Main topic: Social media company X (formerly Twitter) now allows paid users to hide their verification checkmarks.
Key points:
1. Twitter introduced paid verification last year with the Twitter Blue relaunch.
2. The service was renamed to XBlue during the ongoing rebranding exercise.
3. The company has updated the help page for paid subscriptions, stating that even if the checkmark is hidden, it might still be visible in some places.
4. The option to hide the checkmark will be available in the "Profile customization" section of account settings.
5. This feature will allow users to benefit from subscription features without displaying that they are a verified account.
6. In March, Twitter was reported to be working on a feature to hide checkmarks with ID verification.
7. There was controversy surrounding paid verification, as it was difficult to differentiate between legacy verified accounts and those who paid for the checkmark.
8. Twitter initially removed legacy checkmarks but later reinstated them for top accounts, regardless of payment.
9. Since the relaunch, Twitter has introduced various features to incentivize users, such as a 10,000-character limit for posts, a 3-hour video upload limit, fewer ads on the timeline, and ad revenue sharing for subscribed users.
10. In May, the platform enabled encrypted DMs for verified users.
Main topic: X (formerly known as Twitter) throttling traffic to websites disliked by Elon Musk.
Key points:
1. X slowed down access to websites including The New York Times, Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, Reuters, and Substack.
2. These websites have been publicly attacked by Musk in the past.
3. The delays potentially affected the traffic and ad revenue of these companies.
Hint on Elon Musk: Musk has previously blocked links to competitors, called the New York Times "propaganda," and took away their verification check mark. He has also feuded with Mark Zuckerberg and threatened a cage fight.
Main topic: Elon Musk-owned social network X (formerly Twitter) has made TweetDeck a subscriber-only product.
Key points:
1. TweetDeck, previously a free tool, is now only accessible to subscribers of X Pro.
2. This move affects social media managers, journalists, and power users who relied on TweetDeck for tracking lists and trends on Twitter/X.
3. Under Musk's ownership, X has introduced various subscription offerings, including verification marks, longer text and video posts, fewer ads, encryption in DMs, and ad revenue sharing.
Hint on Elon Musk: Elon Musk is the owner of social network X (formerly Twitter) and has implemented changes such as making TweetDeck a subscriber-only product and introducing various subscription offerings.
Main topic: Elon Musk addressing the lack of transparency around "shadowbanning" on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Key points:
1. Musk apologizes for the delay in addressing the issue and explains the challenges faced by X in providing data to users.
2. Shadowbanning has been a concern on Twitter, with users unaware of being penalized for their tweets.
3. Musk insists that users should have the right to know if they've been shadowbanned and mentions a ground-up rewrite of X's codebase to simplify the process.
Hint on Elon Musk: Musk took over Twitter and attempted to prove the existence of shadowbanning by releasing information, but it only provided a behind-the-scenes look at social media moderation. He acknowledges the difficulties in tackling the problem and mentions ongoing efforts to simplify the codebase.
A recent study conducted by the Observatory on Social Media at Indiana University revealed that X (formerly known as Twitter) has a bot problem, with approximately 1,140 AI-powered accounts that generate fake content and steal selfies to create fake personas, promoting suspicious websites, spreading harmful content, and even attempting to steal from existing crypto wallets. These accounts interact with human-run accounts and distort online conversations, making it increasingly difficult to detect their activity and emphasizing the need for countermeasures and regulation.
Elon Musk's social network, formerly known as Twitter and now called X, is facing 2,200 arbitration cases filed by ex-employees after Musk took over the company, leading to potential filing fees of $3.5 million, as revealed in a recent court filing. The cases are part of a lawsuit in a Delaware district court brought by a former senior staff network engineer, Chris Woodfield, who alleges that X failed to pay his severance and delayed the dispute resolution process by not paying the necessary fees.
Elon Musk's Twitter, now rebranded as X, has obtained a currency transmitter license in Rhode Island, indicating a possible move towards crypto payments and turning the platform into an all-in-one app like China's WeChat.
Elon Musk's social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, is updating its privacy policy to collect users' biometric and personal data, raising concerns about privacy and the potential for misuse of information.
Twitter is plagued by scam bots that impersonate users and offer fraudulent support for cryptocurrency and NFT services, highlighting the platform's lack of effective moderation and the growing problem of crypto scams.
Elon Musk's Subscriptions feature on X (formerly Twitter) is not gaining significant traction, with Musk having only 40,000 subscribers out of his 155 million followers, suggesting that it is not a successful tool in the creator economy.
Elon Musk's leadership at X (formerly Twitter) is being questioned by the U.S. Department of Justice regarding the company's compliance with the Federal Trade Commission's consent order on data privacy and security, as investigations reveal a chaotic environment and potential violations.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, revealed plans for his social network, X (formerly Twitter), to introduce a monthly payment system to combat bots, but did not disclose the cost or additional features included, while also claiming to have 550 million monthly users generating millions of daily posts, without specifying the authenticity of these users. Musk's discussion with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also addressed concerns over hate speech and antisemitism on the platform, following Musk's previous amplification of such content. Musk's takeover of Twitter led to significant changes, including staff cuts, the restoration of previously suspended accounts, and the elimination of Twitter's verification system.
Elon Musk suggests that Twitter may no longer be free and is considering implementing a small monthly payment to combat bots on the platform.
Elon Musk announced during a livestream that X, formerly Twitter, may soon become a subscription-only service in order to combat the presence of bots on the platform.
Tech leaders, including Elon Musk, joined senators to discuss AI regulation, with Musk suggesting that Twitter users may have to pay a monthly fee to combat bots on the platform.
Elon Musk considers introducing a fee for X (formerly known as Twitter) users to address the increasing presence of bots on the platform, OpenAI launches DALL-E 3, Cisco acquires Splunk for $28 billion, and other major tech news happened this week.
Elon Musk's Twitter, now known as X Corp., is being sued by ad agency X Social Media for consumer confusion caused by its rebranding, while Musk himself is facing another lawsuit for libel after allegedly making false statements about a recent graduate on his site.
Elon Musk-owned social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, is facing financial challenges as advertising revenue decreases and its value is estimated to be worth less than its debt.
Elon Musk's tenure as head of Twitter (now X) has been characterized by numerous failures, including failed subscription fees, controversial policies, and a decline in user activity, leading to questions about the platform's future and financial viability.
Elon Musk's platform X, formerly known as Twitter, is now serving users clickbait advertisements that cannot be blocked, reported, or easily identified as ads.
X, formerly known as Twitter, has removed the ability for users to block and report certain advertisements, which has raised concerns about transparency and user control on the platform.
The European Union has warned Elon Musk that his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, is spreading illegal content and disinformation following the Hamas attacks on Israel, urging him to update content enforcement policies and remove violating content in a timely manner.
Twitter, now known as X, has been fined $386,000 by eSafety, the Australian regulator for online safety, for failing to provide satisfactory answers regarding their actions against child abuse content, posing reputation management challenges for the struggling platform.
X (formerly known as Twitter) has become the first platform fined under Australia's Online Safety Act after failing to respond to questions regarding how effectively the platform detects and mitigates child exploitation and grooming, with potential fines of up to $493,402 per day for non-compliance.
X, formerly known as Twitter, plans to charge new users $1 per year to access key features, including tweeting, replying, liking, and bookmarking, as owner Elon Musk aims to combat the proliferation of bots on the platform.
Social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, has started charging new users in the Philippines and New Zealand an annual fee to access basic features, with plans to expand this fee globally in the future.
Twitter, now known as X, will test a $1 annual subscription fee for new users in New Zealand and the Philippines as part of its efforts to combat spam and bot activity, with users who don't pay only able to view posts and follow accounts.
Elon Musk's social network X, formerly known as Twitter, is testing a $1 annual subscription for new users in New Zealand and the Philippines in an effort to reduce spam and bot activity on the platform.
Elon Musk's social network, formerly known as Twitter, is planning to charge users in the Philippines and New Zealand $1 to access main features such as posting and retweeting, in an effort to combat spam and bot activity.
