High time this happened.

The block function will block that account from engaging with, but not block seeing, public post.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 23, 2024

Since its inception when the site was known as Twitter, the block feature has allowed users to prevent unwanted views and engagement on their public posts. However, when the latest update kicks in, those blocked accounts will once again be able to view all public posts.

Although Musk originally threatened to remove the block feature entirely, the latest tweak to X won’t go that far and will instead mean that blocked users will only be able to view public posts, not engage with them via likes, replies, or reposts.

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Musk’s confirmation of the upcoming changes has been alarming to many users who have faced trolling or stalking on the platform. It will also now be trivially easy to screen-capture and repost content from accounts that were previously invisible due to blocks.

The post Blocking Users Is About To Get Tougher On X appeared first on Tech Magazine.

Users on social media platform X have reported instances of generating controversial content, such as deep fakes involving famous politicians and celebrities. While some users appreciate the creativity and humor enabled by Grok’s capabilities, others are deeply concerned about the ethical implications and potential for misuse.

Unlike established AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which typically refuse to create violent, sexual, or otherwise inappropriate content, Grok has shown a willingness to produce politically sensitive and even sexually explicit images, suggesting a distinct lack of moderation.

Although Grok claims to restrict the creation of harmful content, such as pornographic images or deceptive media, evidence shows otherwise. Users have shared examples of prompts resulting in alarming images, such as infamous politicians holding weapons or engaging in illegal activities.

The tool has drawn sharp criticism from ethicists and technology analysts, with Alejandra Caraballo, a civil rights attorney, describing Grok as “one of the most reckless and irresponsible AI implementations I’ve ever seen” highlighting widespread concern about its potential impact.

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So far, Elon Musk has embraced the enthusiasm and controversy surrounding Grok, calling it “the most fun AI in the world” on his social media platform. His lighthearted response to Grok’s controversial aspects has only deepened doubts and skepticism regarding the future of AI-driven content creation.

The ongoing calls for moderation reflect broader societal concerns about technology’s role in shaping public narratives and individual perceptions. This issue gains even greater urgency with upcoming elections, emphasizing the potential influence of AI-generated content on public opinion.

Each innovative creation by Grok invites the world to reconsider its comfort levels with the expanding reach of technology. The debate between enforcing strict controls and fostering creativity epitomizes the current challenges faced in AI development.

The post Grok’s Image Generator Sparks AI Content Regulation Debate appeared first on Tech Magazine.

Musk says a new system to rid the platform of bots and trolls is “underway”, while asking users to reply to his post or ping his official account @XEng if their legitimate accounts are suspended in error.

System purge of bots & trolls underway.

Please reply to me or @XEng if legitimate accounts are suspended.

X Corp will be tracing the people responsible and bringing the full force of the law to bear upon them.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 4, 2024

“X Corp will be tracing the people responsible and bringing the full force of the law to bear upon them,” Elon Musk said, without providing further details.

The announcement comes after X’s appointment of a new head of brand safety and advertiser solutions in what it said was a bid to make the platform “a better, safer space for everyone”.

Automated accounts have long been a problem for the site and regularly reply to posts in a nonsensical or unrelated manner. Recent developments in AI make the bots harder to spot, though many users have a general feeling something is “off” with the platform, which often appears completely void of real human interaction.

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The latest round of bot-fighting measures will be a “significant, proactive initiative to eliminate accounts that violate [its] Rules against platform manipulation and spam,” X’s team announced yesterday, adding that they are “casting a wide net to ensure X remains secure and free of bots”.

Musk’s bot and troll crackdown coincides with the return of the controversial blue checkmark system on Wednesday evening. Users who had blue checks reinstated were told that they had been given a complimentary Premium subscription because they were considered “an influential member of the community.”

The outspoken SpaceX and Tesla CEO posted details last week that accounts with over 2,500 verified followers will have blue checks reinstated for free, while those with 5,000+ followers will get a complimentary $16-per-month Premium+ plan.

The post Elon Musk Reveals Details Of Latest X Plan To Fight Bots appeared first on Tech Magazine.

While only premium subscribers can make calls at present, all accounts can receive them, the X website noted yesterday. The features will be available first on iOS but will soon come to Android as well.

Users can control who can call them using options in the direct messages settings. To call another X user, they must have sent you a direct message at least in the past, X said.

Elon Musk explained that X users would be able to make video and voice calls without sharing their phone numbers. The new features are a direct shot at Meta, owners of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

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Musk has made several sweeping changes to Twitter since his acquisition. In December, the platform launched Twitter Blue, a paid subscription service that indicates if a user is verified and offers Edit Tweet, 1080p video uploads, and longer tweets.

In July, Musk changed the name of Twitter to X, a move analysts say has wiped between $4 and $20 billion from the company’s value.

The post X, Formerly Twitter, Has Introduced Voice And Video Calls appeared first on Tech Magazine.

“We may cover your posts with a warning so people who don’t want to see sensitive content can avoid it. The reach of your account and its content may also be restricted, such as being excluded from the For You and Following timelines, recommended notifications, trends, and search results,” said Conway.

starting transparency somewhere pic.twitter.com/QUNKga1t4I

— Andrea Conway (@ehikian) September 26, 2023

Conway displayed two mock-ups of the update: a notifications tab alert plus an informational page explaining why X may limit the visibility of certain accounts. “We have found that your account potentially contains sensitive media — such as graphic, violent, nudity, sexual behavior, hateful symbols, or other sensitive content,” it explains.

Underneath the message sits an appeal button, which users can click to request X review its initial decision. Conway also explained that users would be able to view their account status outside of the notifications tab but didn’t mention how that might work.

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The feature tackles what has long been a controversial issue for Twitter (now X). For years, the company has limited the reach of accounts breaking its rules, sometimes without the account holders themselves being aware of the throttling.

The forthcoming update should add transparency to X’s decisions but is likely to also create further controversies and even conspiracy theories. Meanwhile, Conway said the company “should have more to share on this soon”.

The post X Previews Long-Awaited “Shadowban” Alerts appeared first on Tech Magazine.

The iconic Twitter bird logo, which has been used since 2010, has already been replaced by a temporary “X” logo, which Musk explained would probably be “refined” in the near future.

pic.twitter.com/IwcbqMnQtA

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 23, 2023

Elon Musk has used the letter X repeatedly in his various projects and originally intended PayPal to be named “X.com”. At one point, the eccentric billionaire started a Twitter Spaces session called “No one talks until we summon Elon Musk,” where he sat silently for nearly an hour before unmuting himself and confirming he would change Twitter’s logo the following day, adding “we’re cutting the Twitter logo from the building with blowtorches”.

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Last night, Musk reportedly sent an email to Twitter employees announcing that the company would soon be known as X and that this was the last time he would email from a Twitter address, according to a Threads post from Zoe Schiffer, managing editor at news site Platformer. Schiffer added that she assumed Musk was talking about the new logo “since Twitter’s business was already renamed X Corp”.

There have been several controversial changes to the platform since its sale to the Tesla and SpaceX entrepreneur, but the rebranding to X.com is the clearest indication yet from Musk that the site is no longer the same social network it was before his takeover.

The post Elon Musk Reveals Twitter Rebrand And Changes Logo To “X” appeared first on Tech Magazine.

In a reply to a tweet noting the similarities to the promised Twitter Notes feature, Musk confirmed that Twitter Articles would be a way to post “long, complex articles with mixed media”, even suggesting that “you could publish a book if you want”.

This will allow users to post very long, complex articles with mixed media. You could publish a book if you want.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 18, 2023

Twitter Articles will remain separate from the main timeline in a section where users can post long-form content articles without the typical character limitations. In addition, users will be able to embed photos, videos, and even other tweets within articles, with published activity showing up in the person’s Twitter profile.

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At this time, it’s unclear as to the release date or general availability of Twitter Articles, as the new feature is still very much in the experimental phase.

The post Twitter Articles Will Allow Users To Create Long-Form Posts appeared first on Tech Magazine.

Rolling out next month, this platform will allow media publishers to charge users on a per article basis with one click.

This enables users who would not sign up for a monthly subscription to pay a higher per article price for when they want to read an occasional article.…

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 29, 2023

The new feature will be rolled out sometime this month and will enable users who don’t want to sign up for a full monthly subscription to pay to read occasional articles that interest them.

Also Read: A Guide To Digital Payment Methods In The Middle East

Musk had already announced on Friday that Twitter would take a 10% cut on content subscriptions after a pause during the first year, and that subscriptions would include long-form text and “hours-long” video.

Since taking over Twitter in October, Elon Musk has made several controversial organizational and feature changes. The social media platform removed the famous blue check mark feature and replaced it with a paid service, while the number of employees was cut by a massive 80%.

The post Twitter To Allow Publishers To Charge On A Per-Article Basis appeared first on Tech Magazine.

For the next 12 months, Twitter will keep none of the money.

You will receive whatever money we receive, so that’s 70% for subscriptions on iOS & Android (they charge 30%) and ~92% on web (could be better, depending on payment processor).

After first year, iOS & Android fees…

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 13, 2023

The Subscriptions feature includes long-form content and supports “hours-long videos”, according to Elon Musk. Like the previous Super Follows, creators can charge $2.99, $4.99, or $9.99 a month, offering subscriber-only chats in Twitter Spaces, special badges for paid subscribers, and potentially more upcoming features, including newsletters.

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Musk noted that Twitter would not take any additional earnings cuts from creators “for the next 12 months” and that the company would “also help promote your work”. However, the controversial CEO hasn’t elaborated on what that would involve.

The post Twitter Has Replaced ‘Super Follows’ With ‘Subscriptions’ appeared first on Tech Magazine.

In December, Twitter introduced three new verification badges in different colors:

• A gold tick for business organizations.
• A gray tick for government-affiliated accounts.
• A blue tick for individuals.

However, as the new verification system rolls out, Twitter users in Saudi Arabia have noticed that prices are an estimated 6.7% more than for US businesses.

The standard price for a business or organization is $1,000 for a monthly subscription and an additional $50 per month for each affiliate. On the other hand, Saudi Arabian organizations will have to stump up $1,066.67 and $53.55, respectively.

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UAE organizations will also have to pay more for verification, with monthly subscription costs climbing to $1,007.49. Qatar accounts will also pay more at $1,016.48, while those in Egypt will be charged $1,003.35. Interestingly, all other MENA countries will pay the standard $1,000 per month subscription and $50 monthly affiliate fee.

The post Twitter Verification Costs More For Middle Eastern Firms appeared first on Tech Magazine.