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Elon Musk has begun making changes to Twitter — starting with charging users for a verification badge. In a lengthy thread, Mr. Musk said that “Twitter’s current lords and peasants system” of verification would be over, and instead he would be charging people $8 a month for Twitter Blue. “Power to the people! Blue for $8/month,” Musk tweeted. “Pricing adjusted by country according to purchasing power parity.” Subscribers will also get priority replies, reports and search, the ability to post long videos and audio clips, and see “half ads”. Experts were wary of Mr Musk’s claim that this was “essential to eliminating spam/fraud”, with some suggesting that the ability to buy verification could increase fraud. In response, Mr Musk tweeted: “To all the complainers, please keep complaining but it will cost $8.” Twitter is also pushing a paywalled video feature that could launch as soon as this month, with Mr Musk reportedly making staff work 84-hour weeks or risk being fired. “When a creator composes a tweet with a video, the creator can trigger the paywall once a video is added to the tweet,” an internal email apparently states. Users can choose from a predefined list of values, such as $1, $2, $5, or $10. An employee said it appears the feature will likely be used to promote adult content, something Twitter users are reportedly increasingly interested in. Mr. Musk may also bring back Vine, the short-form video app that Twitter shut down in 2016. However, Musk’s purchase of Twitter was not beneficial to his personal fortune. His net worth has fallen by about $9 billion since the acquisition of the social networking company, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. It is now down to $204 billion, about a quarter of its value before the start of this year. The decline in Mr. Musk’s net worth can also be attributed to the drop in Tesla shares, which have fallen 43 percent since the start of this year.
Basic points
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Elon Musk should let Donald Trump back on Twitter
“I’m not afraid of Trump going back to Twitter (although it does make me go back to the White House). When he was banned last year, I thought it was wrong, just because of who he was, the position he held and the politics of it. His incitement and lies could be tempered to reason. I want – need – to hear what Trump has to say, even if it’s offensive. Especially if it’s offensive,” argues The Independent’s Sean O’Grady “The danger with taking people like Trump off Twitter is that they end up on their own ghettoized alt right platforms. The world of social media is turning into a series of camps that never talk, discuss, argue, fight or abuse every player in the draw – and that’s the worst.” Adam Smith2 November 2022 20:00 1667417435
ICYMI: Donald Trump praises Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter
Donald Trump, meanwhile, celebrated Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter by posting on his own, very similar social media platform, Truth Social. “TRUTH SOCIAL has become somewhat of a phenomenon. Last week it had more numbers than all other platforms, including TikTok, Twitter, Facebook and the rest. It also looks and works better in my eyes. I’m very happy that Twitter is now in sane hands and will no longer be run by Radical Leftist Madmen and Maniacs who truly hate our country,” Trump said. “Twitter must now work hard to get rid of all the bots and fake accounts that have damaged it so much. It will be much smaller, but better. I LOVE THE TRUTH!” Adam Smith November 2, 2022 7:30 p.m 1667415635
Elon Musk is protesting being asked about Trump’s return to Twitter
Elon Musk has only owned Twitter for a few days, but the billionaire already seems tired of being asked when Donald Trump might return to the platform. The world’s richest man took to Twitter, which he finally bought for $44 billion last week after months of trying to back out of the deal, to complain about being asked about the one-term president. “If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me if Trump is coming back to this platform, Twitter would be making money!” Mr Musk tweeted on Monday. Adam Smith2 November 2022 19:00 1667413835
What is BlueSky? Jack Dorsey’s new social network
Bluesky, a nonprofit designed to create a new “open and decentralized” form of social media that isn’t controlled by any company, said earlier this month that it will soon launch a public beta called Bluesky Social. Adam Smith November 2, 2022 6:30 p.m 1667412023
Twitter rival Mastodon gains thousands of new users
“Looks like #Mastodon is trending on Twitter as more and more people announce their new profiles. Welcome to the best non-owned and unsold social media, welcome to the fediverse!” the company tweeted. Adam Smith2 November 2022 18:00 1667410223
Twitter Locks Out Content Moderators
However, Twitter is also reportedly limiting the impact the Trust and Safety team has on posts. Twitter’s Trust and Safety team typically deals with accounts that break the rules by sharing misleading information, offensive posts and hate speech, but that has been limited to the most high-profile violations that would cause real-world harm, Bloomberg reports. Those positions were prioritized for manual enforcement, they said. The people on hand to enforce Twitter’s policies during Brazil’s presidential election had access to internal tools, but in a limited capacity. The company still uses automated enforcement technology and third-party contractors, but most high-profile breaches are typically handled by Twitter employees. Adam Smith November 2, 2022 5:30 p.m 1667408423
Twitter isn’t letting non-platform users back — yet
Mr. Musk made similar statements in a recent tweet. “Twitter will not allow anyone who has been de-platformed for violating Twitter’s rules to return to the platform until we have a clear process to do so, which will take at least a few more weeks.” Adam Smith2 November 2022 17:00 1667406623
No policy change until new board, says Mr Musk
It is unclear whether the changes to Twitter’s platform are the result of Mr. Musk so far. Mr Musk said banned users would not be reinstated until after a review by a “content moderation board”. Employees and users are waiting to hear more from Mr. Musk about his plans for the platform amid concerns about his support for loosening content moderation and reversing permanent bans on controversial accounts. Musk’s latest comment appears to mean there is no immediate return to Twitter for several high-profile and polarizing figures who were previously banned, including former US President Donald Trump. Writing on Twitter, Mr Musk said: “Twitter will form a content moderation board with widely divergent views. “No major decision of content or settlement of accounts shall be made before the convening of this council.” Adam Smith November 2, 2022 4:30 p.m 1667404823
Republican conspiracy theorist thanks Elon Musk for bringing back his Twitter
Mark Finchem, a conspiracy theorist and election denier running on the Republican ticket for Arizona secretary of state, credits his return to Twitter to Elon Musk. “WHOA. Arizona Secretary of State nominee @RealMarkFinchem suspended via Twitter. @elonmusk this shouldn’t happen a week before an election!” Trump’s former lawyer, Jenna Ellis, tweeted Monday night. Mr Musk replied that he was “looking into it”. Mr Finchem’s account was soon back online later on Monday night. “We’re back!” He wrote. “Thank you Elon Musk for stopping the committee that suspended me a week before the election. Twitter is so much better with you at the helm.” Mr. Finchem has rejected the fact that former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election and has become famous for supporting baseless conspiracy theories, even more so than many other pro-Trump Republicans, according to The Daily Beast. If Mr. Finchem wins the Arizona Secretary of State race, he will have extensive electoral power in one of the key states for Biden to win in 2020. Shortly before he won the August primary, Mr. Finchem was recorded falsely claiming that former Vice President Mike Pence had orchestrated a “coup” to remove Mr. Trump from office. He also accused Pence of planning to “steal” the presidency in the next election in 2024. Adam Smith November 2, 2022 4:00 p.m 1667403023
Vine could be back
Elon Musk could also revive Vine, the short-form video app that was bought and then shut down by Twitter. Twitter engineers are working on a reboot of the app, which could be released by the end of the year, Axios reports. Some Twitter employees have already been tasked with looking into Vine’s old codebase, which hasn’t been changed or updated since it shut down in 2016. “It needs a lot of work,” one employee was quoted as saying. Vine, which posted short six-second videos, was shut down by Twitter in 2016 because it didn’t have enough users and wasn’t making enough money. Platforms like Instagram and Snapchat introduced longer video clips, and some big creators started negotiating pay-per-post while also sharing videos less frequently. Twitter explored selling the app, but never found a buyer. Also thought about importing it into the main Twitter app, but didn’t. Adam Smith November 2, 2022 3:30 p.m
