Twitter boss Elon Musk has threatened to sue Microsoft as he accused the technology giant of using data from his social media company without permission. “They trained illegally using Twitter data. Lawsuit time,” the multi-billionaire said in a tweet. Mr Musk was responding to Microsoft’s plan to remove Twitter from its corporate advertising platform. He did not provide further details or evidence to support the claim. Earlier, the company said in a notice that its advertising platform would “no longer support Twitter” from Tuesday 25 April. As a result, ad buyers would not be able to access their Twitter accounts through Microsoft’s social … Continue reading Elon Musk threatens to sue Microsoft over Twitter data

Twitter boss Elon Musk has announced a shake-up of the social media platform’s paid Twitter Blue feature. From 15 April only verified subscribers will have posts recommended to other users and be allowed to vote in polls. Under the policy, posts from non-paying accounts will not be included in the “For you” stream of recommended tweets. Last week, the firm said it would remove the verified status of some “legacy” accounts, which date from before Mr Musk bought the firm. Users currently pay $7 a month for blue-tick verification, which also allows access to additional features. Mr Musk said the … Continue reading Elon Musk announces blue tick shake-up at Twitter

Parts of the source code which underpins multi-billionaire Elon Musk’s social media platform have been leaked online, Twitter says. It says the code was posted on GitHub, a Microsoft-owned service where software developers share code. It has now been taken down after Twitter requested its removal. Separately, Mr Musk has reportedly signalled to Twitter workers that the firm is worth less than half the $44bn he paid for it last year. “GitHub does not generally comment on decisions to remove content. However, in the interest of transparency, we share every DMCA [Digital Millennium Copyright Act] takedown request publicly,” a GitHub … Continue reading Twitter says parts of source code leaked online

Utah has become the first US state to require social media firms get parental consent for children to use their apps and verify users are at least 18. The governor said he signed the two sweeping measures to protect young people in the state. The bills will give parents full access to their children’s online accounts, including posts and private messages. The move comes amidst heightened concern over the impact of social media on children’s mental health. Under the measures enacted on Thursday, a parent or guardian’s explicit consent will be needed before children can create accounts on apps such … Continue reading US state of Utah becomes the first to limit access to social media for teens

Canada will ban video app TikTok from all government-issued devices starting on Tuesday. The decision follows a review by Canada’s chief information officer, and the app “presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security”, a government spokesperson said in a statement. A TikTok spokesperson said the company was disappointed by the decision. It comes just days after the European Commission announced a similar ban. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there was enough concern about security around the app to require the change. “This may the first step, this may be the only step we need to take,” he … Continue reading Canada bans TikTok on government devices

Google is searching for ways to reassure people that it is still out in front in the race for the best artificial intelligence technology. And so far, the internet giant seems to be coming up with the wrong answer. An advert designed to show off its new AI bot, showed it answering a query incorrectly. In the promotion for the bot, known as Bard, which was released on Twitter on Monday, the bot was asked about what to tell a nine-year-old about discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope. It offered the response that the telescope was the first to take … Continue reading Google’s Bard AI bot mistake wipes $100bn off shares

Microsoft has announced a new version of its search engine Bing, which incorporates the latest in artificial intelligence. The overhaul deploys OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology, which has taken the world by storm since its launch last year. The move is by far the biggest threat Google has seen to its dominance in web search – and marks the beginning of an AI arms race between the companies. “The race starts today,” Microsoft boss Satya Nadella said. Developed by Microsoft-backed OpenAI, ChatGPT uses deep learning techniques to generate human-like responses to search requests. Mr Nadella said he thought it was poised to … Continue reading Microsoft unveils new Bing with ChatGPT powers

The number of people using Facebook daily grew to an average of two billion in December – about a quarter of the world’s population. The bigger-than-expected growth helped drive new optimism about the company, which has been under pressure as its costs rise and advertising sales slump. Shares in parent company Meta surged more than 15% in after-hours trade as boss Mark Zuckerberg declared 2023 the “year of efficiency”. He said he was focused on cost cuts. “We’re in a different environment now,” he said, pointing to the firm’s revenue, which declined in 2022 for the first time in its … Continue reading A quarter of global population used facebook daily in December

Google has announced a series of changes to its Android system in India after the search giant lost a major anti-trust case in the country. This includes allowing users to choose their default search engine on Android. The move comes after India’s Supreme Court upheld a ruling by the country’s anti-trust watchdog that said the company had abused its market position. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) fined the company $161m, accusing it of “unfair” business practices. About 97% of smartphones in India are estimated to run on Android. Anti-trust proceedings against the tech giant started in October, when CCI asked Google … Continue reading Google announces sweeping Android changes in India

Donald Trump will be allowed back on to Facebook and Instagram, after Meta announced it would be ending its two-year suspension of his accounts. The suspension will end “in the coming weeks”, the social media giant said. In a statement, Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, said the public “should be able to hear what their politicians are saying”. The then-US president was indefinitely suspended from Facebook and Instagram after the Capitol riot in 2021. The firm had taken action following Mr Trump’s “praise for people engaged in violence at the Capitol”, Mr Clegg said. “The suspension was an … Continue reading Facebook and Instagram lifts ban on Donald Trump

Canadian billionaire Frank Giustra has settled a long-running lawsuit against Twitter over tweets linking him to the pizzagate conspiracy theory. Mr Giustra, who founded Lionsgate Entertainment, first sued Twitter in 2019, over what he called “corrupt” and “criminal” tweets about him. They included links to pizzagate, a conspiracy claiming a DC pizzeria was the base of a child sex ring. The settlement terms were not disclosed. Lionsgate is one of the world’s largest entertainment companies, and is behind films like American Psycho, La La Land and Knives Out. In a statement, Mr Giustra’s lawyers said he had “started this action … Continue reading Canadian billionaire settles defamation suit against Twitter

The Taliban have started using Twitter’s paid-for verification feature, meaning some now have blue ticks on their accounts. Previously, the blue tick indicated “active, notable, and authentic accounts of public interest” verified by Twitter, and could not be purchased. But now, users can buy them through the new Twitter Blue service. At least two Taliban officials and four prominent supporters in Afghanistan are currently using the checkmarks. Hedayatullah Hedayat, the head of the Taliban’s department for “access to information”, now has the tick. His account has 187,000 followers and he regularly posts information related to the Taliban administration. He had … Continue reading Taliban start buying blue ticks on Twitter