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☆ The Twitter account that tracks Elon Musk's private jet has been shadowbanned, its owner says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Twitter user that tracks Elon Musk's private jet says the account has been shadowbanned. Jack Sweeney, the person behind the jet tracking account, ElonJet, took to Twitter on Sunday to accuse the social media platform of suppressing the automated account. Some users had already claimed that they couldn't search or tag the jet tracking account through suggested usernames. Such accounts have become so much of a concern to LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault that he recently sold his private jet and moved to using rental planes to avoid tracking. Musk had previously said he wouldn't ban the Twitter account because of his free-speech commitments.

☆ Elon Musk smeared Twitter's former head of trust and safety by baselessly claiming he supports child sexualization
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk falsely claimed that Twitter's ex-safety head supports the sexualization of children. Musk posted an excerpt from Yoel Roth's PhD thesis about "Gay Data" and misconstrued it. In the excerpt Musk posted, Roth advocated for social platforms like Grindr to become safe spaces for queer youth under the age of 18. Roth was the most senior member of Twitter's trust and safety team after executive Vijaya Gadde was fired by Musk on his first day as CEO. Musk then insinuated that executives including Roth were making "controversial decisions," often "without getting Jack's [Dorsey] approval."

☆ Twitter hasn't decided if Ye's exile from the platform is permanent, new safety chief says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter's new safety chief told The Wall Street Journal that Ye's return to the platform is uncertain. Since Elon Musk's takeover, it's been unclear how content moderation decisions are made at Twitter. At the time, Musk said that he decided to kick Ye off the site and shared text messages in which he told Ye, "you have gone too far. The notion of policing speech on the platform has vexed Musk, who at one point indicated plans to enlist a "content moderation council" to advise on decisions. Despite that proclamation, Musk brought back former President Donald Trump onto the platform after conducting a Twitter poll, rather than consulting such a council.

☆ Elon Musk booed off stage at a Dave Chappelle show
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Elon Musk joined Dave Chappelle on stage Sunday in San Francisco, home of Twitter’s headquarters where the world’s richest person recently laid off ] many of its employees. The crowd at the Chase Center loudly booed Musk, who had spent much of the weekend wading into the culture wars, making transphobic statements and seemingly echoing QAnon tropes. Video of the incident at Sunday’s Chappelle show captured by people in attendance shows the controversial Twitter owner taking the stage and yelling Chappelle’s famous Rick James impression: “I’m rich, b***h.” Afterward, Musk got loudly booed for several minutes. That’s the sound of pending civil unrest.”After more jeers, Chappelle ended his show with a reprimand and a prayer. Musk continued his culture war campaign on Monday, once again warning about the thread of what he calls “the woke mind virus.”

☆ Elon Musk told ex-Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey 'almost no one was working on child safety' when he took over
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk tweeted it was a "crime" child safety wasn't prioritized at Twitter before he took over. Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey responded via Twitter that Musk's claim was "false". Musk doubled down and added it was his "top priority" with new trust and safety chief Ella Erwin. Dorsey responded that Musk's claim was "false." Musk contradicted Dorsey and said: "When Ella Irwin, who now runs Trust & Safety, joined Twitter earlier this year, almost no one was working on child safety."

☆ Exclusive: Twitter to introduce new controls for ad placements
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Sheila Dang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Musk recently attributed a "massive drop in revenue" to civil rights organizations that have pressured brands to pause their Twitter ads. The email to advertisers on Thursday, which was reviewed by Reuters, said a revamped version of Twitter's subscription service called Twitter Blue would begin rolling out on Friday. Elon Musk's Twitter profile is seen on a smartphone placed on printed Twitter logos in this picture illustration taken April 28, 2022. Twitter also told advertisers that it removed ads from profiles mentioned in a Washington Post article on Tuesday, which reported that ads had appeared on the Twitter accounts of white nationalists. Twitter, which has lost many members of its communications team, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ Elon Musk and Facebook's former chief security officer got into it on Twitter over the release of the 'Twitter Files Part 2'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk sparred on Twitter with Facebook's former security chief over "Twitter Files part two." Alex Stamos tweeted "Musk fired the lawyer" who would tell him what happens if non-employees have access to users' DMs. On Thursday, conservative columnist Bari Weiss tweeted the latest thread of "files," an installment about "Twitter's secret blacklists." Journalist Matt Taibbi tweeted the first part of the "Twitter Files" last week, which Musk described as internal communications that would reveal Twitter tried to censor free speech on the platform. Stamos tweeted that he was the target of "a wave of really poorly targeted racist and antisemitic slurs from" Musk's "posse," after Musk's reply.

☆ Elon Musk says 'controversial decisions' at Twitter were often made without Jack Dorsey's approval
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk said "controversial decisions" at Twitter were often made without Jack Dorsey's approval. While CEO of Twitter, Dorsey was "unaware of systemic bias" at the company, Musk said. Musk's comments came after part two of the so-called Twitter Files were published Thursday. Responding to Weiss' tweet, and appearing to back Dorsey, Musk said: "Controversial decisions were often made without getting Jack's approval and he was unaware of systemic bias. Dorsey hasn't responded to the Twitter Files' claims but he told Musk on Wednesday to "just release everything without a filter."

☆ Elon Musk said Twitter will start showing users how many people have seen their tweets, and got Jack Dorsey's approval
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk tweeted that Twitter will introduce a new feature showing "view count" on tweets, soon. Musk says he wants to improve transparency around so-called "shadow banning" on the site. Musk tweeted: "Tweets will show view count in a few weeks, just like videos do. Musk was responding to a thread discussing the issue of shadow banning on Twitter. Musk tweeted later that the group often made controversial decisions "without getting Jack's approval," who has "a pure heart imo."

☆ 3 members of Twitter's Trust and Safety Council quit: 'Red lines have been crossed'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Three members of Twitter's Trust and Safety Council resigned this week. Twitter's Trust and Safety Council, formed in 2016, consists of several dozen people and independent organizations that Twitter says help "advocate for safety and advise us as we develop our products, programs, and rules." Our answer is a categorical 'no,'" the departing council members' release continued. Council members have been "mystified by the lack of communication" since Musk took charge, according to Collier. I'm deeply saddened to see the rise in racist, violent and hate speech in recent months."

☆ Elton John quits Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Elton John performs "Bennie and the Jets" as he wraps up the U.S. leg of his 'Yellow Brick Road' tour at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, U.S. November 20, 2022. REUTERS/David SwansonDec 9 (Reuters) - British musician Elton John quit Twitter on Friday, the latest high-profile celebrity to leave the social media platform following its acquisition by billionaire Elon Musk. John, who is currently on his last-ever global tour, blamed Twitter's recent policy change as a reason for quitting. Yet it saddens me to see how misinformation is now being used to divide our world," John tweeted to his 1.1 million followers. loading"I've decided to no longer use Twitter, given their recent change in policy which will allow misinformation to flourish unchecked."

☆ Salesforce has a succession crisis. Cofounder Marc Benioff is taking increasing control over the company — alienating his top lieutenants and dialing up pressure on employees.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Salesforce insiders attribute these departures to Marc Benioff's response to recent economic headwinds. Last week, Salesforce revealed heir apparent Bret Taylor's plans to leave the company — exactly one year after taking over as co-CEO alongside Benioff. Lately, employees said, Benioff has turned those meetings into a tribunal for his sales executives. While the pandemic was a boon for the company, Salesforce has since trimmed its annual revenue projections to roughly $30 billion down from the roughly $31 billion in May. Salesforce's co-CEO model has failedAs Benioff puts pressure on sales executives, people close to him said he's exerting increasing control over C-Suite executives.

Google recently conducted an experiment in Europe where it sought to counter anti-refugee narratives online in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Like other countries, misinformation spreads rapidly across India, mostly through social media, creating political and religious tensions. Indian government officials have called on tech companies such as Google, Meta, and Twitter to take stronger action against the spread of fake news. Inflammatory messages have also spread via Meta's messaging service Whatsapp, which has more than 200 million users in India. The company's recent research on the subject suggested viewers were 5% more likely to identify misinformation after watching such videos.

☆ Big Tech CEOs are asking employees to step up — or step aside
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Across the industry, tech CEOs are asking their employees to step up — or step aside. It's not just Elon Musk: Major tech CEOs are asking employees to step up or risk getting fired. After taking over at Twitter, Musk notoriously asked staffers to work "long hours at high intensity" or quit. But other tech CEOs from firms like Meta and Amazon have also been turning up the heat on employees. Here's what more tech CEOs are expecting.

☆ Elon Musk says Twitter's team was 'too intense' with suspending false accounts and is 'moving to chill mode'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Musk said Twitter's team had been "too intense" with suspending fake accounts. Musk said the team in charge of suspensions was "moving to chill mode." After one Twitter user complained about Twitter suspending a number of genuine accounts that posted "memes and positivity," Musk responded: "Team was a bit too intense with spam/bot suspensions. Twitter's new trust and safety head Ella Irwin said that Musk's top priority was platform safety in an interview with Reuters. Several left-wing activists had their accounts suspended unfairly over the past few weeks because Twitter's trust and safety team has been "decimated," one activist impacted told Insider.

☆ Elon Musk says he 'personally wanted to punch Kanye' West after the rapper posted a swastika on Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk said he "personally wanted to punch" Kanye West after he posted a swastika on Twitter. Musk suspended the rapper's account on Friday just two weeks after he was allowed back on Twitter. Musk made the comments during a live Q&A on Twitter Spaces about the "Twitter files" related to the way Twitter handled content on Hunter Biden. He responded: "I personally wanted to punch Kanye, so that was definitely inciting me to violence. West's Twitter account was suspended on Friday after he tweeted an image of a swastika inside a Star of David.

☆ Skyrocketing slurs, racism, and antisemitic content on Twitter may encourage domestic terrorists, report warns: 'Violence is inevitable'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Tweets with slurs, antisemitic, and racist content have skyrocketed since Elon Musk's takeover. Federal officials have warned that Twitter posts will translate to real-world acts of violence. Musk claims the total number of impressions on tweets containing hate speech are down. The New York Times reported antisemitic posts referring to Jews or Judaism soared more than 61 percent in the first two weeks while accounts supporting ISIS came roaring back. Researchers have consistently found that online rhetoric feeds real-world behavior, with hate speech online being linked to increases in violence toward minorities, "including mass shootings, lynchings, and ethnic cleansing," according to the nonpartisan think tank Council for Foreign Relations.

On Friday, Musk vowed "significant reinforcement of content moderation and protection of freedom of speech" in a meeting with France President Emmanuel Macron. She said layoffs did not significantly impact full-time employees or contractors working on what the company referred to as its "Health" divisions, including in "critical areas" like child safety and content moderation. She added that the number of people working on child safety had not changed since the acquisition, and that the product manager for the team was still there. On child safety, for instance, Irwin said Twitter had shifted toward automatically taking down tweets reported by trusted figures with a track record of accurately flagging harmful posts. In the interview on Thursday, Irwin said Twitter took down about 44,000 accounts involved in child safety violations, in collaboration with cybersecurity group Ghost Data.

☆ Twitter's clumsy handling of the Hunter Biden laptop story spurred enough bipartisan criticism to risk the existence of the internet as we know it
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Twitter's decision to throttle stories about Hunter Biden's laptop prompted bipartisan criticism. Some lawmakers have since called to repeal Section 230, a law "that created the internet." The criticism has since intensified a movement to repeal Section 230, which could change the Internet forever. Much of Taibbi's thread focused on Twitter's handling of the New York Post's October 2020 story about Hunter Biden's laptop, which the Post reported was left in a Delaware repair shop. Representatives for Khanna did not answer questions about the congressman's current position on whether or not to repeal Section 230.

☆ Twitter is now relying more on AI to identify harmful content, says its new trust and safety chief
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter's new trust and safety chief said it was relying more on AI to identify harmful content. Ella Irwin told Reuters Twitter favors restricting distribution rather than deleting certain content. Ella Irwin, the new head of trust and safety, is the first Twitter executive to give an interview since Elon Musk took over the company on October 27. "The biggest thing that's changed is the team is fully empowered to move fast and be as aggressive as possible," Irwin told the news agency. Irwin said that Twitter, in collaboration with cybersecurity group Ghost Data, took down about 44,000 accounts involved in child safety violations.

☆ Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna reached out to Twitter as it suppressed the Hunter Biden laptop story to voice concerns about violating free speech and press freedom principles
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In October 2020, Twitter initially blocked users from sharing a New York Post story about Hunter Biden's laptop. Rep. Ro Khanna sent Twitter concerns about the decision, according to materials published Friday. Less than a month before the 2020 election, the Post published a story that claimed to contain emails retrieved from a laptop that belonged to President Joe Biden's son Hunter. Giving an example, Khanna said if materials uncovering a war crime were hacked and obtained by The New York Times, the Times should be able to publish them. New York Times Co. v. Sullivan established that public figures suing for defamation must establish "actual malice."

☆ Elon Musk's 'amnesty' pledge brings back QAnon, far-right Twitter accounts
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Brandy-Zadrozny-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Brandy Zadrozny | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

A “general amnesty” has restored hundreds of accounts of right-wing activists and QAnon adherents, according to data reviewed by NBC News. The reinstatement of far-right accounts has coincided with a series of bans of left-wing accounts, leaving users unsure of how the company is now applying its rules. It’s a dangerous combination.”The reinstatements and bans come as researchers continue to monitor an uptick in hate speech, and high-profile users leave the platform. Among the spammers, copyright rule-breakers, adult-content creators and high-profile accounts, Twitter has reopened the door to a growing and emboldened community of trolls, white nationalists, conspiracy theorists and extreme right-wing activists. Those reinstatements also come after Twitter dramatically reduced its staff, including those dedicated to dealing with abuse and hate speech.

☆ E.U. warns Musk to beef up Twitter controls ahead of new rules
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Musk has signaled an interest in rolling back many of Twitter’s previous rules meant to combat misinformation, most recently by abandoning enforcement of its COVID-19 misinformation policy. He already reinstated some high-profile accounts that had violated Twitter’s content rules and had promised a “general amnesty” restoring most suspended accounts starting this week. Along with European regulators, Musk risks running afoul of Apple and Google, which power most of the world’s smartphones. Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen walked back her statements about whether Musk’s purchase of Twitter warrants government review. She declined to confirm whether CFIUS is currently investigating Musk’s Twitter purchase.

☆ The EU warns Elon Musk that Twitter could be banned if it doesn't comply with content moderation laws: FT
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Musk told Breton repeatedly that he thought the EU's Digital Services Act was "very sensible." Breton told Musk Twitter must comply with a list of rules, including doing away with an "arbitrary" approach to reinstating banned accounts, the FT reported. The regulations refer to the EU Digital Services Act which came into force on November 16. Breton told Musk Twitter faces an EU-wide ban if it doesn't comply with the law, the FT reported. Per the law, Twitter could also be fined up to 6% of its global turnover for any breaches.

☆ Twitter's former trust and safety chief said it was a mistake to censor the Hunter Biden laptop story: 'We didn't know what to believe'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The former head of trust and safety at Twitter said Twitter mishandled the Hunter Biden laptop story. Some came to blame Roth specifically for censoring the story, a charge he denied in the interview with Swisher. "Ultimately for me, it didn't reach a place where I was comfortable removing this content from Twitter." Musk, who took ownership of Twitter in a $44-billion deal last month, has suggested he will release details about Twitter's decision-making regarding the laptop. In response to a tweet requesting Musk "make public all internal decisions" about censoring the laptop story, Musk replied on November 23: "This is necessary to restore public trust."

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