twitter

5Dec

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

POLITICS

Black Twitter’s Expected Demise Would Make It Harder To Publicize Police Brutality And Discuss Racism

Before the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile and Sandra Bland were propelled into the media spotlight, their names were Twitter #hashtags. In 2020, Twitter was essential to the spread of historic Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality across the world. But Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has thrown the future of Black Twitter into question. Social media users argue that the takeover has already had an impact on the Black social media community. For instance, not only do multiple sources report an almost immediate spike in the use of the N-word, but Musk has also allegedly mocked Black Lives Matter in general and the group’s apparel found at Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco, California. The impact of Musk’s takeover is so abundantly clear that...

Twitter Lifted Its Ban On COVID Misinformation – Research Shows This Is A Grave Risk To Public Health

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS, VIDEO REELS

Twitter Lifted Its Ban On COVID Misinformation – Research Shows This Is A Grave Risk To Public Health

Twitter’s decision to no longer enforce its COVID-19 misinformation policy, quietly posted on the site’s rules page and listed as effective Nov. 23, 2022, has researchers and experts in public health seriously concerned about the possible repercussions. Health misinformation is not new. A classic case is the misinformation about a purported but now disproven link between autism and the MMR vaccine based on a discredited study published in 1998. Such misinformation has severe consequences for public health. Countries that had stronger anti-vaccine movements against diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccines faced a higher incidence of pertussis in the late-20th century, for example. As a researcher who studies social media, I believe that reducing content moderation is a significant step...

With The Demise Of Twitter The World Would Lose: Valuable Eyewitness Accounts And Raw Data On Human Behavior, As Well As A Habitat For Trolls

26May

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SOCIAL MEDIA

With The Demise Of Twitter The World Would Lose: Valuable Eyewitness Accounts And Raw Data On Human Behavior, As Well As A Habitat For Trolls

What do a cybersecurity researcher building a system to generate alerts for detecting security threats and vulnerabilities, a wildfire watcher who tracks the spread of forest fires, and public health professionals trying to predict enrollment in health insurance exchanges have in common? They all rely on analyzing data from Twitter. Twitter is a microblogging service, meaning it’s designed for sharing posts of short segments of text and embedded audio and video clips. The ease with which people can share information among millions of others worldwide on Twitter has made it very popular for real-time conversations. Whether it is people tweeting about their favorite sports teams, or organizations and public figures using Twitter to reach a mass audience, Twitter has been part of the collec...

Twitter Private – What That Means For The Company And Its Chances Of Success

28Oct

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

BUSINESS, IN OTHER NEWS

Twitter Private – What That Means For The Company And Its Chances Of Success

Elon Musk has finally completed his US$44 billion deal to acquire Twitter and take it private. The world’s richest man has already begun putting his imprint on the social network by firing four of its top executives. While most people are likely familiar with the idea of taking a private company public – the process that allows individuals to buy and sell a company’s shares in the stock market – the reverse process is not as well understood and happens far less often. As a business and law professor, I have been analyzing mergers, privatizations and other corporate deals for over two decades. The most common question I have been getting from students and faculty colleagues is why would Musk want to take Twitter private? Or more simply, what does it mean to go private? The answers to th...

A Cybersecurity Expert Explains A Whistleblower’s Claims – Did Twitter Ignore Basic Security Measures?

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

TECHNOLOGY, VIDEO REELS

A Cybersecurity Expert Explains A Whistleblower’s Claims – Did Twitter Ignore Basic Security Measures?

Twitter’s former security chief, Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, filed a whistleblower complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission in July 2022, accusing the microblogging platform company of serious security failings. The accusations amplified the ongoing drama of Twitter’s potential sale to Elon Musk. Zatko spent decades as an ethical hacker, private researcher, government adviser and executive at some of the most prominent internet companies and government offices. He is practically a legend in the cybersecurity industry. Because of his reputation, when he speaks, people and governments normally listen – which underscores the seriousness of his complaint against Twitter. As a former cybersecurity industry practitioner and current cybersecurity researcher, I believe that Zatko’s most d...

The Question Is Difficult To Answer And Misses The Point – How Many Bots Are On Twitter?

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

TECHNOLOGY

The Question Is Difficult To Answer And Misses The Point – How Many Bots Are On Twitter?

Twitter reports that fewer than 5% of accounts are fakes or spammers, commonly referred to as “bots.” Since his offer to buy Twitter was accepted, Elon Musk has repeatedly questioned these estimates, even dismissing Chief Executive Officer Parag Agrawal’s public response. Later, Musk put the deal on hold and demanded more proof. So why are people arguing about the percentage of bot accounts on Twitter? As the creators of Botometer, a widely used bot detection tool, our group at the Indiana University Observatory on Social Media has been studying inauthentic accounts and manipulation on social media for over a decade. We brought the concept of the “social bot” to the foreground and first estimated their prevalence on Twitter in 2017. Based on our knowledge and experience, we believe tha...

Research Shows Content Rules On Twitter Help Preserve Free Speech From Bots And Other Manipulation – Elon Musk Is Wrong

11May

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SOCIAL MEDIA

Research Shows Content Rules On Twitter Help Preserve Free Speech From Bots And Other Manipulation – Elon Musk Is Wrong

Elon Musk’s accepted bid to purchase Twitter has triggered a lot of debate about what it means for the future of the social media platform, which plays an important role in determining the news and information many people – especially Americans – are exposed to. Musk has said he wants to make Twitter an arena for free speech. It’s not clear what that will mean, and his statements have fueled speculation among both supporters and detractors. As a corporation, Twitter can regulate speech on its platform as it chooses. There are bills being considered in the U.S. Congress and by the European Union that address social media regulation, but these are about transparency, accountability, illegal harmful content and protecting users’ rights, rather than regulating speech. Musk’s calls for free s...

Comments About Twitter By Elon Musk Don’t Square With The Social Media’s Platform Reality

4May

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

IN OTHER NEWS, SOCIAL MEDIA

Comments About Twitter By Elon Musk Don’t Square With The Social Media’s Platform Reality

On April 25, 2022, Twitter’s board of directors accepted Elon Musk’s US$44 billion hostile takeover bid. Twitter’s statement announcing the deal included comments from the Tesla and SpaceX CEO: “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated. I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans.” The problem with Musk’s statement is that it fundamentally misunderstands speech, algorithms and bots and human authentication. As a researcher who studies social media, I believe that if anything is cause for concern about this transaction, it is this ...

Could Elon Musk’s Plans For Twitter Make Its Misinformation Problems Worse

27Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SOCIAL MEDIA

Could Elon Musk’s Plans For Twitter Make Its Misinformation Problems Worse

Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, acquired Twitter in a US$44 billion deal on April 25, 2022, 11 days after announcing his bid for the company. Twitter announced that the public company will become privately held after the acquisition is complete. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission for his initial bid for the company, Musk stated, “I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy.” As a researcher of social media platforms, I find that Musk’s ownership of Twitter and his stated reasons for buying the company raise important issues. Those issues stem from the nature of the social media platform and what sets it apart from others. ...

Climate Disinformation In Ads Banned By Twitter

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

IN OTHER NEWS

Climate Disinformation In Ads Banned By Twitter

Twitter will no longer allow “misleading advertisements” that “contradict the scientific consensus on climate change,” on its platform, the company announced Friday. Earlier this month, the Climate Disinformation Coalition called on Big Tech to confront climate denial, particularly Twitter, which performed the worst on its scorecard. Days later, Pinterest announced robust new community standards to protect users from climate misinformation, and former President Obama praised the company for doing so. That was perhaps the final push Twitter needed to announce, on Earth Day, that it has formalized rules prohibiting climate disinformation in advertising. While existing policies against misleading advertisements already prevent climate denial ads in theory, Axios reported, Twitter is followin...