the complaint filed in California Superior Court in San Francisco County.
#Twitter #ElonMusk
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/01/twitters-landlord-sues-for-millions-in-unpaid-rent-at-firms-us-headquarters/
Musk blows off Dems in first Capitol tour as Twitter CEO
Elon Musk's whirlwind Washington trip left off Democrats from his calling card, but the minority party still wants to hear from him.
#ElonMusk #Twitter #Democrats
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/31/elon-musk-republicans-capitol-twitter-00080516
#ElonMusk locked his #Twitter account and went private for a bizarre test.
One of Elon Musk's favorite right wing Twitter users, Ian Miles Cheong, reported that he had experienced an engagement boost after locking his account.
The theory is that this changes how "the algorithm" behaves and increases impressions.
Musk: "Made my account private until tomorrow morning to test whether you see my private tweets more than my public ones"
https://mashable.com/article/twitter-locked-private-elon-musk-account
Nick Fuentes Twitter account suspended less than 24 hours after reinstatement
Twitter has suspended the account of white supremacist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes less than 24 hours after his reinstatement on the platform. Fuentes posted a picture of his suspended account on Telegram on Wednesday morning, with the caption “Well it was fun while it lasted.” The 24-year-old leader of the “America First” movement had…
House Speaker McCarthy spoke with #ElonMusk about making #Twitter 'fair on all sides'
Musk discussed how to make the social media site "fair on all sides" in a meeting with #KevinMcCarthy, the lawmaker told reporters, according to NBC News.
McCarthy also confirmed to reporters he had convened a meeting in his office that day with Musk and several top Republicans.
"He's really defending the First Amendment. And we had a really good discussion," McCarthy said of Musk.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/27/mccarthy-spoke-with-musk-about-making-twitter-fair-on-all-sides.html
Elon Musk says bots with 'good content' can use Twitter's API for free
#Twitter #TwitterAPI #GoodContent #ElonMusk
https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/5/23586577/elon-musk-bots-good-content-twitters-api-free
America’s top cybersecurity diplomat Nate Fick said his personal Twitter account was hacked, calling it part of the "perils of the job."
Fick tweeted the news from his personal account Saturday evening.
It was not clear who was responsible for the hack or if they had made any unauthorized posts on Fick’s account. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.
There did not appear to any broader fallout from the hack.
#CyberSecurity #Twitter #Diplomat
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/05/politics/nate-fick-twitter-hack-cybersecurity/index.html
Paying Twitter subscribers made up less than 0.2% of monthly users in the US 2 months after Elon Musk introduced Blue, report says
#Twitter #TwitterBlue #ElonMusk
https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-twitter-subscribers-less-users-pay-months-launch-blue-2023-2
Twitter is telling users that they've reached their daily limit for posts
Twitter was down for about 90 minutes Wednesday, telling users they’d hit their daily limit on posts
#Twitter #LimitedTweets #ElonMusk
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/08/twitter-daily-limit-error-prevents-users-from-posting.html
Twitter's official developer account tweets a 🧵:
We have been busy with some updates to the Twitter API so you can continue to build and innovate with us.
We're excited to announce an extension of the current free Twitter API access through February 13.
Here's what we’re shipping then:
Paid basic access that offers low level of API usage, and access to Ads API for a $100 monthly fee.
A new form of free access will be introduced as this is extremely important to our ecosystem – limited to Tweet creation of up to 1,500 Tweets per month for a single authenticated user token, including Login with Twitter.
Also on February 13, we will deprecate the Premium API. If you’re subscribed to Premium, you can apply for Enterprise to continue using these endpoints.
This is a new chapter for the Twitter API to increase quality, reduce spam, and enable a thriving ecosystem. We appreciate your patience as we implement these changes and we can’t wait to see what you build next!
Stay tuned for more information on continued Twitter API access.
“This is a new chapter for the Twitter API to increase quality, reduce spam, and enable a thriving ecosystem. We appreciate your patience as we implement these changes and we can’t wait to see what you build next! Stay tuned for more information on continued Twitter API access.”
Twitter suspended 400K for child abuse content but only reported 8K to police
Child safety advocates told The New York Times that after Elon Musk took over, Twitter started taking twice as long to remove CSAM flagged by various organizations.
#Twitter #CSAM #ElonMusk
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/02/twitter-only-reported-2-of-accounts-suspended-for-child-abuse-content-org-says/
Twitter's official developer account tweeted about the API changes that were planned to be active Valentine's day.
TLDR; The cutover to the updated API has been extended by "a few more days".
#Twitter #TwitterAPI
https://twitter.com/TwitterDev/status/1625234161010343941
“There has been an immense amount of enthusiasm for the upcoming changes with Twitter API. As part of our efforts to create an optimal experience for the developer community, we will be delaying the launch of our new API platform by a few more days. More information to follow…”
Twitter is just showing everyone all of Elon’s tweets now
For many of still using Twitter its "For You" section is full of tweets and replies to tweets from Elon Musk.
Not everyone is getting the Elon-first feed, but on Monday afternoon, more than a few people noticed something was different.
#Twitter #ElonMusk
https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/13/23598514/twitter-algorithm-elon-musk-tweets
Want to Delete Your Twitter DMs? Good Luck With That
People in Europe are making GDPR requests to have their private messages erased, but Elon’s team is ignoring them.
#GDPR #Twitter #ElonMusk #DirectMessages #Privacy
https://www.wired.com/story/delete-twitter-dms-gdpr/
#ElonMusk created a special system for showing you all his tweets first
After his #SuperBowl tweet performed statistically worse than President #Biden's, Musk ordered major changes to the #algorithm.
Biden's tweet, in which he said he would be supporting his wife in rooting for the #PhiladelphiaEagles, generated nearly 29 million impressions. Musk also tweeted support for the Eagles, generated around 9.1 million impressions before deleting the tweet in frustration.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/14/23600358/elon-musk-tweets-algorithm-changes-twitter
After his Super Bowl tweet did worse numbers than President Biden’s, Twitter’s CEO ordered major changes to the algorithm. Twitter engineers built a system designed to ensure that Musk benefits from previously unheard-of promotion of his tweets to the entire user base.
#Twitter announced that it would become the #weed-friendliest social platform & start allowing some previously restricted cannabis #ads to appear in the feeds of users in states that have legalized it.
Weed delivery services could be #advertising on Twitter feeds soon.
This new policy sets Twitter apart from other ad giants like #Meta, which bans both CBD and THC ads, #Google, which allows some CBD ads but bans #marijuana ads, including instructional content.
#Cannabis
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/02/twitter-allows-weed-ads-the-move-could-alienate-its-top-advertisers/
Elon Musk says Twitter will open source its algorithm next week after supporting the idea for months
https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-twitter-will-open-source-its-algorithm-next-week-2023-2
Some #Twitter employees stopped working after the company's #Slack went down, report says
Twitter's company Slack went down on Wednesday and Thursday, Platformer reported.
Employees were told that it was because of routine maintenance, per the publication.
A Slack employee told #Platformer, however, that there was no such thing as routine maintenance.
https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-employees-slack-elon-musk-went-down-work-2023-2
Elon Musk slams Dilbert backlash as 'racist' against whites
#ElonMusk #Dilbert #Racism
https://www.rawstory.com/elon-musk-dilbert-backlash-racism/
Twitter CEO Elon Musk is slamming the fallout over Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams' comments bashing Blacks as "racist" against whites.Newspapers across the nation have dropped the Dilbert comic strip since Adams unleashed a tirade Wednesday on his YouTube program saying that white people should "get...
#Twitter Payments chief is out as layoffs cut 10% of Twitter staff, report say
Twitter now has fewer than 2,000 employees, The New York Times reported.
Elon Musk says remaining Twitter employees will soon receive 'very significant' stock awards
In an internal memo, he calls the company's most recent round of layoffs 'a difficult organizational overhaul focused on improving future execution.'
#ElonMusk #Twitter #StockAwards
https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/27/23616933/elon-musk-twitter-employees-stock-awards-march-after-more-layoffs
Twitter Outage Prevents Users From Visiting Links, Seeing Images
The message 'Your current API plan does not include access to this endpoint' is popping up for users. Twitter now says it 'made an internal change that had some unintended consequences.'
The outage has since been resolved with #ElonMusk tweeting "The code stack is extremely brittle for no good reason. Will ultimately need a complete rewrite".
#Twitter #TwitterAPI
https://www.pcmag.com/news/twitter-outage-prevents-users-from-visiting-links-seeing-images
How a single engineer brought down Twitter on Monday
The high cost of cutting expenses
The change in question was part of a project to shut down free access to the Twitter API, Platformer can now confirm.
“This is what happens when you fire 90 percent of the company,” another current employee says.
https://www.platformer.news/p/how-a-single-engineer-brought-down
Twitter Revenue, Adjusted Earnings Drop Around 40% in December
The company is battling with a massively reduced pool of advertising revenue, and lower-than-expected subscribers to Twitter Blue.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/twitter-revenue-adjusted-earnings-drop-around-40-in-december
Thousands of pro-#Trump #bots are attacking #RonDeSantis, #NikkiHaley
Researchers have uncovered a network of tens of thousands of fake #Twitter accounts created to support former president #DonaldTrump and attack his critics and potential rivals
#Election2024
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/digital-foot-soldiers-pro-trump-bots-swarm-desantis-97652880
#ElonMusk has apologized after publicly scoffing at a #Twitter employee's uncertainty about whether he had been laid off in a recent round of cuts & speaking dismissively of the employee's disability in a series of tweets Monday night.
"I would like to apologize to Halli for my misunderstanding of his situation. It was based on things I was told that were untrue or, in some cases, true, but not meaningful," Musk tweeted Tuesday. "He is considering remaining at Twitter."
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/07/tech/elon-musk-twitter-employee-disability/index.html
#EuropeanUnion tells #ElonMusk to hire more staff to moderate #Twitter
Regulators are concerned that platform aims to use more volunteers and #AI for #moderation.
Twitter's $42,000-per-Month API Prices Out Nearly Everyone
Tiers will start at $500,000 a year for access to 0.3 percent of the company’s tweets.
Researchers say that’s too much for too little data.
#Twitter #TwitterAPI
https://www.wired.com/story/twitter-data-api-prices-out-nearly-everyone/
"There are no guidelines. There's no respect. There's absolutely zero transparency. It's awful," staff at Twitter told i as the dramatic instability at the social media company grows each day
Managers were recently told to provide a list of people who ought to be promoted, says one former staff member still in touch with some who remains working. Many of those managers were subsequently fired and replaced by those they'd recommended.
#ElonMusk #Twitter
https://inews.co.uk/news/pressure-cooker-elon-musk-twitter-2196309
How Elon Musk's tweets unleashed a wave of hate
Elon Musk did not formally respond to the BBC investigation, but did reply on Twitter
His tweets then unleashed a torrent of abuse against Marianna Spring, BBC Disinformation and social media correspondent, from other users.
Musk says Twitter value is down to $20 billion, calls firm an "inverse startup"
Musk email to staff: "I see a clear, but difficult path" to $250 billion value.
#Twitter recently obtained a subpoena compelling #GitHub to provide identifying information on a user who posted portions of the social network's source code, giving the company until April 3 to provide details on user "FreeSpeechEnthusiast".
#Privacy #Anonymity
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/03/twitter-obtains-subpoena-forcing-github-to-unmask-source-code-leaker/
Scoop: #WhiteHouse won't pay for #Twitter verification
Official White House staffers rely on their verified accounts to inform the public on behalf of the administration. Verification, combined with the designated Twitter profiles, helped to ensure the public could trust those messages.
#ElonMusk announced earlier in March that Twitter will begin removing legacy verified check marks on April 1
#AprilFoolsDay2023
https://www.axios.com/2023/03/31/twitter-verification-white-house-biden-check-mark
#Twitter posts the code it claims determines which tweets people see, and why
Posted algorithm code includes "is_democrat," "is_republican," and "is_elon."
#Twitter's blue ticks disappear as #ElonMusk attacks the #NewYorkTimes
The New York Times, along with several other organizations and celebrities, said they would not pay for the tick.
It prompted Elon Musk to launch a volley of insults at the newspaper.
#TwitterVerified
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-65156216
#NPR is leaving #Twitter to protest #ElonMusk's decision to label the radio network as government funded media. "We are not putting our journalism on platforms that have demonstrated an interest in undermining our credibility."
https://www.pcmag.com/news/npr-leaves-twitter-over-government-funded-media-labeling
Elon Musk reportedly purchases thousands of GPUs for generative AI project at Twitter
House Republican Jim Jordan tries to protect Musk and Twitter from FTC investigation
Elon Musk and Lauren Boebert call for 'defunding' NPR after it leaves Twitter
National Public Radio (NPR) announced Wednesday that it was leaving Twitter because the social media giant had labeled it "state-affiliated media" — a label it later changed to "government-funded media." NPR emphasized that the label was "inaccurate and misleading," as it is a "private nonprofit com...
#ElonMusk claims the #UnitedStates government had 'full access' to private Twitter DMs
#Twitter #TwitterDM #Privacy
https://thehill.com/homenews/3953995-elon-musk-claims-the-us-government-had-full-access-to-private-twitter-dms/
Twitter CEO Elon Musk claimed in an interview that the U.S. government has “full access” to users’ private direct messages, saying knowing that information blew his mind. In an excerpt of his Fox News interview with host Tucker Carlson, Musk told Carlson that he was shocked to find out about the government’s ability to read…
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