Twitter search spam campaign hides China riots, researchers say Twitter over the weekend was flooded with spam and suggestive ads in what appears to be an attempt to help the Chinese government hide news about rioters protesting coronavirus restrictions in China. "Chinese bots are flooding Twitter with 'escort ads', possibly to make it more difficult for Chinese users to access information …
Ironic given that he has sided with those who were running candidates who explicitly promised to end democracy by overruling the voters "if necessary" (i.e. if someone in the other party receives more votes) Fortunately all of them in a position to affect the certified tally in states that will matter for the 2024 presidential election were trounced, even though members of the same party who weren't election deniers won.
Seems that voters do want democracy to continue, but Elon seems to be on the wrong side where democracy is concerned. He's got this weird view of free speech where you can compel speech from private companies by making them post content they think poses a legal risk, or making them advertise on a platform that does so.
I want to see him cry like a baby if Twitter goes "maximalist free speech" to the point where he decides to let guys like the white supremacist Trump had dinner with a few days ago back on. Apple and Google would probably respond by removing the app from their app stores, then we can watch all the snowflakes melt with rage and can use their tears to salt our popcorn.
* You want to see a grown man cry ..
* You think the former President of the USA was a White Supremacist..
* Watch all the snowflakes melt with rage and can use their tears to salt our popcorn.
All that because just because E. Musk bought Twitter ?
@Khaptain:
>> "guys like the white supremacist Trump had dinner with"
> You think the former President of the USA was a White Supremacist
Did you read the post you're replying to?
The sentence fragment in quotes refers to a white supremacist the former President had dinner with - an undisputed fact. It says nothing about whether said President IS a white supremacist, merely that he is happy to have dinner with one, and inviting the reader to draw their own conclusions.
Going after Apple for their "monopoly" on Twitter Apps is hardly going to convince Apple to buy any ad space from him. If he "wins", is the $2.4 apiece he gets back from Apple for each blue thingie *really* going to be worth more than the lost ad revenue?
Wonder if he'll figure out (he *is* a genius, after all) that the Twitter app is something that he also owns and he could just make that charge $12 per blue wotsit. That way, he will get the full $8 (plus a bit) that is his rightful due (!) *and* at the same time he can "punish" Apple by pointing out that Android users get it cheaper, then they'll all give up their iThingies because Twitter is *that* important! /s
Meanwhile, Musk is, of course, ignoring all the psyops fake news about Chinese interference, because he can plainly see that if you search for "Beijing" (spelt just like that) then of course you'll see entries about the protests and no escorts at all. Right, back to the important stuff: Apple could drop the Tesla ap, yes, they could, really, honest, that is clearly a blow against democracy.
Can't do that either. Apple T&C include a ban on offering items at a lower price elsewhere.
There was also a ban on apps containing links to your own sales website. That clause was struck down in Epic vs Apple, however as it's still being appealed I'm unsure if it's made a genuine difference.
> Can't do that either. Apple T&C include a ban on offering items at a lower price elsewhere.
Which just gives Elon another rod to beat Apple with, how dare they restrict his Free Speech rights to use different numbers! Did I mention he is a genius?
/s
Apple, according to the BBC, was Twitter's largest Advertiser last year, spending something around €48 million on advertising on Twitter!?!
And he really wants to go to war with them? Normally, if you want someone to give you that sort of money, you'd be coming around with the roses and chocolates. Does he really think he can make anywhere near that level of free cash (lets face it that's what advertising cash effectively is!), from those stupid blue ticks? Or that by losing 30% to Apple, he'd be losing anywhere near that amount????
What a muppet...
The man really thought he'd be able to propagandise the whole world with his idea of what freedom is by buying Twitter, but he's doing an excellent job of displaying what a facile understanding he has of the concept. He also seems to believe that by publicly whinging and insulting people that they'll be somehow shamed into throwing money at him. Let's see how that strategy works out.
You'd think he's unaware of the fact that he's seen as the face of Tesla, and the more partisan he acts the less likely those on the "other side" will be to buy Tesla cars. It is a bad idea to alienate half of your potential customer base, especially when that's the half that believes global warming is something we should be concerned about.
There's probably not a small overlap between Apple customers and Tesla customers, so going after Apple so publicly may not be doing him any favors either.
I wonder if he will whine about his "free speech rights" being trampled upon if Tesla sales drop, and market surveys indicate potential customers have been chased away by his antics. How dare people vote with their wallets and choose not to patronize a company run by such a childish imbecile? "Tesla is being cancelled" he'll cry!
There are more electric car alternatives coming, so Tesla has to win people over the alternatives and can't rest on its first mover (at scale) advantage for much longer.
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