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Hacking and repressionAfter Nika went missing, her aunt and other protesters told CNN that her popular Instagram and Telegram accounts had been disabled. On October 12, two of Nika’s friends noticed her Telegram account briefly back online, they told CNN. As with Negin’s case, the reactivation of Nika’s accounts raises questions about whether Iranian authorities were responsible for accessing her social media profiles, allegedly to phish other protesters or compromise her after her death. “Usually what happens is, they do the target phone number, then they send a login request to Telegram,” Rashidi told CNN. However, references in Iranian state media indicate authorities did access Nika’s Instagram account and direct messages, stating they had permission from the judiciary to access them.

☆ It's just the beginning of M&A in the creator economy. Industry experts predict 2023's top trends, and the buyers and sellers to watch.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Marta Biino | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

"As a result, institutional acquirers, like PE firms who still have dry powder to spend, will start snatching up mid-to-large sized creator startups at much more advantageous prices." "They're going to see that the creator economy exists as a direct failure of them to support creators," Gestetner said. "But if an opportunity arises for us to significantly enhance our capabilities to make us a better business powering the creator economy, we'll consider it." Startups can expect consolidation in saturated marketsThe crowded niches within the creator economy startup sphere could also face a wave of consolidation. In the creator economy, companies bet on the fact that YouTube advertising revenue on the videos will increase as the audiences of creators grow and they gain more views.

☆ Hawaii's Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano, erupted and turned the skies red
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Jake Epstein | Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Hawaii's Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano, erupted late Sunday night local time. "If the eruption remains in Moku'āweoweo [the summit caldera], lava flows will most likely be confined within the caldera walls. A thermal camera on the north rim of Hawaii's Mauna Loa's summit caldera on November 28, 2022. Mauna Loa is located on Hawaii's southernmost island — Hawaii — and has an elevation of more than 13,600 feet. It's the world's largest active volcano, and most recently erupted in 1984.

☆ Twitter's new paid-for checkmark system has created a Wild West of scamming and parody
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Twitter's new paid-for checkmark system has created a Wild West of scamming and parody. Billionaire Mark Cuban also told Musk he spent "too much time" muting newly verified accounts. The new system has also created a Wild West of scamming and parody, with users impersonating public figures from George W. Bush to OJ Simpson, as well as LeBron James and Donald Trump's former lawyer Rudy Giuliani. A Wild West TwitterA screengrab of a verified Twitter page impersonating the social media platform's account. TwitterMore "verified" accounts impersonating high-profile individuals continue to emerge.

☆ Meta will begin laying off employees on Wednesday morning - WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee via REUTERS//File PhotoNov 8 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) will begin laying off employees on Wednesday morning, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg told hundreds of executives on Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported. The specific employees losing their jobs will be informed over the course of the morning, the report said. Meta reported more than 87,000 employees at the end of September. However, Bloomberg on Sunday reported Twitter was reaching out to dozens of employees who lost their jobs, asking them to return. Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) also laid off around 1,000 employees across several divisions in October, according to an Axios report.

☆ Fact Check-Twitter’s Birdwatch program was not implemented by Elon Musk upon finalizing Twitter acquisition
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Birdwatch program, however, was implemented in January 2021 and expanded to more users in early October 2022. Birdwatch is a community-based Twitter program that allows users to add notes on tweets they find misleading. Elon Musk completed the $44 billion acquisition of Twitter on Oct. 28, 2022 (here), a few weeks after the Birdwatch program was expanded and 21 months after it began. Birdwatch notes could be added to tweets, such as those from Biden and the White House, prior to Musk’s acquisition. Elon Musk did not implement the Birdwatch program, which has placed notes adding additional context on U.S. President Joe Biden’s tweets.

☆ A Fox affiliate in Phoenix accidentally shared test election results during a live broadcast, sparking conspiracy theories about rigged elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Fox affiliate station in Phoenix mistakenly shared test election results during a live newscast. "This graphic was never meant to go on air — the numbers were only part of a test," Fox 10 said. It said the results were generated and distributed by the Associated Press, which has historically provided election results to clients. In defense of Fox 10's mistake, Tennessee's WTVC NewsChannel 9 said the test election results are "not some nefarious, election-rigging plot. "Making you aware that before every election night, the @AP tests its election results system — which we use — to make sure it's running properly.

☆ Iran protests flare again as U.N. voices concern at detainees' treatment
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Iran has been gripped by protests since the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in morality police custody last month. Amnesty International has said security forces killed at least 66 people in the violent crackdown on Sept. 30. The provincial security council has said armed dissidents had provoked the clashes, leading to innocent people's deaths, but admitted "shortcomings" by police. The U.N. human rights office on Friday voiced concern at Iran's treatment of detained protesters and said authorities refused to release some of the bodies of those killed. Rights groups have said at least 250 protesters have been killed and thousands arrested across Iran.

☆ I quit my full-time tech job at Instagram to become a creator and voice actor. Here's what I've learned.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Earlier this month, she quit her job to pursue a full-time career as a creator and voice actor. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Joy Ofodu, a comedic content creator and voice actor with 113,000 Instagram followers and 103,000 TikTok followers. I used hashtags and trending music, some of those in-house "best practices," but nothing that wasn't available on the @Creators Instagram page. But I could not, for example, take part in a paid Instagram creator program, or a paid TikTok, YouTube, or Snapchat program. A post shared by Joy Ofodu (@joyofodu)At the time of quitting, I had active partnerships, a primary focus, and voiceover gigs.

☆ A 1990s relic, floppy disks get second life at California warehouse
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Phil Lavelle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Who buys floppy disks in an age when more sophisticated storage devices like CD-ROMS, DVDs and USB flash drives have been made increasingly obsolete by internet and cloud storage? Despite being a relic in the modern world, Persky says floppy disks have several redeeming qualities. "Floppy disks are very reliable, very stable, a very well understood way to get information in and out of a machine," he says. Persky ended up in the floppy disk business after working in software development for a tax company in the 1990s that duplicated its software onto floppy disks. "When I see the 'save' icon, I see a floppy disk.

☆ Fact Check-A clip shows footage from Arma 3 video game, not authentic footage of a Ukrainian strike on Russian tanks
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A clip circulating online purporting to show Ukrainian military striking Russian Army tanks is not legitimate footage from the war but a part of a video game Arma 3. Other examples of the footage shared online can be found (here), (here). A search through Arma 3 gameplays uploaded to YouTube reveals a clip uploaded in July 2022 by the account MILMAN (bit.ly/3eG8MU8). Reuters has previously addressed video game footage shared erroneously by users online as showing authentic footage from the war in Ukraine (here), (here). The clip shows footage taken from the videogame Arma 3, not authentic footage from the war in Ukraine.

☆ Videos capture a Russian strike fighter on fire moments before it crashed into an apartment building
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian Su-34 warplane crashed into an apartment building in western Russia on Monday. One of the fighter-bomber's engines caught fire, and the two pilots ejected, according to reports. Yeysk is located along the Sea of Azov, a short distance across the water from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian port city Mariupol. Screengrab/Google MapsAccording to an open-source intelligence analysis by Oryx, Russian forces have lost at least 16 Su-34 fighter-bombers throughout the nearly 8-month invasion of Ukraine. Monday's accident marks the 10th non-combat crash of a Russian warplane, CBS News reported.

☆ When Chinese protesters came up against Xi's security machine
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Martin Quin Pollard | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

Handout via REUTERSBEIJING, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Jack Yao, a Chinese Communist Party member, never wanted to be an activist. It offers a glimpse of the lengths some frustrated citizens will go to in taking on the world's most powerful security state. China's Ministry of Public Security, the Henan and Anhui local governments, and police departments in those provinces and Beijing didn't respond to requests for comment for this article. Chinese authorities say social stability is the foundation for a prosperous future and dismiss human rights complaints as Western propaganda and interference in internal affairs. Protesters chanted: "Henan banks, give us back our deposits."

☆ Fact Check-Image purporting to show Cheney tweet on Trump was created by satirical account
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The faked screenshot was created by a satirical Twitter account. The supposed tweet purportedly sent on Sept. 25, 2022, via Cheney’s official Twitter account (@RepLizCheney) reads: “Trump says Russia could defeat the United States. Another said: “Not a fan of Liz Cheney’s policies, but this is what Democrats should be doing!” (here). Other examples of the image shared online can be found (here), (here), (here 0=AZW0jM-JRPJn31Sx_y3h6FVhD4Z5ttkzhzMwdf1K6e62vC86uOXjf1iVvktWoGo7PYcv88hffSOzlgPtzKYOQv0aXmSMbLAXgZKzmuPoVujR6g&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R) and (here). The screengrab was created by a satirical Twitter account that regularly posts fabricated tweets.

☆ 'We are not afraid': Russians flee to Mongolia to evade Ukraine mobilisation
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Michael Kohn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"My country has started partial mobilisation and I think it is negatively affecting society," said one. The guesthouse has filled up with Russians since Putin's mobilisation order, and Bat-Tur said he has already turned away dozens of requests for beds. One newly-arrived guest, who identified himself as Aleksey, said he crossed into Mongolia last weekend, leaving behind his wife and three children. "We are not afraid, but why do we have to fight in Ukraine, why?” he asked. Almost entirely dependent on Russian oil and gas, landlocked Mongolia also stands to gain from a gas pipeline that Russia plans to build across its territory to supply China.

☆ Influencers who are testing Instagram's Creator Marketplace say it's nearly impossible to get brand deals: 'It's crickets'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Instagram's Creator Marketplace is currently invite only. How Instagram's Creator Marketplace worksInstagram's Creator Marketplace isn't exactly a no man's land: There are more than 100 brands listed in the app's marketplace, Mello said. What influencers want to see from Instagram's marketplaceIn the end, Instagram's Creator Marketplace is still a limited test, and ups and downs are to be expected. Otherwise, the marketplace could alienate smaller creators, Bright said — and Instagram has reiterated that smaller and emerging creators are a core focus. Otherwise, the marketplace could alienate smaller creators, Bright said — and Instagram has reiterated that smaller and emerging creators are a core focus.

☆ Italian fruit farmers use hill caves to help cut energy bills
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Matteo Berlenga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Inside the refrigerated areas of the caves, the apples are stored in stacked up plastic boxes and moved around by workers in safety helmets operating fork-lift trucks. "One of them is definitely in terms of energy levels, because from a test done last year...we measured a 32% saving of electricity in the cave." The caves currently store around 30,000 tonnes of apples, a figure expected to increase to 40,000 tonnes in the near future. As summer comes to an end above ground, the harvest has begun and farmers are at work picking apples from orchards, which will continue for 30-40 days. "We were hesitant at first, then we realised that it works, because there is a good saving of energy, and it is very sustainable.

☆ Migrants shipped to Martha's Vineyard are staying in sparse dorms and eating at cafeteria tables at a Massachusetts military base
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Massachusetts said Joint Base Cape Cod will provide food, drinks, clothes, and other services. A cafeteria at Joint Base Cape Cod. Screengrab via Massachusetts National GuardInsider requested but was denied access to Joint Base Cape Cod on Monday. Charlie Baker announced on Friday that Joint Base Cape Cod would start providing shelter and support for the group. The military base is located inland on Massachusetts' Cape Cod peninsula and is, according to Boston.com, already a MEMA-designated emergency shelter.

☆ Fact Check-Screenshot of UK government proposal to ban trade unions is a fake
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Social media users have been sharing a fake screenshot of a GOV.UK webpage, which falsely states that the Cabinet Office is proposing a ban on trade unions, as well as considering the introduction of “a 996 working hour system”. The Act (here), also known as TULCRA, defines and governs the roles of trade unions, including in relation to collective bargaining and industrial action (tmsnrt.rs/3RNWUOa). The 996 working hour system refers to the idea of working between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., six days a week. A government-led proposal to ban trade unions would likely generate widespread news reports; however, Reuters found no sign of any such articles (bit.ly/3UaVG1g). The screenshot has been digitally altered and there are currently no UK Government proposals to ban trade unions or introduce a 996 working hour system.

☆ Salman Rushdie off ventilator and 'road to recovery has begun,' agent says
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-15 | by ( Nathan Layne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"He's off the ventilator, so the road to recovery has begun," his agent, Andrew Wylie, wrote in an email to Reuters. Rushdie was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania, for treatment after the attack. Authorities in Iran have made no public comment about the attack, although hardline state media outlets have celebrated it with headlines including "Satan has been blinded" and some Iranians voiced support online for the stabbing. Rushdie was stabbed 10 times, prosecutors said during Matar's arraignment, according to the New York Times. A Hezbollah official told Reuters on Saturday that the group had no additional information on the attack on Rushdie.

Wylie did not respond to messages requesting updates on Rushdie's condition on Saturday, though the New York Times reported that Rushdie had started to talk, citing Wylie. In a statement on Saturday, President Joe Biden commended the "universal ideals" that Rushdie and his work embody. Rushdie was stabbed 10 times, prosecutors said during Matar's arraignment, according to the Times. There has been no official government reaction in Iran to the attack on Rushdie, but several hardline Iranian newspapers praised his assailant. A Hezbollah official told Reuters on Saturday that the group had no additional information on the attack on Rushdie.

Police said there was no immediate indication of a motive for the attack that left Rushdie severely injured and on a ventilator after surgery. "I'm not aware that he's ever asked us to provide additional security, and I'm also not aware that he ever brought a security detail with him," she said. Pilar Pintagro/via REUTERSFor Rushdie's event, Chautauqua had requested and received security assistance from the New York State Police and the Chautauqua County sheriff's department, Hill said. Fisher said safety, diversity and differences of opinion had long been part of the fabric of the Chautauqua community. "Not only was he (Rushdie) a victim, but I think that open community is going to be a victim as well," Fisher said.

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