Articles about Twitter

People who have signed up for the Windows Insider program are among the first to be able to get hands on with Windows 11, but the preview builds that have been released so far are not complete. Microsoft is still working away on the operating system ahead of next month's rollout, and CPO Panos Panay has given us a glimpse of the new Photos app that is coming.

In typically dramatic style, a "pumped" Panay describes the updated app as being "beautifully redesigned" -- and this is something you can judge for yourself thanks to the video he has shared.

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In a recently published transparency report, Twitter has revealed figures that show a disappointing adoption of 2FA (two-factor authentication) by users.

While the number of users choosing to secure their account with 2FA is on the increase, it "remains relatively low", says Twitter. And we are talking low numbers here -- a mere 2.3 percent of the Twitter userbase is concerned enough about security to enable two-factor authentication.

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Twitter is experimenting with tweaking the Like button on tweets. In a test the company is running at the moment, some users are seeing Upvote and Downvote options in place of the more familiar heart icon for liking a tweet.

Different styles of button are currently being tested, but it seems that the experiment is more for the benefit of Twitter than Twitter users. The experimental feature is not the tweet editing option so many people have been begging for for so long, and nor is it -- Twitter is at pains to emphasize -- a "dislike" button.

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Twitter may delight and infuriate in just about equal measure, but if there's one thing that the majority of users can agree on it is that it would be great to have a tick of verification. For many people, getting verified on Twitter has been a goal for a long time, and the company only recently re-opened applications after a lengthy period of suspension.

Being able to apply for Twitter verification is, of course, absolutely no guarantee of being verified, and huge number of people have been disappointed to be rejected. Unhelpfully, Twitter has -- until now -- failed to make it clear why a request for a blue badge has been denied. But now the company says it will be providing more detail.

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Recommendations based on AI are something we encounter all the time. From shopping sites, streaming services and social media we're constantly shown stuff that the AI thinks we'll like.

But how easy would it be for an attacker to manipulate these recommendations to promote conspiracy theories or spread disinformation?

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Since Twitter launched, one of the most requested features (apart from easy, instant, unquestioned account verification) is the ability to edit tweets. People asked for tweet editing; Twitter changed how the timeline is ordered. People asked for tweet editing; Twitter introduced longer tweets.

People asked for tweet editing; Twitter introduced Moments. People asked for tweet editing; Twitter launched a subscription service. But now, after years of people begging, Twitter is finally testing a tweet editing option. But it's probably not what you're expecting or hoping for.

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When Donald Trump was removed from social media networks like Facebook and Twitter, the only real surprise was that it hadn't happened sooner. With the former president apparently planning to create his own social platforms, the story is far from over, and he sems likely to maintain an online presence.

But there is also the question about what to do with Trump's previous online content. One thing is certain – his tweets will not be appearing in the National Archives after Twitter denied NARA permission to resurrect deleted content from the suspended account.

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Banks around the world abide by know-your-customer (KYC) rules to block crime. When it comes to finances, governments agree that it’s appropriate to capture clear identification on a person, in order to hold them accountable for their actions. But when it comes to crimes against social infrastructure, there are no checks in place and malicious actors around the globe leverage social media platforms to justify human rights abuses, steal elections, or simply to create division. 

Ever since the Mueller investigation proved that Russia used its Internet Research Agency to conduct disinformation in the United States in order to sow social discord around the 2016 presidential election, more nefarious groups seem to be taking advantage of the opportunity to cause disruption. And with 1 in 5 Americans getting their news only from social media, the impact is huge. The reason social media is such a powerful medium for this illicit activity is that perpetrators are able to hide behind fake accounts, creating ties to communities and causes in a seemingly legitimate manner. 

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Twitter has confirmed that, even if he is re-elected as US president in 2024, Donald Trump will not be allowed to use the platform ever again.

The former president was unceremoniously kicked off Twitter towards the end of his leadership after concerns that his tweets were an incitement to violence. The company hit Trump with permanent suspension back in January, and has now made it clear that permanent really does mean permanent.

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I’m no Trumper. This prediction has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with how social media actually works. Following the U.S. Capitol riot of January 6th, President Trump was bumped from nearly all social media, even YouTube, with many of those changes subsequently made permanent. These moves led to speculation that Trump would be hobbled without his beloved accounts, his immediate impact on public discourse muted without the ability to tweet. While this may be true in the very immediate sense, it won’t last. Even Trump, the technical luddite, will figure it out and roar back shortly with or without those accounts.

This prediction is very similar in thinking to a column I wrote last August -- President Trump thinks he can shut down WeChat: It won’t work. That column made the simple point that such bans are hard to make stick, even for a U.S. President, simply because of the international nature and foreign hosting of the WeChat service.

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The fallout from Donald Trump's ban from Twitter and suspension from Facebook, and Amazon's de-platforming of Parler continues as large numbers of users have been signing up to alternative social networks.

Many of these like Gab and Mastodon are decentralized in that they run on their own servers rather than relying on the public cloud so they are not at the mercy of larger businesses.

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Parler, the social platform launched in 2018 that brands itself as a 'free speech network' has gone offline following a decision by AWS to ban the service from its servers.

This follows hard on the heels of Twitter's decision to impose a life ban on Donald Trump. As we reported last year Parler had become a popular destination for those of a more right-wing persuasion worried about Twitter's censorship policies.

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Twitter's verification program has been on hold for quite some time now, but the company recently revealed that users would be able to start applying for the coveted blue tick in 2021.

Now Twitter has shared more details about getting verified and there is some good news for anyone itching to get a blue tick -- more people now qualify to be verified. There's not long to wait, and the company has published information about how to apply for verification in 2021.

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The blue tick of verification is something a huge number of Twitter users crave. Sadly for those who are desperate for validation, the company placed a paused of verifying accounts quite some time ago. But this is about to change.

2020 has been a terrible year for many people for numerous reasons, but for those seeking Twitter verification, things could be about to improve. The company has announced that its verification program is about to start up again. So... how do you get verified on Twitter?

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Right now, we are still waiting for the winner of the 2020 US presidential election to be determined, with vote counting still continuing in several states. But the fact that counting is not yet complete has not stopped Trump declaring victory.

The current president has also used his favorite medium, tweeting, to make numerous false claims about the election. Twitter responded accordingly, attaching warnings to tweets in which Trump claimed the Democrats were trying to "STEAL the Election", made baseless accusations about "surprise ballot dumps" causing him to lose his lead in some states, as well as claiming victory in Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, and Michigan.

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