Social Media

Axios reports: Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, plans to acquire Parler, a Twitter-like social media app that has become a haven for conservatives. In a statement, Ye said he’s buying the platform to ensure people with conservative opinions “have the right to freely express ourselves” online. Earlier this month, Ye’s Instagram and Twitter accounts were restricted in response to …

The Associated Press reports: Elon Musk has a penchant for the letter “X.” He calls his son with the singer Grimes, whose actual name is a collection of letters and symbols, “X.” He named the company he created to buy Twitter “X Holdings.” His rocket company is, naturally, SpaceX. Now he also apparently intends to morph Twitter into an “everything …

The Guardian reports: Elon Musk is under a federal investigation related to his $44bn takeover of Twitter, the social media company has said in a court filing made public on Thursday. While the filing said he was under investigation, it did not say what the focus was, or which federal authorities were investigating. Twitter, which sued Musk in July to …

Gizmodo reports: What kinds of promises does it take for Truth Social, a platform renowned for spreading misinformation and falsehoods by its most prolific and influential users, to get approved on Google Play Store? Apparently, all it takes is a vague promise to actually adhere to its existing terms of service. Late on Wednesday Trump Media & Technology Group, the …

Politico reports: A federal appellate court temporarily halted Texas’ social media law from going into effect Wednesday while tech trade groups seek review from the Supreme Court — the latest twist in months of legal maneuvers over a statute that could upend the online industry’s business models. Relief for tech: The ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals …

Ars Technica reports: Twitter is reviewing its controversial policies around permanently banning users, potentially bringing its content moderation more in line with Elon Musk’s vision for the social media platform regardless of whether the Tesla chief becomes its owner. But any change is unlikely to pave the way for a return to the platform for Donald Trump as removing bans …

Bloomberg News reports: Elon Musk, who is poised to buy Twitter Inc, says he has spoken to Kanye West to express his concerns about the musician’s recent tweet. Twitter removed a tweet from West last week about Jewish people, and had restricted the handle for violation of its policies. The account was locked just a day after he returned to …

Mediaite reports: Elon Musk is still in the process of purchasing Twitter, but he’s already lashing out at social media competitors, including Truth Social, the platform former President Donald Trump has found himself marooned on since Twitter and others banned him. In a Friday interview with the Financial Times, Musk discussed his Twitter buy and fit in a few digs …

Axios reports: Meta will notify at least 1 million Facebook users that their login information may have been stolen if they downloaded one of hundreds of malicious mobile apps. Meta’s security team published a report this morning detailing how more than 400 mobile apps posed as innocuous tools, such as photo editors, to get people to share their Facebook login …

The Associated Press reports: Elon Musk’s lawyers said Thursday that Twitter is refusing to accept the Tesla billionaire’s renewed $44 billion bid for the social media company. Musk made a renewed offer to take over to company earlier this week, hoping to end a protracted legal dispute that began when Musk tried to back out of the April deal and …

The Guardian reports: A Delaware judge has said the Twitter v Elon Musk trial is still going ahead later this month because neither side has asked to pause proceedings. Kathaleen McCormick, the judge on Delaware’s Court of Chancery, wrote that no one has applied for a “stay” in the action, despite Musk performing a U-turn on Monday on his decision …

Bloomberg News reports: Elon Musk is proposing to buy Twitter Inc. for the original offer price of $54.20 a share. Musk made the proposal in a letter to Twitter, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential information. Shares in Twitter climbed as much as 18% on the news, after trading was briefly …

Media Matters reports: In a new interview, Meta global affairs president Nick Clegg indicated that Facebook might end former President Donald Trump’s suspension in January without considering the accuracy of his content. Trump’s recent activity on Truth Social, along with his social media behavior before and since his suspension, shows that Trump would just use Facebook to push misinformation and …

The Guardian reports: Twitter will question Elon Musk under oath in Delaware next week as part of the litigation in the billionaire’s bid to walk away from his $44bn deal for the social media company. A Tuesday filing in Delaware’s court of chancery said Musk’s deposition is scheduled for 26-27 September and may stretch into 28 September if necessary. Each …

The Washington Post reports: Florida’s attorney general on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to decide whether states have the right to regulate how social media companies moderate content on their services, a move that sends one of the most controversial debates of the internet age to the country’s highest court. The petition is a response to a decision by the …

The Washington Post reports: Governments that say conservative voices are the ones most often eliminated by the decisions of tech companies scored a major victory Friday, when a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit upheld a Texas law barring companies from removing posts based political ideology. But a unanimous panel of the U.S. Court …

The Texas Tribune reports: A Texas law prohibiting large social media companies from banning users’ posts based on their political viewpoints will go into effect after a federal appeals court on Friday lifted a block placed on the statute. NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association sued Texas after the law, known as House Bill 20, was passed last …

The Hill reports: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has signed into law a social media transparency measure that he says protects residents from hate and disinformation posts spread through social media platforms. A.B. 587 will require social media companies to publicly post their policies regarding hate speech, disinformation, harassment and extremism on their platforms and report data on their enforcement …

Bloomberg News reports: To defend itself against the federal government, Meta Platforms Inc. says it needs its rivals to divulge some of their most closely held secrets. Facebook’s parent company has so far subpoenaed 132 companies for documents, including Snap Inc., ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok and the audio startup Clubhouse, and has warned that it may seek information from 100 more. …

CNBC reports: Twitter shareholders voted Tuesday to approve Elon Musk’s $44 billion bid to buy the company and take it private. The vote comes as Musk seeks to scrap the deal, casting doubt on Twitter’s self-reported percentage of fake accounts and alleging the company was not as forthcoming as it should have been with its explanation of the calculation. Twitter …