Tag: X

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Musk’s X Banned in Brazil

Earlier, the Brazil Supreme Court gave X, owned by Elon Musk, a 24-hour deadline to designate a legal representative in the country, reports Asian Lite News

Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has ordered the social media platform X to be blocked nationwide after the company refused to appoint a legal representative in the country.

Earlier on Wednesday, de Moraes gave X, owned by Elon Musk, a 24-hour deadline to designate a representative. X shut down its Brazil office on August 17, claiming that there were threats to detain its former legal representative.

X had been in conflict with de Moraes for months over the platform’s refusal to comply with court orders to remove profiles that promote coup-related content or undermine democracy, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Friday, the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) also ordered X to pay fines amounting to 18 million reais (about $3.2 million) for non-compliance.

The judge justified the block decision, citing the company’s repeated, willful defiance of court orders and refusal to pay daily fines, accusing X of attempting to bypass Brazil’s legal system and create a “lawless zone” on social media, especially in the lead-up to the 2024 municipal elections.

De Moraes added that X has facilitated “the actions of extremist groups and digital militias, enabling the spread of Nazi, racist, fascist, hateful, and anti-democratic speech”, particularly ahead of the upcoming elections.

The Brazilian judge also instructed the country’s National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) to block access to X within 24 hours. Apple and Google have been given five days to remove the X app from their online stores.

Additionally, a daily fine of 50,000 reais (about $10,000) was imposed on any individual or company that uses methods such as VPNs to access X after the ban.

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-Top News Social Media USA

Former Twitter Board Member Sues Musk’s X For $20M

Elon Musk.(photo:IANS/Twitter)

Omid Kordestani claimed that Elon Musk refused to cash out more than $20 million worth of shares that belong to him, according to reports.

Billionaire Elon Musk-run X social media platform has been sued by a former Twitter board member for $20 million.

Omid Kordestani, former Twitter (now called X) executive chairman, has sued the social media platform, claiming that Musk refused to cash out more than $20 million worth of shares that belong to him, according to reports.

Reports further said that Kordestani had received most of his compensation in stock but after Musk bought the company, he allegedly refused to pay him for those shares, according to the lawsuit.

Musk or X were yet to comment on the lawsuit filed in California Superior Court in San Francisco.

Kordestani had joined Twitter’s board in 2015. He supervised the sale of the company to Musk in October 2022.

According to the lawsuit, X platform “seeks to reap the benefits of Kordestani’s seven years of service to Twitter without paying him for it”.

The Musk-run platform “refuses to meet those obligations, adding to a long list of unpaid bills accruing under Musk’s watch,” the lawsuit added.

Earlier, Parag Agrawal, former CEO of Twitter (now called X), and three other employees sued Elon Musk for about $128 million in unpaid severance. Agrawal, along with ex-chief financial officer Ned Segal, former Twitter head of legal and policy Vijaya Gadde and former Twitter General Counsel, Sean Edgett, filed the lawsuit.

The lawsuit claimed that the Tesla CEO showed “special ire” towards them by “publicly vowing to withhold their severance payments of around $200 million”, when he took over Twitter in 2022 for $44 billion.

According to earlier reports, the three top executives had an exit package of more than $100 million when they left the company.

ALSO READ: Musk shares fake news on punishment for rioters

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-Top News India News Social Media

PM Modi’s X followers cross a whopping 100 million

Interestingly, in the last three years, PM Modi’s X handle has seen an impressive growth of approximately 30 million users…reports Asian Lite News

Setting another benchmark, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become the world’s most followed leader in office, on the social media platform ‘X’ with over 100 million followers.

While comparing the followers of various Indian politicians on X, PM Modi stands out significantly in terms of numbers.

The Leader of Opposition (LoP), Rahul Gandhi has 26.4 million followers, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has 27.5 million, Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav has 19.9 million, and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has 7.4 million.

Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav has 6.3 million, his son Tejashwi Yadav has 5.2 million followers, while NCP Chief Sharad Pawar has 2.9 million.

PM Modi is far ahead of other world leaders including US President Joe Biden, who currently has 38.1 million followers, HH Sheikh Mohammed, the present ruler of Dubai (11.2 million) and Pope Francis (18.5 million).

PM Modi even has more followers when compared to some active global athletes including Virat Kohli (64.1 million), Brazilian footballer Neymar Jr (63.6 million) and American basketball player LeBron James (52.9 million) followers. He is ahead of celebrities like Taylor Swift (95.3 million), Lady Gaga (83.1 million), and Kim Kardashian (75.2 million).

Interestingly, in the last three years, PM Modi’s X handle has seen an impressive growth of approximately 30 million users.

His influence extends to YouTube and Instagram as well, where he has nearly 25 million subscribers and over 91 million followers respectively.

Since joining the platform in 2009, PM Modi has consistently used it for constructive engagement. He maintains an active and engaging persona, follows numerous common citizens, interacts with them, replies to their messages, and has never blocked anyone. PM Modi has always used this platform organically, without ever resorting to paid promotions or bots.

With a blend of insightful and engaging posts on X, the PM has captivated millions around the globe. (ANI)

ALSO READ-PM Modi Condemns Attack on Trump

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-Top News EU News Social Media

Musk’s X ‘deceives’ users with blue checks, EU charges

Musk’s plans for X have put him at odds with Brussels since the EU wants big tech to do more to protect users online and increase competition in the digital sphere…reports Asian Lite News

Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s X platform is misleading users with its blue checkmarks for certified accounts, and is also violating EU content rules, Brussels said Friday, in a finding that could lead to hefty fines.

EU regulators are unhappy with the blue badge system under Musk’s ownership since anyone can now obtain it with a premium subscription, whereas before it was reserved for verified accounts including leaders, companies and journalists, after approval.

The formal warning against X is the first under the Digital Services Act (DSA), a sweeping law that forces digital companies do more to police content online. It follows a probe launched in December 2023.

X becomes the third company in as many weeks to face the European Union’s wrath for violating landmark new rules, after Brussels warned Apple and Meta to change their ways or risk massive fines — for breaches of a second law known as the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

Musk has overhauled the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, including changing its name, since purchasing it in October 2022.

But his plans for X have put him at odds with Brussels since the EU wants big tech to do more to protect users online and increase competition in the digital sphere.

Now the European Commission has told X of its preliminary view that it is “in breach of” the DSA, arguing that the social network “deceives” users with its new blue badge rules.

“Since anyone can subscribe to obtain such a ‘verified’ status, it negatively affects users’ ability to make free and informed decisions about the authenticity of the accounts and the content they interact with,” the commission said in a statement.

“There is evidence of motivated malicious actors abusing the ‘verified account’ to deceive users,” it added.

The commission also accused X of failing to comply with rules on advertising transparency — since it does “not provide a searchable and reliable” ad database — and failing to give researchers access to public data.

“X has now the right of defense — but if our view is confirmed we will impose fines and require significant changes,” the EU’s top digital official, Thierry Breton, said.

Fines under the DSA can go as high as six percent of a company’s total worldwide annual turnover and force it to make changes to address violations.

X will be able to examine the EU’s file and defend itself against Friday’s finding.

There is no time limit on how long an investigation may last.

EU regulators’ wide-ranging probe into X also continues to look into the spread of illegal content and the effectiveness of the platform’s efforts to combat disinformation, the commission said.

Under the DSA, X is one of 25 “very large” online platforms, including Facebook and TikTok, with more than 45 million monthly active users in the 27-country EU.

X is also in the EU’s crosshairs for a cut to content moderation resources. In May, the EU told X to hand over “detailed information and internal documents” and demanded more information about steps taken to mitigate risks from generative AI on elections.

There are currently other investigations under the DSA into Meta’s Facebook and Instagram as well as TikTok and AliExpress.

The DSA and the DMA are both part of the EU’s bolstered legal armory targeting big tech and EU regulators have stepped up enforcement of the laws since they came into force.

ALSO READ-Musk drops lawsuit against OpenAI

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-Top News Asia News

Indonesia threatens to shut down X over adult content

Elon Musk.(photo:IANS/Twitter)

X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has not responded to Indonesia’s warning letter, Budi said, adding the government would send more letters before deciding on a potential closure…reports Asian Lite News

Indonesia is prepared to shut down social media platform X if it does not comply with a regulation barring adult content, the country’s communications minister said on Friday.

Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country, has strict rules that ban the sharing online of content deemed obscene.

Minister Budi Arie Setiadi told Reuters he had sent a warning letter to X related to this matter.

“We will certainly shut its services down,” he said, pointing to Indonesia’s electronic information and transaction (ITE) law that can carry a six-year jail sentence if someone spreads pornographic content.

His comments in an interview come after the social media platform recently updated its policies to permit consensually produced adult content.

X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has not responded to Indonesia’s warning letter, Budi said, adding the government would send more letters before deciding on a potential closure.

X, formerly known as Twitter, did not immediately respond to a request by Reuters for comment.

Indonesians are big users of social media and X has 24.85 million users in the country, according to data gathering business Statista.

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INDIA 2024 India News Politics

Rajeev deletes post on X about his political future

In the recently concluded general elections, Chandrasekhar was defeated by Congress’ Shashi Tharoor in Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat…reports Asian Lite News

Former Union Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Sunday clarified that the post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) about the end of his 18-year-long stint in public service has come to an end was misconstrued.

He deleted the post and issued a clarification that he meant his 18-year tenure as a Member of Parliament and three years as a Minister of State had concluded. Chandrasekhar held portfolios in Information Technology, Electronics, Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, and Jal Shakti in the last Modi government.

In the recently concluded general elections, Chandrasekhar was defeated by Congress’ Shashi Tharoor in Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat.

An initial post on his handle on social media platform X said, “Today curtains down on my 18-year stint in public service, of which three years I had the privilege to serve with PM @narendramodi ji’s TeamModi2.0. “I certainly didn’t intend to end my 18 years of public service as a candidate who lost an election, but that’s how it’s turned out.”

The post also stated that Chandrasekhar extends his thanks to everyone he met and those who supported him, especially the karyakartas and leaders who “inspired and energised” him. “Thanks also to my colleagues in the government over the last three years. As a @BJP4India karyakarta, I will continue to support and work in the party,” it said.

Shortly thereafter, Chandrasekhar deleted the first post and issued a new one saying that the earlier one was by an intern and it “created some confusion among a section of people about my future political work”.

“Today marks the end of my 18 years long stint as a MP and my three years as Minister of State in the Council of Ministers under Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji. “A tweet – tweeted by a new young intern in my team – thanking everyone for their inspiration and support during these 18 years of public service as MP, has created some confusion among a section of people about my future political work,” the new post on X said.

It further said that to avoid any further complexities on this, the earlier tweet stands deleted. “My work and commitment to taking India forward and Thiruvananthapuram, as a karyakarta of BJP remains as relentless as before. Thank you all who replied/msgd/called,” the new post said.

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-Top News Social Media USA

US presses TikTok, Meta and X to crack down on antisemitic posts

Elon Musk.(photo:IANS/Twitter)

Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta and X did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment…reports Asian Lite News

The Biden administration is urging big technology companies to ramp up efforts to curb antisemitic content on their platforms, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday.

Representatives from companies including Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok and X met on Thursday with US special envoy Deborah Lipstadt to monitor and combat antisemitism.

Lipstadt requested that each company designate a policy team member to address the issue and conduct training for key personal to identify antisemitism and publicly report trends in anti-Jewish content.

“We welcomed this convening and were pleased to come together to share facts about the ongoing steps TikTok takes on this important issue and to continue to learn from experts in the room,” a TikTok spokesperson said.

Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta and X did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

Countries around the world have seen a rise in antisemitism following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on southern Israel and subsequent bombardment of the Gaza Strip by the Israeli military.

The companies have not yet agreed to voluntary moves, but the administration is hopeful they will act soon, Lipstadt told Bloomberg News.

The administration is also requesting staff training in order to help identify more implicit antisemitic messages on online platforms and to differentiate between criticism of the Israeli government and hatred directed at Jews, Lipstadt added.

Meanwhile, Meta Oversight Board announced on Tuesday that it is reviewing three cases, including one involving a user accusing Israel of committing “genocide” and another concerning a Facebook comment in Arabic.

Meta, which submitted the cases as part of its review system aimed at creating a policy on criminal allegations based on nationality, said it removed the posts for breaching its Hate Speech Community Standards.

The first case involves a user’s reply on Threads, featuring a video that includes accusations of “genocide” and claims that “Israelis are criminals.”

The other two cases involve a December speech in which a user called all Russians and Americans “criminals” and a recent post in which a user stated that “all Indians are rapists.”

An Oversight Board spokesperson told Arab News: “Tensions in the region, and increasingly around the world, are dominating the discussion online.

“It’s vitally important that when looking at these issues, Meta gets the balance right and works to protect safety, without unduly limiting the ability of people to speak out about the abuses they see or the frustration they experience.”

The spokesperson added that while the board cannot review every appeal, it selects those of critical importance to public discourse “to help Meta better navigate these critical questions at a crucial time.”

Meta said the three posts were removed after human review for “targeting people with criminal allegations based on nationality.”

Despite its decision, Meta referred the cases to the Oversight Board to address the challenge of handling criminal allegations directed at people based on their nationality, as they might be interpreted as attacks on a nation’s policies.

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Social Media Technology USA

X to Pause Ad Sharing For Creators Using Bots to Earn More

Elon Musk.(photo:IANS/Twitter)

Elon Musk also reiterated that people are spamming the X platform to earn more ad money, as the social media platform cracks down on bots.

Elon Musk on Saturday threatened that advertisement revenue sharing will be paused for some creators “pending investigation into use of bots to spam likes, replies and direct messages (DMs).”

He also reiterated that people are spamming the X platform to earn more ad money, as the social media platform cracks down on bots.

In a post, the tech billionaire said that the point of creator payouts is to incentivise high-quality content on X.

“In some cases, we are seeing the opposite, where people are spamming the system to generate ad money. That is obviously not ok,” the X owner commented.

Musk said ad revenue sharing will be paused for such creators.

A follower reacted, saying “The goal could be to maximise legitimate, quality, accurate, informative and entertaining content.”

X pays creators on a regular basis as it struggles to tackle a surge of spam and porn bots on its platform.

According to Musk, people running huge bot operations are reducing the content quality to a great extent.

The ban on fake engagement refers to those who use bots to artificially inflate their engagement.

The social media platform started the exercise to remove bots earlier this month.

ALSO READ: Elon Musk Delays India Visit

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-Top News Asia News PAKISTAN

‘X’ Social Media Platform Remains Offline in Pakistan

The shutdown that began last Saturday resulted in users across the country being unable to share information.

After almost a week, the popular social media platform ‘X’ is still inaccessible to Pakistanis and the caretaker government has yet to disclose the reason behind the prolonged disruption, Geo News reported.

According to the report, the shutdown that began last Saturday resulted in users across the country being unable to share information.

Caretaker Minister for Information and Technology Dr Umar Saif was not immediately available for a comment and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has yet to issue a statement on the matter.

“User reports indicate possible problems at X (Twitter),” said website tracker Downdetector.com, Geo News reported.

According to the report, despite being the country among the top internet users globally, Pakistan struggles with internet availability, ranking low compared to its peers, while reportedly authorities intermittently disrupt access to social media platforms.

Ahead of the February 8 general elections, users were unable to access several social media sites, for which authorities concerned blamed an error. However, on the polling day, the internet was shut down to avoid terrorism, according to the caretaker government. Following the sought-after polls, there were repeated disruptions in accessing X.

Internet shutdowns directly contradict constitutionally guaranteed rights like freedom of information (Article 19-A), freedom of speech (Article 19), and freedom of association (Article 17). In its February 2018 ruling, the Islamabad High Court declared internet shutdowns against fundamental rights and the Constitution.

Digital rights activists had slammed the authorities’ move to disrupt the access to the social media platform and deplored the utter lack of transparency from the government.

Meanwhile, the Sindh High Court Thursday ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to fully restore the services of social media platform X across the country and sought a detailed response from the authority and other parties at a later hearing, however, the PTA is yet to allow accessibility. (ANI)

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-Top News PAKISTAN USA

US Urges Pakistan to Restore Access to X

On irregularities in election process in Pakistan, Matthew Miller said the US wants full investigation into the matter…reports Asian Lite News

 The US has asked Pakistan to respect freedom of expression and restore access to X and social media platforms.

On disruptions on social media in Pakistan, US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller, in a media briefing, said: “So we are concerned by any report of restrictions on the exercise of the freedom of expression and association in Pakistan, including the partial or complete government-imposed internet shutdowns, which includes, of course, on social media platforms.

“We continue to call on Pakistan to respect freedom of expression and restore access to any social media that has been restricted, including Twitter, I think now known as X,” the spokesperson added.

On irregularities in election process in Pakistan, Matthew Miller said the US wants full investigation into the matter.

Mobile internet was suspended on February 8, the polling day after which the country’s caretaker government had said that the step was taken as a security measure.

As per NetBlocks, a global internet monitor, X services have been restricted in the country since February 17, Geo news reported.

ALSO READ-Restore Freedom of Expression, US Urges Pakistan