Trump administration bars former EU official and anti-disinformation and hate researchers from US
Trump administration bars former EU official and anti-disinformation and hate researchers from US Thierry Breton, former EU Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, speaks at the event “Economic Transformation, Net-Zero Valley and Digitalization” in May 2024. On Tuesday, the Trump Administration followed through on a threat of retaliation targeting foreigners who are involved in content […]
‘Twitter never left:’ X sues Operation Bluebird for trademark infringement
'Twitter never left:' X sues Operation Bluebird for trademark infringement X Corp. is suing Operation Bluebird, a recently-announced startup that aims to reclaim the Twitter brand for a new social network. In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, the Elon Musk-owned company alleges Operation Bluebird is “brazenly attempting to steal” Twitter’s trademarks, claiming “Twitter never left […]
Grok is spreading misinformation about the Bondi Beach shooting
Grok is spreading misinformation about the Bondi Beach shooting Grok’s track record is spotty at best. But even by the very low standards of xAI, its failure in the aftermath of the tragic mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Australia is shocking. The AI chatbot has repeatedly misidentified 43-year-old Ahmed al Ahmed, the man who […]
Operation Bluebird wants to reclaim Twitter’s ‘abandoned’ trademarks for a new social network
Operation Bluebird wants to reclaim Twitter's 'abandoned' trademarks for a new social network A startup called Operation Bluebird is trying to reclaim Twitter’s branding, as reported earlier by Ars Technica and Reuters. Last week, Operation Bluebird filed a petition that asks the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to cancel X Corp.’s ownership of the […]
X cuts off the European Commission’s ad account after being fined €120 million
X cuts off the European Commission's ad account after being fined €120 million Friday, the EU slapped X with a €120 million fine (about $140 million) for violating the Digital Services Act (DSA). It was the first time that a company had been hit with a penalty for running afoul of the law. Elon Musk […]
EU fines X $140 million over ‘deceptive’ blue checkmarks
EU fines X $140 million over 'deceptive' blue checkmarks The European Union has served Elon Musk’s X with a €120 million (about $140 million) penalty for violating the bloc’s digital service rulebook, in part for the “deceptive design” of its blue checkmark. Today’s announcement marks the first time that a company has been fined under […]
Elon Musk is on a racist posting spree again
Elon Musk is on a racist posting spree again Billionaire Elon Musk — who’s long used his X (formerly Twitter) platform to stoke anger at immigrants and support antisemitic conspiracy theories — has spent the past day spreading and praising claims that “White people are on the verge of extinction,” Somali immigrants have “no right to […]
About This Account reveals the scale of X’s foreign troll problem
About This Account reveals the scale of X's foreign troll problem It’s long been known that X (and Twitter before it) is a major venue for foreign influence campaigns to meddle in American politics. Much of the focus has been on Russian troll farms, which the US government has targeted on several occasions. But the […]
X’s messy About This Account rollout has caused utter chaos
X's messy About This Account rollout has caused utter chaos Yesterday X started rolling out a new About This Account feature, which included what country the account was created from and what country the account is “based” in (which is different from “connected via”). Head of product at X, Nikita Bier, was quick to say […]
Vine walked so TikTok could run
Vine walked so TikTok could run What are thooooose? Well, they’re my Vines, the six-second videos that helped mint a generation of famous comedians and also kicked off the era of endlessly looping vertical video that has consumed us all ever since. If you weren’t there at the time, most Vines might seem utterly nonsensical. […]