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Twitter is a social networking site that was created in 2006. Users send "tweets" to let people know what they are doing. It was created by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams.

Twitter accused of hypocrisy over Trump tweets

Twitter is a social networking site that was created in 2006. Users send “tweets” to let people know what they are doing. It was created by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams. Prior to building the service, they were working on a podcast directory called Odeo.

Odeo was a directory and search destination website for RSS-syndicated audio and video. It employed tools that enabled users to create, record, and share podcasts with a simple Adobe Flash-based interface.

When iTunes 4.9 was released, it ultimately made Odeo irrelevant. The people behind the company went on to create a service called Twttr. Twttr would eventually be called Twitter. iTunes 4.9, believe it or not, ultimately led to the creation of one of the most popular social networks in the world.

The major turning point for service’s popularity was the 2007 South by Southwest Interactive conference. Over the next few years, Twitter began to see rapid growth. For mobile devices, it originally relied upon third-party apps. In 2010, Twitter acquired application developer Atebits. Atebits had built the Twitter app known as Tweetie for the Mac and iPhone. It was renamed as Twitter and released for free.

Over the years, the apps have seen various revisions. There are currently versions available for iOS while desktop users must either use the web interface or a third party app like Tweetbot or Twitterrific.

Senate hearing on social media: Zuckerberg apologises to families; bizarre racism

Senate hearing on social media

The Senate hearing on social media saw Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologise to families who hold social media responsible for children who harmed themselves, including some who took their own lives.

It also saw some bizarre racism by one senator who apparently can’t tell the difference between Singapore and China …

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Social media CEOs testifying to congress on teen safety

Social media CEOs quizzed | Apps shown on iPhone

The timing of Meta’s announcement of new teen safety measures earlier this week likely wasn’t coincidental: Mark Zuckerberg and other social media CEOs are set to testify to Congress on the topic.

Facebook’s founder will be joined by the chief execs of TikTok, Snap, Discord and X as Congress seeks to determine whether the companies are doing enough to protect teens from harm …

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Apple hates free speech, Disney CEO should be fired | Mickey Mouse at Disneyland

A year after saying Apple hates free speech, Musk calls for Disney CEO to be fired

X owner Elon Musk has continued his tirade against major corporations who’ve suspended advertising on his social network, after growing concerns about hate speech on the platform.

Musk last year asked whether Apple “hate[s] free speech in America” when the company paused advertising over previous concerns about the social network, and is now calling for Disney CEO Bob Iger to be fired …

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More than 100 brands have followed Apple’s example in ceasing ads on X

Brands ceasing ads on X | Disused runway marked by X warning symbol

More than 100 brands have now ceased ads on X over antisemitic content allowed to propagate on the social network. They are following the example of companies like Apple and Disney, which made the decision early last week.

X itself had estimated that the financial hit could be around $11M, but the company’s own internal documents reveal that the total loss could be as high as $75M …

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X lawsuit in response to Apple suspending ads unlikely to succeed – TechCrunch

X lawsuit | Virtual gavel image

Apple was one of a number of major companies to suspend advertising on X, following a report showing that their ads appeared next to hate speech on the platform. That led to an X lawsuit against Media Matters, which first reported the problem.

A new report suggests that the lawsuit is unlikely to succeed, and in fact contains within it an admission by X that what Media Matters said was happening was indeed happening …

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X launches new $3/mo Basic and $16/mo Premium+ subscription tiers

X (Twitter) has just launched its new lineup of subscription tiers. The $8 per month ‘Premium’ verified tier remains the default standard, but the new Basic tier comes in at $3 per month as a cheaper option.

Basic does not include a verification checkmark, but you get features like longer posts, edit button, themes and custom app icons. Premium+ is the new high-end option coming in at $16 per month, most notably offering ad-free experience in the For You and Following tabs.

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X is now rolling out audio and video calls – and here’s how to turn them off

X roundup | Company logo on grunge background

X (formerly known as Twitter) announced earlier this year its plans to introduce audio and video calls to its users in an ambitious plan to turn the platform into a “super app.” With the latest update to the X app, which is now available on the App Store, the social network is rolling out audio and video calls. And if you don’t want to use this feature, we’ll show you how to turn it off.

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Zuckerberg: Threads on track to be a billion-person app that’s ‘more positive’ than its competitor

Threads logo on colorful background

While people on Twitter (currently known as X) are quick to downplay the popularity of Threads, all indications are that the platform is thriving. During Meta’s quarterly earnings call today, CEO Mark Zuckerberg offered an update on the Threads, saying that the service has “just under” 100 million monthly active users.

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Apple promoting its upcoming ‘Scary fast’ event on X with #AppleEvent hashmoji

Apple promoting its upcoming 'Scary fast' event on X with #AppleEvent hashmoji

After much speculation about a potential Apple announcement in the coming days, the company today confirmed that it will hold a special event on October 30 to unveil new Macs. Titled “Scary fast,” the event will be broadcast online on Monday – and Apple is already promoting it on X (formerly Twitter) with a special #AppleEvent hashmoji.

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Musk may block X in Europe, to avoid having to fix disinformation problem

Must may block X in Europe | Musk with X logo

Elon Musk reportedly thinks it may be simpler to block X in Europe, rather than fix the massive problem with disinformation on the platform.

The issue is now so bad that video game footage has been passed off as news coverage of the terrorist attack in Israel, and Musk himself has been promoting accounts known for racist content and conspiracy theories …

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X (Twitter) to begin charging new users for basic features

Elon Musk Twitter X

It’s been a while since X (formerly Twitter) introduced X Premium (formerly known as Twitter Blue) to let users unlock extra features through a paid subscription. However, it seems that Elon Musk wants to see how much users are willing to pay for X, as the platform will start charging users an annual subscription to let them access basic features such as creating new posts.

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X working on new Premium subscription tiers to let users remove ads

Twitter X logo

Elon Musk’s X platform (formerly Twitter) has been undergoing a lot of profound changes since it was acquired by the billionaire last year, as he wants to turn the social network into a mega app for calls and even payments. In the meantime, it seems that Musk wants to expand the X Premium paid service by breaking it up into different tiers, including one that removes all ads.

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X CEO shows her iPhone’s Home Screen with her favorite apps – and X isn’t there

X CEO shows her iPhone's Home Screen with her favorite apps – and X isn't there

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding X (formerly Twitter) since the company was acquired by Elon Musk last year. Earlier this year, Musk appointed former NBCUniversal executive Linda Yaccarino as CEO of X. On Thursday, Yaccarino joined an interview at Vox Media’s Code 2023 conference, at which point she decided to show off her iPhone to the audience. To some people’s surprise, the X app is not on the first page of the Home Screen.

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Political ads on X | Abstract X image

Political ads on X; Chinese sextortion scammers; severance lawsuit

The social network formerly known as Twitter has very quietly announced that it will allow paid political ads on X, reversing the ban imposed by founder Jack Dorsey.

Dorsey said in 2019 that “political message reach should be earned, not bought” and said that it was not credible for a social network to claim to be fighting disinformation while allowing political parties to buy ads to make unchecked claims …

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