X has released its first transparency report since Elon Musk took over the company in 2022. In the past, the social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, would provide twice-yearly reports. However, since the billionaire bought the network, there hasn’t been a report since the second half of 2021, which was 50 pages long.

The reports would usually outline information related to numbers for takedowns, government requests for information, content removals, reported posts, as well as content that was removed for violating policies. The new 15-page report provides similar data, however, the way the company measures different aspects has changed.

At the time, Musk openly criticized the government’s “bullying” of social media platforms and tech leaders, which included blocking researchers’ access to internal data, such as transparency reports.

However, the platform now states: “Our policies and enforcement principles are grounded in human rights, and we have been taking an extensive and holistic approach towards freedom of expression by investing in developing a broader range of remediations, with a particular focus on education, rehabilitation, and deterrence.”

The report adds: “These beliefs are the foundation of ‘Freedom of Speech, not Freedom of Reach’— our enforcement philosophy, which means we restrict the reach of posts, only where appropriate, to make the content less discoverable as an alternative to removal.”

Transparency report shows rise of account suspensions on X

In 2021, 11.6 million accounts were reported, with 4.3 million of these being “actioned” and 1.3 million ultimately suspended. The latest X report shows a significant increase, with over 224 million reports covering both accounts and individual content, resulting in 5.2 million accounts being suspended.

Elon Musk’s compliance in taking down accounts and content as requested by govts (called ‘censorship’ by his fans) has risen sharply, despite Musk’s anti-censorship rhetoric here.

It’s up from 50% to 70%, on average. And it’s 80% in the EU.

Compliant.https://t.co/NLgCUW68v2 pic.twitter.com/TFkYLeTYlw

— Adrian Weckler (@adrianweckler) September 25, 2024

The reports show consistent abuse and harassment cases, but some areas have seen significant changes. In 2021, hateful content accounted for nearly half of all reports, with one million accounts actioned. X submitted 370,588 reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the year’s first half, suspending over two million accounts engaging in harmful content. Reports to NCMEC rose from 86,000 in 2021 to 98,000 in 2022, then surged to 870,000 in 2023.

The report also provides limited data on government requests. In 2021, X/Twitter received 11,460 information requests, complying with 40.2 percent. By 2024, requests rose to 18,000, with a 52 percent compliance rate.

ReadWrite has reached out to X for comment.

Featured image: Ideogram

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Meta announced its new Instagram teen accounts today. The protections for under-16s on the social media platform will begin to roll out immediately for new users.

Users with teen accounts will be limited in who can contact them and what content they can see. Teenagers will need their parents to approve any changes to these default settings.

These accounts will be private as standard, with users required to approve anyone who wants to follow them. They will only be able to receive messages from accounts they already follow.

Sensitive content will be limited to Instagram’s most restrictive band, which blocks content including fighting and cosmetic procedures. The app’s anti-bullying feature, Hidden Words, will also be turned on to hide offensive words from comment sections and DMs.

Finally, the social media giant will send out notifications after an hour of daily usage to ask users to leave. A sleep mode will be automatically enabled between 10pm and 7am each night, turning off notifications.

Hi Today we’re introducing Teen Accounts, a new experience for teens with built-in safety features, plus more ways to see content you like.

Tap through for more info https://t.co/rzkXknlMGa pic.twitter.com/YSRYxQkfpa

— Instagram (@instagram) September 17, 2024

Additional supervision tools

On top of this, parents can gain even further supervision on their children’s social media.

They will be able to see who their child has been speaking to but not the content of any messages. Parents can also view the topics their child is interested in.

Additionally, they can impose daily time limits for Instagram usage and block their teen from accessing the app at specific times, like at night.

Instagram says it will be asking teens to verify their ages more frequently, “like if they attempt to use a new account with an adult birthday”. The company also says it is trialing technology that can detect accounts owned by teenagers even if they have adult birthdays attached to them.

Teen accounts will start rolling out from today (Sept. 17) for those who create new accounts. Teenagers who already have Instagram accounts will be notified and moved into teen accounts from next week, Meta says.

“Instagram Teen Accounts reflect the importance of tailoring teens’ online experiences to their developmental stages, and implementing appropriate protections. Younger adolescents are more vulnerable as their skills are still emerging and require additional safeguards and protection.” said Rachel Rodgers, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Applied Psychology, at Northeastern University.

In the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, under 16s will be in teen accounts in 60 days. It will roll out to the European Union later this year, with the rest of the world following suit in January. Teen accounts will come to other Meta platforms in 2025.

Feature image credit: Instagram

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TikTok will begin making its case in a U.S. court on Monday (September 16) over a law to force the app’s sale. Attorneys for ByteDance, the Chinese company behind TikTok, will argue that the legislation is unconstitutional after U.S. President Joe Biden signed the measure into law in April. The regulation was brought in after concerns that U.S. citizens’ data was vulnerable to exploitation by China’s government.

TikTok has repeatedly denied the claims, calling it “basic misinformation.” ByteDance filed a 70-page appeal within a week after the Senate passed the bill, asking a U.S. court to review whether the law violates any Constitutional rights of Americans.

In the filing, the platform stated: “Banning TikTok is so obviously unconstitutional, in fact, that even the Act’s sponsors recognized that reality, and therefore have tried mightily to depict the law not as a ban at all, but merely a regulation of TikTok’s ownership.”

The company claimed that by closing down the app, Congress would be “[circumventing] the First Amendment by invoking national security and ordering the publisher of any individual newspaper or website to sell to avoid being shut down.” They add that this would “be fundamentally at odds with the Constitution’s commitment to both free speech and individual liberty.”

According to the Pew Research Centre, the social media video network is used by around 170 million Americans, with a third of U.S. adults using the platform.

The appeal argues that TikTok would be forced to close down by January 19, 2025, “silencing the Americans who use the platform to communicate in ways that cannot be replicated elsewhere.”

TikTok in court over user data and security issues

In July, the Justice Department claimed that TikTok and ByteDance collected bulk data on sensitive topics such as abortion and gun control, and sent it to China. The information was reportedly collected through an internal communication tool called Lark.

“This resulted in certain sensitive U.S. person data being contained in Lark channels and, therefore, stored on Chinese servers and accessible to ByteDance employees located in China,” the DoJ added.

TikTok devices have already been banned on government devices in a handful of countries in Europe and the United Kingdom. In April, ReadWrite compiled a list of countries that have imposed a TikTok ban and the reasons behind the limitations. A complete ban was enacted in Nepal, Somalia, and India, citing security issues and disrupting “social harmony.”

ReadWrite has reached out to TikTok and the U.S. Justice Department for comment.

Featured image: Canva

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The social networking startup Bluesky will now allow people to share their video creations of up to 60 seconds through its platform.

The company announced the news on Wednesday (Sep, 11), calling it a feature that has had “much anticipation.”

The native support means the app can start to compete more comprehensively with rivals like Elon Musk’s X, the decentralized service Mastodon and Instagram Threads.

Bluesky is the decentralized social app that was created by the former CEO of Twitter Jack Dorsey and it was developed in parallel with Twitter (now X) for some time. It previously operated on an invite-only basis but it became free to access in February of 2024.

In the company’s announcement blog, Bluesky said the videos are on auto-play but you can turn this feature off in settings. There is currently a limit on the amount of videos a user can upload, with this being 25 videos per day or 10 GB of video per day.

“Sports, pop culture, politics, breaking news, and so much more just got a lot more exciting on Bluesky! We’re so excited for our community to continue to grow. See you on Bluesky,” writes the team online.

a live look at our engineers working on video right now

bluesky will have video in the next app update!https://t.co/x6v5YW0WFT pic.twitter.com/FtR4CeCQ0Z

— bluesky (@bluesky) September 6, 2024

Bluesky put safety protections in place for new video feature

In an effort to protect against spam and abuse, there are a number of safety tooling additions as the product team works hand-in-hand with trust and safety.

Anyone who wishes to upload a video must verify their email first, with each video then being processed by Hive and Thorn to “scan for content that requires a content warning or content that should be taken down.”

People who repeatedly violate the community guidelines will be overseen by the social app’s moderation team which may remove the user’s ability to upload videos.

For those who have a change of heart and wish to delete a post that contains a video, the video will be deleted immediately. The team say the “data will be entirely purged from Bluesky infrastructure” shortly afterwards.

Videos that contain illegal content will also be “purged” from the infrastructure and reports can be manually submitted to the moderation team for review.

Featured Image: Via Bluesky Social blog

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Meta’s Oversight Board has reversed both the initial and first appeal decisions made by the company regarding a contentious post on its Threads app. The post in question was a reply to a Threads post about Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and a tax fraud scandal. The user’s reply, which translates into English as “drop dead/die” was originally removed under Meta’s Violence and Incitement rules.

The Board encourages Meta to make these changes to protect free speech while ensuring safety.

You can read the Board’s full decision here: https://t.co/2Gf9Z0hBGD

— Oversight Board (@OversightBoard) September 10, 2024

However, the board concluded that the removal was “neither necessary nor consistent with Meta’s human rights responsibilities,” adding that the phrase was used figuratively rather than as a literal threat of violence.

The controversial post dates back to January 2024, focusing on alleged fundraising irregularities tied to Kishida’s party. The user’s reply, which did not receive significant attention on the platform, was flagged and subsequently removed by Meta moderators. Despite appeals by the user, the decision was upheld until it reached the Oversight Board.

At the time, the political climate in Japan was particularly sensitive following the 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, heightening concerns about political violence. Kishida, who has announced he will not seek re-election later this month, has been under scrutiny for his party’s financial dealings.

Meta’s policy over violence and threats on Threads

The board’s findings looked at the importance of distinguishing between figurative and actual threats, noting that the phrase “drop dead” is commonly used in Japanese social media as a form of opinion rather than a direct threat. Meta’s Oversight Board wrote: “In this case, the threat against a political leader was intended as non-literal political criticism calling attention to alleged corruption, using strong language, which is not unusual on Japanese social media.”

It added: “It was unlikely to cause harm.”

It then went on to criticize Meta’s current guidelines for failing to clearly differentiate between literal and figurative threats, calling the policy “confusing.”

Repeating a 2022 recommendation, it told the tech giant to include an explanation in the policy’s public language that rhetorical threats using the phrase “death to” are generally allowed. However, it said an exception should be made when directed at high-risk individuals, and to provide clear criteria on when threatening statements directed at heads of state are allowed to protect rhetorical political speech.

The board also recommended that Meta clarify how the policy differs for “public figures” vs. “high-risk persons.”

The board then pointed out the lack of clarity surrounding why threats against public figures are removed only when deemed “credible,” while those directed at other individuals are removed without regard to their credibility.

Last week, the board also found that the phrase “From the River to the Sea,” used by pro-Palestinian factions, shouldn’t be banned. In December, ReadWrite reported that the board said that it should not have removed two videos depicting hostages and injured people in the Israel-Hamas conflict, stating that such content is important to portray the extent of human suffering in the war.

ReadWrite has reached out to Meta and the Meta Oversight Board for comment.

Featured image: Canva

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TikTok watchers now have more influence over what appears on their For You feed as the company has announced the introduction of a ‘Manage Topics’ feature.

The tool will allow people to slide their level of interest in certain topics including ‘Fashion and Beauty, ‘Dance,’ ‘Current Affairs’ and more. The interest will be set in the middle as a default, with the option to tweak each category.

The team behind the short-form video platform says these selections will then be used to help the app determine what it should show you more or less of.

The feature is being rolled out now in the United States, with more countries to follow shortly.

For avid users of the social media platform, this will likely come as a welcome inclusion as there aren’t many ways for people to provide their own input aside from their watching activity.

Before ‘manage topics’ users had to hold down on a video and select the ‘not interested’ button or refresh the feed entirely. Both of these are believed to send a signal to the algorithm that the content needs to be more tailored.

How to access TikTok’s ‘Manage Topics’ feature

Once rolled out, users who are logged in can access the tool by going into settings. From there, click on ‘Content Preferences’ and then the new ‘Manage Topics’ option will appear.

The app then tells people to “customize your feed to see more or less of the content you like.”

At the end of each listed category is a clickable information icon, providing people with more details about the content that is typically included within the topic.

Once the changes have been made and saved, the company said it can take some time for the app to make those personalizations based on the selections.

Featured Image: Via Ideogram AI

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X has now made it possible to edit direct messages on the platform – and it’s not restricted to paid users.

Elon Musk’s social network is rolling out a new feature and making it available to all users whether they are Premium users or not.

The feature is already in place across many other social media and chat platforms, like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Now, X users will be able to do the same, starting with those on iOS. The news was announced by one of the X engineers, and reposted by the main account associated with the company.

“save yourself from your own bad decisions (or typos) (or both),” wrote X on the platform. “DM edits are here. you’re welcome.”

save yourself from your own bad decisions (or typos) (or both)

DM edits are here. you’re welcome https://t.co/RzELFRZgfY

— X (@X) August 31, 2024

How to edit private messages (DMs) on X

The edit message feature works much like it does on other platforms. Here’s how:

• Open any direct message chat from your X iOS app.
• Long press on any message that you sent or tap on the three-dot menu beside the message.
• Select the “Edit message” option to modify the sent message.

According to a support page, there is no time limit for editing the messages, marking a difference between X and other platforms. For example, there’s a 15-minute limit on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. However, there is a limit of five total edits on any one message, the same as the limit imposed on editing posts.

A log will be kept of edited messages within X for security reasons, but no history of messages will be shared to users.

The function is only available to iOS users right now, with a planned rollout to all users in the works. If you’re an iOS user who doesn’t yet have access, try updating your X app to see if it shows up. However, it’s worth noting that rollouts can take time to appear for all users.

Featured image: Pexels

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A viral trend on TikTok has landed participants in hot water as experts have pointed out that the “free infinite money hack” some had found was simply just check fraud.

The so-called glitch involved writing out large fake checks to oneself and depositing them digitally. An error within Chase Bank’s system would cause the check amount to appear in a user’s account immediately without the usual due diligence taking place. Users were then withdrawing huge sums of cash that they had fraudulently obtained.

The trend went viral on TikTok, with users showing off huge piles of cash and encouraging others who bank with Chase to take advantage of the free money hack.

Chase Bank was aware of the issue and it was rectified quickly. Speaking to the New York Post on Sunday (Sep 1) a spokesperson for the bank said that “consumers should be skeptical and if something seems too good to be true, it likely is.”

The spokesperson went on to add “We are aware of this incident, and it has been addressed. Regardless of what you see online, depositing a fraudulent check and withdrawing the funds from your account is fraud, plain and simple.”

What happened to people who attempted to use the “infinite money hack”?

Chase rectified the issue quickly and moved on to handle the problems caused by people attempting to unknowingly commit check fraud.

Those who participated have been hit with account holds and massive balance deductions to account for the fraudulently obtained cash.

Personal finance blogger and influencer Jim Wang of ‘bestwallethacks’ posted a video explaining the error, describing the act as “unjust enrichment”.

“So what people discovered over the last few days was that Chase was having problems with their ATMs. They were able to deposit checks and get the balances and were able to withdraw them,” Wang said.

“Chase was pretty on top of it, within a day it was all fixed and the people that were doing this were seeing big holds in their accounts or huge negative balances.”

One user has posted images showing nearly $40,000 of deductions labeled “ATM/Deposit error” on his account after attempting to use the “glitch”.

Yesterday, a glitch in Chase Bank's system allowed people to withdraw funds they weren’t entitled to, prompting the bank to place 7-day holds on the affected accounts.

As a consequence, chase account holders who participated in this glitch are now dealing with massive negative… pic.twitter.com/T0M1FULvoW

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) September 1, 2024

As scams and hacks gain in sophistication, it is more important than ever to have a base level of financial literacy to protect yourself from falling for them – or even, as Chase Bank’s spokesperson said, an understanding that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Featured image credit: Pixabay via Pexels

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Millions of users across Brazil are unable to access social media platform X after it was blocked in the country due to its failure to follow a court order to appoint a legal representative.

Elon Musk, the owner of X, decided last month (August 17) to shut down the network’s Brazil operation after Judge Alexandre de Moraes threatened its legal representative in the country with fines and arrest if the platform did not comply with court orders.

The judge then ordered X to appoint a new legal representative within the country or face the platform being banned across Brazil. X failed to comply, and on Friday the judge ordered “immediate, complete and total suspension of X’s operations” in Brazil, “until all court orders … are complied with, fines are duly paid, and a new legal representative for the company is appointed in the country” (translated with Google Translate).

In the ruling, Moraes said that Elon Musk is attempting to place X “outside the law”, and acting as though social networks are a “no man’s land” where he allows the “massive propagation” of misinformation, hate speech, and anti-democratic attacks.

The consequences of X being banned in Brazil

Brazil had over 21.48 million X users as of April 2024, all of whom are now being prevented from accessing the platform.

When a user in Brazil attempts to access the site they are met with a connectivity error message.

Rival platform BlueSky reported that it has gained over a million new members in the days since X’s shutdown. It posted a welcome message in Portuguese.

The social network also posted a tongue-in-cheek message on X.

this is what a social network looks like without brazilhttps://t.co/x6v5YW0WFT pic.twitter.com/wHUEtogtg5

— bluesky (@bluesky) August 30, 2024

Elon Musk has taken to X to post about the events, along with insults and accusations about Judge Moraes. “There is growing evidence that fake judge @Alexandre engaged in serious, repeated & deliberate election interference in Brazil’s last presidential election,” he wrote.

There is growing evidence that fake judge @Alexandre engaged in serious, repeated & deliberate election interference in Brazil’s last presidential election.

Under Brazilian law, that would mean up to 20 years in prison.

And, I’m sorry to say that it appears that some former…

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 1, 2024

X has also launched a new ‘official’ account called the Alexandre Files, where they claim they will “reveal the unlawful directives issued to X by Alexandre de Moraes.”

Many Brazilian users are turning to location-obscuring virtual private networks (VPNs) to access the site, with Google searches for ‘vpn’ in the South American nation spiking in recent weeks.  However, part of Moraes’ ruling states that anyone attempting to circumvent the ban by using “technological subterfuge” such as a VPN, will be subject to a daily fine of up to R$50,000 (around $8,900 USD).

Featured image credit: generated with Ideogram

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Brazil’s Supreme Court has threatened to suspend social media platform X’s operations in that country unless chief executive Elon Musk names a new legal representative for the company by Thursday evening local time.

The threat comes out of a larger series of actions by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who previously directed the suspension of dozens of accounts on X for allegedly spreading disinformation. In April, he initiated an investigation, claiming Musk himself reactivated some of the suspended accounts.

Referring to X, Rthe judge said: “The flagrant conduct of obstruction of Brazilian justice, incitement of crime, the public threat of disobedience of court orders and future lack of cooperation from the platform are facts that disrespect the sovereignty of Brazil.”

@STF_oficial intima Elon Musk e X a indicarem representante legal em até 24 horas, sob pena de suspensão de atividades no Brasil https://t.co/SV21xQcJue

— STF (@STF_oficial) August 28, 2024

A subpoena has since been published to X by the court’s official account, in response to an Aug. 17 post by X’s own Global Government Affairs account.

How has X responded to the summons?

Last week, Moraes warned he would arrest the platform’s legal representative in Brazil unless specific accounts and posts were removed. In response, X terminated all its staff in the country and ceased its operations in Brazil.

Under Brazilian law, the platform must still have legal representation in the country. If the Thursday deadline is not met, X’s operations could be suspended in Brazil.

In another Aug. 17 statement, X accused Moraes of threatening staff, forcing the company to “close our operation in Brazil, effective immediately.”

“The people of Brazil have a choice to make – democracy, or Alexandre de Moraesm the company added. However, the platform will remain available for users in the country.

Last night, Alexandre de Moraes threatened our legal representative in Brazil with arrest if we do not comply with his censorship orders. He did so in a secret order, which we share here to expose his actions.

Despite our numerous appeals to the Supreme Court not being heard,… pic.twitter.com/Pm2ovyydhE

— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) August 17, 2024

In April, Musk responded to the claims by accusing Moraes of having “brazenly and repeatedly betrayed the constitution and people of Brazil.” Musk added Moraes “should resign or be impeached.”

Musk is also being investigated in a separate legal inquiry concerning an alleged plot involving the use of public funds to orchestrate disinformation campaigns that helped former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and his associates.

Featured image: Midjourney

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A judge has ordered Elon Musk’s social network X, to unseal the list of shareholders involved with X Holdings Corp.

On Tuesday (Aug, 20) almost 100 entities were listed in the filing, all of which have a stake in X but some appear to represent different funds controlled by the same firm or person.

One of the more unexpected names listed is the hip-hop rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs who sits amongst some of Silicon Valley’s most well-known capitalists and entrepreneurs.

Other investors include the Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al Saud, Twitter founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey, and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.

These investors helped Musk to purchase the social media platform for $44 billion in October of 2022.

BREAKING: The full list of investors in X Corp has been unsealed. See them for yourselves. Some investors Include ownership stakes from Saudi Arabia and a slew of VC funds. pic.twitter.com/HIhLYxqBIJ

— Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) August 22, 2024

Why Elon Musk had to share list of X investors

While the platform has been under the ownership of the world’s richest man since late 2022, Musk initially had a seal on the list of investors. It was then attorneys for the nonprofit Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press who filed a motion last month asking for the records to be unsealed.

On Tuesday the U.S. District Judge Susan Illston granted the motion brought on behalf of independent journalist Jacob Silverman. This forced Elon Musk to unseal the investors and file an unredacted copy on the docket.

On July 3, the technology journalist posted an article on his website titled ‘Who Owns X?’ followed by the headline ‘Here’s why I’m trying to intervene in a civil suit against Elon Musk’s X.’

It was in this post that he shared his motives behind requesting for the document to be public.

“X had previously filed the list under seal, the kind of legal action that is routine. So is my attempt to get it unsealed — journalists do this all the time, arguing that transparency is in the interests of the courts and the general public.

“I believe that people have a right to know who owns a company with such a prominent role in shaping public discourse, both in the United States and around the world. X’s self-proclaimed role as a guarantor of free speech means that we should know which outside entities — and which foreign governments — may be able to exert influence on the company.”

Featured Image: Via Ideogram

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Perhaps we have had enough of trolling other people on social media, as users are now apparently asking ChatGPT to roast their Instagram feeds as part of a new viral trend.

Using the Insta Guru section of the AI chat, users will have to manually upload images of their curated grid to get skewered by a bot. According to NBC News, more than 300,000 people have asked to be insulted so far.

And the model doesn’t hold back. One user said it was the “most savage takedown” he’d ever suffered after it accused him of having a mid-life crisis. Another said that that the bot’s put-downs sounded like one of her exes had written it.

Have y’all seen that IG trend of asking ChatGPT to roast your feed?

Well, RIP me bc this is the most savage takedown I’ve ever been the victim of. pic.twitter.com/PVdtm9bSk6

— William Holtsman, CPA (@W_Holtsman) August 21, 2024

I joined the bandwagon & asked ChatGPT to roast my Insta feed, and wow, it feels like one of my exes wrote it. pic.twitter.com/DsuFAOyH5h

— Naaisha (@naaisha) August 21, 2024

Of course, it isn’t exactly for the fainthearted, and it would take a little bit of self-deprecation to appreciate the humor.

As I am basically a non-user of Instagram, the chatbot accurately summed up that my feed was “like a chaotic scrapbook,” without rhyme or reason. It then went on to correctly add: “It looks more like a collection of afterthoughts than a curated Instagram presence.”

That said, Insta Guru actually describes itself as “a friendly Instagram expert, here to boost your social media presence”.

How to get ChatGPT to roast your Instagram

If you want ChatGPT to deliver a scathing assessment of your Instagram feed, you’ll need to follow these instructions:

• Share a screenshot of your Instagram profile with the AI and request a review.
• Next, prompt it to roast your profile.
• Savage ChatGPT will then respond with some hilariously brutal jokes about your posts.
• You can also use the new InstaGuru feature on ChatGPT specifically designed for roasting profiles.
• If you think the criticism isn’t harsh enough, you can ask it to “be meaner.”
• The roasting cannot be performed from a desktop, only the mobile app, and it requires participants to have ChatGPT accounts.

Insta Guru isn’t the only roasting tool on the platform. Roast Master can also give blistering verdicts on TV shows, celebrities, and even your profile picture.

Featured image: Canva

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Elon Musk’s X platform will stop operating in Brazil. In a post from X’s Global Government Affairs account on Saturday, the social media platform outlined that “effective immediately” it will be closing its operation in Brazil to “protect the safety of our staff”.

X claims that Brazillian judge Alexandre de Moraes has threatened its legal council in the country, Rachel Nova, with a daily fine of 20,000 reis ($3,653) and an arrest decree if the platform did not comply with what it is calling “censorship orders”.

“As a result, to protect the safety of our staff, we have made the decision to close our operation in Brazil, effective immediately,” reads the statement from X.

The X service will remain available for people to use in Brazil. It is unclear how many jobs will be lost due to this decision.

Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, has lashed out on the platform, describing Moraes as “an utter disgrace to justice.”

In a separate post, Musk also stated “The decision to close the X office in Brazil was difficult, but, if we had agreed to @alexandre’s (illegal) secret censorship and private information handover demands, there was no way we could explain our actions without being ashamed.”

Due to demands by “Justice” @Alexandre in Brazil that would require us to break (in secret) Brazilian, Argentinian, American and international law, 𝕏 has no choice but to close our local operations in Brazil.

He is an utter disgrace to justice. https://t.co/yAvX1TpuRp

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 17, 2024

Why is there a conflict between X and the Supreme Court in Brazil?

The conflict between the judge and X began earlier this year when Moraes ordered X to block certain accounts as part of his investigation into “digital militias” that were accused of spreading fake news and hate messages during Brazil’s previous government.

After Musk stated he would reactivate blocked accounts, Moraes opened an inquiry into the tech entrepreneur. According to Reuters, Musk described Moraes’ rulings as “unconstitutional” and stated, “These demands violate Brazilian, Argentinian and US law!”

Despite these statements from the platform’s CEO, X representatives told the Supreme Court in Brazil that it would comply with Moraes’ legal rulings, claiming that “operational faults” allowed users who were ordered blocked to remain active on the platform.

Musk has long described himself as a “free speech absolutist” and has attempted to challenge legal decisions affecting X previously.

Featured image credit: Midjourney

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Meta has announced new Threads web features, which include scheduling and drafting functions to make it easier to plan content. The updates come as the X-like social platform attempts to recruit and retain users and influencers.

Threads’ new features

Audience insights

Among the new tools, Facebook’s parent company is introducing insights to help users better understand their followers and measure the performance of posts through a range of metrics about the content. The audience data will include the number of views, replies, reposts and quotes on posts.

Meta announces Threads web features including insights, multiple drafts and scheduling functions to make it easier to plan content and connect with new and existing audiences.

Scheduling will begin testing soon.https://t.co/t9G0ArvQRo pic.twitter.com/EkNlSEOm9h

— Egline Samoei (@Egline_Samoei) August 16, 2024

In a blog post, Meta states that understanding one’s reach, including the demographics of their audience, “can help creators and businesses figure out what content resonates best with their audience, and help them tailor future posts accordingly.” Screenshots of the new insights feature look similar to the Instagram analytics experience. This means that users will no longer need to rely on third-party apps to get data.

Drafts

The social media company is also giving users the chance to write and save multiple drafts. Currently, users can save up to 100 posts, before publishing.

Scheduled posts

The new scheduling feature will help creators and businesses post even on their days off. Users will be able to schedule multiple posts a day, several days in advance.

Threads’ most recent updates

Similar to Snapchat, Meta has been considering introducing disappearing posts on the app. The new feature could set it apart from competitors like X, which has been the main rival since the platform’s inception in July 2023.

In November 2020, WhatsApp launched disappearing messages on Android to make conversations feel more like in-person interactions by ensuring that messages do not stick around permanently.

According to CEO Mark Zuckerburg, Threads has now more than 175 million monthly active users. For its first anniversary, Threads introduced custom icons for the mobile app, available for a short period of time.

Featured image: Meta

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TikTok has announced a step up from their direct message feature, as they’ve now opened the tool to include groups.

The addition will allow people to create curated groups of up to 32 people, with all involved able to share videos and chat within the group setting.

The video-sharing platform detailed the news within a company press release, writing that this will create a “shared viewing experience with friends, family, and communities.”

The feature won’t be available to everyone though, as safety measures have been implemented for teenagers who are on the app. Group chat will not be accessible to those aged 13 to 15.

Then, for those who are a little older, but are 16 to 17, they will be able to use the feature but the company says they are “taking important steps to block communication with strangers.”

This means everyone over 15, including older teens, can only be added to a group chat by their friends. These are classified as people who they follow and who also follow them back, rather than random users.

Teenagers are protected in TikTok’s group chat functionality

“If a teen is sent a link to join a group conversation, they will not be able to join unless the group includes at least one mutual friend. If they are eligible to join, they will be required to make a proactive decision to join.

“When a teen creates a group conversation, by default we will require them to review and approve new joiners,” said TikTok.

Unlike on other platforms where people can be added into groups by random people who somehow get access to their number, this new feature aims to stop this from happening.

There will be muting and blocking tools and the ability to report messages or the entire chat if the content violates community guidelines.

The amount of groups somebody can create is limited too, but the details of this aren’t yet known. The new feature isn’t yet available everywhere, but this will likely be expanded into new regions over time.

Featured Image: Via Ideogram

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Nowadays, it’s hard to grow a business without being visible on social media. Studies have shown that companies can benefit from social media platforms because they can help them connect with larger audiences.

Businesses can use social media to communicate with their communities and establish their presence in the industry. One of the best sites for such activities is Instagram. The platform had 2 billion active users on a monthly basis at the beginning of 2024, and the fan base seems to be on a growing spree. Due to the large number of younger generations, it’s a good opportunity for businesses to attract people who might become long-time customers.

But how do you boost your profile? We’re here to help with some tips for increasing the recognition of your Instagram account. Let’s get started!

Is Instagram Recognition Important for Your Business?

A long time ago, explaining the importance of starting a social media strategy as a business might have given you some weird looks. Most business owners now recognize the importance of being present on social media sites. Instagram posts have tremendous potential to reach a wide range of people, even possibly bringing you more Instagram followers.

But if you’ve never done business before and you’re just now diving into it, perhaps you aren’t too familiar with why so many companies make efforts to post Instagram stories, reels, photos, and more. It’s easy – Instagram activity can give you access to potential customers and help build your brand’s visibility and recognition.

This platform allows you to create a brand image. Instagram users will rush to your page when they want to learn something about you and your services. Also, it’s a good chance to share news that may interest your followers, including new releases, job openings, and more. Many enterprises now buy cheap Instagram likes to increase recognition, but spending money on likes is not the only way to go.

How Can You Increase Your Instagram Account’s Recognition?

Reaching your target audience on Instagram is not that easy. If you want to succeed, you need to make a lot of effort to gain organic followers. Increasing brand awareness takes hard work and dedication, and if you’re new to Instagram and don’t know what to do to please the Instagram algorithm yet, we have the solution for you.

Here are some Instagram insights that will help you get the recognition you want and deserve:

1. Set an Instagram Posts Schedule

One way through which Instagram accounts can thrive is by carefully planning each Instagram post. When you schedule Instagram posts, you will remain active on the app while letting your target audience know when to expect your content.

However, the ideal posting schedule for you depends on who your audience is. For example, if you go for young adults, they may be students or employees. Chances are that they’ll be unable to check Instagram often during the day, so if you post too early, they may miss your photo and video.

Instead, plan your feed posts for when you believe your loyal customers will be active. Maintain this schedule as you go, so your fans know you’re consistent.

2. Discover Your Niche

People will check your Instagram profile if they find your content and like what they see. But if they find that your content is all over the place in terms of topics and categories, they won’t be too happy about it. On top of visually appealing content, they want you to know what you do.

Create your own personal brand by choosing a niche and tailoring your content to attract new followers to your page. While creating different types of content is not necessarily bad, it can deter certain people. If your page or business is about music, your content should focus on music, not travel.

If your niche is inconsistent and your followers keep seeing posts unrelated to your field, they’ll most likely choose to leave, and you’ll notice a decrease in user engagement.

3. Take Advantage of Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories are great when you want to post something temporary. A story will be visible for 24 hours before disappearing. If you regularly post updates there, it’ll show your audience that you care about them and want them to be informed. Perhaps it may even encourage more users to follow you.

Besides sharing news and updates, stories also enable you to reveal behind-the-scenes videos, launch events, and more.

4. Buy Organic Followers Only

Purchasing followers is a misunderstood practice due to its negative connotations and the risk that comes with it. People expect this practice only to bring them fake Instagram followers while possibly getting them in trouble with the platform.

While there are some risks you should be wary of, follower purchases can be perfectly safe as long as you practice caution. For instance, you should always do your research on the companies selling these followers.

Some firms sell fake followers, while others offer real-user follows that grow slowly and naturally. By purchasing organic followers, your account’s popularity may increase, with the algorithm seeing your content as more valuable and recommending it to larger groups of people.

5. Use Relevant Hashtags

The power of a good hashtag cannot be underestimated. In fact, hashtags often help distribute your content among the right users. When someone looks up a specific hashtag, your posts will appear under that search.

Hashtags will boost your content’s discoverability, thus providing more opportunities for engagement and visibility.

6. Don’t Be Scared to Experiment

Don’t be too quick to put a label on your account or settle on one type of content. This especially applies when you’re new to Instagram and trying to build your following. There are numerous types of content you can work with, so you don’t have to limit yourself to one format.

Instagram offers photos, Reels, Stories, and many other types of content you can pick from. Try them individually and see which ones you enjoy the most, as well as which ones your audience seems to appreciate. Then, assess what content types bring you the most likes, followers, shares, and comments, and focus on them moving forward.

7. Don’t Hesitate to Go Live

Going live for the first time may sound scary when you have a new business account on Instagram. Still, lives are nothing to be afraid of. In fact, they can be quite a fun experience that helps reach a larger audience. What’s great about this feature is that it makes your profile picture come first in the stories section, so followers will see it immediately when they open the app. Followers may even be notified when you go live, sparking their curiosity.

A live stream is a chance for fans to get to know the people behind your brand. They’ll see who the team is and can ask you questions. In some cases, these lives may also include interviews with popular influencers in the same niche, which may bring even more followers to your page.

8. Take Advantage of User Generated Content

Another good way to increase your account recognition on Instagram is to leverage user generated content. Doing this will grow your engagement, not to mention that it may even lead to the original creators resharing your post and bringing new people to your page.

What’s even better is that your authenticity and credibility will significantly grow when you share natural and authentic user generated content.

9. Optimize Your Instagram Account

Optimization is as important as the quality of your content. Your Instagram followers will appreciate you even more if you have a beautifully optimized page that stands out.

First impressions matter, which is why you cannot overlook the importance of how your profile is perceived. One of the first things you should pay attention to is, of course, choosing the right username. If you’re a brand, the brand’s name should be more than enough for this.

The next one is the profile picture. It should be a high-resolution and clear one that represents your brand. Most companies choose their logos to make it work, but it must be recognizable from the plethora of avatars.

You should also not forget to write a compelling bio. People will read it as soon as they land on your Instagram profile. It doesn’t have to go into great detail about you – a short, clear, and concise description that reveals who you are and what you do should be enough.

Lastly, don’t forget to include relevant keywords in the description to increase discoverability.

10. Pay for Instagram Ads

Spending money on Instagram ads is not exactly the first thing you want to do, but it doesn’t hurt once you’ve optimized your profile and developed the content strategy. Ads are among the best Instagram insights because they tell the world about you, bring in new Instagram followers, and increase sales.

Now, while getting followers and customers is most likely your goal, you shouldn’t sound too salesy either. Ads should be attractive and boost brand recognition. The key to this is using compelling visuals and a friendly and understanding approach.

The Instagram analytics tool can then tell you how well your ads perform. This way, you’ll be able to optimize your ad campaign based on it.

11. Create or Join Challenges

Let’s be honest – challenges are not only fun to engage with but also a way to connect with people. Every now and then, a new trend emerges, and influencers and businesses are eager to jump on the bandwagon. Challenges make for engaging content, so they’re great for your brand.

Now, you can take part in challenges created by others or make your own. These can involve creating Instagram reels with specific sounds or performing certain actions. To make it catchier, you can also offer prizes to fans with the most engagement after they join your challenge.

It’s also crucial to make sure these challenges are fun and safe. After all, you don’t want to scare away potential followers.

12. Interact with People

When your posts appear in your followers’ feeds, people may check your comment section. A business or creator account that ignores fans is seen as a red flag, and individuals will be tempted to ignore it. However, engaging with your fans will show your appreciation for them, allowing you to retain your loyal fan base while possibly attracting more fans along the way.

This will also have a positive influence on Instagram’s algorithm as it sees more engagement on your posts. Ultimately, this will boost your recognition on the platform.

The Bottom Line

Increasing your profile’s visibility can be done with a few tricks. Encourage user generated content, craft a strong Instagram bio, post consistently, create high-quality content, interact with your audience, post stories and reels, and optimize your profile to improve recognition. We hope our tips will help you see your Instagram profile grow.

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A streamer has caused controversy after attempting to beat the no-sleep record and making it to 264 hours (11 days) of staying awake.

Throughout his livestream of the attempt, the Australian’s health looked like it was deteriorating which caused emergency services and police to be called to his house.

Despite the concerns for his well-being, the streamer continued until he hit his goal. He was assisted in reaching his goal by his brother Don who splashed water on him and employed other tactics like asking him to stand up every so often.

The streamer trying to stay up for 264 hours hit their goal

pic.twitter.com/177o8kzPBU

— Dexerto (@Dexerto) August 12, 2024

Many viewers felt the stream had gone on too long and he was regularly asked to stop by those watching on and writing in the online chat.

Aside from the police and ambulance arriving, Norme faced technical difficulties too as his first stream on YouTube was banned.

He then moved over to the Kick platform but quickly got slapped with another ban. These two instances meant he was off camera until he was able to get onto Rumble, which was where he continued the remainder of his attempt.

At one point, he even took to X to ask Elon Musk if he could stream on his platform due to being banned from every site “because I stayed up past my bed time.”

Streamer Norme went for original no-sleep record, not the most recent

His goal was based on Randy Gardner who was the original record holder. He made it to 264 hours and 24 minutes.

But, the actual record for the no-sleeping feat doesn’t actually exist, as Guinness World Records stopped recognizing the record for the longest time to stay awake due to the inherent dangers associated with sleep deprivation.

It was in 1997 when they stopped recognizing this, but the previous record holder was confirmed to have stayed awake for 453 hours and 40 minutes. This means Norme wouldn’t be a record-breaker as he based his goal on the original rather than the most recent.

i went for record without using stimulants

that guy used caffeine, and meth heads have gone months on record without sleep https://t.co/6y02C24Edw

— NORME (@NormeNorme) August 12, 2024

When people pointed this out on X (formerly Twitter) the streamer replied saying he “went for the record without using stimulants.”

Featured Image: Via Norme X Account

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With the US presidential election rapidly approaching, the world’s richest man Elon Musk has announced he will interview Republican nominee Donald Trump on Monday (Aug 12) evening.

The presidential candidate first teased this through a press conference on Thursday and now Musk has shared the news.

“Live conversation on X with @realDonaldTrump & me at 8pm ET tomorrow.”

Live conversation on 𝕏 with @realDonaldTrump & me at 8pm ET tomorrow

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2024

In another follow-on tweet, he says: “This is unscripted with no limits on subject matter, so should be highly entertaining!

“If you have specific questions & comments, post them under the chat.”

The livestream will be made possible through the Spaces feature, allowing people to have a live audio conversation on the platform. This event will be hosted on Donald Trump’s account and accessible to anyone

Many live videos have taken place on that platform, but as this will draw significant crowds there could be concerns about how the technology will hold up. 

In May 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida chose to launch his presidential campaign on X but the attempt was quickly ridiculed as he encountered several technical difficulties. The stream was glitchy, echoey, and laden with awkward pauses.

“Am going to do some system scaling tests tonight & tomorrow in advance of the conversation with @realDonaldTrump,” wrote Elon ahead of the live event.

Elon Musk’s changing politics

South Africa-born Elon Musk, who became a U.S. citizen in 2002, has stated that he predominantly voted for Democrats for many years. However, he grew disillusioned with President Biden on a variety of issues, including his opposition to unionization efforts among his car workers and feeling slighted after not being invited to the 2021 White House electric vehicle summit – despite Tesla being one of the world’s largest EV manufacturers.

During the Biden administration, Musk’s companies were subjected to multiple federal investigations concerning employment practices, his acquisition of Twitter, and claims related to Tesla’s autopilot feature.

In a November 2023 interview with The New York Times, Musk mentioned that he would not vote for Biden again but hesitated to endorse Trump, acknowledging, “This is definitely a difficult choice here.”

After the assassination attempt on Trump in July, Musk stated he fully endorsed the Republican’s re-election bid.

I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery pic.twitter.com/ZdxkF63EqF

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 13, 2024

When is Donald Trump being interviewed by Elon Musk?

The conversation between Elon Musk and Donald Trump will take place at 8pm ET time on Monday 12 August.

This means it’ll be 7pm CDT, 6pm MDT, or 5pm PDT.

How to watch

You will need to be on the X platform to listen to the discussion and it will be hosted on Donald Trump’s account. You do not need to be following him to listen.

Instead, simply go to his account @realDonaldTrump and when the conversation has started it’ll show up through a ‘Spaces’ related tweet.

You simply click on the tweet, or where it says ‘See details,’ and you can start listening. Alternatively, Donald Trump’s profile photo will be highlighted with a purple pulsing outline when he is live, so click that to join.

Featured Image: Via Ideogram

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Photo dumps just got even larger as Instagram has now doubled the amount of photos and videos that you can publish in one post.

The limit has long been set to just 10 images, so overshares can now rejoice. This update is expected to be rolled out to all users around the world from Thursday (August 8).

Instagram shared the news on social media and said: “Now you can add up to 20 pics or videos to a photo dump

This step marks a further move to the likeness of TikTok as they allow users to post up to 35 photos in a slideshow accompanied by a soundtrack.

Instagram added the music option last year and some believe these types of posts are actually being favored by the algorithm.

Instagram is making updates to other features too: Metrics and AI

Alongside this addition, Instagram has been eager to shout out about other updates and improvements.

On Thursday, Adam Mosseri the Head of Instagram shared a video detailing the addition to metrics. In the announcement, he emphasized the importance of ‘sends per reach’ rather than just views.

“We’re making an update within insights to make “Views” the primary metric for Reels, Stories, photos and carousels.

“Historically we’ve shown different metrics for Reels vs other posts, but we want to evolve this so it’s easier to understand how your content is doing regardless of the format. We’ll roll this out over the next few weeks,” he wrote in a caption.

And just last week, on July 29, the ability to create two types of AI on the platform was shared by Mosseri. This will include creator AIs and AI characters, with creators having the option to build an AI as “an extension of themselves to answer common questions over DM, helping them to reach more people.

“And anyone is going to be able to create an AI character based on their interests to entertain or inspire.”

This is planned to be rolled out over the coming weeks in the US.

Featured Image: Via Instagram on Facebook

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People in Venezuela are currently unable to access the social media platform run by technology tycoon Elon Musk as the president signs a 10-day ban.

This follows a public spat and has come after President Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner at the election last month.

Previously, the X CEO has compared the Venezuelan president to a donkey, while Maduro has accused Musk of being a driving force behind protests and dissent in the 12 days following his win.

“X out for #10Dias from Venezuela! In our country there is a Constitution, Law, Institutions and State.

“10 days to present your documents. Let the plans on social networks to spread violence, hatred and attack #Venezuela from abroad end. #PuebloVenezolano deserves respect,” Maduro said in a speech which was broadcast on state television.

¡Fuera X por #10Días de Venezuela! En nuestro país hay Constitución, Ley, Instituciones y Estado. 10 días para que presente sus recaudos. Qué se acaben los planes en redes para sembrar violencia, odio y de atacar a #Venezuela desde el exterior.  El #PuebloVenezolano merece… pic.twitter.com/0EuMnQKtHH

— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) August 9, 2024

Now, when people in Venezuela try to get onto X they are met with a broken web image which states ‘This site cannot be accessed.’

Elon Musk and Nicolas Maduro clash on social media

Just a day after the election, Elon Musk took to his platform writing “Adios Dictatora Maduro.” He has since shared other videos showing crowds of the opposition gathering in the country.

On the same day, Maduro said in a public appearance that Musk is the “archenemy of the peace of Venezuela.”

The president became the winner of the July 28 presidential election after securing 51% of the vote ahead of rival Edmundo González Urrutia.

Since the election, some people have accused Maduro of rigging the vote which has caused people from around the world (including Mr Musk) to weigh in on X.

The president has faced intense pressure to release the voting tallies, as the opposition has said they’ve seen 80% of paper ballots and, based on that tally, believe González won around 60% of the vote.

As a result, there has been a significant civic response to the allegations as people have taken to the street to campaign for what they believe to be true.

Featured Image: Via Ideogram

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