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Facebook has been slapped with a billion pound fine for misuse of data. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission has given the Meta-owned social media brand a record-breaking penalty of £1 billion for violating the European Union’s General Data Protection Act when they shifted user information between Europe and the United States. The law mandates businesses to ask for consent from the data holders before they apply it to other sections of the business. The decision revolves around the use of standard contractual clauses to send EU data overseas, which are made by the European Commission and make …

Twitter Blue subscribers are now able to upload two-hour videos to the site. Elon Musk – who acquired the micro-blogging platform in 2022 for $44 billion – has taken to Twitter to announce the change for Twitter Blue subscribers. Musk, 51, wrote online: “Twitter Blue Verified subscribers can now upload 2 hour videos (8GB)! (sic)” The billionaire businessmen has made a concerted effort to overhaul the platform and make it more profitable since he bought the company. However, his Twitter Blue policy has proven to be very divisive, with critics arguing that users shouldn’t have to pay for their b…

Reese Witherspoon spent Mother’s Day with her sons amid her divorce from Jim Toth. The 47-year-old ‘Cruel Intentions’ actress’ celebration marked her first mum’s day since filing for divorce from actor Jim, 52, on 1 April and her day included sharing donuts, cookies, cake slices and cinnamon rolls at The Continental in Tennessee on Sunday. (14.05.23) Reese posted a set of snaps on her Instagram in a booth at the restaurant with her and Jim’s 10-year-old son, Tennessee, as well as her 17-year-old son, Deacon, who she had with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe, 48, and who sat beside her mum, Betty Rees…

Xbox has stopped players from sharing screenshots from the game directly from the console to Twitter. Microsoft didn’t say why it had chosen to disable the feature. However, it’s still able to share pictures from the Xbox app. Xbox said in an update: “We have had to disable the ability to share game uploads to Twitter directly from the console and Game Bar on Windows. “You can still share your favourite moments to Twitter via the Xbox app for Android and iOS.” It comes after Twitter’s Elon Musk started charging for use of the micro-blogging app’s API (Application Programming Interface). Basic-…

Linda Yaccarino has been named Twitter’s new CEO. Elon Musk has announced that the ex-NBCUniversal executive will lead the social media company- that he has been helming since his $44 billion takeover went through last October – as they make the apparent move to become X, an everything app styled after the Chinese- app, WeChat. According to the 51-year-old billionaire, she will assume the reins in six weeks’ time. Elon wrote on Twitter: “Looking forward to working with Linda to transform this platform into X, the everything app.” The SpaceX founder has been widely criticised for his time at th…

Linda Yaccarino has been named Twitter’s new CEO. Elon Musk has announced that the ex-NBCUniversal executive will lead the social media company- that he has been helming since his $44 billion takeover went through last October – as they make the apparent move to become X, an everything app styled after the Chinese- app, WeChat. According to the 51-year-old billionaire, she will assume the reins in six weeks’ time. Elon wrote on Twitter: “Looking forward to working with Linda to transform this platform into X, the everything app.” The SpaceX founder has been widely criticised for his time at th…

Dame Helen Mirren was introduced to Instagram by Vin Diesel. The 77-year-old actress has more than one million followers on the photo-sharing platform, and she’s admitted to being introduced to Instagram by the ‘Fast and Furious’ star. Helen told ‘Entertainment Tonight’: “It was Vin and his team who sort of first introduced me to Instagram. “That was, like, I don’t know how many years ago – seven years ago? – but it was a world I wasn’t really aware of and they went, ‘Oh, no, Helen, you’ve gotta do this.'” The award-winning actress joined Instagram in December 2016 and she quickly developed a …

Elon Musk is ready to step down as Twitter CEO. The 51-year-old business mogul bought the social media platform in October but vowed to find someone else to run the company in December after conducting a poll via his own Twitter account, and he’s now announced he’s hired an unnamed female executive to take over in the next few weeks. He tweeted: “Excited to announce that I’ve hired a new CEO for X/Twitter. She will be starting in ~6 weeks! “My role will transition to being exec chair + CTO, overseeing product, software + sysops.(sic)” Although Elon didn’t name his successor, the Wall Street Jo…

Elon Musk is “purging” inactive Twitter accounts. The 51-year-old CEO of the microblogging site – which he took over for $44 billion late last year – has warned that users might see their “follow count” become lesser but gave no timeline. He tweeted: “We’re purging accounts that have had no activity at all for several years, so you will probably see follower count drop.” Elon first teased this policy back in December as he intended to “start freeing the name space of 1.5 billion accounts.” He added: “These are obvious account deletions with no tweets and no log in for years.” The SpaceX founde…

Chrissy Teigen misses the “danger and destruction” of Twitter. The 37-year-old star has likened the micro-blogging platform to “a full nicotine vape” and Chrissy has suggested that Bluesky Social – the increasingly popular social media platform – is a healthier alternative. Chrissy – who has Luna, seven, Miles, four, and Esti, three months, with her husband John Legend – wrote on Twitter: “twitter is a full nicotine vape and blue sky is the water vape you use to wean off. I miss the danger and destruction of twitter but I know it’s better for me. It’s just missing a little unhingedness, like w…

Heidi Klum has disabled Instagram comments on her account after being criticised for posing in lingerie with her daughter. The former Victoria’s Secret model, 49, teamed up with her 18-year-old daughter Leni for an underwear shoot for Italian lingerie brand Intimissimi, sharing the shots on her social media account. Heidi’s caption read: “If you see me and @leniklum on billboards all over Germany … tag us and we’ll share our favourites on our stories!” However, the ‘America’s Got Talent’ judge’s post backfired and she made the decision to restrict comments after followers slammed the campaign …

WordPress has dropped Twitter integration from the platform. Since Elon Musk’s takeover, the social media platform stopped offering free API subscriptions for developers wanting to integrate Twitter into their apps, instead introducing paid Enterprise subscription tiers starting at $42,000 per month. Now, WordPress has confirmed Twitter is being removed from JetPack, which is an official plugin run by the platform and its parent company Automattic allowing users to automatically share content directly to a number of social media sites. In a statement, Automattic said: “Twitter decided, on shor…

Jack Dorsey has blasted Elon Musk’s leadership of Twitter. The outspoken businessman bought the micro-blogging platform for $44 billion in 2022, and Dorsey – who co-founded Twitter – has criticised Musk’s leadership over recent months. Asked if he believed Musk was the right leader for company, Dorsey said on Bluesky: “No.” Dorsey also suggested that the Twitter board made a mistake in pressuring Musk to complete the takeover, after he previously tried to walk away from the deal. He continued: “No. Nor do I think he acted right after realizing his timing was bad. Nor do I think the board shoul…

Twitter mistakenly verified a fake explicit account posing as Disney. The blunder, which came days after Twitter’s new policy from boss Elon Musk removed blue and gold ticks from verified accounts, saw an account with the handle @DisneyJuniorUK given a gold verification tick before it was suspended by the firm. When the account realised it had been assigned a gold tick, it tweeted: “No f****** way.” Twitter’s press office responded with a poo emoji when Sky News contacted it about the mistake. Twitter recently removed blue and gold ticks from verified accounts and organisations as part of a co…

Twitter has verified some of its more high-profile accounts for free. Beyonce, Victoria Beckham and Harry Kane are some of the many users who have had their blue tick resorted since April 20th, the day that CEO Elon Musk removed the mark of authentication from accounts not subscribed to Twitter Blue, the premium tier of the microblogging service that costs roughly $8 a month. Before the 51-year-old entrepreneur acquired the site for $44 billion last year, the blue tick featured on accounts of both individuals and organisations that were notable for combating impersonation and misinformation. U…

Lauren Jauregui labelled Elon Musk a “clown” after her blue tick was reinstated by Twitter. The 26-year-old singer blasted the billionaire businessman – who bought Twitter for $44 billion last year – after her blue-tick status was restored by the platform. Lauren – who shot to fame as part of Fifth Harmony – wrote on the micro-blogging site: “Wait a minute now [laughing emoji] y’all do you really think I paid for this??? [laughing emoji] thank you for my blue check back but I guarantee I didn’t pay, unless Elon took up my tab too [laughing emoji] (sic)” Elon previously announced plans to intro…

Facebook users who accessed the platform from the US can now apply for their slice of the firm’s $725 million privacy-breach settlement. Meta, which owns Facebook, has denied any wrongdoing but agreed to the settlement after a complaint was filed on behalf of a millions of users of the platform over data sharing linked to political consultancy Cambridge Analytica. Anyone who used Facebook in the US between 24 May 2007 to 22 December 2022 can now claim, with the number of people who could get payouts “in the range of 250-280 million” people, according to the ruling document. Claims can be filed…

Elon Musk has threatened to sue Microsoft. The Twitter CEO has accused the software giant of using user data from his social media giant without authorisation. The 51-year-old billionaire tweeted: “They trained illegally using Twitter data. Lawsuit time.” The message came as a reaction to Microsoft proposing to take Twitter from its business advertising platform and no further information was given by the Tesla boss. When approached for comment by BBC News, the Bill Gates-founded company decline to respond. However, previously they announced that its ad service would “no longer support Twitter…

Elon Musk has slammed media groups refusing to pay $1,000-a-month for Twitter’s corporate blue ticks as he thinks it is a “small” amount of money. The world’s second-richest man, 51, who finalised his controversial Twitter buy-up for $44 billion in October, hit out after news outlets joined famous faces and even the White House in declaring they wouldn’t fork out for a verified checkmark next to their name on the microblogging platform. Elon told the BBC in a surprise sit-down chat on Tuesday (11.04.23) night about the company’s premium subscription plan: “It’s a small amount of money, so I do…

Elon Musk says owning Twitter has been “painful”. The SpaceX CEO feels he has been “under constant attack” after he slashed more than half of the 8,000-strong workforce when his $44 billion purchase of the social media giant went through last October and did it to save the site. The 51-year-old billionaire told BBC News’ journalist James Clayton on Twitter Live: “The issue is like the company’s going to go bankrupt if we do not cut costs immediately. “This is not a caring, uncaring situation. It’s like if the whole ship sinks then nobody’s got a job. “What would you do? If you’ve four months t…

Jack Black says it’s “not cool” to pay for a blue tick on Twitter. The 53-year-old ‘School of Rock’ star weighed in on the new rules coming into force on the social media site since tech billionaire Elon Musk took over – with high profile figures and companies being asked to pay a subscription fee to retain their verified status – insisting he has no intention of handing over any cash to keep his blue tick and plans to call Musk’s “bluff” on the matter. Speaking to Variety, Black explained: “I don’t know if I’m going to pay for it. I’m a little embarrassed by the blue check to be honest with y…

Elon Musk says you must be subscribed to Twitter Blue to get your tweets recommended. The Twitter CEO revealed a shake-up to the website that means users must fork out to their premium tier of the social media website – which is currently marketed as a way to get verified with a ‘blue tick’ – in order to feature your posts on the ‘for you’ tab mid next month. Elon tweeted: “Starting April 15th, only verified accounts will be eligible to be in For You recommendations. He added this was “the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over. It is otherwise a hopeless losing battl…

Elon Musk says Twitter code was leaked online. The social media giant – which was purchased by the Tesla CEO last October for $44 billion – had some of the programming scripts that makes the website posted without their consent on the Microsoft-backed service GitHub. A GitHub rep told BBC News: “GitHub does not generally comment on decisions to remove content. However, in the interest of transparency, we share every DMCA [Digital Millennium Copyright Act] takedown request publicly.” The DMCA – which was brought into law in 1998 – seeks to protect copyrighted material hosted on the internet. In…

Meta is developing a Twitter rival, say reports. The parent company of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp is believed to making a text-based app like the microblogging app that has been struggling under its new owner, Elon Musk, 51. A company rep told BBC News: “We’re exploring a standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates. “We believe there’s an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests.” This comes amid the Tesla founder spending $44 billion on the site and slashing more tha…

FKA Twigs has gone Instagram official with new boyfriend Jordan Hemingway. The 35-year-old singer – whose real name is Tahliah Debrett Barnett – has confirmed her relationship with the photographer, director and cinematographer after people had been speculating about her “mystery man”. She wrote: “The whole of my career i’ve been hunted for who i am dating. so this time i’m pipping you to the post and taking control of the situation. “his name is @jordan_hemingway, a beautiful artist whose heart has restored my faith in love. “pap pics will always be rough so swipe for the hot pics. and now i’…

Twitter experienced tech issues for the second time in a week. The microblogging site was hit another fault on Monday after users reported problems with viewing photos and videos just days after the homepage was hit with outages. The Twitter Support account posted during the problem: “Some parts of Twitter may not be working as expected right now. We made an internal change that had some unintended consequences. We’re working on this now and will share an update when it’s fixed.” When the fault was fixed, they shared an update, writing: “Things should now be working as normal. Thanks for stick…

Twitter can’t stop trolls anymore, say insiders. According to data and employees at the tech giant, the microblogging site cannot stop online harassment and doxing due to staffing cuts carried out by Elon Musk, who took over the site in late 2022 for $44 billion, amid a wider trend of slashing employee numbers in the sector. Sam – which is not his real name – told the BBC’s investigative journalism programme, ‘Panorama’: “For someone on the inside, it’s like a building where all the pieces are on fire. “When you look at it from the outside, the façade looks fine, but I can see that nothing is …

Meta is looking to “turbocharge” its use of artificial intelligence for WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Instagram. The company’s chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has weighed in on plans to launch a new team which aims to add AI abilities to the various products. In a Facebook post, he wrote: “We’re creating a new top-level product group at Meta focused on generative AI to turbocharge our work in this area. “We’re starting by pulling together a lot of the teams working on generative AI across the company into one group focused on building delightful experiences around this technology into all o…

Twitter is going to charge for two-factor authentication. The microblogging app announced its plans to include the usually standard feature in their paid-for-model Twitter Blue – which also gives users a highly coveted Blue Tick – late next month amid concerns about the financial health of the site. The Twitter support page posted: “Effective March 20, 2023, only Twitter Blue subscribers will be able to use text messages as their two-factor authentication method. Other accounts can use an authentication app or security key for 2FA.” Elon – who took control of the site after forking out $44 bil…

Instagram and Facebook are to offer paid-for verification. Their parent company Meta is gearing up to offer their Meta Verified scheme – which will set users back $11.99 a month on browsers and $14.99 on iOS – this week in select locations. The CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg believes the move – which comes after rival Twitter launched Twitter Blue, a paid-for model – will give better security and authenticity on their social media apps. Previously, verification was granted to people deemed notable in their field – whether it be media, politics or another high profile sector – as part of an at…

Megan Fox has returned to Instagram to insist Machine Gun Kelly hasn’t cheated on her. The 36-year-old ‘Transformers’ actress’ relationship with the ‘Wild Boy’ rapper, 32, has been in headlines for the last week after she sparked break-up rumours, with fans then speculating MGK had been unfaithful with the guitarist in his band, Sophie Lloyd. Megan deleted her Instagram account after wiping all photos of the rapper from her feed, but returned to the platform on Sunday (19.02.23) and declared there had been no “third party interference” between the couple. She posted: “There has been no third-p…

Lauren Jauregui has threatened to quit Twitter after the company changed its verification policy. The 26-year-old singer – who shot to stardom as part of Fifth Harmony – has slammed new Twitter boss Elon Musk and suggested she could quit the platform after the company tried to charge her for her blue-tick status. Lauren – who has more than four million followers on Twitter – wrote: “I just received this message when I opened Twitter… @elonmusk how is this ok? When we have legitimate careers that depend on our verifications as people pretend to be me every single day on this site. I’ve had this…

Lauren Jauregui has threatened to quit Twitter after the company changed its verification policy. The 26-year-old singer – who shot to stardom as part of Fifth Harmony – slammed new Twitter boss Elon Musk and suggested she could quit the platform after the company tried to charge her for her blue-tick status. Lauren – who has more than four million followers on Twitter – wrote: “I just received this message when I opened Twitter… @elonmusk how is this ok? When we have legitimate careers that depend on our verifications as people pretend to be me every single day on this site. I’ve had this ver…

Elon Musk is reportedly contemplating buying Manchester United – for real this time. The Twitter and Tesla CEO, 51, who is worth an estimated $157 billion, last year joked about buying it, but is now said to be eyeing a $5.5 billion buy-out of the Premier League club, according to the Daily Mail. He has until Friday’s (17.02.23) deadline day to make his bid, sources also told the Mail. SpaceX founder Elon – the second-richest man in the world – sent Twitter into a frenzy in 2022 by announcing plans to buy the football club before he confirmed it was all a joke. In a series of tweets he said on…

Tom Brady has posed semi-naked on Instagram four months after he finalised his divorce from Gisele Bündchen. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, 45, sat for the shot in his underwear, a week after his model ex-wife posed in a skimpy bikini for a beach photoshoot. He captioned the image, which showed him sitting in brown underwear and putting his hands over his privates: “Did I do this right?” Tom tagged his fellow NFL stars Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski in the post, uploaded on Monday (06.02.23), and added “a deal’s a deal” in reference to his previous promise to recreate photogra…

Nintendo UK has opened a new Twitter account for its My Nintendo Store. The gaming giant launched its @MyNintendoUK Twitter handle in January and the account has just posted its first-ever tweet. The message on the micro-blogging platform reads: “Hello and welcome to the official #MyNintendoStore Twitter account for the UK and Ireland. “Follow the channel to stay up to date about all things My Nintendo Store! (sic)” The account – which is specifically for the My Nintendo Store in the UK and Ireland and currently has fewer than 10,000 followers – is set to be used to share updates about new rel…

Britney Spears has returned to Instagram and declared she is “not having a breakdown”. The 41-year-old pop star has revived her page on the social media platform a week after taking it down – which prompted worried fans to call in authorities to perform a welfare check on her – and she’s now shared a lengthy post insisting she has “never felt better”. In a post shared late on Sunday night (29.01.23), Britney wrote: “Since everyone thinks they know my story. Think again!!! “A mere side of any given Sunday doesn’t show worship placing someones story out there … it’s a day of welcoming … not a ri…

Twitter is being sued for leaving up posts targeting Jewish people and denying the Holocaust. Two European groups are taking legal action against the microblogging site for allegedly failing to take down six anti semitic posts shared on the website back in 2021. Germany – the country where the case is taking place – prohibits by law anti semitism and Holocaust denial. Twitter – which is now owned and run by Elon Musk, who acquired the site for $44 billion last year- have not cited the case in their communications, which is largely carried out by the 51-year billionaire via his own personal Twi…

Gerard Pique has appeared to confirm his relationship with Clara Chia Marti. The former professional footballer, 35, has gone Instagram official with the 23-year-old PR student as he shared a picture of the pair cosying up together. Ex-Barcelona star Gerard didn’t add a caption to his image. Shakira and Gerard – who have sons Milan, 10, and Sasha, seven, together – confirmed in June that they had split after 11 years together. The pair said in a joint statement at the time: “We regret to confirm that we are separating. “We ask for privacy at this moment for the well-being of our children, who …

Ireland Baldwin says people reporting her on Instagram for posting racy photos can “suck my a**”. The 27-year-old model – who announced on New Year’s Eve she is expecting her first child with her musician boyfriend RAC – reposted on Instagram a series of images of her showing off her growing baby bump, which she said were family friendly versions of snaps critics had reported for apparently violating the platform’s guidelines, which include nudity rules. She said alongside a carousel of the images on Monday (23.01.23) night: “Reposting the pg-13 selects because y’all love to report me.” One of…

The Taliban have started paying for blue ticks on Twitter. The two members ruling party of Afghanistan have signed up for Twitter Blue – a paid-for model of the social media giant with sets users back $8 a month – therefore giving them verification amid their decision to roll back hard won rights for women and other groups in society. Hedayatullah Hedayat – who boasts 187,000 followers and is the head of the group’s department for “access to information” – is one of the many who have given himself the online status symbol, which used to be given out by the site to figures and organisations the…

Twitter has been accused of “unlawful, unfair and completely unacceptable” treatment of its employees. In a legal letter, seen by BBC News, Twitter has been accused by 43 employees of failing to meet its legal requirements. In particular, the micro-blogging platform – which was acquired by Elon Musk for $44 billion in 2022 – is facing claims that it failed to properly consult over job losses in the UK. The letter – which has been written by solicitors Winckworth Sherwood – calls the redundancy process a “sham”. Twitter – which is also facing legal challenges from employees in the US – was requ…

Instagram is removing the Shop tab. The Meta-owned social media app has reassured users that it’s still fully invested in building valuable shopping experiences for users, but it’s simply changing how shops are viewed from February. A new blog post read: “Starting in February, we are changing Instagram’s navigation to make it easier for people to share and connect with their friends and interests. The navigation bar at the bottom of the app will now have the shortcut for creating content in the centre and Reels to the right.” Meta added: “As part of this change, the Instagram Shop tab will be …

Millions of Twitter users’ data was ‘stolen’, say reports. The email addresses of more than 200 million Twitter users were handed out free of charge on a hacker forum, accoridng to a website. Twitter did not respond to the claims but Alon Gal – a representative from Hudson Rock, the company who made the allegation – ruled it “significant”. He told BBC News that it unfortunately led to a lot of accounts getting hacked, targeted with phishing, and doxxed.” The latter is publishing personal information, such as their location, that can lead to the idenification. Last month, a watchdog was ordered…

Twitter is set to relax its ban on political advertising. The ban has been in place for the last three years, but the micro-blogging platform – which was acquired by Elon Musk in 2022 – has now announced its intention to scrap the policy. The company tweeted: “We’re relaxing our ads policy for cause-based ads in the US.” The ban was first introduced amid widespread criticism of Twitter and its potential influence. But the company has now performed a U-turn, with Twitter’s new owner seeking new revenue streams. In a statement, the company added: “We also plan to expand the political advertising…

Sara Bareilles has got engaged. The ‘Love Song’ hitmaker has shown off her new ring on Instagram after revealing she had said “yes to marrying” Joe Tippett, who she first met in 2015 and publicly revealed she was dating at the 2017 Tony Awards. Sharing a photo of the couple looking into each others eyes, with her hand propped up against her face to reveal her engagement ring, Sara captioned her post: “Yes to marrying this man. It’s an easy, earned, relaxed YES. @joetipps you are exactly who I want. “The more I know you the more I know I love you…and you have introduced me to parts of myself I …

Elon Musk claimed Twitter “works” for him as users report issues with the site. The 51-year-old billionaire claimed everything was hunky dory at his end as many people on the microblogging site complained of an international outage for hours that left them unable to use it. According to the website, downdetector.com – which monitors site traffic – Twitter was down just before midnight on on Wednesday (28.12.22) at 7pm EST, with more reports of problems on the website as opposed to the app. Over the next hour, 10,000 user reports were logged. NetBlocks, a UK-based internet monitor tweeted: “Twi…

Mastodon’s founder says investors are more interested after Elon Musk’s Twitter purchase. Eugen Rochko claims more people have been keen to give him money for his open-source social media network since the 51-year-old billionaire completed his £44 billion takeover of the microblogging site in October -which has been marred in controversy – and has turned away five investors. Mastodon’s popularity has ramped up since Elon – who sold shares in his electric supercar company Tesla to fund the acquisition and allegedly relied on Saudi-based investors – took over Twitter as it has reported going fro…

Elon Musk claims that Twitter is no longer on the “fast lane to bankruptcy”. The tycoon purchased the social media giant for $44 billion in October and has endured a turbulent time since taking over but he believes that the firm is now on a more secure financial footing. In a podcast appearance, Musk told All-In: “It has been quite a rollercoaster… It has its highs and lows, to say the least, but overall it seems to be going in a good direction. “We’ve got the expenses reasonably under control, so the company’s not on the fast lane to bankruptcy anymore.” The Tesla billionaire later stressed…

Samuel L Jackson’s 74th birthday was marked by fans noticing his Twitter account had “liked” a string of hardcore pornography sites. The ‘Shaft’ actor’s favoured tweets feed was filled with videos from Twitter user @blackpanda_00, which included a man involved in an intimate act and men and women having sex, as well as other explicit clips. It is unclear whether the likes are the result of his Twitter account being run by a third party or if the actor, who turned 74 on Wednesday (21.12.22), may have been hacked. After Samuel’s name started trending due to the likes, they were removed – but not…

Elon Musk has vowed to quit as Twitter CEO two months after buying the platform for $44 billion. The 51-year-old Tesla co-founded has responded to a social media poll he posted on the site which asked whether he should “step down as head of Twitter”, with 57.5 percent of people who voting saying yes. On Tuesday night (20.12.22), he tweeted: “I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job! After that, I will just run the software [and] servers teams.” Over the weekend, he had promised to “abide by the results of this poll”, which ran for 12 hours and saw 17,502,39…

Elon Musk is considering only allowing blue ticks to vote in his Twitter polls. The 51-year-old billionaire – who completed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in late October – recently asked his followers if he should step down as the CEO of the social media giant to an answer of 57 per cent of voters saying yes, a result that he has not yet commented on. Elon has suggested he will be making sure only those who are verified users – who now must subscribe to Twitter Blue, a paid-for tier – will be able to participate in polls in the future. After getting the suggestion from a Twitter user,…

Twitter has banned its users from being able to link to Facebook, Instagram and Mastodon. The micro-blogging platform has confirmed that it will “no longer allow free promotion of certain social media platforms on Twitter”. The company – which was acquired earlier this year by billionaire businessman Elon Musk – added: “Specifically, we will remove accounts created solely for the purpose of promoting other social platforms and content that contains links or usernames for the following platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Nostr and Post.” Despite this, Twitter insiste…

Elon Musk is reportedly suspending the Twitter accounts of reporters from major news outlets. The 51-year-old business magnate purchased the microblogging platform earlier this year in a deal thought to be worth $44 billion and according to TMZ is now using his power to silence the likes of Donie O’Sullivan from CNN, Drew Harwell from WaPo, Matt Binder from Mashable, Ryan Mac from NYT, Micah Lee from The Intercept as well as Keith Olbermann and Aaron Rupar. Some journalists have shared a screenshot of a message from Twitter which reads: “Your account is suspended. After careful review , we det…

Elon Musk has dissolved the Twitter Trust and Safety Council. The council was formed in 2016 to address hate speech, child exploitation, suicide, self-harm and other problems plaguing the platform. And the shock news of its disbandment comes just days after three council members resigned. The trio alleged that “contrary to claims by Elon Musk, the safety and wellbeing of Twitter’s users are on the decline.” Following his $44 billion takeover of Twitter in October, the Tesla boss vowed to form a “content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints.” In a follow-up tweet, he added: “To be …

Twitter’s Community Notes are now visible worldwide. Now, all users are able to add “helpful and informative context to tweets” to help rid the site of misinformation. The Elon Musk-owned social media app said in a statement: “People everywhere can now see and rate notes, helping to ensure notes are helpful to those from a wide range of views.” Last month, Musk – who bought the site for a whopping $44 billion – said Community Notes, formerly called ‘Birdwatch’, will be a “game-changer”. He tweeted: “Community Notes is a gamechanger for improving accuracy on Twitter! (sic)” Meanwhile, Musk rece…

Sir Elton John has quit Twitter. The ‘Rocket Man’ singer is the latest celebrity to leave the social media platform since it was purchased by Tesla tycoon Elon Musk and has blamed the site’s “change in policy” around misinformation for his departure. In his final tweet, Elton wrote: “All my life I’ve tried to use music to bring people together. Yet it saddens me to see how misinformation is now being used to divide our world. “I’ve decided to no longer use Twitter, given their recent change in policy which will allow misinformation to flourish unchecked.” Twitter stopped taking action against …

Elon Musk has revealed Twitter is working on a feature to show users when they’ve been shadow-banned. The CEO – who bought the micro-blogging app for $44 billion – took to his account to reveal the latest change the team are making to the platform to help those who have had their posts restricted or removed find out why. He wrote: “Twitter is working on a software update that will show your true account status, so you know clearly if you’ve been shadowbanned, the reason why and how to appeal. (sic)” Meanwhile, earlier this week, Musk fired Twitter’s general counsel over his handling of the Hun…

Twitter Blue plan will reportedly cost more on iOS. The subscription plan will be $7 a month if purchased from the web, but if bought on an Apple device it will cost a few dollars more to allegedly offset Apple’s App Store fees, according to The Information. Apple charges 30 per cent fees to developers for the first year, with a 15 per cent reduction in the second year. The report comes a week after Twitter’s Elon Musk claimed he “resolved” a “misunderstanding” with Apple’s CEO Tim Cook. The Twitter owner – whose $44 billion takeover of the social media platform went through last month – had a…

Bella Thorne supports Elon Musk’s decision to kick Kanye West off Twitter. The 25-year-old actress is a close friend of the Twitter boss and said she agrees with him banning Kanye from the microblogging platform following a number of antisemitic posts. She told TMZ: “Elon’s a very cool and a very nice guy. I honestly think if that is what free speech is then f*** free speech. Nobody should have the right to say the s*** [Kanye’s] posting right now. So I think f*** yeah Elon.” Kanye was recently banned from Twitter for the second time after he tweeted an image of a swastika blended with a star …

Kanye West has been suspended from Twitter. The controversial rapper only had his account on the platform reinstated last month after he was blocked in October for anti-Semitic tweets, but following a lengthy rant on Thursday (01.12.22), new owner Elon Musk has clarified he’s been removed again because of messages deemed an “incitement to violence”. Elon tweeted: “I tried my best. Despite that, he again violated our rule against incitement to violence. Account will be suspended.” And he later added: “Just clarifying that his account is being suspended for incitement to violence, not an unflatt…

Elon Musk claims he has “resolved the misunderstanding” with Tim Cook. The Twitter owner – whose $44 billion takeover of the social media platform went through last month – had accused Apple of cutting most of its advertising on Twitter and threatening to remove the Twitter app from the App Store. On Wednesday (30.12.22), he revealed he had met with Apple CEO Tim Cook to clear the air. He tweeted: “Thanks @tim_cook for taking me around Apple’s beautiful HQ. Good conversation. “Among other things, we resolved the misunderstanding about Twitter potentially being removed from the Apple Store. “Ti…

Elon Musk has been accused of running Twitter “like a dictator”. The platform’s former head of trust and safety Yoel Roth, who resigned earlier this month, says that the site has started to stray from adhering to public policy towards decisions made by the tycoon. Speaking at an event hosted by the Knight Foundation, Roth said: “One of my limits was if Twitter starts being ruled dictatorial edict rather than by policy… there’s no longer a need for me in my role, doing what I do.” Roth has also claimed that Twitter is now less safe in the hands of Musk, who completed a $44 billion takeover of…

Twitter has ended its COVID-19 misinformation policy. The social media platform – which was bought by Elon Musk when his $44 billion takeover went through last month – has stopped taking action against tweets which breach its rules on misleading information about coronavirus. In an update from November 23 – which was spotted this week by CNN – the company’s initial report reads: “As the global community faces the COVID-19 pandemic together, Twitter is helping people find reliable information, connect with others, and follow what’s happening in real time.” However, a note under the policy has c…

Elon Musk says Apple has cut most of its advertising on Twitter. The SpaceX founder condemned the Steve Jobs-founded company for limiting its ad spend on the microblogging app and for apparently threatening to remove the Twitter app from the App Store. The argument comes after other firms have stepped back from the site – which the 51-year-old billionaire took control of late last month when his $44 billion takeover went through – following Elon’s content moderation plans. The Tesla founder blamed the “massive” dip in ad revenue to people pressuring advertisers to step away from the site that …

Elon Musk says Apple has “mostly stopped advertising on Twitter”. The Tesla billionaire, 51, also asked on the platform: “Do they hate free speech in America?” after a string of big-name bands pulled out of their partnerships with the company after he acquired it for $44 billion. According to non-profit watchdog Media Matters, 50 of Twitter’s top 100 advertisers, which have spent around $2 billion since the start of 2020, have halted advertising on the site in recent weeks, including Chevrolet, Ford, Jeep, Kraft, Coca Cola, Chanel, CNN, Heineken, and Kellogg’s. It comes amid worries over Elon’…

Twitter is to resume hiring after sacking more than 4,000 employees. The platform’s new owner Elon Musk told staff on Monday (21.11.22) that the company has finished laying off workers and is now recruiting for roles in its engineering and sales departments. The Verge has reported that Musk is encouraging employees to make referrals but has not specified the types of roles he wants filled. There are currently no open positions listed on Twitter’s website. The world’s richest man said: “In terms of critical hires, I would say people who are great at writing software are the highest priority.” M…

President Donald Trump has been given his Twitter account back. The 76-year-old ex head of state was has his ability to post on the microblogging site restored following a poll by held by Elon Musk – who took over running the site following his $44 billion takeover late last month – that asked users if he should get his privileges returned after he was banned in January 2021. After it was decided 52 to 48 per cent, the 51-year-old entrepreneur wrote on the site: “The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei.” Trump – who is yet to post again – was removed from the soci…

Alex Jones will not be given his Twitter account back, says Elon Musk. The 51-year-old tech entrepreneur will not be giving the 48-year-old conspiracy theorist the privilege to post again after he was sued for libel and ordered to fork out $1.44 billion by the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting after he claimed the deaths of 26 people – 20 children and six adults – were a hoax. Elon – whose ten-day-old son Nevada Alexander Musk died in 2002 – spoke of his own loss, explaining he had “no mercy” for someone “who would use the deaths of children for gain, politics or fame,”…

Jack White thinks it is ‘”disgusting'”that Donald Trump’s Twitter account has been reactivated. The former US President, 75, was permanently blocked from the platform in January 2021 following the attack at the US Capitol in Washington but had his account reinstated earlier this month when billionaire businessman Elon Musk took over the platform in a $44 billion deal and White Stripes star Jack, 47, has branded the Tesla founder an “a******.” He wrote on Instagram: “So you gave trump his twitter platform back. Absolutely disgusting, Elon. That is officially an asshole move. Why dont you be tru…

Kanye West has returned to Twitter. The 45-year-old rap star was banned from the microblogging platform – which was acquired by billionaire business magnate Elon Musk in a $44 billion deal completed late last month – when he made a slew of anti-semitic comments but his account was reactivated in early November and he has now tweeted again. On Sunday (20.11.22), he wrote: “Testing Testing Seeing if my Twitter is unblocked”(sic) The ‘Stronger’ hitmaker – who was previously married to reality TV superstar Kim Kardashian and has North, nine, Saint, six, Psalm, four and three-year-old Chicago with …

Elon Musk says Twitter staff cannot work remotely. The 51-year-old billionaire – who finalised his purchase the social media giant for $44 billion late last month – is now expecting all workers to do their 40 hours a week in the office. In his first email to employees – which was first reported by Bloomberg – Elon warned there were “difficult times ahead” in reference to the looming economic downturn, which is expected to impact Twitter’s ad revenue. After sacking half of Twitter’s staff – roughly 7,500 people from across the world – the Tesla founder is not thought to be making any more perso…

Elon Musk has warned Twitter users that the platform will “do lots of dumb things” in the coming months. The billionaire businessman recently acquired the micro-blogging platform in a deal worth $44 billion, and Elon has warned users that Twitter will soon be trialling a number of different ideas. He wrote: “Please note that Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months. “We will keep what works and change what doesn’t.” Elon made the comment shortly after it was confirmed that he’d sold 19.5 million shares in Tesla. The outspoken businessman is the CEO of the electric car maker, but th…

Elon Musk claims that Twitter use has reached an all-time high. The billionaire businessman – who recently acquired the company in a $44 billion deal – has taken to the micro-blogging platform to claim that Twitter is now more popular than ever. Elon – who has more than 115 million followers on Twitter – wrote: “Twitter usage is at an all-time high lol “I just hope the servers don’t melt! (sic)” In recent days, various high-profile figures have left Twitter following Elon’s takeover and his proposed changes to the platform. The changes included introducing a charge for users who want a blue ti…

Whoopi Goldberg has quit Twitter. The 66-year-old actress has announced that she’s walking away from the micro-blogging platform after it was recently acquired by Tesla boss Elon Musk. Speaking on ‘The View’, Whoopi explained: “So it has been a little over a week since Elon Musk took over Twitter and the place, it’s a mess. “He also suspended Kathy Griffin for impersonating him on a parody account, which has started a FreeKathy hashtag to trend. I’m … I’m getting off. I’m getting off today because I just feel like, you know, it’s so messy.” Whoopi also voiced her disapproval of “certain atti…

Whoopi Goldberg has quit Twitter. The 66-year-old actress has announced that she’s walking away from the micro-blogging platform after it was recently acquired by Tesla boss Elon Musk. Speaking on ‘The View’, Whoopi explained: “So it has been a little over a week since Elon Musk took over Twitter and the place, it’s a mess. “He also suspended Kathy Griffin for impersonating him on a parody account, which has started a FreeKathy hashtag to trend. I’m … I’m getting off. I’m getting off today because I just feel like, you know, it’s so messy.” Whoopi also voiced her disapproval of “certain atti…

Gigi Hadid is quitting Twitter because it has become a “cesspool of hate and bigotry”. The 27-year-old supermodel announced on Instagram she has deactivated her account in the wake of Elon Musk buying the platform and making almost half of staff redundant, including the human rights team. She wrote: “I deactivated my Twitter account today. “For a long time, but especially with its new leadership, it’s becoming more and more of a cesspool of hate and bigotry, and its not a place I want to be a part of.(sic)” Gigi apologised to fans for losing that connection with them but she no longer feels th…

Kathy Griffin has been suspended from Twitter. The 62-year-old comic’s account on the platform, @KathyGriffin, has been taken down after she “violated the rules” of the social media app by changing her screen name to that of new Twitter owner Elon Musk. The message users receive when visiting her page states: “Account suspended “Twitter suspends accounts that violate the Twitter rules.” During her stint with her fake name, Kathy urged users to #VoteBlue and also look at Twitter competitor Mastodon. One of her tweets under the name change read: “After much spirited discussion with the females i…

Elon Musk says he had “no choice” but to cull Twitter staff. Half of the social media platform’s workers lost their jobs on Friday (04.11.22) but Musk has claimed that the action was necessary due to the company’s financial situation. The world’s richest man tweeted: “Regarding Twitter’s reduction in force, unfortunately there is no choice when the company is losing over $4m a day. “Everyone exited was offered three months of severance, which is 50 per cent more than legally required.” Twitter’s head of safety and integrity Yoel Roth has confirmed that the layoffs have affected 50 per cent of …

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs helped Elon Musk buy Twitter. The Tesla founder paid $44 billion last month to take over the social media platform with the help of investors and loans from Wall Street banks, and it’s now been revealed the ‘I’ll Be Missing You’ hitmaker was one of those who put money into the bid. Sources told TMZ that Diddy invested over $10 million into Elon’s bid because of his belief in the businessman’s vision for the app. The insider explained the 53-year-old rap mogul makes his investment decisions according to getting a “seat at the table to represent”. Other investors are rumoured …

Elon Musk has sacked Twitter’s board of directors. The 50-year-old billionaire – whose $44 billion takeover of the social media giant was finalised last week – is the only member serving on the board after he banished Bret Taylor, the ex chairman of the board and Parag Agrawal, the ex CEO. The Tesla founder made the move – which was made public via a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission – has already hinted at radical changes at the microblogging service such as charging account holders nearly $20 a month to be verified, according to reports. On Sunday (30.10.2022), Elon revea…

Elon Musk wants to charge Twitter users $8 a month for the platform’s coveted blue tick. The forum’s new CEO, 51, also branded the current verification system “bull****”. He tweeted on Tuesday (01.11.22) in a stream of messages about the plan: “Twitter’s current lords and peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bulls***. “Power to the people! Blue for $8/month.” He added the fee would be “adjusted by country, proportionate to purchasing power parity” and promised users will get “priority in replies, mentions and searches” and the right to post long videos. The world’s r…

Elon Musk insists Twitter needs to charge for its “blue tick” to battle “bots and trolls”. The Tesla boss – who completed his $44 billion takeover of the platform last week – is looking to charge users to have a blue tick on their account by making verification part of the Twitter Blue subscription, with reports suggesting the fee could go from $4.99 a month to $19.99. This has angered many users on the app, including iconic horror writer Stephen King, who insisted he would quit if that was the case. He tweeted: $20 a month to keep my blue check? F*** that, they should pay me. If that gets ins…

Elon Musk is said to have formally announced he will be chief executive officer of Twitter. The Sun Online reported on Monday night (31.10.22) he made the declaration in a filing following his $44 billion buy-up of the company. It also comes after the Tesla billionaire, 51, fired former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal and other top officials, and changed his bio on the platform to ‘Chief Twit’. The Sun Online said all previous members of the Twitter board no longer have authority, according to Elon’s Securities and Exchange Commission filing seen by the outlet. There have also been reports the dad-o…

Elon Musk says Twitter won’t “take yes for an answer”. The SpaceX founder claims he wants to finalise his attempt to purchase the social media giant for $44 billion but it has been hindered by their concern about the “theoretical possibility of a future failure to obtain debt financing”. In a court filing, the 50-year-old billionaire details that the microblogging site does not believe the deal can come through. This revelation comes as Twitter launched legal action against Elon after he tried to rescind his offer to buy them outright. In response, both sides were given until October 28 to fin…

Elon Musk says he has played “the fool” and landed himself in “all sorts of trouble” on Twitter. He added his epic on-off £40 billion bid to buy the platform may prove he is a “masochist” but said he is driven to create a “trusted” and “transparent” ideas and news-exchange forum to avoid the further rise of the likes of Donald Trump’s Truth platform, which he described a “right-wing echo chamber”. The world’s richest man said when asked by the Financial Times about his antics on Twitter: “Aren’t you entertained? I play the fool on Twitter and often shoot myself in the foot and cause myself all…

Twitter is now letting users post images, videos and GIFs all within the same tweet. The social media platform has unveiled the new feature for people on iOS and Android, as revealed in a post from the Twitter Support team. They said: “Get ready to mix it up with visuals on twitter. You can now add a combination of media to your Tweet on Android and iOS. “That means you can include a photo, GIF, and video (or two!) all in the same tweet. Tap the photo icon in the Tweet composer to start mixing you media.” It comes as the site outlined is goal of “always looking for new and exciting ways to hel…

Elon Musk’s Twitter deal is back on. The SpaceX founder is believed to have changed his mind after he withdrew his offer to purchase the social media giant for $44 billion just two weeks before the two parties were expected to head to court to fight it out. Their day in court came after Twitter launched legal action against Elon to ensure he went through with the takeover following the individual share prices to tank. Late last month, a published text exchange between Elon and the current CEO Parag Agrawal showed there was growing animosity between the pair. Writing in a letter, lawyers for th…

Elon Musk has offered to complete his $44 billion Twitter takeover. The Tesla CEO – who is the world’s richest man – has confirmed via his legal team that he’s prepared to complete the acquisition of the micro-logging platform, after months of legal wrangling. A notice filed by Musk’s lawyers with the Delaware chancery court on Tuesday (04.10.22) read: “We write to notify you that the Musk parties intend to proceed to closing of the transaction.” Twitter has also confirmed its intention to close the deal. The company said in a statement: “We received the letter from the Musk parties which they…

Lorde says she was forced to delete an Instagram post as it broke New Zealand election rules. The 25-year-old – born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor – renowned as the country’s biggest pop singer, withdrew a message to her 9.5 million Instagram followers, which she had used to back Labour councillor candidate Efeso Collins in the Auckland mayoral race. She had said: “I’m proud to be voting Efeso Collins for Mayor of Auckland. Local government turnout is low as always – get out there – your community needs you.” But she apparently broke the Local Electoral Act’s rules on interfering with or in…

Adam Levine “crossed the line” with his flirtatious behaviour – but has denied cheating on his wife. The 43-year-old pop star has rubbished claims made by Instagram model Sumner Stroh that he cheated on Behati Prinsloo – although he’s confessed to showing “poor judgement”. In a statement on Instagram, Adam – who has been married to the model since 2014 – said: “A lot is being said about me right now and I want to clear the air. “I used poor judgment in speaking with anyone other than my wife in ANY kind of flirtatious manner. I did not have an affair, nevertheless, I crossed the line during a …

Elon Musk has called for a delay to the trial over his proposed takeover of Twitter. The billionaire businessman launched a $44 billion deal to buy the micro-blogging platform earlier this year – but he’s now called for a delay to the trial after a whistleblower made claims about security on the social media platform. Alex Spiro, his lawyer, said at a hearing in Delaware: “Doesn’t justice demand a few weeks to look into this?” Musk withdrew from his attempt to buy Twitter earlier this year, claiming that the company failed to comply with its obligations in the merger agreement. However, the Te…

Instagram has been fined€405 million for violating children’s privacy. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) confirmed the penalty following a long-running complaint that Instagram allowed teenagers to set up accounts on the platform that displayed their phone numbers and email addresses. Some had reportedly upgraded to business accounts to access analytics tools such as profile visits but did not realise that this made more of the data public. It was also found that the platform had operated a user registration system where the accounts of users aged from 13 to 17 were set to ‘public’ by…

John Legend believes Chrissy Teigen is a “natural” on social media. The 36-year-old model has built-up a huge online following over the years and John accepts that his wife is better at social media than he is. The 43-year-old singer explained: “She’s more natural at it. She’s exactly the right age and temperament to be very fluent in the ways of Twitter and Instagram. “She’s funnier than me. She’s prettier than me. I enjoy being a part of her photos and her public conversations, but I’m just not as good at doing it as she is.” Chrissy has more than 39 million followers on Instagram and more t…

Bethenny Frankel has branded Instagram filters as “deceptive.” The 51-year-old businesswoman – who is known to TV audiences for appearing on ‘The Real Housewives of New York City’ for more than a decade – took to social media to post before-and-after filtered photos of herself in a bikini where she explained that images doctored by filters on Instagram are harmful to young women. She wrote on Instagram: “This is NOT what I look like…and you know that bc I’m not vain and show you the real me. But if I posted a version of this every day you might start to believe that it might be. This is just h…

Facebook and Instagram users will be able to share their NFTs from this week. Meta – the parent company for both social media platforms – has revealed the feature for a limited number of users in the US, which will allow people to display their nonfungible tokens by connecting their digital wallets to show purchased or created collectibles. In a blog post this week, the social media giant said: “As we continue rolling out digital collectibles on Facebook and Instagram, we’ve started giving people the ability to post digital collectibles that they own across both Facebook and Instagram. “This w…

Elon Musk plans to summon Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey as a witness in his legal battle with the tech company. The Tesla CEO launched a $44 billion dollar bid to buy the micro-blogging platform earlier this year – but after he backed out of the deal, Elon is now facing legal action from the social media site. Elon previously claimed that Twitter failed to provide him with the data that he needed in order to close the deal. And he’s now called on Jack – who is a friend of the billionaire businessman – to give evidence to the court. The case is scheduled to be heard in Delaware in October, but…

Will Smith made a return to Instagram by catching a giant spider. The ‘King Richard’ star has been absent from social media since he controversially slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars earlier this year but shared an Instagram video on Sunday (21.08.22) where he and son Trey trapped the massive arachnid under a bowl. Will quipped that it was Trey’s job to dispose of the spider. The 53-year-old actor says in the clip: “You gotta get that outta here. You’re young and strong, you can handle the bite.” Will’s new Instagram post came a day after he had hinted that he could be making a return to social…

Priti Patel says Facebook and Instagram risk a “grotesque betrayal” of children. The 50-year-old politician – who has served as Home Secretary in the UK since 2019 – blasted the Meta-owned social media apps as having the “inadequate protections” in place for children and urged the company to work with the Home Office to keep children safe online. Writing in The Telegraph, she said: “The consequences of inadequate protections – especially for end-to-end encrypted social media platforms – would be catastrophic. A great many child predators use social media platforms such as Facebook to discover,…

Eve Hewson has a “secret Twitter account”. The 31-year-old star – who is the daughter of activist Ali Hewson and U2 lead singer Bono – has revealed that she loves to go undercover on the micro-blogging platform, where she has a “no-holds-barred” approach. Eve said: “I actually have a secret Twitter account where I go no-holds-barred. I really let it rip up on the dating thing. The apps are s***.” Eve actually plans to become more involved in activism in the coming years. The movie star is currently focused on her acting work, but Eve intends to become more involved in activism at some stage. S…

Tommy Lee appears to have deleted his newly infamous full-frontal picture posted online from his bathroom – which broke Instagram’s nudity rules. The Mötley Crüe drummer, 59, stunned fans on Thursday (11.08.22) when he shared the no-holds barred image with his 1.4 million Instagram followers, showing him totally nude sitting on a marble floor. The dad-of-two wore only a silver necklace and angled the camera so his whole face wasn’t on show. Tommy captioned the post: “Ooooopppsss.” Fans flocked to the comments section to share their shock at the pic, with one saying: “OH MY GOD.” A second remar…

Elon Musk has sold $6.9bn of his Tesla shares. The 51-year-old magnate – who founded the electric car company back in 2003 and was set to purchase Twitter for a reported $44bn – had a change of heart about purchasing the social media platform and set to stand trial for failing to carry out agreements in the contract. But, the multi-billionaire has admitted he is selling shares in order to “avoid an emergency sale of Tesla stock” and believes that it is “unlikely” that he will be forced to close the deal with Twitter. Financial expert Sawyer Merritt posted an image on Twitter which appeared to …

Britney Spears says her Instagram posts are not why her kids don’t want to visit her. The ‘Circus’ pop princess denied that her nude photos on social media are the reason her two sons – Sean Preston, 16, and Jayden, 15, – don’t want to stay at her house anymore as their issues pre-date her more liberal usage of the photo sharing app since she was released from the 14 year conservatorship that gave her father Jamie Spears control over her financial, health and professional decisions. The 40-year-old superstar wrote on Instagram on Wednesday (10.08.22): “As we all know, raising teenage boys is n…

Jacob Elordi almost didn’t prepare his social media in time for ‘The Kissing Booth’ release. The ‘Euphoria’ star hadn’t scrubbed his Instagram page when the teen movie – which is based on the trilogy of books by Beth Reekles and also stars Joey King – dropped on Netflix in 2018 so wasn’t prepared for four million strangers seeing his pictures from his high school days. The 25-year-old actor told GQ: “I had to go through and delete my high school pictures because that was the Instagram that I used for my life. I wish people could understand how drastic that change was.” Jacob admitted he lived …

A Twitter Blue subscription will now cost $5. The new premium version of the micro-blogging site has risen by $2 for all new subscribers. Those who already pay for the service will be alerted 30 days prior to the new price coming into effect. In an email sent out to users, the social media network said the rise in costs is to help pay for the new improvements subscribers wish to see. Twitter also wants to provide a “more frictionless reading experience”. Sara Beykpour – Twitter’s senior director of product management – reassured users that the standard Twitter will always be free. She said: “T…

Instagram is to become more focused on video. The social media app – which has more than 600 million active monthly users – was initially known as a photo-sharing site but has launched more video-based features such as Reels in recent months and head of Instagram Adam Mosseri explained that while snaps are “part of their heritage”, the company needs to embrace the “shift” as it appears to be naturally indicated by consumers in the first place. He said: “I’m hearing a lot of concerns about photos right now and how we’re shifting to video. I want to be clear – we’re gonna continue to support pho…

Instagram has unveiled a searchable and dynamic map. The Meta-owned photo sharing platform has updated its map experience to let users explore popular nearby tagged locations, as well as filtering locations by categories such as cafes, restaurants and beauty salons. In an Instagram Story this week, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said: “We’re introducing a new searchable map on IG today. “You can now discover popular local businesses near you and filter by category.” To make use of the new feature, users can tap location tags in posts on both your Feed or Stories, or use the Explore page to search fo…

Teenagers in the UK prefer to get their news from social media over traditional media outlets, Ofcom has found. The government-approved regulatory body has found that apps like Instagram and TikTok are more popular sources of the latest news than the likes of Sky News with Gen Z. Meta-owned app Instagram is used by 29 per cent of teenagers aged between 12 and 15, while TikTok and YouTube, are used by 28 per cent. As for adults, a whopping 3.9 million use TikTok compared with 0.8 million two years ago. The News Consumption in the UK 2021/22 report also revealed that BBC One and BBC Two have pla…

Leigh-Anne Pinnock has posted her first tweet more than a year after joining Twitter. The 30-year-old pop star – who was part of BRIT Award-winning group Little Mix from 2011 until they went on hiatus in 2022 – signed up to social media platform Twitter in April 2021 under the handle of @LeighAnneMusic, but only posted for the first time on Tuesday (19.07.22). She tweeted: “Is this thing on? [side eyes emoji]” The ‘Confetti’ hitmaker – who welcomed twins with fiance Andre Gray in August 2021 – has so far amassed 45.5k followers on the microblogging platform, but is yet to follow anyone herself…

Chrissy Teigen is celebrating one year sober. The ‘Cravings: All Together’ cookbook writer, 36, marked her alcohol-free anniversary in a frank message on Instagram. In a video showing the model with her singer husband John Legend, 43, and their kids Luna Simone, six, and Miles Theodore, four, Chrissy reflected on a series of moments that passed her by due to drinking. She said: “Not a drop of alcohol in 365 days! I miss feeling loopy and carefree sometimes, but to be honest toward the end, it didn’t give that fun feeling anymore anyhow. “I drank to end crazy anxiety that later mostly went away…

Twitter shares have taken a tumble in value after Elon Musk pulls out of his £36 billion buyout deal. The social media giant took a tumble on the New York Stock Exchange after the Tesla founder and CEO withdrew his offer to purchase the microblogging site after months of stalling on the deal, which included a $1 billion break clause for the 50-year-old tech mogul. Twitter – who plan to take legal action against the SpaceX founder for his refusal to honour the purchase after he cast doubts about the number of bot accounts on the site – were trading for $34.40 in the early hours of Monday mornin…

Elon Musk is trying to withdraw his £36 billion bid to buy Twitter. The billionaire Tesla CEO backed out to the deal after he claimed that the social media giant did not offer up enough info on the number of spam accounts currently operational on the microblogging site. In response to 50-year-old tech mogul rescinding his offer – which comes with a $1 billion break clause – Twitter have outlined their intention to pursue legal action against him. Bret Taylor, Twitter’s chairman tweeted: “The Twitter Board is committed to closing the transaction on the price and terms agreed upon with Mr. Musk….

Iggy Azalea refuses to let social media dictate her life. The 32-year-old rap star – who has Onyx, two, with ex-boyfriend Playboi Carti – has taken to Twitter to hit back at her critics, insisting she won’t allow them to influence her lifestyle or the decisions she makes. Iggy – who often voices her opinions on social media – wrote on the micro-blogging platform: “The wildest thing about the internet is y’all don’t give a f*** about anyones opinion…. but think I’m supposed to let yours dictate my life?!?! “I don’t give a f*** about yours either! (sic)” Iggy previously confessed to feeling “per…

Facebook and Instagram have banned adverts for abortion pills. Following the news that the Supreme Court has chosen to overturn the Roe vs Wade ruling – which now leaves millions of women across the U.S without access to a legal and safe abortion – it was reported that the Meta-owned social media giants will cease displaying adverts for termination pills, but Meta PR Andy Stone insisted that it was simply because the ads would go against their existing policy. He tweeted: “Content that attempts to buy, sell, trade, gift, request or donate pharmaceuticals is not allowed. Content that discusses …

Instagram is testing a new AI tool that can help to verify ages. The photo-sharing platform is using a tool built by a company called Yoti that estimates ages by scanning faces. According to Instagram’s rules, users must be aged 13 or older to open an account. But over the years, the company has been widely criticised for not enforcing the rule strictly enough. Recently, Instagram has brought in more age-verification features, including asking users to send pictures of their ID to the social media platform. But Instagram is now going one step further with the help of Yoti, which uses machine l…

SEGA has finally confirmed that Michael Jackson composed the music for ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3′. Yuji Naka, the former head of Sonic Team at the Japanese video game company, appeared to confirm the long-time rumour that the late King of Pop – who died in 2009, aged 50 – created music for the 1994 video game whilst complaining that the soundtrack for the title has been changed in new compilation release ‘Sonic Origins’. Yuji wrote on Twitter: “Oh my god, the music for Sonic 3 has changed, even though Sega Official uses Michael Jackson’s music.” Yuji – who was a developer on the game – also questi…

There is a “significant difference” between TikTok and Facebook, according to bosses at the video-sharing website. The Chinese-based app went viral in lockdown of 20202 and quickly became one of the most used apps around the world but executives have insisted that they are an “entertainment platform” more than anything and that their social media-based rival is not. TikTok’s president of global business solutions Blake Chandlee told CNBC: “Facebook is a social platform. They’ve built all their algorithms based on the social graph. That is their core competency. Ours is not! We are an entertain…

Demi Moore has gone Instagram official with boyfriend Daniel Humm. The 59-year-old actress was reported in April to have been romancing 46-year-old Swiss chef Daniel Humm – who owns famous restaurants Eleven Madison Park, The NoMad and Davies and Brook – for a “number of months” and the pair were spotted sitting next to each other at a Chloé fashion show in March. A source told The New York Post’s Page Six column at the time: “They are really hot and heavy at the moment. Daniel works long, hard hours at his restaurant Eleven Madison Park, but they still often take time to have Demi join him fo…

Instagram is rolling out parental controls in the UK. Meta, the social media platform’s parent company, will allow parents in the United Kingdom to restrict access on their kids’ profiles, including setting daily time limits, schedule break times and see any accounts their child reported, and the reason as to why after introducing similar measures in US in the spring. The tech giant – who set the official minimum age to use the app as 13-years-old – is also adding a parent dashboard on all Quest virtual reality headsets internationally, with parents being able to invite their kids to the new f…

Sheryl Sandberg is being investigated by Meta. The 52-year-old former Chief Operating Officer – who left Facebook and Instagram’s parent company at the beginning of June – is currently being looked into by her former employer after facing accusations of using company resources for personal gain. A source told the Wall Street Journal the review into the ‘Lean In’ author “has been underway since at least last fall” and is diving into “behaviour going back several years”. The investigation into Sheryl is looking into suggestions that she she used Facebook resources to boost her Lean In foundation…

Vicky Krieps refuses to let social media shape her life. The 38-year-old actress only joined Instagram to stop fake accounts from claiming to be her, but Vicky feels bemused by some of the things she sees online. She reflected: “I am not joking, but within one minute on Instagram, I become sad. And why I become sad is because I see colleagues of mine, or people who do the same work [as me], making themselves … It’s like they’re putting themselves out there in a way that is so embarrassing. Like selling yourself. “Every second picture I see is not just a picture, but someone trying to say, ‘Loo…

Instagram has given users the chance to pin three posts or Reels to the top of their profile – like TikTok. The Meta-owned social media app is following in the rival app’s footsteps once again by making it possible to have three pictures or video clips featured on the first row of a user’s grid. A post on the official Twitter account for Instagram announced: “You like it? You pin it. “You can now choose up to three posts or Reels to pin to the top of your profile.” Simply click on the three dots on the right above the post and ‘Pin to Your Profile’. The same feature already exists for TikTok p…

Meta’s Chief Operating Officer, Sheryl Sandberg, has stepped down after 14 years. The 52-year-old billionaire business executive has bowed out of the role at Facebook’s parent company and thanked CEO Mark Zuckerberg, 38, for changing her life. On how she came to land the senior position, Sandberg began a lengthy statement on Facebook: “Today, I am sharing the news that after 14 years, I will be leaving Meta. When I first met Mark, I was not really looking for a new job – and I could have never predicted how meeting him would change my life. We were at a holiday party at Daniel L Rosensweig’s h…

Twitter has been fined £119 million for selling users’ data. The micro-blogging site has been issued with a whopping fine by the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice after they say it violated a deal it had with regulators, say court documents. According to the documents, Twitter had agreed to not sell personal data – such as phone numbers and email addresses – to advertisers and that federal investigators say this promise was broken. The FTC – which seeks to enforce antitrust law and ensure consumer protection – accuses Twitter of breaking the terms of an order that banned t…

Elon Musk has secured additional funding for his proposed takeover of Twitter. The billionaire businessman is currently in the midst of buying the micro-blogging platform, and he’s now secured additional funding to complete the deal, according to financial filings. Musk, 50, has increased his personal funding of the deal from $27.3 billion to $33.5 billion. He’s also secured an additional $6.25 billion in equity financing, thereby reducing the amount of debt that he’d take on to complete the purchase. What’s more, the financial filings confirm that Musk – who is the world’s richest man – has h…

Elon Musk says his Twitter deal cannot “move forward” without the CEO publicly showing proof that less than five per cent of its users are spam bots. The Tesla and SpaceX has made it clear that his $44 billion (£35 billion) takeover of the micro-blogging platform will be on hold until the issue of bots is cleared up. He tweeted: “My offer was based on Twitter’s SEC filings being accurate. Yesterday, Twitter’s CEO publicly refused to show proof of 5%. This deal cannot move forward until he does.” The world’s richest man has even suggested reducing his agreed $54.20 a share offer because of the …

Elon Musk says his Twitter deal cannot “move forward” without the CEO publicly showing proof that less than five per cent of its users are spam bots. The Tesla and SpaceX has made it clear that his $44 billion (£35 billion) takeover of the micro-blogging platform will be on hold until the issue of bots is cleared up. He tweeted: “My offer was based on Twitter’s SEC filings being accurate. Yesterday, Twitter’s CEO publicly refused to show proof of 5%. This deal cannot move forward until he does.” The world’s richest man has even suggested reducing his agreed $54.20 a share offer because of the …

Elon Musk says his attempt to buy Twitter for $44 billion is “temporarily on hold” The Tesla CEO wants to investigate the level of bots operating on the micro-blogging site before he finishes his controversial takeover. The 50-year-old entrepreneur wrote on Twitter on Friday (13.05.22): “Twitter deal temporarily on hold pending details supporting calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed represent less than 5% of users.” Along with the message, Elon tweeted a link to a Reuters news article with the headline “Twitter estimates spam, fake accounts compromise less than five per cent – filing”…

Halsey has revealed they have been newly diagnosed with numerous health conditions. The ‘Control’ hitmaker – real name Ashley Frangipane -has discovered they were being made unwell in part by undetected Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Sjogren’s syndrome, mast cell activation syndrome, and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome after they “started getting really, really, really sick” from allergies. The 27-year-old pop star – who has nine-month-old son Ender with Alev Aydin – told fans via her Instagram Story: “Obviously my health has changed a lot since I got pregnant and gave birth. I started gett…