Twitter

Elon Musk just became Twitter's largest shareholder

The ultimate aim of Musk's 73.5 million share purchase worth $2.9 billion, based on the closing price Friday, is not clear. Yet in recent weeks Musk, who has 80 million Twitter followers and posts there often, has questioned free speech on Twitter and whether the platform is undermining democracy.

The regulatory filing Monday describes Musk as a long-term investor looking to minimize his buying and selling of the shares.

Russia restricts social media access

In a statement, the company said "We're aware that Twitter is being restricted for some people in Russia and are working to keep our services safe and accessible".

On Friday Russia restricted Facebook after a clash over "censorship".

Russia's communications regulator Roskomnadzor accused Facebook of violating "the rights and freedoms of Russian citizens".

Facebook said it had refused to stop fact-checking and labelling content from state-owned news organisations.

Twitter agrees to Nigeria's demands to end seven-month ban

This will come as a big surprise to many Nigerians, who had assumed that the Nigerian government had backed down following months of negotiations, says the BBC's Nduka Orjinmo in Abuja.

Nigeria suspended the social media firm last June after it deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari.

It accused Twitter of siding with secessionists.

Before ending the ban, the Nigerian government insisted that Twitter:

Register in Nigeria

Appoint a designated country representative

Comply with tax obligations in Nigeria

Twitter will remove images tweeted without consent

     

The new rule is an extension of policies to prohibit "doxxing" - the publishing of private information such as home addresses, without consent.

Critics say the rule is too broad and could be "used to deliberately stifle free expression on the platform".

But Twitter said it would consider the context in which images were posted.

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey steps down as chief executive

He will be replaced by the current chief technical officer, Parag Agrawal, Twitter said.

Mr Dorsey, who co-founded Twitter in 2006, has been serving as chief executive of both Twitter and payment firm Square.

"It's finally time for me to leave" he wrote in a statement, saying the company was "ready to move on."

Mr Dorsey said he had "deep" trust in his replacement. "I'm deeply grateful for his skill, heart, and soul. It's his time to lead," he said.

Mr Agrawal joined Twitter in 2011, and has been the firm's head of technology since 2017.

     

Instagram post previews to return on Twitter

Now, when users share an Instagram link on Twitter, a small preview of the post will be displayed.

Instagram controversially removed the feature shortly after being acquired by Facebook in 2012.

Twitter card previews started for some users on Wednesday and will eventually be available to everyone. Instagram and Twitter are both promoting the change.

Twitter tests bigger pictures in timeline

The new feature will expand visual media embedded in tweets to fill the whole width of a mobile phone's screen.

Currently, images are indented next to a user's profile photo and take up much less screen space.

Twitter said the new layout - being tested on iOS but not Android - would give media "more room to shine".

The experimental changes to fuel content creation and consumption come amid a rollout of Twitter's subscription service for dedicated users, Twitter Blue.

     

Twitter works with news sites to tackle disinformation

The news agencies will help Twitter give more context and background information on events which create a high volume of tweets.

Twitter hopes this will counteract the spread of misleading information.

There has been renewed pressure to remove false content from the platform.

Twitter said the partnership will enable it to ensure accurate and credible information is rapidly available "when facts are in dispute".

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Twitter accused of inaction on anti-Semitic tweets

The Campaign Against Anti-Semitism says Twitter's policies on hateful material are "failing".

Out of about 1,000 anti-Semitic tweets it reported, Twitter found only about 40% breached its policies, it said.

According to Twitter, anti-Semitism breaks its rules and is not permitted on the platform.

This is not the first time Twitter has been accused of being too slow to remove anti-Semitic posts.

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Trump sues Twitter, Google and Facebook alleging 'censorship'

The class action lawsuit also targets the three companies' CEOs.

Mr Trump was suspended from his social accounts in January over public safety concerns in the wake of the Capitol riots, led by his supporters.

On Wednesday, Mr Trump called the lawsuit "a very beautiful development for our freedom of speech".

In a news conference from his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, Mr Trump railed against social media companies and Democrats, who he accused of espousing misinformation.