Kate Conger
X, Owned by Elon Musk, Brings Antitrust Suit Accusing Advertisers of a Boycott
X filed a lawsuit against the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, a coalition of major advertisers, claiming that it had violated antitrust laws by coordinating with brands to dissuade them from spending money on the social media platform.
Elon Musk Enters Uncharted Territory With Trump Endorsement
Roughly 30 minutes after Donald Trump was shot, Elon Musk backed his bid for the White House. Musk entered uncharted territory. He broke with tradition set by the leaders of other major social media firms, none of whom have endorsed a presidential candidate.
X Slows Down Access to Some Rival Sites
X, the social media service formerly known as Twitter, slowed down access from its platform to rival sites such as Substack and Facebook, but has begun reversing an effort to restrict its users from quickly viewing news sites. The slowness, known in tech parlance as “throttling,” initially affected rival social networks including Facebook, Bluesky and Instagram, as well as the newsletter site Substack and news outlets including Reuters and The New York Times.
Hate Speech’s Rise on Twitter Is Unprecedented, Researchers Find
Before Elon Musk bought Twitter, slurs against Black Americans showed up on the social media service an average of 1,282 times a day. After the billionaire became Twitter’s owner, they jumped to 3,876 times a day. Slurs against gay men appeared on Twitter 2,506 times a day on average before Musk took over. Afterward, their use rose to 3,964 times a day. And antisemitic posts referring to Jews or Judaism soared more than 61 percent in the two weeks after Mr.
Defying President Trump, Twitter Doubles Down on Labeling Tweets
Twitter continued to add new fact-checking labels to hundreds of tweets, even as the Trump administration issued an executive order to curtail the legal protections that shield social media companies from liability for the content posted on their platforms. Twitter’s move escalated the confrontation between the company and President Donald Trump, who has fulminated over actions taken by his favorite social media service.
As Life Moves Online, an Older Generation Faces a Digital Divide
As life has increasingly moved online during the pandemic, an older generation that grew up in an analog era is facing a digital divide. Often unfamiliar or uncomfortable with apps, gadgets and the internet, many are struggling to keep up with friends and family through digital tools when some of them are craving those connections the most.
Twitter Stands by President Trump Amid Calls to Terminate His Account
Twitter will continue to be lenient with world leaders who appeared to violate its policies against violent speech because the company believes preserving those tweets served the public interest. “The accounts of world leaders are not above our policies entirely,” the company said in a blog post.
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Cisco to Pay $8.6 Million to Settle Government Claims of Flawed Surveillance Tech
Cisco Systems agreed to pay $8.6 million to settle claims that it sold video surveillance technology that it knew had a significant security flaw to federal, state and local government agencies. Cisco will pay civil damages in connection with software that it sold to various government agencies, including Homeland Security, the Secret Service, the Army, the Navy, the Marines, the Air Force and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Tech Workers Got Paid in Company Stock. They Used It to Agitate for Change.
Silicon Valley technology firms are known for giving stock to their workers, a form of compensation that often helps employees feel invested in their companies. But tech workers are now starting to use those shares to turn the tables on their employers. As many tech employees take a more activist approach to how their innovations are being deployed and increasingly speak out on a range of issues, some are using the stock as a way to demand changes at their companies. Employee shareholder proposals may ultimately not be effective since shareholder-led proposals are often shot down.
Facebook and Twitter Have a Message for Lawmakers: We’re Trying
For months, Facebook, Twitter and Google have grappled with criticism over the misuse of their services by foreign operatives and the disproportionate influence of their platforms on people’s thinking.