Politico reports: Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden said Elon Musk’s $44 billion purchase of Twitter needs a “careful review” by Congress, with a particular focus on the Saudi government’s large investment in the deal. “I’m on the Intelligence Committee. I’m chair of the Finance Committee. I’m not taking anything off the table right now,” Wyden (D-Ore.) said in an interview on …
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Facebook Tells Fact-Checkers Trump Will Be Off-Limits
CNN reports: Facebook’s fact-checkers will need to stop fact-checking former President Donald Trump if he announces that he is running for president, according to a company memo obtained by CNN. While Trump is currently banned from Facebook, the fact-check ban applies to anything Trump says and false statements made by Trump can be posted to the platform by others. Despite …
Read More »Musk’s SpaceX Makes Large Ad Buy On Musk’s Twitter
CNBC reports: Elon Musk’s aerospace business SpaceX has ordered one of the larger advertising packages available from Twitter, the social media business he just acquired in a $44 billion deal and where he is now serving as CEO. The campaign will promote the SpaceX-owned and -operated satellite internet service called Starlink on Twitter in Spain and Australia, according to internal …
Read More »Senator To Musk: Fix Your Company Or Congress Will
Axios reports: Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) on Sunday threatened Elon Musk to “fix” his companies “or Congress will,” hours after Musk mocked the senator for demanding answers about Twitter’s verification process. Driving the news: The exchange comes days after Markey tweeted to Musk, attaching a letter, demanding Twitter to explain how a Washington Post reporter was able to successfully set …
Read More »Twitter Appears To Suspend Sales Of $8 Blue Checks
The Guardian reports: Twitter’s relaunched premium service – which grants blue check verification labels to anyone willing to pay $8 a month – was unavailable on Friday after the social media platform was flooded by a wave of imposter accounts approved by Twitter. Before billionaire Elon Musk took control of the social media platform two weeks ago the blue check …
Read More »FTC Fires Warning Shot Over Chaos At Twitter HQ
CNBC reports: The Federal Trade Commission is closely watching Twitter’s moves under new owner Elon Musk, a spokesperson said in a statement Thursday. The agency struck a settlement with Twitter earlier, which granted it oversight of certain security and privacy practices at the company. “We are tracking recent developments at Twitter with deep concern,” an FTC spokesperson said in a …
Read More »Two More Top Twitter Executives Have Jumped Ship
The Verge reports: Two other top Twitter executives are leaving the company. Yoel Roth, Twitter’s head of trust and safety, and Robin Wheeler, the head of ad sales, are both out. First reported by Platformer’s Zoe Schiffer and Casey Newton, the news was confirmed to The Verge’s Alex Heath by two people familiar with the matter. The two executives resigned, …
Read More »Top Privacy And Security Execs Resign From Twitter
The Washington Post reports: Several top privacy and security executives resigned from Twitter on Thursday, citing fears over the risks from Elon Musk’s leadership, a stunning exodus that prompted federal regulators to warn they might step in. Chief Information Security Officer Lea Kissner tweeted Thursday morning that they had made the “hard decision” to resign, and the company’s chief privacy …
Read More »Elon Musk Pleads With Advertisers: “Give It A Minute”
Reuters reports: Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk told advertisers on Wednesday he aimed to turn the social media platform into a force for truth and stop fake accounts in an effort to assuage brands and advertising agencies that have increasingly been backing away. Days after Twitter rattled users and advertisers by cutting half its staff, over 100,000 listeners tuned in …
Read More »Twitter Already Sees Wave Of “Verified” Impersonators
CNN Business reports: Twitter appears to be battling a wave of celebrity and corporate impersonators on its platform who have quickly gamed the company’s new paid verification system, hours after its launch. The fake verified accounts had posed as former President Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Nintendo of America, the basketball player LeBron James, the software company Valve and others. The …
Read More »Facebook Parent Meta Slashes Workforce By 11,000
The Associated Press reports: Facebook parent Meta is laying off 11,000 people, about 13% of its workforce, as it contends with faltering revenue and broader tech industry woes, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a letter to employees Wednesday. The job cuts come just a week after widespread layoffs at Twitter under its new owner, billionaire Elon Musk. There have been …
Read More »Bloomberg: Musk’s Net Worth Has Dropped By Half
Bloomberg News reports: While Elon Musk tinkers with newly acquired Twitter, his net worth has dropped by almost half from last year’s peak. Shares of Tesla Inc., the electric car maker that comprises the bulk of his fortune, traded as low as $186.75 intraday Tuesday as investors question whether the billionaire is spreading himself too thin among his many high-profile …
Read More »Twitter To Advertisers: Growth Is At An All-Time High
The Verge reports: Twitter’s daily user growth hit “all-time highs” during the first full week of Elon Musk owning the platform, according to a company document obtained by The Verge. Since Musk’s dramatic takeover, Twitter’s monetizable daily user (mDAU) growth has accelerated to more than 20 percent, while “Twitter’s largest market, the US, is growing even more quickly,” according to …
Read More »REPORT: Musk May Put All Of Twitter Behind Paywall
Business Insider reports: Elon Musk could put Twitter behind a paywall and charge users a monthly fee to view tweets, according to a report from tech newsletter Platformer. A person familiar with the plans told Platformer that both Musk and one of his advisers, venture capitalist David Sacks, have discussed the idea in meetings in recent days. The potential change …
Read More »Twitter Removes Policy Section On Misinformation
The Hill reports: Twitter’s rules under new CEO Elon Musk published Monday do not include policies about misinformation. Musk said the rules will “evolve over time,” but as they stand Monday they appear to offer a more bare skeleton of safety policies than what existed before. The new rules do prohibit action such as the glorification of violence, promotion of …
Read More »Musk Calls On Americans To Vote Republican Tomorrow
Musk’s crusade to punish his critics continues: New Twitter boss Elon Musk has urged Americans to vote for Republican candidates in Tuesday’s midterm elections. It’s widely expected that the Republicans will seize control of the House of Representatives in tomorrow’s key ballot but the Senate, which has just 100 members, is thought to be on a knife-edge with several close …
Read More »Musk Threatens To Sue Groups That Call For Boycott
CNBC reports: While Elon Musk complains publicly about advertisers abandoning Twitter due to activist pressure, a coalition of civil rights groups is escalating a call for brands to halt spending on the platform in light of what they see as inflammatory rhetoric and problematic policy changes from the company’s new owner. The coalition, dubbed #StopToxicTwitter, consists of organizations including Media …
Read More »Twitter Bans Kathy Griffin For Impersonating Elon Musk
The Insider reports: Twitter suspended comedian Kathy Griffin’s account on Sunday evening after she jokingly pretended to be Elon Musk on the platform and mocked him in several tweets. Griffin now joins a range of several celebrities and figures who had their Twitter handles suspended for parodying Musk. A week earlier, the billionaire had declared that “comedy is now legal …
Read More »Twitter Asks Some Fired Employees To Come Back
Bloomberg News reports: Twitter Inc., after laying off roughly half the company on Friday following Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition, is now reaching out to dozens of employees who lost their jobs and asking them to return. Some of those who are being asked to return were laid off by mistake, according to two people familiar with the moves. Others …
Read More »Twitter Formally Rolls Out Sales Of $8 Check Marks
Bloomberg News reports: Twitter Inc. has started giving users who sign up for $8 a month a verified check mark, days after owner Elon Musk floated the idea of a new verification system. “Power to the people,” Twitter said in the version notes for its latest update that was released Saturday. “Your account will get a blue checkmark, just like …
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