Sorta, but it's actually still usable. It's just very unreliablePowers wrote: ↑Sun Mar 10, 2024 6:12 amHe did kill Nitter [F] though.Time_Traveller wrote: ↑Sun Mar 10, 2024 5:18 amIn my opinion, nothing lasts forever and it was bound to happen sooner or later, if it was under him or not.
Social Media & Big Tech news and discussions
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Re: Social Media & Big Tech news and discussions
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Re: Social Media & Big Tech news and discussions
Reddit looking to raise almost $750 million in initial public offering
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/reddit-lookin ... hKiRYUIOxoMon, 11 March 2024, 1:22 pm GMT
Social media company Reddit is looking to raise almost $750 million in an initial public offering of its common stock.
The company said in a regulatory filing that the IPO will include 22 million shares of Class A common stock. Reddit is offering approximately 15.3 million shares, while the selling stockholders are offering about 6.7 million shares.
Reddit anticipates that the IPO will be priced between $31 and $34 per share. At the midpoint of that range Reddit would raise about $451 million, and it plans to use proceeds for general corporate purposes, taxes and possibly acquisitions.
"We all have our time machines, don't we. Those that take us back are memories...And those that carry us forward, are dreams."
-H.G Wells.
-H.G Wells.
Re: Social Media & Big Tech news and discussions
US House votes through bill to ban TikTok
Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington
AN HOUR AGO
The US House of Representatives has voted overwhelmingly to approve a bill that would ban app stores from distributing TikTok if its Chinese owner does not divest ownership of the video-sharing platform.
Republicans and Democrats came together in a 352-65 vote to back the bill, which also has the support of President Joe Biden, but is opposed by Donald Trump.
US security and intelligence officials have in recent days held classified briefings for lawmakers to stress what they say are the national security risks of allowing ByteDance, a Chinese company, to own TikTok.
https://www.ft.com/content/b1206aa9-279 ... dcceb636e7
Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington
AN HOUR AGO
The US House of Representatives has voted overwhelmingly to approve a bill that would ban app stores from distributing TikTok if its Chinese owner does not divest ownership of the video-sharing platform.
Republicans and Democrats came together in a 352-65 vote to back the bill, which also has the support of President Joe Biden, but is opposed by Donald Trump.
US security and intelligence officials have in recent days held classified briefings for lawmakers to stress what they say are the national security risks of allowing ByteDance, a Chinese company, to own TikTok.
https://www.ft.com/content/b1206aa9-279 ... dcceb636e7
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Re: Social Media & Big Tech news and discussions
More on that:wjfox wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 3:56 pm US House votes through bill to ban TikTok
...
https://www.ft.com/content/b1206aa9-279 ... dcceb636e7
'Blatant Censorship': Critics Blast US House Vote for TikTok Ban
by Brett Wilkins
March 13, 2024
Introduction:
Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/news/tiktok(Common Dreams) U.S. progressives on Wednesday decried what they called a xenophobic censorship bill passed by House lawmakers that would ban TikTok if its Chinese parent company doesn't sell its stake in the popular social media app, with critics arguing that Congress should instead pass a comprehensive digital privacy law.
Lawmakers passed the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act in an overwhelmingly bipartisan 352-65 vote. The legislation "prohibits distributing, maintaining, or providing internet hosting services for a foreign adversary-controlled application" like TikTok, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Chinese tech company ByteDance.
Fifty House Democrats and 15 Republicans voted against the bill.
"I voted no on the TikTok forced sale bill," Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) said in a statement. "While I have serious data privacy concerns with TikTok, this bill was rapidly rushed to a vote by the Republicans with almost no public scrutiny—and that's a recipe for unintended consequences."
"We need well-vetted, robust protections for TikTok users," Casar added. "Today's bill simply may not work."
Don't mourn, organize.
-Joe Hill
-Joe Hill
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Re: Social Media & Big Tech news and discussions
I'd agree with the article that a privacy bill is better, though I'm not sure about all the israel-palestine blabber
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Re: Social Media & Big Tech news and discussions
Steven Mnuchin putting together investor group to buy TikTok
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... buy-tiktokThu 14 Mar 2024 15.26 GMT
Steven Mnuchin is putting together an investor group to try to buy TikTok, he told CNBC on Thursday.
The former US treasury secretary’s comment comes just a day after the US House of Representatives passed a bill that would give the short-video app’s Chinese owner ByteDance about six months to divest the US assets or face a ban.
TikTok had called the bill a “ban” and urged senators to listen to their constituents before taking any action.
“I think the legislation should pass and I think it should be sold,” Mnuchin told CNBC’s Squawk Box on Thursday. “It’s a great business and I’m going to put together a group to buy TikTok,” he said.
Discussions of banning TikTok in the US have circulated for years, spurred by fears the China-based company could collect sensitive user data on American citizens – an allegation TikTok has repeatedly denied. Donald Trump attempted a ban in 2020, which ultimately did not succeed.
"We all have our time machines, don't we. Those that take us back are memories...And those that carry us forward, are dreams."
-H.G Wells.
-H.G Wells.
Re: Social Media & Big Tech news and discussions
Trump’s Social Media Company Is Finally Going Public. He Could Make Billions.
by Russ Choma
March 22, 2024
Introduction:
by Russ Choma
March 22, 2024
Introduction:
Read more here: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2 ... -public/(Mother Jones) After repeated delays, Donald Trump finally seems to be taking his Truth Social app public—an accomplishment that could set him up for a gigantic potential windfall. “Potential” being the operative word there.
In the moments after shareholders approved a merger between a publicly traded SPAC corporation and Trump Media and Technology Group—the parent company of Truth Social—the SPAC’s stock price began to slide. (A SPAC is a blank-slate corporation established for the sole purpose of merging with another business that wants to go public.) While some noted that the deal could give Trump an enormous shot of money right when he needs it most—he’s facing a deadline early next week to pony up around half a billion dollars for a bond in his fraud case—the stock’s initial volatility also wiped approximately that much money off his balance sheet in a matter of hours. Of course, that’s a danger with any publicly traded stock, and it’s entirely possible that the price will have rebounded by the time you read this. But it demonstrates why the long-awaited merger doesn’t necessarily solve Trump’s cash problems.
Trump established Truth Social in 2022 to be a MAGA-version of Twitter, and the app has sputtered along, powered almost exclusively by Trump’s own posting on the site.
Don't mourn, organize.
-Joe Hill
-Joe Hill
my take on social media and its consequences
My experiences with social media are mostly negative, especially after 2016.
On Facebook 99% of posts from "friends" were:
• bragging about something
• complaining about something
• things which are funny for them, but not for me
• things which are nice for them, but not for me
• "best wishes" for someone, because of some occasion like a birthday
My posts were rather neutral, as I mostly posted about tech (or science) developments, graphs, some YouTube videos, podcasts or books. Didn't get many likes though. When I went somewhere on holidays, I typically posted no photos or 1 photo, no more.
I hate short video format. I don't watch such time wasters and distractors. I like hour or longer documentaries and generally I don't watch videos which are below 15 minutes in length. So banning TikTok (and YouTube Shorts!!) is a very good idea if you ask me.
I sometimes, rarely go on Instagram, but I don't post anything there, I don't have any "friends" there, I just follow a few accounts. I will remain on Twitter and I won't open any new accounts on any new Twitter clones. I find myself feeling better when drastically reducing social media use.
Using social media can make you more anxious, more distracted and more lonely. Even, if you began using it in order to improve in those aspects.
On Facebook 99% of posts from "friends" were:
• bragging about something
• complaining about something
• things which are funny for them, but not for me
• things which are nice for them, but not for me
• "best wishes" for someone, because of some occasion like a birthday
My posts were rather neutral, as I mostly posted about tech (or science) developments, graphs, some YouTube videos, podcasts or books. Didn't get many likes though. When I went somewhere on holidays, I typically posted no photos or 1 photo, no more.
I hate short video format. I don't watch such time wasters and distractors. I like hour or longer documentaries and generally I don't watch videos which are below 15 minutes in length. So banning TikTok (and YouTube Shorts!!) is a very good idea if you ask me.
I sometimes, rarely go on Instagram, but I don't post anything there, I don't have any "friends" there, I just follow a few accounts. I will remain on Twitter and I won't open any new accounts on any new Twitter clones. I find myself feeling better when drastically reducing social media use.
Using social media can make you more anxious, more distracted and more lonely. Even, if you began using it in order to improve in those aspects.
Global economy doubles in product every 15-20 years. Computer performance at a constant price doubles nowadays every 4 years on average. Livestock-as-food will globally stop being a thing by ~2050 (precision fermentation and more). Human stupidity, pride and depravity are the biggest problems of our world.
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Re: Social Media & Big Tech news and discussions
EU investigates Apple, Meta and Google owner Alphabet under new tech law
https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... arkets-actMon 25 Mar 2024 13.17 GMT
Apple, Google’s parent company and Meta are being investigated by the EU for potential breaches of the bloc’s new laws designed to police anti-competitive behaviour by big technology companies.
The trio face significant fines if they are found guilty of breaching the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a landmark piece of regulation that came into force on 7 March and is aimed at increasing choice for online consumers.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said it was looking at potential breaches related to: Apple and Google’s measures allowing app developers to “steer” users to offers outside their app stores; whether Alphabet, Google’s owner, favours its own services such as Google shopping in search results on its search engine; Meta’s decision to charge users for an ad-free experience on Facebook and Instagram and whether it complies with DMA provisions on users’ personal data; and whether Apple is making it easy for users to pick alternative browsers on their phones.
“The commission suspects that the measures put in place by these gatekeepers fall short of effective compliance of their obligations under the DMA,” said the commission.
The law requires the six tech “gatekeepers” – Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft and the TikTok owner ByteDance, which provide services such as search engines, social networks and chat apps used by other businesses – to comply with guidance to ensure a level playing field for their rivals and to give users more choices.
"We all have our time machines, don't we. Those that take us back are memories...And those that carry us forward, are dreams."
-H.G Wells.
-H.G Wells.
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Re: Social Media & Big Tech news and discussions
DeSantis signs ban on kids using social media
https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-p ... k-consent/TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill blocking most kids from social media websites, setting up an expected court battle that could prevent the legislation from ever taking effect.
House Bill 3, passed by lawmakers with bipartisan support this month, forbids kids 13 and younger from creating social media accounts and requires the platforms to seek out and remove their profiles. Kids 14 and 15 would need parents’ consent.
The legislation also blocks all minors from adult websites, requiring all visitors to prove their age before viewing content.
Florida follows a handful of other states, from California to Arkansas, that have placed similar limits on kids’ social media use in response to rising rates of teen depression and suicide.
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Re: Social Media & Big Tech news and discussions
More news on this:-caltrek wrote: ↑Sat Mar 23, 2024 6:01 pm Trump’s Social Media Company Is Finally Going Public. He Could Make Billions.
by Russ Choma
March 22, 2024
Introduction:Read more here: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2 ... -public/(Mother Jones) After repeated delays, Donald Trump finally seems to be taking his Truth Social app public—an accomplishment that could set him up for a gigantic potential windfall. “Potential” being the operative word there.
In the moments after shareholders approved a merger between a publicly traded SPAC corporation and Trump Media and Technology Group—the parent company of Truth Social—the SPAC’s stock price began to slide. (A SPAC is a blank-slate corporation established for the sole purpose of merging with another business that wants to go public.) While some noted that the deal could give Trump an enormous shot of money right when he needs it most—he’s facing a deadline early next week to pony up around half a billion dollars for a bond in his fraud case—the stock’s initial volatility also wiped approximately that much money off his balance sheet in a matter of hours. Of course, that’s a danger with any publicly traded stock, and it’s entirely possible that the price will have rebounded by the time you read this. But it demonstrates why the long-awaited merger doesn’t necessarily solve Trump’s cash problems.
Trump established Truth Social in 2022 to be a MAGA-version of Twitter, and the app has sputtered along, powered almost exclusively by Trump’s own posting on the site.
Donald Trump media firm soars in stock market debut
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-686676642 hours ago
Shares in Donald Trump's media company have soared, as the firm makes its formal debut on the stock market.
Shares surged past $70 each in opening trade - a price that gives the firm a market value of more than $9bn.
The long-awaited moment will inject more than $200m into Trump Media & Technology Group and hands the former president a stake worth more than $5bn.
Analysts say that is far more than warranted, given the performance of the business.
Trump Media operates Truth Social, a Twitter-like service that brought in just $3.3m in revenue in the first nine months of last year and lost nearly $50m.
"We all have our time machines, don't we. Those that take us back are memories...And those that carry us forward, are dreams."
-H.G Wells.
-H.G Wells.
- Time_Traveller
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Re: Social Media & Big Tech news and discussions
TikTok to take on Instagram with photo app
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cge8j2dyg1qo9 April 2024, 16:16 BST
TikTok is to take on social media rival, Instagram, by launching a photo-sharing app.
The company said it was working on a "dedicated space" for images and text.
Some users have received notifications saying their photo posts will be shared to a new "TikTok Notes" app unless they opt out.
It is the latest example of social media firms imitating each others' products - including Instagram launching Reels, a TikTok-like video tool, in 2020.
“The copycat phenomenon runs rampant across social media platforms", Mike Proulx, a research director at analysis firm Forrester, told the BBC.
"We all have our time machines, don't we. Those that take us back are memories...And those that carry us forward, are dreams."
-H.G Wells.
-H.G Wells.
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Re: Social Media & Big Tech news and discussions
No way it can save (live) from that.
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Re: Social Media & Big Tech news and discussions
Apple removes WhatsApp and Threads from Chinese App Store
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/ ... -app-storeFri 19 Apr 2024 07.46 BST
Apple has removed WhatsApp and Threads from its Chinese App Store after the Chinese government ordered it to do so for “national security” reasons.
Apple confirmed it had withdrawn the two apps – both owned by Meta, also the owner of Facebook – under instruction from the Cyberspace Administration of China, which regulates and censors China’s highly restricted internet and online content.
“The Cyberspace Administration of China ordered the removal of these apps from the China storefront based on their national security concerns,” Apple said in an emailed statement to Reuters. “We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree.”
China’s Great Firewall blocks numerous foreign apps and websites – including WhatsApp – from being accessed or used domestically, but individuals can often bypass the blocks using VPNs. Apple users in China can still download WhatsApp and Threads if they have iCloud accounts set outside China.
China’s ruling Communist party continues to tighten its control over internet usage in the country, with comprehensive censorship of sensitive topics on social media, and monitoring of communication. It has proposed policies designed to reduce the amount of time children spend online.
"We all have our time machines, don't we. Those that take us back are memories...And those that carry us forward, are dreams."
-H.G Wells.
-H.G Wells.
- Time_Traveller
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Re: Social Media & Big Tech news and discussions
Quarter of children under seven own smartphones
https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/smar ... 31304.html5 hours ago
Around a quarter of five-to-seven-year-olds now own a smartphone, and three-quarters use a tablet or computer, according to a new study from Ofcom.
In its annual study of children’s relationship with the media and online worlds, Ofcom said the number of children aged between five and seven who go online to send messages or make voice and video calls had risen 6 per cent on last year to 65 per cent, while half now watch live-streamed content, up from 39 per cent.
The use of social media sites has also risen, with 38 per cent of the young age group now said to be using social media platforms, with WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram and Discord in particular seeing growth – despite these sites requiring users to be at least 13 years old to have an account.
In addition, the study also found that while 42 per cent of parents said they used social media with their child, 32 per cent said their child used social media independently.
"We all have our time machines, don't we. Those that take us back are memories...And those that carry us forward, are dreams."
-H.G Wells.
-H.G Wells.
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