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After a NASA top official warned that China may stake a claim on the moon's resources, the spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington retorted saying,&nbsp;"Outer space is not a wrestling ground." China is "actively" working towards a "shared future for mankind in the space", said Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson.

In an interview with&nbsp;Politico, former astronaut and current NASA administrator Bill Nelson said tthe US needs to "watch out" that its rival does not gain a foothold on the lunar surface. As per a Guardian report, the NASA official said the race between the two nations is intensifying and the next two years may decide which of them gains the advantage.

Watch |&nbsp;China's 'heavenly palace' space station; US space command says 'Our space assets at risk'

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In response, Liu said:&nbsp;"China always advocates the peaceful use of outer space, opposes the weaponisation of and arms race in outer space, and works actively toward building a community with a shared future for mankind in the space domain."

Nelson, the top&nbsp;NASA official, had warned that China, which is currently engaged in a "space race" with the United States, may stake a claim on Moon's resource-rich areas if it gets there first.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-united-states-natural-partners-in-space-exploration-says-us-official-526472">India, United States natural partners in space exploration, says US official</a>

"It is a fact: we’re in a space race." Nelson said that the US "better watch out that they (China) don’t get to a place on the moon under the guise of scientific research."

As proof of China's assertiveness over its territorial claims, the official cited the "earthly" example of Beijing's aggression over islands in the South China Sea where the nation has established military bases.

He said "it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they say, ‘Keep out, we’re here, this is our territory,'" for the Moon’s resource-rich areas.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science-technology/we-better-watch-out-nasa-chief-says-us-china-locked-in-space-race-as-mission-moon-heats-up-548854">‘We better watch out’: NASA chief says US, China locked in ‘space race’ as mission Moon heats up</a>

Recent years have seen China's space programme develop leaps and bounds. Last year, the nation successfully put up an Earth-orbiting space station and also mounted several lunar orbiting and sample-collecting missions.

As per reports, the third phase of China's Lunar mission is scheduled for 2025, and it seeks to establish a lunar research station on Moon's south pole.

Previously, US military officials too sounded the alarm over Chinese "militarisation" of space. While on a visit to Australia, Space Force Lt Gen Nina Armagno warned "It’s entirely possible they could catch up and surpass us," adding that the "progress they’ve made has been stunning – stunningly fast."&nbsp;

However, China denies the allegations and has repeatedly rejected the US interpretation of its space missions.

(With inputs from agencies)

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After a NASA top official warned that China may stake a claim on the moon's resources, the spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington retorted saying, "Outer space is not a wrestling ground.

After a NASA top official warned that China may stake a claim on the moon's resources, the spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington retorted saying, "Outer space is not a wrestling ground." China is "actively" working towards a "shared future for mankind in the space", said Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson. In an interview with Politico, former astronaut and current NASA administrator Bill Nelson said tthe US needs to "watch out" that its rival does not gain a foothold on the lunar surface. As per a Guardian report, the NASA official said the race between the two nations is intensifying and the next two years may decide which of them gains the advantage. Watch | China's 'heavenly palace' space station; US space command says 'Our space assets at risk' In response, Liu said: "China always advocates the peaceful use of outer space, opposes the weaponisation of and arms race in outer space, and works actively toward building a community with a shared future for mankind in the space domain." Nelson, the top NASA official, had warned that China, which is currently engaged in a "space race" with the United States, may stake a claim on Moon's resource-rich areas if it gets there first. Also read | India, United States natural partners in space exploration, says US official "It is a fact: we’re in a space race." Nelson said that the US "better watch out that they (China) don’t get to a place on the moon under the guise of scientific research." As proof of China's assertiveness over its territorial claims, the official cited the "earthly" example of Beijing's aggression over islands in the South China Sea where the nation has established military bases. He said "it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they say, ‘Keep out, we’re here, this is our territory,'" for the Moon’s resource-rich areas. Also read | ‘We better watch out’: NASA chief says US, China locked in ‘space race’ as mission Moon heats up Recent years have seen China's space programme develop leaps and bounds. Last year, the nation successfully put up an Earth-orbiting space station and also mounted several lunar orbiting and sample-collecting missions. As per reports, the third phase of China's Lunar mission is scheduled for 2025, and it seeks to establish a lunar research station on Moon's south pole. Previously, US military officials too sounded the alarm over Chinese "militarisation" of space. While on a visit to Australia, Space Force Lt Gen Nina Armagno warned "It’s entirely possible they could catch up and surpass us," adding that the "progress they’ve made has been stunning – stunningly fast." However, China denies the allegations and has repeatedly rejected the US interpretation of its space missions. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

'Outer space not a wrestling ground', retorts China after NASA official says it might claim Moon's resources

Another case of a data breach makes headlines and this time it's at Twitter. A hacker named "Ryushi" has demanded $200,000 to hand over the data of 400 million users including some celebrities, and politicians.&nbsp;A probe has been launched by Ireland's watchdog. The Data Protection Commission (DPC) said that it "will examine Twitter's compliance with data protection law in relation to that security issue".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/yearender-2022-events-that-happened-this-year-that-no-one-saw-coming-548116">Also read |&nbsp;Yearender 2022: Events that happened this year that no one saw coming</a>

According to BBC, in the online post the hacker&nbsp;warned Twitter that to avoid buying a large data protection fine is to buy the data &nbsp;"exclusively".

The details include email addresses and phone numbers of users, including some celebrities and politicians.&nbsp;

The sale of hacked data was first raised by Hudson Rock, a cybercrime intelligence company. A firm's chief technology officer told BBC that a number of clues appeared to support the hacker's claim.&nbsp;

The chief further claimed that this breach is different from the one in March as the details of almost 5.4 million Twitter accounts were published.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/bytedance-finds-former-tiktok-employees-hacked-data-of-2-us-journalists-545948">Also read |&nbsp;ByteDance finds former TikTok employees hacked data of two US journalists</a>

The hacker has said that the data was breached and compiled by taking an advantage of a problem with the system that lets computer programmes connect with Twitter.&nbsp;

The DPC announced that it was investigating the earlier breach on December 23.&nbsp;According to media reports, the hacker is aware of the loss and damage the data can do.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

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Another case of a data breach makes headlines and this time it's at Twitter. A hacker named "Ryushi" has demanded $200,000 to hand over the data of 400 million users including some celebrities, and politicians.

Another case of a data breach makes headlines and this time it's at Twitter. A hacker named "Ryushi" has demanded $200,000 to hand over the data of 400 million users including some celebrities, and politicians. A probe has been launched by Ireland's watchdog. The Data Protection Commission (DPC) said that it "will examine Twitter's compliance with data protection law in relation to that security issue". Also read | Yearender 2022: Events that happened this year that no one saw coming According to BBC, in the online post the hacker warned Twitter that to avoid buying a large data protection fine is to buy the data "exclusively". The details include email addresses and phone numbers of users, including some celebrities and politicians. The sale of hacked data was first raised by Hudson Rock, a cybercrime intelligence company. A firm's chief technology officer told BBC that a number of clues appeared to support the hacker's claim. The chief further claimed that this breach is different from the one in March as the details of almost 5.4 million Twitter accounts were published. Also read | ByteDance finds former TikTok employees hacked data of two US journalists The hacker has said that the data was breached and compiled by taking an advantage of a problem with the system that lets computer programmes connect with Twitter. The DPC announced that it was investigating the earlier breach on December 23. According to media reports, the hacker is aware of the loss and damage the data can do. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Another data breach at Twitter, details of over 400 million users up for sale; probe on

Chinese police are apparently seeking surveillance software&nbsp;helps to track protests and other related activities across the country, The Guardian reported on Thursday (December 29).&nbsp;

According to the report, tools are placed by the Chinese surveillance manufacturer Hikvision, which is a Chinese state-owned manufacturer and supplier of video surveillance equipment for civilian and military purposes.&nbsp;

The Guardian has learned that the company helps police by providing details of protest activity, listing among the "alarms". The activities such as "gathering crowds to disrupt order in public places", "unlawful assembly, procession, demonstration" and threats to "petition".&nbsp;

In technical documents available on Hikvision's website, the activities are listed with offences such as gambling, and fire hazards, the report further mentioned. It was reportedly flagged to the Guardian by surveillance research firm Internet Protocol Video Market (IPVM).&nbsp;

Hikvision is quite controversial as the United States authorities earlier announced a ban on the import or sale of communications equipment deemed "an unacceptable risk to national security". The ban included surveillance equipment firms such as Hangzhou Hikvision and Dahua Technology.&nbsp;

On the other hand, UK government departments were ordered in November to stop installing Chinese-made surveillance cameras at "sensitive sites".&nbsp;The campaign group Big Brother Watch reported that most public organisations in Britain use CCTV cameras made either by Hikvision or Dahua.&nbsp;

Earlier this week, Sellainne Cathry in the Vision Times reported that Scotland has decided to phase out Hikvision after evidence showed that it was easier for hackers to take control and operate them remotely. It is said that there&nbsp;were security flaws also.

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Chinese police are apparently seeking surveillance software helps to track protests and other related activities across the country, The Guardian reported on Thursday (December 29).

Chinese police are apparently seeking surveillance software helps to track protests and other related activities across the country, The Guardian reported on Thursday (December 29). According to the report, tools are placed by the Chinese surveillance manufacturer Hikvision, which is a Chinese state-owned manufacturer and supplier of video surveillance equipment for civilian and military purposes. The Guardian has learned that the company helps police by providing details of protest activity, listing among the "alarms". The activities such as "gathering crowds to disrupt order in public places", "unlawful assembly, procession, demonstration" and threats to "petition". In technical documents available on Hikvision's website, the activities are listed with offences such as gambling, and fire hazards, the report further mentioned. It was reportedly flagged to the Guardian by surveillance research firm Internet Protocol Video Market (IPVM). Hikvision is quite controversial as the United States authorities earlier announced a ban on the import or sale of communications equipment deemed "an unacceptable risk to national security". The ban included surveillance equipment firms such as Hangzhou Hikvision and Dahua Technology. On the other hand, UK government departments were ordered in November to stop installing Chinese-made surveillance cameras at "sensitive sites". The campaign group Big Brother Watch reported that most public organisations in Britain use CCTV cameras made either by Hikvision or Dahua. Earlier this week, Sellainne Cathry in the Vision Times reported that Scotland has decided to phase out Hikvision after evidence showed that it was easier for hackers to take control and operate them remotely. It is said that there were security flaws also. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Hikvision: Chinese surveillance manufacturer uses tools to help police track protests

A Malaysian study found that the excessive use of Facebook is harmful to depressed users, worsening their present and future depression severity.&nbsp;The findings, published in 'Computers in Human Behaviour', further suggest that overuse of Facebook can lower a person’s sense of self-worth.&nbsp;

The findings are&nbsp;in line with past research suggesting that overuse of Facebook can have a detrimental effect on individuals undergoing medical help to overcome depression and related mental health issues.&nbsp;

Findings from the studies like this have given rise to the term ‘Facebook depression,’ which defines depression resulting from the prolonged use of Facebook.

Time spent Vs. Addictive use

The study found that it is not time spent on Facebook in itself that contributes to depression. Instead, addictive use of the platform appears to be most detrimental to an individual's well-being.&nbsp;

Facebook-related dependency, self-criticism represent depression severity

The study indicates that Facebook addiction can predict depression severity through two distinct depressive experiences: dependency and self-criticism.

“We have a growing reliance on technology, as we heavily rely on it to effectively live our lives,” Study author Sun Li Lee, a psychology lecturer at Monash University Malaysia told neuroscience news website Psypost.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/metas-targeted-advertisements-could-to-face-restrictions-in-the-eu-report-540691">Meta’s targeted advertisements could face restrictions in the EU</a>

"This makes it integral to understand how this reliance affects our well-being, both physically and psychologically. Understanding how it affects those with clinical diagnoses is important as well, as most studies were conducted with healthy young adults."

The study participants were 250 Malaysian Facebook users who had been diagnosed with depression.&nbsp;

WATCH |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-children-are-getting-addicted-to-the-virtual-world-446043">Gravitas: Children are getting addicted to the virtual world</a>

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Participants with higher addictive use of Facebook reported more salient depressive experiences and more severe depression, according to the study. The relationship between Facebook addiction and depression was mediated by dependency and self-criticism, it added.&nbsp;

“It will be helpful to monitor the use of Facebook for those with clinical depression, as findings suggest such usage will increase the severity of depression,” Lee said.

If you or someone you know wants help for mental well being, don't hesitate to talk to a professional. Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, 98204 66726, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata), Parivarthan (Bangalore) +91 76766 02602

WION is not associated with any of these organisations and does not make any recommendations.

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A Malaysian study found that the excessive use of Facebook is harmful to depressed users, worsening their present and future depression severity. The findings, published in 'Computers in Human Behaviour', further suggest that overuse of Facebook can lower a person’s sense of self-worth.

A Malaysian study found that the excessive use of Facebook is harmful to depressed users, worsening their present and future depression severity. The findings, published in 'Computers in Human Behaviour', further suggest that overuse of Facebook can lower a person’s sense of self-worth. The findings are in line with past research suggesting that overuse of Facebook can have a detrimental effect on individuals undergoing medical help to overcome depression and related mental health issues. Findings from the studies like this have given rise to the term ‘Facebook depression,’ which defines depression resulting from the prolonged use of Facebook. Time spent Vs. Addictive use The study found that it is not time spent on Facebook in itself that contributes to depression. Instead, addictive use of the platform appears to be most detrimental to an individual's well-being. Facebook-related dependency, self-criticism represent depression severity The study indicates that Facebook addiction can predict depression severity through two distinct depressive experiences: dependency and self-criticism. “We have a growing reliance on technology, as we heavily rely on it to effectively live our lives,” Study author Sun Li Lee, a psychology lecturer at Monash University Malaysia told neuroscience news website Psypost. ALSO READ | Meta’s targeted advertisements could face restrictions in the EU "This makes it integral to understand how this reliance affects our well-being, both physically and psychologically. Understanding how it affects those with clinical diagnoses is important as well, as most studies were conducted with healthy young adults." The study participants were 250 Malaysian Facebook users who had been diagnosed with depression. WATCH | Gravitas: Children are getting addicted to the virtual world × Participants with higher addictive use of Facebook reported more salient depressive experiences and more severe depression, according to the study. The relationship between Facebook addiction and depression was mediated by dependency and self-criticism, it added. “It will be helpful to monitor the use of Facebook for those with clinical depression, as findings suggest such usage will increase the severity of depression,” Lee said. If you or someone you know wants help for mental well being, don't hesitate to talk to a professional. Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, 98204 66726, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata), Parivarthan (Bangalore) +91 76766 02602 WION is not associated with any of these organisations and does not make any recommendations. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Facebook overuse lowers self-worth, worsens depression: Study

That, technology is an inseparable part of our lives is old news. Just when we think things cannot get any more tech-driven, another vista opens and tech leads innovations again. The year 2022 was not an exception. The tech sector remains poised to transcend new boundaries in 2023, and tech leaders are optimistic as always.

"The advancement of existing technologies and the emergence of new trends have reshaped our working patterns and ushered in significant transformations across industries...," said Jagdish Mitra, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Growth, at Tech Mahindra.

"...Artificial intelligence, for example, has become a reality in businesses, and other technologies such as metaverse, blockchain, robotics, and digital twins are expected to follow the suit in the coming years. Furthermore, the adoption of Industry 4.0 has strengthened the supply chain ecosystem, transformed manufacturing, and instilled resilience in enterprise operations..," he added.&nbsp;

He foresees major improvement in autonomous systems in 2023.

"...I believe in 2023, we will see significant progress in autonomous systems, 5G, and green technology, as well as a quantum leap in technological skilling to digital transformation-related skilling. With digitization sweeping the globe, these emerging technology trends will define the 'Techade' and put India on the map as a technology superpower. India has the potential to take the lead in technological innovation, and 2023 will see a continued push toward sustainable progress, supported by newer sustainable technology trends," he said.

Rajiv Bhalla, Managing Director (India), Barco said that year 2023 will be a herald&nbsp;of 'techade'

&nbsp;“In 2022, we navigated the bend to lead the digital transformation and innovation disruption, powered by new-age technologies and accelerated its amalgamation across operations and workflows. Fueled by India’s promising growth prospects, 2023 is truly going to be a ‘Techade’, given the focus on megatrends such as digitalisation, R&amp;D and innovation, local manufacturing, global offshoring, among others...," he said.

India is a huge market for smartphones and electronics in general. India's share in the global sales of tech products rivals other major global markets.&nbsp;

A Gururaj, Managing Director of Optiemus Electronics, concurs.

"The hearable/wearable industry in India recorded 171% YoY growth in smartwatches, to become the biggest smartwatch market in the world...The electronics industry is set for the next wave of revolution in the coming year and 2023 can be the major milestone year in our aim to make further progress towards realising “Atmanirbhar Bharat” in electronics,” he said.

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

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&nbsp;

That, technology is an inseparable part of our lives is old news. Just when we think things cannot get any more tech-driven, another vista opens and tech leads innovations again.

That, technology is an inseparable part of our lives is old news. Just when we think things cannot get any more tech-driven, another vista opens and tech leads innovations again. The year 2022 was not an exception. The tech sector remains poised to transcend new boundaries in 2023, and tech leaders are optimistic as always. "The advancement of existing technologies and the emergence of new trends have reshaped our working patterns and ushered in significant transformations across industries...," said Jagdish Mitra, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Growth, at Tech Mahindra. "...Artificial intelligence, for example, has become a reality in businesses, and other technologies such as metaverse, blockchain, robotics, and digital twins are expected to follow the suit in the coming years. Furthermore, the adoption of Industry 4.0 has strengthened the supply chain ecosystem, transformed manufacturing, and instilled resilience in enterprise operations..," he added. He foresees major improvement in autonomous systems in 2023. "...I believe in 2023, we will see significant progress in autonomous systems, 5G, and green technology, as well as a quantum leap in technological skilling to digital transformation-related skilling. With digitization sweeping the globe, these emerging technology trends will define the 'Techade' and put India on the map as a technology superpower. India has the potential to take the lead in technological innovation, and 2023 will see a continued push toward sustainable progress, supported by newer sustainable technology trends," he said. Rajiv Bhalla, Managing Director (India), Barco said that year 2023 will be a herald of 'techade' “In 2022, we navigated the bend to lead the digital transformation and innovation disruption, powered by new-age technologies and accelerated its amalgamation across operations and workflows. Fueled by India’s promising growth prospects, 2023 is truly going to be a ‘Techade’, given the focus on megatrends such as digitalisation, R&D and innovation, local manufacturing, global offshoring, among others...," he said. India is a huge market for smartphones and electronics in general. India's share in the global sales of tech products rivals other major global markets. A Gururaj, Managing Director of Optiemus Electronics, concurs. "The hearable/wearable industry in India recorded 171% YoY growth in smartwatches, to become the biggest smartwatch market in the world...The electronics industry is set for the next wave of revolution in the coming year and 2023 can be the major milestone year in our aim to make further progress towards realising “Atmanirbhar Bharat” in electronics,” he said. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Industry leaders gung-ho about tech sector growth in 2023

The world of robotics is expanding with every passing day and now,&nbsp;robots will be used to keep a watch on pipe networks in England and Wales. According to the water industry economic regulator Ofwat, England and Wales lose around three billion litres of water due to water pipe leaks and the robots can be the solution to these problems. Scientists told BBC that the miniature robots will patrol the pipe network and produce constant updates about any potential leaks or damages.

"In [this region] alone, we look after more than 8,500km (5,282 miles) of pipe and only about half the leaks in those pipes are visible, which means it's complicated to pinpoint where [the rest] are," Colin Day from Essex and Suffolk Water told BBC when asked about measures against the leaks.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-to-demand-russias-exclusion-from-united-nations-security-council-546695">Ukraine calls for Russia's exclusion from United Nations Security Counci</a>

Some companies are already using tethered robots to carry out the process but the Integrated Civil and Infrastructure Research Centre (ICAIR) at the University of Sheffield has come up with a new generation of robots. The Pipebots are equipped with small cameras and adaptable legs which allows it to cover more area and provide constant surveillance footage of the water pipes.

"Companies only respond reactively to faults at the moment, not proactively," Professor Kirill Horoshenkov, a member of the testing group, told BBC when asked about the robots. "We need to have the presence of robots so they can continuously collect data before the onset of faults."

"They move along the pipe, taking pictures and they have a microphone to listen to the pipe. They're designed to make decisions about whether the pipe is likely to develop a fault or not," he added.

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The world of robotics is expanding with every passing day and now, robots will be used to keep a watch on pipe networks in England and Wales. According to the water industry economic regulator Ofwat, England and Wales lose around three billion litres of water due to water pipe leaks and the robots can be the solution to these problems.

The world of robotics is expanding with every passing day and now, robots will be used to keep a watch on pipe networks in England and Wales. According to the water industry economic regulator Ofwat, England and Wales lose around three billion litres of water due to water pipe leaks and the robots can be the solution to these problems. Scientists told BBC that the miniature robots will patrol the pipe network and produce constant updates about any potential leaks or damages. "In [this region] alone, we look after more than 8,500km (5,282 miles) of pipe and only about half the leaks in those pipes are visible, which means it's complicated to pinpoint where [the rest] are," Colin Day from Essex and Suffolk Water told BBC when asked about measures against the leaks. Also read | Ukraine calls for Russia's exclusion from United Nations Security Counci Some companies are already using tethered robots to carry out the process but the Integrated Civil and Infrastructure Research Centre (ICAIR) at the University of Sheffield has come up with a new generation of robots. The Pipebots are equipped with small cameras and adaptable legs which allows it to cover more area and provide constant surveillance footage of the water pipes. "Companies only respond reactively to faults at the moment, not proactively," Professor Kirill Horoshenkov, a member of the testing group, told BBC when asked about the robots. "We need to have the presence of robots so they can continuously collect data before the onset of faults." "They move along the pipe, taking pictures and they have a microphone to listen to the pipe. They're designed to make decisions about whether the pipe is likely to develop a fault or not," he added.

Pipebots: The tiny 'leak hunter' robots that can save billions of litres of water

Humanity's knowledge of the universe is a constant effort to reach the farthest edges of what's out "there", but the search is constantly limited by the dearth of technology that can peer into the murky depths of the far reaches of space.

The current technology we have is amazing, it can scan the sky within hours but it can only "see" the brightest sources, or focus on specific sources.

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: The Pillars of Creation through the eyes of NASA'S James Webb telescope

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However, China has now developed a space telescope that can do a wider and deeper x-ray of the universe.

The nation successfully tested the world's first "lobster eye" space telescope that will be able to capture x-ray images of the universe with unprecedented efficiency.

As per the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the device called Lobster Eye Imager for Astronomy or LEIA has successfully clicked high-quality images of X-ray sources of the centre of our galaxy, the Magellanic Clouds and the Scorpius constellation. The achievement was reported in the peer-reviewed journal The Astrophysical Journal Letters last week.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/mars-insight-lander-officially-retires-ending-a-four-year-mission-545315">Mars InSight lander officially retires, ending a four-year mission</a>

The mission's chief scientist, astrophysicist &nbsp;Yuan Weimin of Beijing's National Astronomical Observatory said that his team was excited about LEIA's results and that the results have "shown that our technology works and the observation precision exceeded our expectation."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/with-soyuz-ship-damaged-russia-may-send-rescue-vehicle-for-iss-crew-545886">With Soyuz spacecraft damaged, Russia may send vehicle to rescue International Space Station crew</a>

The so-called 'lobster eye' telescope gains its name from crustaceans such as lobster and shrimp who have evolved to develop a way to adapt their eyes to murky depths underwater.

LEIA's technology will reportedly be part of the Einstein Probe that is being developed by Chinese and European scientists and is scheduled to be sent into orbit late next year.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Humanity's knowledge of the universe is a constant effort to reach the farthest edges of what's out "there", but the search is constantly limited by the dearth of technology that can peer into the murky depths of the far reaches of space.

Humanity's knowledge of the universe is a constant effort to reach the farthest edges of what's out "there", but the search is constantly limited by the dearth of technology that can peer into the murky depths of the far reaches of space. The current technology we have is amazing, it can scan the sky within hours but it can only "see" the brightest sources, or focus on specific sources. Watch | Gravitas: The Pillars of Creation through the eyes of NASA'S James Webb telescope However, China has now developed a space telescope that can do a wider and deeper x-ray of the universe. The nation successfully tested the world's first "lobster eye" space telescope that will be able to capture x-ray images of the universe with unprecedented efficiency. As per the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the device called Lobster Eye Imager for Astronomy or LEIA has successfully clicked high-quality images of X-ray sources of the centre of our galaxy, the Magellanic Clouds and the Scorpius constellation. The achievement was reported in the peer-reviewed journal The Astrophysical Journal Letters last week. Also read | Mars InSight lander officially retires, ending a four-year mission The mission's chief scientist, astrophysicist Yuan Weimin of Beijing's National Astronomical Observatory said that his team was excited about LEIA's results and that the results have "shown that our technology works and the observation precision exceeded our expectation." Also read | With Soyuz spacecraft damaged, Russia may send vehicle to rescue International Space Station crew The so-called 'lobster eye' telescope gains its name from crustaceans such as lobster and shrimp who have evolved to develop a way to adapt their eyes to murky depths underwater. LEIA's technology will reportedly be part of the Einstein Probe that is being developed by Chinese and European scientists and is scheduled to be sent into orbit late next year. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

China develops 'lobster eye' telescope to scan the murky depths of the universe

Facebook parent Meta has agreed to pay $725 million to settle a long-running privacy lawsuit that accused the social media giant of allowing third parties to access users' personal data.

However, Facebook has not yet admitted any wrongdoing as a part of the settlement which still needs approval by the US judge, AFP reported.&nbsp;

As per reports, it was claimed that Facebook reached a preliminary agreement in August but the amount was not announced. The amount was revealed on Thursday (Dec 22).

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/mark-zuckerberg-defends-meta-in-front-of-antitrust-judge-545054">Also read |&nbsp;Mark Zuckerberg defends Meta before antitrust judge on bid for dominance in virtual reality segment</a>

The plaintiff's lawyers said in the filing, "The proposed settlement of $725,000,000 is the largest recovery ever achieved in a data privacy class action and the most Facebook has ever paid to resolve a private class action."

Meta's spokesperson said, "We pursued a settlement as it's in the best interest of our community and shareholders. Over the last three years, we revamped our approach to privacy and implemented a comprehensive privacy programme."

The lawsuit was filed&nbsp;in 2018 when Facebook was accused of violating privacy rules by sharing users' private data with third parties that included Cambridge Analytica firm from the UK that was also linked to former US President Trump's 2016 election campaign.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/bytedance-finds-former-tiktok-employees-hacked-data-of-2-us-journalists-545948">Also read |&nbsp;ByteDance finds former TikTok employees hacked data of two US journalists</a>

It was claimed that the information was used to turn US voters in favour of Trump.&nbsp;

In response to this, the firm was shut down then, only for collecting and using data of over 87 million users without their consent, the lawsuit alleged.&nbsp;

Since then, Facebook removed its access to users' data, restricted the amount of information available to developers and made it simple and easy for users to calibrate restrictions on personal data sharing.&nbsp;

(with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

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Facebook parent Meta has agreed to pay $725 million to settle a long-running privacy lawsuit that accused the social media giant of allowing third parties to access users' personal data.

Facebook parent Meta has agreed to pay $725 million to settle a long-running privacy lawsuit that accused the social media giant of allowing third parties to access users' personal data. However, Facebook has not yet admitted any wrongdoing as a part of the settlement which still needs approval by the US judge, AFP reported. As per reports, it was claimed that Facebook reached a preliminary agreement in August but the amount was not announced. The amount was revealed on Thursday (Dec 22). Also read | Mark Zuckerberg defends Meta before antitrust judge on bid for dominance in virtual reality segment The plaintiff's lawyers said in the filing, "The proposed settlement of $725,000,000 is the largest recovery ever achieved in a data privacy class action and the most Facebook has ever paid to resolve a private class action." Meta's spokesperson said, "We pursued a settlement as it's in the best interest of our community and shareholders. Over the last three years, we revamped our approach to privacy and implemented a comprehensive privacy programme." The lawsuit was filed in 2018 when Facebook was accused of violating privacy rules by sharing users' private data with third parties that included Cambridge Analytica firm from the UK that was also linked to former US President Trump's 2016 election campaign. Also read | ByteDance finds former TikTok employees hacked data of two US journalists It was claimed that the information was used to turn US voters in favour of Trump. In response to this, the firm was shut down then, only for collecting and using data of over 87 million users without their consent, the lawsuit alleged. Since then, Facebook removed its access to users' data, restricted the amount of information available to developers and made it simple and easy for users to calibrate restrictions on personal data sharing. (with inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Facebook parent Meta agrees to pay $275 million to settle 2018 privacy lawsuit

As part of its Holiday Sale 2022, the online game store Epic Games is giving away a new game for free every 24 hours. Every day at midnight, Epic offers a different free game. Today, it is Death Stranding. This is the most well-liked game that has been accessible so far during the Holiday Sale, which began on December 15.

<h2>What is Death Stranding?&nbsp;</h2>

2019's Death Stranding is an open-world game created by renowned game designer&nbsp;Hideo Kojima, who previously created the Metal Gear Solid series. Players assume the role of Sam Bridges, who must defend mankind after an incident unleashes harmful, destructive monsters on the living world.

Here is the Death Stranding launch trailor:&nbsp;

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&nbsp;

<h2>How to claim the game for free?</h2>

Install the Epic Games launcher on your Windows computer, then if you haven't already, log in with your ID to claim the game. You should notice a suggestion to look at the Free Games available throughout the Christmas season on the Epic Games launcher's home page. Death Stranding will appear in the list of free games when you click on it.

As an alternative, you may manually search for Death Stranding using the launcher's search box and then download the game for nothing. The game will then be added to your library, where you can quickly install it anytime you want to play it.&nbsp;Epic Games is known to occasionally provide some fun free games. Popular and casual games, as well as older versions of Grand Theft Auto V and the whole Tomb Raider series, are all included in this list.&nbsp;

As part of its Holiday Sale 2022, the online game store Epic Games is giving away a new game for free every 24 hours. Every day at midnight, Epic offers a different free game.

As part of its Holiday Sale 2022, the online game store Epic Games is giving away a new game for free every 24 hours. Every day at midnight, Epic offers a different free game. Today, it is Death Stranding. This is the most well-liked game that has been accessible so far during the Holiday Sale, which began on December 15. What is Death Stranding? 2019's Death Stranding is an open-world game created by renowned game designer Hideo Kojima, who previously created the Metal Gear Solid series. Players assume the role of Sam Bridges, who must defend mankind after an incident unleashes harmful, destructive monsters on the living world. Here is the Death Stranding launch trailor: × How to claim the game for free? Install the Epic Games launcher on your Windows computer, then if you haven't already, log in with your ID to claim the game. You should notice a suggestion to look at the Free Games available throughout the Christmas season on the Epic Games launcher's home page. Death Stranding will appear in the list of free games when you click on it. As an alternative, you may manually search for Death Stranding using the launcher's search box and then download the game for nothing. The game will then be added to your library, where you can quickly install it anytime you want to play it. Epic Games is known to occasionally provide some fun free games. Popular and casual games, as well as older versions of Grand Theft Auto V and the whole Tomb Raider series, are all included in this list.

Here's how to grab Death Stranding for free on Epic Games

As NASA's James Webb telescope completes one year, here are some magnificent pics it took

A feature which promoted safety resources, including suicide prevention hotlines, to users searching for certain content was restored by Twitter Inc after it faced heat over its removal from consumer safety groups and few users, says&nbsp;a Reuters report.&nbsp;A report was published by Reuters on Friday stating that Twitter had removed the feature a few days ago, as it cited two people who knew about the matter saying that the owner of the micro-blogging site Elon Musk had ordered the removal.

After the report was published, the removal of the feature was confirmed by the Twitter head of trust and safety Ella Irwin, who called it a temporary move.&nbsp;

ALSO READ| <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/elon-musk-ordered-twitter-to-remove-suicide-prevention-prompts-546218">Elon Musk ordered Twitter to remove suicide-prevention prompts</a>

"We have been fixing and revamping our prompts. They were just temporarily removed while we do that. We expect to have them back up next week," said Irwin in an email sent to Reuters.

After 15 hours of publishing the report, Musk, who initially refused to comment on the matter, tweeted, "False, it is still there". Responding to the criticism received by Twitter users, he added, "Twitter doesn't prevent suicide”.&nbsp;

When a user searched for certain topics, the feature called #ThereIsHelp added a banner at the top of the search results. The feature provided contacts of support organisations related to HIV, child sexual exploitation, mental health, gender-based violence, vaccines, freedom of expression and natural disasters present in many countries.&nbsp;

The removal of the feature led to concerns being raised by some Twitter users and consumer safety groups about the well-being of users of the social media platform.

WATCH| Twitter Blue Tick Relaunched: Elon Musk plans to roll out gold and grey ticks next Friday

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Eirliani Abdul Rahman, who was part of Twitter's dissolved content advisory group, said that the removal of #ThereIsHelp was "extremely disconcerting and profoundly disturbing".

Even though it was removed temporarily to bring in improvements, "normally you would be working on it in parallel, not removing it," she added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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A feature which promoted safety resources, including suicide prevention hotlines, to users searching for certain content was restored by Twitter Inc after it faced heat over its removal from consumer safety groups and few users, says a Reuters report.

A feature which promoted safety resources, including suicide prevention hotlines, to users searching for certain content was restored by Twitter Inc after it faced heat over its removal from consumer safety groups and few users, says a Reuters report. A report was published by Reuters on Friday stating that Twitter had removed the feature a few days ago, as it cited two people who knew about the matter saying that the owner of the micro-blogging site Elon Musk had ordered the removal. After the report was published, the removal of the feature was confirmed by the Twitter head of trust and safety Ella Irwin, who called it a temporary move. ALSO READ| Elon Musk ordered Twitter to remove suicide-prevention prompts "We have been fixing and revamping our prompts. They were just temporarily removed while we do that. We expect to have them back up next week," said Irwin in an email sent to Reuters. After 15 hours of publishing the report, Musk, who initially refused to comment on the matter, tweeted, "False, it is still there". Responding to the criticism received by Twitter users, he added, "Twitter doesn't prevent suicide”. When a user searched for certain topics, the feature called #ThereIsHelp added a banner at the top of the search results. The feature provided contacts of support organisations related to HIV, child sexual exploitation, mental health, gender-based violence, vaccines, freedom of expression and natural disasters present in many countries. The removal of the feature led to concerns being raised by some Twitter users and consumer safety groups about the well-being of users of the social media platform. WATCH| Twitter Blue Tick Relaunched: Elon Musk plans to roll out gold and grey ticks next Friday Eirliani Abdul Rahman, who was part of Twitter's dissolved content advisory group, said that the removal of #ThereIsHelp was "extremely disconcerting and profoundly disturbing". Even though it was removed temporarily to bring in improvements, "normally you would be working on it in parallel, not removing it," she added. (With inputs from agencies)

Twitter restores feature promoting hotlines for suicide prevention: report

Elon Musk ordered Twitter to remove an anti-suicide feature on the microblogging social media platform. The feature, that showed prompts related to suicide-prevention and anti-self harm hotlines in at least 30 countries worldwide, was no more available starting Thursday evening, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

What was Twitter's anti-suicide feature?

The feature, known as #ThereIsHelp, showed at the top of specific searches contacts for support organisations in many countries related to mental health, HIV, vaccines, child sexual exploitation, Covid19, gender-based violence, natural disasters and freedom of expression.

What does its elimination mean?

Its elimination could add to concerns about the well-being of vulnerable users on Twitter. Civil Rights advocates in the past few months have reported an increase in tweets with racial slurs and other hateful content, despite Musk's contrary claims.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/floodgates-open-for-hate-speech-against-black-transgender-persons-after-elon-musks-twitter-takeover-539604">Floodgates opened for hate speech against black, transgender people&nbsp;after Elon Musk's Twitter takeover</a>

The removal of the feature has created ripples of concerns among civil rights and mental health advocates in parts of the world. Washington-based Aids United, which was promoted in #ThereIsHelp, and iLaw, a Thai group featured over freedom of expression support, both told Reuters on Friday that the disappearance of the feature was a surprise to them.

WATCH |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-fineprint-elon-musk-buys-twitter-529238">Explained: The future of Twitter under Elon Musk</a>

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Twitter had launched now-removed prompts about five years ago, according to company tweets. In one of its blog posts about the feature from its pre-Elon Musk days, Twitter had said it had responsibility to ensure users could "access and receive support on our service when they need it most".&nbsp;

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Elon Musk ordered Twitter to remove an anti-suicide feature on the microblogging social media platform. The feature, that showed prompts related to suicide-prevention and anti-self harm hotlines in at least 30 countries worldwide, was no more available starting Thursday evening, Reuters reported.

Elon Musk ordered Twitter to remove an anti-suicide feature on the microblogging social media platform. The feature, that showed prompts related to suicide-prevention and anti-self harm hotlines in at least 30 countries worldwide, was no more available starting Thursday evening, Reuters reported. What was Twitter's anti-suicide feature? The feature, known as #ThereIsHelp, showed at the top of specific searches contacts for support organisations in many countries related to mental health, HIV, vaccines, child sexual exploitation, Covid19, gender-based violence, natural disasters and freedom of expression. What does its elimination mean? Its elimination could add to concerns about the well-being of vulnerable users on Twitter. Civil Rights advocates in the past few months have reported an increase in tweets with racial slurs and other hateful content, despite Musk's contrary claims. ALSO READ | Floodgates opened for hate speech against black, transgender people after Elon Musk's Twitter takeover The removal of the feature has created ripples of concerns among civil rights and mental health advocates in parts of the world. Washington-based Aids United, which was promoted in #ThereIsHelp, and iLaw, a Thai group featured over freedom of expression support, both told Reuters on Friday that the disappearance of the feature was a surprise to them. WATCH | Explained: The future of Twitter under Elon Musk × Twitter had launched now-removed prompts about five years ago, according to company tweets. In one of its blog posts about the feature from its pre-Elon Musk days, Twitter had said it had responsibility to ensure users could "access and receive support on our service when they need it most". WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Elon Musk ordered Twitter to remove suicide-prevention prompts

The French privacy watchdog said on Thursday (December 22) that it had fined US tech giant Microsoft USD 64 million for foisting advertising cookies on users. This is the largest fine imposed in 2022.

National Commission for Technology and Freedoms (CNIL) said Microsoft's search engine Bing had not set up a system allowing users to refuse cookies as simply as accepting them.

It also "observed that there was no button allowing to refuse the deposit of cookies as easily as accepting it."

The CNIL said the fine was justified in part because of the profits the company made from advertising profits indirectly generated from the data collected via cookies -- tiny data files that track online browsing.

Bing offered a button for the user to immediately accept all cookies, but two clicks were need to refuse them, it said.

The company has been given three months to rectify the issue, with a potential further penalty of 60,000 euros per day overdue.

The fine was issued to Microsoft Ireland, where the company has its European base.

In a statement Microsoft said that it had "introduced key changes to our cookie practices even before this investigation started."

(With inputs from agencies)

The French privacy watchdog said on Thursday (December 22) that it had fined US tech giant Microsoft USD 64 million for foisting advertising cookies on users. This is the largest fine imposed in 2022.

The French privacy watchdog said on Thursday (December 22) that it had fined US tech giant Microsoft USD 64 million for foisting advertising cookies on users. This is the largest fine imposed in 2022. National Commission for Technology and Freedoms (CNIL) said Microsoft's search engine Bing had not set up a system allowing users to refuse cookies as simply as accepting them. It also "observed that there was no button allowing to refuse the deposit of cookies as easily as accepting it." The CNIL said the fine was justified in part because of the profits the company made from advertising profits indirectly generated from the data collected via cookies -- tiny data files that track online browsing. Bing offered a button for the user to immediately accept all cookies, but two clicks were need to refuse them, it said. The company has been given three months to rectify the issue, with a potential further penalty of 60,000 euros per day overdue. The fine was issued to Microsoft Ireland, where the company has its European base. In a statement Microsoft said that it had "introduced key changes to our cookie practices even before this investigation started." (With inputs from agencies)

France slaps $64 million fine on Microsoft over advertising cookies

A non-profit, artificial intelligence (AI) research company, OpenAI which is also behind creating text-to-image generator, DALL-E and AI-powered ChatGPT chatbot has announced major changes in its 3D rendering which has led to Point-E. The machine learning system creates a 3D object based on a text prompt.&nbsp;

According to a paper, published by the company, Point-E uses just one single Nvidia V100 GPU to process images and complete generating them in minutes which would typically take hours and require multiple GPUs. While there are not actually 3D models as they do not capture the texture and detail of what is entered it does so by using Point Clouds, which are sets of data points in space that represent a 3D shape.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/explained-what-is-lensa-ai-and-should-we-be-concerned-about-it-542409">Explained: What is Lensa AI and should we be concerned about it?</a>

The upside of using Point Clouds is that they require significantly less computational power, since the name Point-E where the ‘E’ stands for “efficiency”. Therefore, while the accuracy is a key limitation of the AI-powered tool, the speed is note worthy.&nbsp;

However, in order to overcome this the team trained two AI models to convert the point clouds into 3D meshes. According to TechCrunch, these Meshes are, “the collections of vertices, edges and faces that define an object – are commonly used in 3D modelling and design.” This might lead to some bulky or distorted shapes, the paper noted.&nbsp;

ALSO WATCH |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-fineprint-ai-that-can-detect-gun-violence-543493">WION Fineprint | AI that can detect gun violence?</a>

The two AI model utilises a text-to-image and image-to-3D approach after which the first tool creates a rendered object that best fits the data entered. Subsequently, the image-to-3D model, which is already programmed with a set of images paired with 3D objects learns to effectively translate between the two, creating a Point Cloud based on them and converting it into a Mesh.

“While our method still falls short of the state-of-the-art in terms of sample quality, it is one to two orders of magnitude faster to sample from, offering a practical trade-off for some use cases,” said the paper. It added, “This could make it more practical for certain applications, or could allow for the discovery of the higher-quality 3D object.”&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/what-is-chatgpt-an-ai-chatbot-that-have-taken-internet-by-storm-can-it-replace-humans-540182">What is ChatGPT, an AI chatbot that has taken internet by storm? Can it replace humans?</a>

While OpenAI’s Point-E is the latest to opt for the growing trend of AI-generated 3D objects it certainly isn’t the only one. Earlier this year, Alphabet Inc’s <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/google-working-on-ai-capable-of-reading-doctors-handwriting-on-prescriptions-544557">Google</a> released Dream Fusion, which was an expanded version of its predecessor Dream Fields released a year prior.&nbsp;

However, unlike Dream Fields, DreamFusion could generate 3D representations of objects without 3D data. Reports suggest that the efficiency of Point-E beats Dream Fusions which requires a lot of time as well as GPUs to produce the images.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

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A non-profit, artificial intelligence (AI) research company, OpenAI which is also behind creating text-to-image generator, DALL-E and AI-powered ChatGPT chatbot has announced major changes in its 3D rendering which has led to Point-E.

A non-profit, artificial intelligence (AI) research company, OpenAI which is also behind creating text-to-image generator, DALL-E and AI-powered ChatGPT chatbot has announced major changes in its 3D rendering which has led to Point-E. The machine learning system creates a 3D object based on a text prompt. According to a paper, published by the company, Point-E uses just one single Nvidia V100 GPU to process images and complete generating them in minutes which would typically take hours and require multiple GPUs. While there are not actually 3D models as they do not capture the texture and detail of what is entered it does so by using Point Clouds, which are sets of data points in space that represent a 3D shape. ALSO READ | Explained: What is Lensa AI and should we be concerned about it? The upside of using Point Clouds is that they require significantly less computational power, since the name Point-E where the ‘E’ stands for “efficiency”. Therefore, while the accuracy is a key limitation of the AI-powered tool, the speed is note worthy. However, in order to overcome this the team trained two AI models to convert the point clouds into 3D meshes. According to TechCrunch, these Meshes are, “the collections of vertices, edges and faces that define an object – are commonly used in 3D modelling and design.” This might lead to some bulky or distorted shapes, the paper noted. ALSO WATCH | WION Fineprint | AI that can detect gun violence? The two AI model utilises a text-to-image and image-to-3D approach after which the first tool creates a rendered object that best fits the data entered. Subsequently, the image-to-3D model, which is already programmed with a set of images paired with 3D objects learns to effectively translate between the two, creating a Point Cloud based on them and converting it into a Mesh. “While our method still falls short of the state-of-the-art in terms of sample quality, it is one to two orders of magnitude faster to sample from, offering a practical trade-off for some use cases,” said the paper. It added, “This could make it more practical for certain applications, or could allow for the discovery of the higher-quality 3D object.” ALSO READ | What is ChatGPT, an AI chatbot that has taken internet by storm? Can it replace humans? While OpenAI’s Point-E is the latest to opt for the growing trend of AI-generated 3D objects it certainly isn’t the only one. Earlier this year, Alphabet Inc’s Google released Dream Fusion, which was an expanded version of its predecessor Dream Fields released a year prior. However, unlike Dream Fields, DreamFusion could generate 3D representations of objects without 3D data. Reports suggest that the efficiency of Point-E beats Dream Fusions which requires a lot of time as well as GPUs to produce the images. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Open AI’s Point-E turns text prompts into 3D models: Here's what you need to know

CEO Elon Musk has said that&nbsp;he won’t sell any further shares in Tesla for 18 months or more, in an attempt to pacify shareholders of the EV company who have watched the stock fall&nbsp;nearly half of its value since Musk’s takeover&nbsp;of Twitter.

“I’m not selling any stock for 18 to 24 months,” Musk said during an audio-only Twitter Spaces group conversation on Thursday. Musk then said he wouldn’t sell Tesla shares for two years, but backtracked and said he would pause sales for at least one year.

Musk&nbsp;dumped&nbsp;$2.58 billion&nbsp;worth of Tesla stock last week and has sold nearly $23 billion worth of his car company’s shares since April, when he started gaining ground in Twitter.&nbsp;Over the past two months, Musk has spearheaded a dizzying array of changes that have upset advertisers and alienated users. He laid off half of his staff, took moderators out of contract, and dissolved the Trust and Safety Advisors Council. He stopped enforcing his COVID-19 misinformation rule and filed criminal charges against Dr. Anthony Fauci, an infectious disease expert in the United States.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/worlds-most-subscribed-youtuber-mr-beast-offers-to-be-twitter-ceo-elon-musk-responds-545829">World's most-subscribed YouTuber Mr Beast offers to be Twitter CEO. Elon Musk responds</a>

Tesla investors are fed up with the 24/7 Twitter clamor. The eccentric CEO is distracted from his main source of wealth, the electric car company, they say. 
Tesla's market cap surpassed $1.1 trillion on April 1st. This was the last trading day before Musk announced that he would buy his Twitter stake. Since then, the company has lost almost two-thirds of its value as rival automakers squeezed Tesla's dominant share of electric car sales.

Tesla shares fell more than&nbsp;one per cent on Friday, to $123.74. They were more than $360 each on April 1 and hit an all-time high of more than $414 in November of 2020.

This week,&nbsp;Tesla amplified the discounts it’s offering&nbsp;through year’s end on its two top-selling models, an indication that demand is slowing for its EVs.

(With inputs from agencies)

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CEO Elon Musk has said that he won’t sell any further shares in Tesla for 18 months or more, in an attempt to pacify shareholders of the EV company who have watched the stock fall nearly half of its value since Musk’s takeover of Twitter.

CEO Elon Musk has said that he won’t sell any further shares in Tesla for 18 months or more, in an attempt to pacify shareholders of the EV company who have watched the stock fall nearly half of its value since Musk’s takeover of Twitter. “I’m not selling any stock for 18 to 24 months,” Musk said during an audio-only Twitter Spaces group conversation on Thursday. Musk then said he wouldn’t sell Tesla shares for two years, but backtracked and said he would pause sales for at least one year. Musk dumped $2.58 billion worth of Tesla stock last week and has sold nearly $23 billion worth of his car company’s shares since April, when he started gaining ground in Twitter. Over the past two months, Musk has spearheaded a dizzying array of changes that have upset advertisers and alienated users. He laid off half of his staff, took moderators out of contract, and dissolved the Trust and Safety Advisors Council. He stopped enforcing his COVID-19 misinformation rule and filed criminal charges against Dr. Anthony Fauci, an infectious disease expert in the United States. Also read | World's most-subscribed YouTuber Mr Beast offers to be Twitter CEO. Elon Musk responds Tesla investors are fed up with the 24/7 Twitter clamor. The eccentric CEO is distracted from his main source of wealth, the electric car company, they say. Tesla's market cap surpassed $1.1 trillion on April 1st. This was the last trading day before Musk announced that he would buy his Twitter stake. Since then, the company has lost almost two-thirds of its value as rival automakers squeezed Tesla's dominant share of electric car sales. Tesla shares fell more than one per cent on Friday, to $123.74. They were more than $360 each on April 1 and hit an all-time high of more than $414 in November of 2020. This week, Tesla amplified the discounts it’s offering through year’s end on its two top-selling models, an indication that demand is slowing for its EVs. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Elon Musk reassures investors, tells them he will pause on Tesla stock sales for 18 to 24 months

In yet another show of the misuse of China's ascendant tech prowess, Bytedance, the parent company of short-video social media app TikTok, hacked the TikTok accounts of two US-based journalists. ByteDance employees reportedly accessed the data of what is cited to be an unsuccessful effort to investigate leaks of company information earlier this year, according to an email from ByteDance general counsel Erich Andersen, Reuters reported.

The identity of the journalists has been revealed as Financial Times reporter Cristina Criddle and former Buzzfeed writer (now with Forbes) Emily Baker-White.&nbsp;

The disclosure is set to further the pressure on the Shenzen-based social media platform over security concerns about United States' user data, which have kept it in the news cycle over the past many months.

Employees fired, apology issued

About four ByteDance employees who were involved in the incident were fired, including two in China and two in the United States. Company officials quoted by Reuters said that they were taking additional steps to protect user data.

"This misconduct is not at all representative of what I know our company's principles to be," TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew said in a separate email to employees, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

WATCH |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/tiktok-in-the-us-tiktoks-attempts-to-reassure-government-security-concerns-surrounding-the-app-545724">TikTok in the US: TikTok's attempts to reassure government, security concerns surrounding the app</a>

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He said the company "will continue to enhance these access protocols, which have already been significantly improved and hardened since this initiative took place."

The US Congress is set to pass legislation this week to ban government employees from downloading or using TikTok on their government-owned devices.

Chew said that over the past 15 months the company had been working to build TikTok U.S. Data Security (USDS) to ensure that protected TikTok U.S. user data stays in the U.S.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/one-third-of-users-regularly-get-their-news-from-tiktok-claims-new-study-528120">One-third of users regularly get their news from TikTok, claims new study</a>

"The USDS department is limiting access of that data to the USDS department and has already done so across our production systems," he said. "We are completing the migration of protected US user data management to the USDS department and have been systematically cutting off access points."

The U.S. government Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a national security body, has for months sought to reach a national security agreement with ByteDance to protect the data of more than 100 million U.S. TikTok users, but it appears no deal will be reached before year's end.

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In yet another show of the misuse of China's ascendant tech prowess, Bytedance, the parent company of short-video social media app TikTok, hacked the TikTok accounts of two US-based journalists.

In yet another show of the misuse of China's ascendant tech prowess, Bytedance, the parent company of short-video social media app TikTok, hacked the TikTok accounts of two US-based journalists. ByteDance employees reportedly accessed the data of what is cited to be an unsuccessful effort to investigate leaks of company information earlier this year, according to an email from ByteDance general counsel Erich Andersen, Reuters reported. The identity of the journalists has been revealed as Financial Times reporter Cristina Criddle and former Buzzfeed writer (now with Forbes) Emily Baker-White. The disclosure is set to further the pressure on the Shenzen-based social media platform over security concerns about United States' user data, which have kept it in the news cycle over the past many months. Employees fired, apology issued About four ByteDance employees who were involved in the incident were fired, including two in China and two in the United States. Company officials quoted by Reuters said that they were taking additional steps to protect user data. "This misconduct is not at all representative of what I know our company's principles to be," TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew said in a separate email to employees, Reuters reported. WATCH | TikTok in the US: TikTok's attempts to reassure government, security concerns surrounding the app × He said the company "will continue to enhance these access protocols, which have already been significantly improved and hardened since this initiative took place." The US Congress is set to pass legislation this week to ban government employees from downloading or using TikTok on their government-owned devices. Chew said that over the past 15 months the company had been working to build TikTok U.S. Data Security (USDS) to ensure that protected TikTok U.S. user data stays in the U.S. ALSO READ | One-third of users regularly get their news from TikTok, claims new study "The USDS department is limiting access of that data to the USDS department and has already done so across our production systems," he said. "We are completing the migration of protected US user data management to the USDS department and have been systematically cutting off access points." The U.S. government Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a national security body, has for months sought to reach a national security agreement with ByteDance to protect the data of more than 100 million U.S. TikTok users, but it appears no deal will be reached before year's end. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

ByteDance finds former TikTok employees hacked data of two US journalists

On Wednesday, Germany dropped its antitrust probe into Google's News Showcase service after the tech giant made some "important adjustments" to ease competition.

President of Germany's Federal Cartel Office, Andreas Mundt said, "Google has responded to our concerns and implemented important adjustments to the benefit of publishers."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/google-working-on-ai-capable-of-reading-doctors-handwriting-on-prescriptions-544557/amp">Also read | Google working on AI capable of reading doctors' handwriting on prescriptions</a>

<ul>
</ul>

This comes after the US-based tech giant agreed to exclude "Google News Showcase" from its general search results.&nbsp;

Mundt said, "It will continue to be irrelevant for the ranking of the search results whether or not a publisher participates in Showcase."

Ralf Bremer of Google Showcase said the company is pleased that the case has been dropped and it can continue this important journalistic programme with its publishing partners.

Launched in 2020, Google Showcase allows users to present more journalistic content prominently on a designed platform.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/google-chrome-introduces-price-drop-notifications-feature-details-here-544002">Also read |&nbsp;Google Chrome introduces price drop notifications feature. Details here</a>

However, an inquiry was launched last year by Germany's antitrust watchdog after a complaint was filed by Corint Media, a publishing group that manages the rights of radio and television stations.&nbsp;

The company said that it feared that newsgroups that had not signed Google's agreement would see their content relegated in search results.&nbsp;

In response to the probe, Google in January said that it would abandon its plan to integrate showcase in general result sections.&nbsp;

(with inputs from agencies)

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&nbsp;

On Wednesday, Germany dropped its antitrust probe into Google's News Showcase service after the tech giant made some "important adjustments" to ease competition.

On Wednesday, Germany dropped its antitrust probe into Google's News Showcase service after the tech giant made some "important adjustments" to ease competition. President of Germany's Federal Cartel Office, Andreas Mundt said, "Google has responded to our concerns and implemented important adjustments to the benefit of publishers." Also read | Google working on AI capable of reading doctors' handwriting on prescriptions This comes after the US-based tech giant agreed to exclude "Google News Showcase" from its general search results. Mundt said, "It will continue to be irrelevant for the ranking of the search results whether or not a publisher participates in Showcase." Ralf Bremer of Google Showcase said the company is pleased that the case has been dropped and it can continue this important journalistic programme with its publishing partners. Launched in 2020, Google Showcase allows users to present more journalistic content prominently on a designed platform. Also read | Google Chrome introduces price drop notifications feature. Details here However, an inquiry was launched last year by Germany's antitrust watchdog after a complaint was filed by Corint Media, a publishing group that manages the rights of radio and television stations. The company said that it feared that newsgroups that had not signed Google's agreement would see their content relegated in search results. In response to the probe, Google in January said that it would abandon its plan to integrate showcase in general result sections. (with inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Germany drops antitrust probe into Google News Showcase after its makes 'adjustments'

Since the Tesla CEO Elon Musk took over the microblogging platform, people have jumped ship. Twitter users have turned to other social media platforms and seemingly one of the most popular ones, Mastodon, has emerged as the winner.&nbsp;Mastodon has been dubbed as an open-source, decentralised, or federated social network which allows users to construct their own networks or 'instances', this&nbsp;effectively gives them access and ownership of their data.&nbsp;The ad-free social media platform has also recently&nbsp;garnered some 2.5 million users.&nbsp;

“Mastodon has recently exploded in popularity, jumping from approx. 300K monthly active users to 2.5&nbsp;million between the months of October and November, with more and more journalists, political figures, writers, actors and organisations moving over,” said the Mastodon founder Eugen Rochko&nbsp;on Tuesday. Notably, this amounts to more than 800 per cent of growth seen in recent months, the statement added.&nbsp;

ALSO READ&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mastodon-how-does-the-alternative-to-twitter-work-477593">Mastodon: How does the alternative to Twitter work?</a>

The success has consequently triggered “a land-grab for space on it from groups including browser makers, cryptocurrency advocates and other social networks”, said a report by the Guardian.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, the browser maker of Firefox, Mozilla, said that it would start a Mastodon 'instance’, with the intention to contribute to the “healthy and sustainable growth of a federated social space that doesn’t just operate but thrives on its own terms, independent of profit- and control-motivated tech firms,” said Steve Teixeira, the chief product officer at Mozilla, as quoted by the Guardian.&nbsp;

Mozilla, which is also owned by a non-profit foundation, said that we are living through the consequences of two decades of&nbsp;“centralised, corporate-controlled social media, with a small oligopoly of large tech firms tightening their grip on the public square.” He added, “In private hands, our choice is limited, toxicity is rewarded, rage is called engagement, public trust is corroded, and basic human decency is often an afterthought.”&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/twitter-users-jump-to-mastodon-and-koo-what-are-these-social-media-platforms-531801">Twitter users jump ship to Mastodon and Koo. What are these social media platforms?</a> 
 
Meanwhile, Tumblr which was previously owned by Yahoo! and Verizon and was later sold to WordPress developers Automattic also witnessed a surge in the number of users and said that it will look into adding “interoperability and ActivityPub support as soon as possible.”&nbsp;

This is in reference to Mastodon, which also uses ActivityPub, enabling it to be compatible with a wide array of communities and allowing users to use photo sharing, podcasting and social networking all share content with each other.

This comes as the Twitterverse gets more and more chaotic, users have started posting links to other social media platforms in their posts which include outside platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Post and Truth Social, as well as third-party social media link aggregators such as linktr.ee and ink.bio.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/twitter-to-now-ban-users-from-posting-links-to-rival-platforms-544343">Twitter to now ban users from posting links to rival platforms</a>

This led Musk to briefly ban all links to other social media platforms and reportedly suspended user accounts who wrote their Mastodon usernames on Twitter. However, Musk in a recent interview admitted that the move was a bad idea.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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Since the Tesla CEO Elon Musk took over the microblogging platform, people have jumped ship. Twitter users have turned to other social media platforms and seemingly one of the most popular ones, Mastodon, has emerged as the winner.

Since the Tesla CEO Elon Musk took over the microblogging platform, people have jumped ship. Twitter users have turned to other social media platforms and seemingly one of the most popular ones, Mastodon, has emerged as the winner. Mastodon has been dubbed as an open-source, decentralised, or federated social network which allows users to construct their own networks or 'instances', this effectively gives them access and ownership of their data. The ad-free social media platform has also recently garnered some 2.5 million users. “Mastodon has recently exploded in popularity, jumping from approx. 300K monthly active users to 2.5 million between the months of October and November, with more and more journalists, political figures, writers, actors and organisations moving over,” said the Mastodon founder Eugen Rochko on Tuesday. Notably, this amounts to more than 800 per cent of growth seen in recent months, the statement added. ALSO READ | Mastodon: How does the alternative to Twitter work? The success has consequently triggered “a land-grab for space on it from groups including browser makers, cryptocurrency advocates and other social networks”, said a report by the Guardian. Meanwhile, the browser maker of Firefox, Mozilla, said that it would start a Mastodon 'instance’, with the intention to contribute to the “healthy and sustainable growth of a federated social space that doesn’t just operate but thrives on its own terms, independent of profit- and control-motivated tech firms,” said Steve Teixeira, the chief product officer at Mozilla, as quoted by the Guardian. Mozilla, which is also owned by a non-profit foundation, said that we are living through the consequences of two decades of “centralised, corporate-controlled social media, with a small oligopoly of large tech firms tightening their grip on the public square.” He added, “In private hands, our choice is limited, toxicity is rewarded, rage is called engagement, public trust is corroded, and basic human decency is often an afterthought.” ALSO READ | Twitter users jump ship to Mastodon and Koo. What are these social media platforms? Meanwhile, Tumblr which was previously owned by Yahoo! and Verizon and was later sold to WordPress developers Automattic also witnessed a surge in the number of users and said that it will look into adding “interoperability and ActivityPub support as soon as possible.” This is in reference to Mastodon, which also uses ActivityPub, enabling it to be compatible with a wide array of communities and allowing users to use photo sharing, podcasting and social networking all share content with each other. This comes as the Twitterverse gets more and more chaotic, users have started posting links to other social media platforms in their posts which include outside platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Post and Truth Social, as well as third-party social media link aggregators such as linktr.ee and ink.bio. ALSO READ | Twitter to now ban users from posting links to rival platforms This led Musk to briefly ban all links to other social media platforms and reportedly suspended user accounts who wrote their Mastodon usernames on Twitter. However, Musk in a recent interview admitted that the move was a bad idea. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Firefox, Tumblr support Mastodon after Twitter briefly bans users from posting links to rival platforms

The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) said Tuesday that sharing your Netflix password might be illegal as it breaks copyright law. Not just in UK, but it is extremely common for people in most countries to share their Netflix passwords. However, it is against the terms of service agreements.

However, Netflix has never said that it will take legal action against such users. Reference to password sharing has also been removed from IPO's guidance on the government website. However, the legal standing on the matter remains the same, a spokesperson said.

"There are a range of provisions in criminal and civil law which may be applicable in the case of password sharing where the intent is to allow a user to access copyright-protected works without payment," it said.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-do-you-share-your-netflix-account-with-friends-or-family-be-prepared-to-pay-extra-soon-527067">Do you share your Netflix account with friends and family? Be prepared to pay extra soon</a>

"These provisions may include breach of contractual terms, fraud or secondary copyright infringement, depending on the circumstances. Where these provisions are provided in civil law, it would be up to the service provider to take action through the courts if required."

Meanwhile, Netflix is planning to make things easier for people who borrow their friends'&nbsp;accounts. It aims to "make it easy" for them to set up their own or transfer their profile into a new account. "Sub-accounts" for family or friends subject to extra payment are also on the cards. The platform is likely to roll out such features by early 2023.

According to research firm Digital i, a quarter of UK Netflix subscribers share their passwords.&nbsp;

During Netflix's early days in the country, it cryptically encouraged users to share their passwords. However, this led to a decline in its growth. To counter the problem, Netflix came up with different price tiers to enable people to purchase their own accounts.

(With inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

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The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) said Tuesday that sharing your Netflix password might be illegal as it breaks copyright law. Not just in UK, but it is extremely common for people in most countries to share their Netflix passwords.

The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) said Tuesday that sharing your Netflix password might be illegal as it breaks copyright law. Not just in UK, but it is extremely common for people in most countries to share their Netflix passwords. However, it is against the terms of service agreements. However, Netflix has never said that it will take legal action against such users. Reference to password sharing has also been removed from IPO's guidance on the government website. However, the legal standing on the matter remains the same, a spokesperson said. "There are a range of provisions in criminal and civil law which may be applicable in the case of password sharing where the intent is to allow a user to access copyright-protected works without payment," it said. Also Read | Do you share your Netflix account with friends and family? Be prepared to pay extra soon "These provisions may include breach of contractual terms, fraud or secondary copyright infringement, depending on the circumstances. Where these provisions are provided in civil law, it would be up to the service provider to take action through the courts if required." Meanwhile, Netflix is planning to make things easier for people who borrow their friends' accounts. It aims to "make it easy" for them to set up their own or transfer their profile into a new account. "Sub-accounts" for family or friends subject to extra payment are also on the cards. The platform is likely to roll out such features by early 2023. According to research firm Digital i, a quarter of UK Netflix subscribers share their passwords. During Netflix's early days in the country, it cryptically encouraged users to share their passwords. However, this led to a decline in its growth. To counter the problem, Netflix came up with different price tiers to enable people to purchase their own accounts. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Sharing your Netflix password might be illegal, says UK government

The eight-vehicle crash last month on San Francisco's Bay Bridge which involved a Tesla Model S car reportedly happened due to the malfunctioning of the vehicle's Full-Self Driving (FSD) mode.

As per a police report made public on Wednesday, the car's driver said that the 2021 model car was in Full-Self Driving (FSD) mode which had malfunctioned. However, the police were unable to determine if the software was in operation or if his statement was accurate.

Watch |&nbsp;World Business Watch | Tesla to freeze hiring, lay off employees in next quarter: Report

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However, the police in its report said that the vehicle had made an unsafe lane change and was slowing to a stop when another vehicle crashed into it from behind. This then led to a chain reaction of six more vehicles crashing and causing the pile-up.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/tesla-to-implement-hiring-freeze-and-layoff-people-in-2023-report-545417">Tesla to implement a hiring freeze and layoff people in 2023: Report</a>

It also said that if the self-driving function did malfunction the driver should have taken manual control of the vehicle and prevented the crash.

The Thanksgiving Day crash had caused lengthy delays on San Francisco's Interstate-80 near Island and had also sent two juveniles to the hospital with minor injuries.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/tesla-reports-two-new-crash-fatalities-in-model-3-cars-linked-to-advanced-driver-assistance-systems-534811">Tesla reports two more crash fatalities in Model 3 cars linked to advanced driver assistance system</a>

As per Tesla the so-called "Full Self Driving" function only provides driver advanced assistance features but the vehicles still require human supervision and "are not autonomous". This has even led Jennifer Homendy, the National Transportation Safety Board chair to question Tesla's marketing of the feature. In her opinion, the company must make sure to "do more" to ensure that the feature isn't misused.

(With inputs from agencies)

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The eight-vehicle crash last month on San Francisco's Bay Bridge which involved a Tesla Model S car reportedly happened due to the malfunctioning of the vehicle's Full-Self Driving (FSD) mode.

The eight-vehicle crash last month on San Francisco's Bay Bridge which involved a Tesla Model S car reportedly happened due to the malfunctioning of the vehicle's Full-Self Driving (FSD) mode. As per a police report made public on Wednesday, the car's driver said that the 2021 model car was in Full-Self Driving (FSD) mode which had malfunctioned. However, the police were unable to determine if the software was in operation or if his statement was accurate. Watch | World Business Watch | Tesla to freeze hiring, lay off employees in next quarter: Report However, the police in its report said that the vehicle had made an unsafe lane change and was slowing to a stop when another vehicle crashed into it from behind. This then led to a chain reaction of six more vehicles crashing and causing the pile-up. Also read | Tesla to implement a hiring freeze and layoff people in 2023: Report It also said that if the self-driving function did malfunction the driver should have taken manual control of the vehicle and prevented the crash. The Thanksgiving Day crash had caused lengthy delays on San Francisco's Interstate-80 near Island and had also sent two juveniles to the hospital with minor injuries. Also read | Tesla reports two more crash fatalities in Model 3 cars linked to advanced driver assistance system As per Tesla the so-called "Full Self Driving" function only provides driver advanced assistance features but the vehicles still require human supervision and "are not autonomous". This has even led Jennifer Homendy, the National Transportation Safety Board chair to question Tesla's marketing of the feature. In her opinion, the company must make sure to "do more" to ensure that the feature isn't misused. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Driver of Tesla car that caused eight-car pile-up in San Francisco blames 'Full-Self Driving' feature

In yet another roadblock for Microsoft's planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc., a group of video gamers challenged the acquisition in a federal antitrust lawsuit in a San Francisco court. The petitioners say that Microsoft's acquisition of Call of Duty-maker will unlawfully squeeze the competition in the video game industry.&nbsp;

WATCH |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/world-business-watch-ftc-seeks-to-block-microsoft-activision-deal-541464">World Business Watch | FTC seeks to block Microsoft-Activision deal</a>

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The lawsuit, which comes less than two weeks after the acquisition was blocked by Federal Trade Commission (FTC), was reportedly filed on behalf of 10 video game players in California, New Mexico and New Jersey.

Microsoft-Activision deal: What is the worry of gamers?

The gamers' suit claims that the merger violates Clayton Antitrust Act -- a law that seeks to prevent anticompetitive practices in the market -- by reducing competition in the gaming sector and by extension harming the public.&nbsp; 
 
The gamers have sought a court order prohibiting the companies from consummating the merger, nullifying the break-up fee and paying their legal costs.

Microsoft-Activision deal:&nbsp;What is the FTC saying?

The FTC has also sought to stop Microsoft from gaining control over a 'leading independent game studio'.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/us-competition-watchdog-seeks-to-stop-microsoft-activision-gaming-deal-541422">US competition watchdog seeks to stop Microsoft-Activision mega gaming deal</a>

"Microsoft has already shown that it can and will withhold content from its gaming rivals," Holly Vedova, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition said in an official statement. "We seek to stop Microsoft from gaining control over a leading independent game studio and using it to harm competition in multiple dynamic and fast-growing gaming market."

What is Microsoft's stance at present?

Microsoft has defended the deal, saying in a statement that it "will expand competition and create more opportunities for gamers and game developers."&nbsp;

Following the FTC lawsuit, Microsoft President Brad Smith said, "We have complete confidence in our case and welcome the opportunity to present our case in court."

The takeover, announced in January, also faces antitrust scrutiny in the European Union.

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In yet another roadblock for Microsoft's planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc., a group of video gamers challenged the acquisition in a federal antitrust lawsuit in a San Francisco court.

In yet another roadblock for Microsoft's planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc., a group of video gamers challenged the acquisition in a federal antitrust lawsuit in a San Francisco court. The petitioners say that Microsoft's acquisition of Call of Duty-maker will unlawfully squeeze the competition in the video game industry. WATCH | World Business Watch | FTC seeks to block Microsoft-Activision deal × The lawsuit, which comes less than two weeks after the acquisition was blocked by Federal Trade Commission (FTC), was reportedly filed on behalf of 10 video game players in California, New Mexico and New Jersey. Microsoft-Activision deal: What is the worry of gamers? The gamers' suit claims that the merger violates Clayton Antitrust Act -- a law that seeks to prevent anticompetitive practices in the market -- by reducing competition in the gaming sector and by extension harming the public. The gamers have sought a court order prohibiting the companies from consummating the merger, nullifying the break-up fee and paying their legal costs. Microsoft-Activision deal: What is the FTC saying? The FTC has also sought to stop Microsoft from gaining control over a 'leading independent game studio'. ALSO READ | US competition watchdog seeks to stop Microsoft-Activision mega gaming deal "Microsoft has already shown that it can and will withhold content from its gaming rivals," Holly Vedova, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition said in an official statement. "We seek to stop Microsoft from gaining control over a leading independent game studio and using it to harm competition in multiple dynamic and fast-growing gaming market." What is Microsoft's stance at present? Microsoft has defended the deal, saying in a statement that it "will expand competition and create more opportunities for gamers and game developers." Following the FTC lawsuit, Microsoft President Brad Smith said, "We have complete confidence in our case and welcome the opportunity to present our case in court." The takeover, announced in January, also faces antitrust scrutiny in the European Union. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Microsoft-Activision Blizzard deal: Group of video gamers file antitrust lawsuit

Hours after reports emerged claiming that Twitter's new owner Elon Musk is actively searching for a new CEO of Twitter, Musk&nbsp;announced that he would soon step down as Twitter CEO. The development comes a day&nbsp;after Elon Musk lost a Twitter poll in which he had asked his over 122 million Twitter followers if he should step down as the Chief Executive Officer of the social media platform.&nbsp;

Musk said he plans to run&nbsp;Twitter’s engineering as owner. Reports say that it is&nbsp;hard to tell what is&nbsp;left of other operations, such as legal and communication, some of which have been gutted.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/elon-musk-searching-for-new-twitter-ceo-say-reports-544937">Elon Musk searching for new Twitter CEO, say reports</a>

"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&nbsp;servers teams," Elon Musk tweeted on Wednesday.

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Of over 17.5 million people who participated in Musk's Twitter poll, about 57.5 per cent asked him to step down.&nbsp;

Many Tweeples said that the poll may have been manipulated by bots, autonomous non-human programs on the internet posing as humans. Musk responded with a prompt one-word response: "interesting".&nbsp;

WATCH |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-fineprint-elon-musk-buys-twitter-529238">Explained: The future of Twitter under Elon Musk</a>

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Musk has been almost single-handedly running Twitter since he bought it in October for $44 billion. He said early on that he didn’t plan to stay permanently as CEO and he has surrounded himself with a few trusted people, some of whom have suggested they’d be ready to take on what Musk calls a thankless task. “No one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive. There is no successor,” Musk tweeted earlier this week.&nbsp;

In November, Musk said, “I expect to reduce my time at Twitter and find somebody else to run Twitter over time.”

His takeover of the microblogging site has been riddled with controversies, starting from firing employees, to jacking up the price of Twitter’s Blue subscription plan.

The “Chief Twit” has repeatedly claimed that since he took over Twitter, the usage has reached an all-time high and that hate speech impressions have fallen.

Since taking over Twitter in&nbsp;October 2020, Elon Musk has helmed over the&nbsp;firings or departures of roughly 5,000 of Twitter’s 7,500 employees.

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Hours after reports emerged claiming that Twitter's new owner Elon Musk is actively searching for a new CEO of Twitter, Musk announced that he would soon step down as Twitter CEO.

Hours after reports emerged claiming that Twitter's new owner Elon Musk is actively searching for a new CEO of Twitter, Musk announced that he would soon step down as Twitter CEO. The development comes a day after Elon Musk lost a Twitter poll in which he had asked his over 122 million Twitter followers if he should step down as the Chief Executive Officer of the social media platform. Musk said he plans to run Twitter’s engineering as owner. Reports say that it is hard to tell what is left of other operations, such as legal and communication, some of which have been gutted. ALSO READ | Elon Musk searching for new Twitter CEO, say reports "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," Elon Musk tweeted on Wednesday. Of over 17.5 million people who participated in Musk's Twitter poll, about 57.5 per cent asked him to step down. Many Tweeples said that the poll may have been manipulated by bots, autonomous non-human programs on the internet posing as humans. Musk responded with a prompt one-word response: "interesting". WATCH | Explained: The future of Twitter under Elon Musk × Musk has been almost single-handedly running Twitter since he bought it in October for $44 billion. He said early on that he didn’t plan to stay permanently as CEO and he has surrounded himself with a few trusted people, some of whom have suggested they’d be ready to take on what Musk calls a thankless task. “No one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive. There is no successor,” Musk tweeted earlier this week. In November, Musk said, “I expect to reduce my time at Twitter and find somebody else to run Twitter over time.” His takeover of the microblogging site has been riddled with controversies, starting from firing employees, to jacking up the price of Twitter’s Blue subscription plan. The “Chief Twit” has repeatedly claimed that since he took over Twitter, the usage has reached an all-time high and that hate speech impressions have fallen. Since taking over Twitter in October 2020, Elon Musk has helmed over the firings or departures of roughly 5,000 of Twitter’s 7,500 employees. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Elon Musk to resign as Twitter CEO once he finds 'someone foolish enough'

Meta's Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday (December 20) defended the company's acquisition of a virtual reality fitness app before an antitrust judge. Zuckerberg argued that Meta was helping build the&nbsp;virtual reality industry, not dominate it. He testified in federal court in San Jose, California.&nbsp;

Zuckerberg argued that acquiring app maker Within Unlimited was "not that critical" to Meta's ambitions. He said that Meta was aiming at building communications tools and an app platform for apps from different developers.

On fitness apps, he said, "It's less important that we own the experiences than that they exist." He said he was keen to see other firms build key productivity and gaming apps to draw a mass audience to virtual and augmented reality.

World Business Watch: Meta stock value plunges 65% in 2022; loses $9.4 bn in first 9 months

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United States' Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has accused Meta of trying to buy its way to the top of Virtual Reality industry.

FTC lawyers kicked off the proceedings by asking him about an internal email Zuckerberg wrote in 2015 where he said he expected Meta to build "most of the apps and software services" for the VR industry.

Zuckerberg replied that major platform owners tend to build the most popular apps in their area of expertise, likening Meta's emphasis on communications to Microsoft Corp's focus on productivity.

Platform companies have built "the key apps, what they call the killer apps," Zuckerberg said, "but they're not the only apps available."

The FTC sued the Facebook and Instagram owner in July to stop the Within Unlimited deal and asked the judge to order a preliminary injunction, saying Meta's "campaign to conquer VR" began in 2014 when it acquired Oculus, a VR headset manufacturer.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/european-commission-charges-meta-of-breaching-eu-antitrust-rules-544575">European Commission finds Meta in breach of ‘EU antitrust rules'</a>

The trial is only one of many battles Meta is fighting against regulators globally over its alleged dominance in various markets. The European Commission on Monday said it had warned Meta of a possible antitrust breach related to online classified advertising.

The company said earlier on Tuesday that it does not expect to close the Within deal before Jan. 31 or until the day after the court rules on the FTC's request for a preliminary injunction.

(With inputs from agencies)

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&nbsp;

Meta's Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday (December 20) defended the company's acquisition of a virtual reality fitness app before an antitrust judge. Zuckerberg argued that Meta was helping build the virtual reality industry, not dominate it.

Meta's Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday (December 20) defended the company's acquisition of a virtual reality fitness app before an antitrust judge. Zuckerberg argued that Meta was helping build the virtual reality industry, not dominate it. He testified in federal court in San Jose, California. Zuckerberg argued that acquiring app maker Within Unlimited was "not that critical" to Meta's ambitions. He said that Meta was aiming at building communications tools and an app platform for apps from different developers. On fitness apps, he said, "It's less important that we own the experiences than that they exist." He said he was keen to see other firms build key productivity and gaming apps to draw a mass audience to virtual and augmented reality. World Business Watch: Meta stock value plunges 65% in 2022; loses $9.4 bn in first 9 months × United States' Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has accused Meta of trying to buy its way to the top of Virtual Reality industry. FTC lawyers kicked off the proceedings by asking him about an internal email Zuckerberg wrote in 2015 where he said he expected Meta to build "most of the apps and software services" for the VR industry. Zuckerberg replied that major platform owners tend to build the most popular apps in their area of expertise, likening Meta's emphasis on communications to Microsoft Corp's focus on productivity. Platform companies have built "the key apps, what they call the killer apps," Zuckerberg said, "but they're not the only apps available." The FTC sued the Facebook and Instagram owner in July to stop the Within Unlimited deal and asked the judge to order a preliminary injunction, saying Meta's "campaign to conquer VR" began in 2014 when it acquired Oculus, a VR headset manufacturer. Also Read | European Commission finds Meta in breach of ‘EU antitrust rules' The trial is only one of many battles Meta is fighting against regulators globally over its alleged dominance in various markets. The European Commission on Monday said it had warned Meta of a possible antitrust breach related to online classified advertising. The company said earlier on Tuesday that it does not expect to close the Within deal before Jan. 31 or until the day after the court rules on the FTC's request for a preliminary injunction. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Mark Zuckerberg defends Meta before antitrust judge on bid for dominance in virtual reality segment

Elon Musk is actively searching for the new CEO of Twitter, CNBC reported quoting sources. It comes days after the tech billionaire conducted an opinion poll in the microblogging site asking whether he should step down or not.

A majority of 17 million respondents voted for Musk to leave the post.

CNBC further reported that the search for a new CEO began before the Twitter poll was made.

The fact that Twitter will get a new CEO was expected as Musk, after acquiring the company for $44 billion in October, has repeatedly stated that his position would temporary.

In November, Musk said, “I expect to reduce my time at Twitter and find somebody else to run Twitter over time.”

His takeover of the microblogging site has been riddled with controversies, starting from firing employees, to jacking up the price of Twitter’s Blue subscription plan.

The “Chief Twit” has also repeatedly claimed that ever since he took over Twitter, the usage has reached an all-time high and that hate speech impressions have fallen.

There were also reports that Tesla investors have been unhappy with the 51-year-old for spending more time on managing Twitter and neglecting his electric car company.

Moreover, Tesla shares have lost more than 60 per cent in value this year, with some saying his obsession with Twitter is destroying the brand.

Last week, Leo KoGuan, the third largest individual shareholder in Tesla, said that Musk should to step down as the boss of the electric car maker.

"Elon abandoned Tesla and Tesla has no working CEO. Tesla needs and deserves to have [a] working full time CEO," he tweeted.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Elon Musk is actively searching for the new CEO of Twitter, CNBC reported quoting sources. It comes days after the tech billionaire conducted an opinion poll in the microblogging site asking whether he should step down or not.

Elon Musk is actively searching for the new CEO of Twitter, CNBC reported quoting sources. It comes days after the tech billionaire conducted an opinion poll in the microblogging site asking whether he should step down or not. A majority of 17 million respondents voted for Musk to leave the post. CNBC further reported that the search for a new CEO began before the Twitter poll was made. The fact that Twitter will get a new CEO was expected as Musk, after acquiring the company for $44 billion in October, has repeatedly stated that his position would temporary. In November, Musk said, “I expect to reduce my time at Twitter and find somebody else to run Twitter over time.” His takeover of the microblogging site has been riddled with controversies, starting from firing employees, to jacking up the price of Twitter’s Blue subscription plan. The “Chief Twit” has also repeatedly claimed that ever since he took over Twitter, the usage has reached an all-time high and that hate speech impressions have fallen. There were also reports that Tesla investors have been unhappy with the 51-year-old for spending more time on managing Twitter and neglecting his electric car company. Moreover, Tesla shares have lost more than 60 per cent in value this year, with some saying his obsession with Twitter is destroying the brand. Last week, Leo KoGuan, the third largest individual shareholder in Tesla, said that Musk should to step down as the boss of the electric car maker. "Elon abandoned Tesla and Tesla has no working CEO. Tesla needs and deserves to have [a] working full time CEO," he tweeted. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Elon Musk searching for new Twitter CEO, say reports

In the seventh instalment of Twitter files, Michael Shellenberger, an independent journalist in a thread on the microblogging platform, on Monday, revealed that the “FBI and intelligence community discredited factual information” about incumbent United States President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden’s “foreign business dealings.”&nbsp;

The move was also reportedly made after a New York Post report on October 14, 2020, regarding&nbsp;emails&nbsp;on Hunter Biden’s laptop. Authorised by the new Twitter owner and CEO, Elon Musk, “Twitter Files” has been a series of posts in the form of a thread of tweets which have been disclosing the company’s once-secret communications with the help of independent journalists.&nbsp;

These tweets follow&nbsp;the sixth instalment by independent journalist and author Matt Taibbi which uncovered how the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) “relentlessly” sought to “exercise influence” over the microblogging platform, its users, content, and data.&nbsp;

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1. THREAD: The Twitter Files, Part Six 
TWITTER, THE FBI SUBSIDIARY
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) <a href="https://twitter.com/mtaibbi/status/1603857534737072128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2022</a></blockquote>
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This time around, Shellenberger citing email conversations shows how the FBI alerted Twitter to suppress and “discredit” the Hunter Biden laptop story as a “Russian ‘hack and leak’ operation”.&nbsp;

How did the New York Post get access to Hunter Biden’s laptop?

In late 2019, Delaware computer store owner John Paul Mac Isaac contacted the FBI informing them about the laptop which Hunter Biden had left with them which reportedly found “evidence of criminal activity”. Subsequently, a subpoena was issued and the laptop was taken by the agency, said the report.&nbsp;

However, when by 2020 Mac Issac had not heard back from the FBI he reportedly emailed former New York Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, who at the time, was a part of former US President Donald Trump’s personal legal team. “In early Oct, Giuliani gives it (evidence of criminal activity) to @nypost”, said Shellenberger.&nbsp;

Documents posted by the independent journalist showed the communication between Twitter’s former head of trust and safety, Yoel Roth and FBI Agent Elvis Chan hours before the Post broke Hunter Biden's story in 2020. The agent used&nbsp;Teleporter, a one-way communication channel the FBI agent and sent at least 10 documents on October 13.&nbsp;

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The story begins in December 2019 when a Delaware computer store owner named John Paul (J.P.) Mac Isaac contacts the FBI about a laptop that Hunter Biden had left with him 
 
On Dec 9, 2019, the FBI issues a subpoena for, and takes, Hunter Biden's laptop. <a href="https://t.co/TdaYhHMVRH">https://t.co/TdaYhHMVRH</a> <a href="https://t.co/JxdkrkgAkI">pic.twitter.com/JxdkrkgAkI</a>
— Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1604873916752703491?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
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However, Chan testified under oath that the FBI did not have any information about the alleged Russian campaign. Furthermore, following this exchange between Chan and Roth, Hunter Biden's attorney George Mesires contacted the computer store owner Isaac after finding out the Post was going to publish its first story based on the files recovered from the abandoned laptop, the next day, the report claims.&nbsp;

“The New York Post runs its explosive story revealing the business dealings of President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter. Every single fact in it was accurate,” said the independent journalist about the story NY Post ran on October 14, 2020.&nbsp;

What happened next?

According to Shellenberger, “within hours, Twitter and other social media companies censor the NY Post article, preventing it from spreading and, more importantly, undermining its credibility in the minds of many Americans.”&nbsp;

Furthermore, there was a debate within Twitter about censoring a “wholly accurate article”, said the report. It&nbsp;added, “Since then, we have discovered new info that points to an organised effort by the intel community to influence Twitter and other platforms”.&nbsp;

“First, it's important to understand that Hunter Biden earned *tens of millions* of dollars in contracts with foreign businesses, including ones linked to China's government, for which Hunter offered no real work,” claims&nbsp;the independent journalist. However, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies reportedly asked Roth to dismiss the reports as a “Russian ‘hack and leak’ operation”.&nbsp;

Linking a video of Meta (Facebook and Instagram parent company) CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, Shellenberger quoting Zuckerberg wrote, “The FBI basically came to us [and] was like, ‘Hey... you should be on high alert. We thought that there was a lot of Russian propaganda in the 2016 election. There's about to be some kind of dump similar to that.’”&nbsp;

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13. They did the same to Facebook, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “The FBI basically came to us [and] was like, ‘Hey... you should be on high alert. We thought that there was a lot of Russian propaganda in 2016 election. There's about to be some kind of dump similar to that.'" <a href="https://t.co/yPGP8nYgCq">pic.twitter.com/yPGP8nYgCq</a>
— Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1604880181906116608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Furthermore, citing multiple exchanges between Twitter executives and the FBI, the report also said that the former “reported very little Russian activity” to the latter. In November, Chan also admitted, “Through our investigations, we did not see any similar competing intrusions to what had happened in 2016”.&nbsp;

Mounting pressure from the FBI&nbsp;

In subsequent tweets, the journalist talks about how Roth repeatedly pushed back against the FBI, the first instance was a story by the Washington Post about the 2020 elections. FBI asked Roth about the WaPo story “on alleged foreign influence in a pro-Trump tweet” to which Twitter's Roth says, "The article makes a lot of insinuations... but we saw no evidence that that was the case here (and in fact, a lot of strong evidence pointing in the other direction).”

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17. After FBI asks about a WaPo story on alleged foreign influence in a pro-Trump tweet, Twitter's Roth says, "The article makes a lot of insinuations... but we saw no evidence that that was the case here (and in fact, a lot of strong evidence pointing in the other direction).” <a href="https://t.co/jJjnczZnA5">pic.twitter.com/jJjnczZnA5</a>
— Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1604887121700929541?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
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In January 2020, Shellenberger claims that the FBI asked Roth to “get Twitter to share data outside of the normal search warrant process.” An email dated January 2020 shows that Roth’s sent an email saying, “We have seen a sustained (If uncoordinated) effort by the IC [intelligence community] to push us to share more info &amp; change our API policies. &nbsp;They are probing &amp; pushing everywhere they can (including by whispering to congressional staff).”

Eventually, six months later, Chan arranges “temporary Top Secret security clearances for Twitter executives so that the FBI can share information about threats to the upcoming elections,” said the report.&nbsp;Subsequently, in August 2020, Chan “shares information with Twitter's Roth relating to the Russian hacking organization, APT28”, Shellenberger said quoting an email sent to Twitter.&nbsp;

Furthermore, Chan also asked Twitter, “does anyone there have top secret clearance?” when someone mentioned Jim Baker, who according to Shellenberger, is one of the most powerful men in the US intel community. The report also claims that “As general counsel of the FBI, Baker played a central role in making the case internally for an investigation of Donald Trump.”

However, he was not the FBI executive working at Twitter, “Dawn Burton, the former dep. chief of staff to FBI head James Comey, who initiated the investigation of Trump, joined Twitter in 2019 as director of strategy,” the report claimed. There were many former FBI employees working at Twitter by 2020 that they had reportedly created their own private Slack channel to onboard new FBI arrivals.&nbsp;

The Aftermath&nbsp;

In a recent interview, earlier this year, Roth claims that he was primed to think about the APT28 before the news of Hunter Biden's laptop came out. Therefore, when it did, Roth said that “It set off every single one of my finely tuned APT28 hack-and-leap campaign alarm bells.”&nbsp;

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24. Recently, Yoel Roth told <a href="https://twitter.com/karaswisher?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@karaswisher</a> that he had been primed to think about the Russian hacking group APT28 before news of the Hunter Biden laptop came out. 
 
When it did, Roth said, "It set off every single one of my finely tuned APT28 hack-and-leap campaign alarm bells." <a href="https://t.co/RKoR4NtH1s">pic.twitter.com/RKoR4NtH1s</a>
— Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1604892289800605697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
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After the article by New York Post was published on October 14, in an email Roth allegedly said, “it isn’t clearly violative of our Hacked Materials Policy, nor is it clearly in violation of anything else," but adds, “this feels a lot like a somewhat subtle leak operation.”&nbsp;

However, Baker reportedly insisted, “the Hunter Biden materials were either faked, hacked, or both, and a violation of Twitter policy. Baker does so over email, and in a Google doc, on October 14 and 15,” said Shellenberger.&nbsp;

The article which was published at 5:00 am (local time) shook Twitter and by 10:00 am, “Twitter execs had bought into a wild hack-and-dump story,” Shellenberger claimed. He added, “The suggestion from experts - which rings true - is there was a hack that happened separately, and they loaded the hacked materials on the laptop that magically appeared at a repair shop in Delaware”, said the report quoting an email.&nbsp;

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38. By 10 am, Twitter execs had bought into a wild hack-and-dump story 
 
“The suggestion from experts - which rings true - is there was a hack that happened separately, and they loaded the hacked materials on the laptop that magically appeared at a repair shop in Delaware” <a href="https://t.co/n2Xj9mP1Hs">pic.twitter.com/n2Xj9mP1Hs</a>
— Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1604904052126404608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
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"The influence operation persuaded Twitter execs that the Hunter Biden laptop did *not* come from a whistleblower," said&nbsp;Shellenberger.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

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42. In 2020, the FBI gave a briefing to Senator Grassley and Johnson, claiming evidence of “Russian interference” into their investigation of Hunter Biden. 
 
The briefing angered the Senators, who say it was done to discredit their investigation.<a href="https://t.co/5QsJKMPhpM">https://t.co/5QsJKMPhpM</a>
— Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1604906672111071233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;Notably, Jim Baker was fired by Musk, earlier this month, after his alleged role in attempting to stop the release of Twitter Files came to light.

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45. In the end, the FBI's influence campaign aimed at executives at news media, Twitter, &amp; other social media companies worked: they censored &amp; discredited the Hunter Biden laptop story. 
 
By Dec. 2020, Baker and his colleagues even sent a note of thanks to the FBI for its work. <a href="https://t.co/ZEASt2aXXm">pic.twitter.com/ZEASt2aXXm</a>
— Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1604908212628598784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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In the seventh instalment of Twitter files, Michael Shellenberger, an independent journalist in a thread on the microblogging platform, on Monday, revealed that the “FBI and intelligence community discredited factual information” about incumbent United States President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden’s “foreign business dealings.

In the seventh instalment of Twitter files, Michael Shellenberger, an independent journalist in a thread on the microblogging platform, on Monday, revealed that the “FBI and intelligence community discredited factual information” about incumbent United States President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden’s “foreign business dealings.” The move was also reportedly made after a New York Post report on October 14, 2020, regarding emails on Hunter Biden’s laptop. Authorised by the new Twitter owner and CEO, Elon Musk, “Twitter Files” has been a series of posts in the form of a thread of tweets which have been disclosing the company’s once-secret communications with the help of independent journalists. These tweets follow the sixth instalment by independent journalist and author Matt Taibbi which uncovered how the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) “relentlessly” sought to “exercise influence” over the microblogging platform, its users, content, and data. 1. THREAD: The Twitter Files, Part Six TWITTER, THE FBI SUBSIDIARY — Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 16, 2022 × This time around, Shellenberger citing email conversations shows how the FBI alerted Twitter to suppress and “discredit” the Hunter Biden laptop story as a “Russian ‘hack and leak’ operation”. How did the New York Post get access to Hunter Biden’s laptop? In late 2019, Delaware computer store owner John Paul Mac Isaac contacted the FBI informing them about the laptop which Hunter Biden had left with them which reportedly found “evidence of criminal activity”. Subsequently, a subpoena was issued and the laptop was taken by the agency, said the report. However, when by 2020 Mac Issac had not heard back from the FBI he reportedly emailed former New York Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, who at the time, was a part of former US President Donald Trump’s personal legal team. “In early Oct, Giuliani gives it (evidence of criminal activity) to @nypost”, said Shellenberger. Documents posted by the independent journalist showed the communication between Twitter’s former head of trust and safety, Yoel Roth and FBI Agent Elvis Chan hours before the Post broke Hunter Biden's story in 2020. The agent used Teleporter, a one-way communication channel the FBI agent and sent at least 10 documents on October 13. The story begins in December 2019 when a Delaware computer store owner named John Paul (J.P.) Mac Isaac contacts the FBI about a laptop that Hunter Biden had left with him On Dec 9, 2019, the FBI issues a subpoena for, and takes, Hunter Biden's laptop. https://t.co/TdaYhHMVRH pic.twitter.com/JxdkrkgAkI — Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) December 19, 2022 × However, Chan testified under oath that the FBI did not have any information about the alleged Russian campaign. Furthermore, following this exchange between Chan and Roth, Hunter Biden's attorney George Mesires contacted the computer store owner Isaac after finding out the Post was going to publish its first story based on the files recovered from the abandoned laptop, the next day, the report claims. “The New York Post runs its explosive story revealing the business dealings of President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter. Every single fact in it was accurate,” said the independent journalist about the story NY Post ran on October 14, 2020. What happened next? According to Shellenberger, “within hours, Twitter and other social media companies censor the NY Post article, preventing it from spreading and, more importantly, undermining its credibility in the minds of many Americans.” Furthermore, there was a debate within Twitter about censoring a “wholly accurate article”, said the report. It added, “Since then, we have discovered new info that points to an organised effort by the intel community to influence Twitter and other platforms”. “First, it's important to understand that Hunter Biden earned *tens of millions* of dollars in contracts with foreign businesses, including ones linked to China's government, for which Hunter offered no real work,” claims the independent journalist. However, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies reportedly asked Roth to dismiss the reports as a “Russian ‘hack and leak’ operation”. Linking a video of Meta (Facebook and Instagram parent company) CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, Shellenberger quoting Zuckerberg wrote, “The FBI basically came to us [and] was like, ‘Hey... you should be on high alert. We thought that there was a lot of Russian propaganda in the 2016 election. There's about to be some kind of dump similar to that.’” 13. They did the same to Facebook, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “The FBI basically came to us [and] was like, ‘Hey... you should be on high alert. We thought that there was a lot of Russian propaganda in 2016 election. There's about to be some kind of dump similar to that.'" pic.twitter.com/yPGP8nYgCq — Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) December 19, 2022 × Furthermore, citing multiple exchanges between Twitter executives and the FBI, the report also said that the former “reported very little Russian activity” to the latter. In November, Chan also admitted, “Through our investigations, we did not see any similar competing intrusions to what had happened in 2016”. Mounting pressure from the FBI In subsequent tweets, the journalist talks about how Roth repeatedly pushed back against the FBI, the first instance was a story by the Washington Post about the 2020 elections. FBI asked Roth about the WaPo story “on alleged foreign influence in a pro-Trump tweet” to which Twitter's Roth says, "The article makes a lot of insinuations... but we saw no evidence that that was the case here (and in fact, a lot of strong evidence pointing in the other direction).” 17. After FBI asks about a WaPo story on alleged foreign influence in a pro-Trump tweet, Twitter's Roth says, "The article makes a lot of insinuations... but we saw no evidence that that was the case here (and in fact, a lot of strong evidence pointing in the other direction).” pic.twitter.com/jJjnczZnA5 — Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) December 19, 2022 × In January 2020, Shellenberger claims that the FBI asked Roth to “get Twitter to share data outside of the normal search warrant process.” An email dated January 2020 shows that Roth’s sent an email saying, “We have seen a sustained (If uncoordinated) effort by the IC [intelligence community] to push us to share more info & change our API policies. They are probing & pushing everywhere they can (including by whispering to congressional staff).” Eventually, six months later, Chan arranges “temporary Top Secret security clearances for Twitter executives so that the FBI can share information about threats to the upcoming elections,” said the report. Subsequently, in August 2020, Chan “shares information with Twitter's Roth relating to the Russian hacking organization, APT28”, Shellenberger said quoting an email sent to Twitter. Furthermore, Chan also asked Twitter, “does anyone there have top secret clearance?” when someone mentioned Jim Baker, who according to Shellenberger, is one of the most powerful men in the US intel community. The report also claims that “As general counsel of the FBI, Baker played a central role in making the case internally for an investigation of Donald Trump.” However, he was not the FBI executive working at Twitter, “Dawn Burton, the former dep. chief of staff to FBI head James Comey, who initiated the investigation of Trump, joined Twitter in 2019 as director of strategy,” the report claimed. There were many former FBI employees working at Twitter by 2020 that they had reportedly created their own private Slack channel to onboard new FBI arrivals. The Aftermath In a recent interview, earlier this year, Roth claims that he was primed to think about the APT28 before the news of Hunter Biden's laptop came out. Therefore, when it did, Roth said that “It set off every single one of my finely tuned APT28 hack-and-leap campaign alarm bells.” 24. Recently, Yoel Roth told @karaswisher that he had been primed to think about the Russian hacking group APT28 before news of the Hunter Biden laptop came out. When it did, Roth said, "It set off every single one of my finely tuned APT28 hack-and-leap campaign alarm bells." pic.twitter.com/RKoR4NtH1s — Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) December 19, 2022 × After the article by New York Post was published on October 14, in an email Roth allegedly said, “it isn’t clearly violative of our Hacked Materials Policy, nor is it clearly in violation of anything else," but adds, “this feels a lot like a somewhat subtle leak operation.” However, Baker reportedly insisted, “the Hunter Biden materials were either faked, hacked, or both, and a violation of Twitter policy. Baker does so over email, and in a Google doc, on October 14 and 15,” said Shellenberger. The article which was published at 5:00 am (local time) shook Twitter and by 10:00 am, “Twitter execs had bought into a wild hack-and-dump story,” Shellenberger claimed. He added, “The suggestion from experts - which rings true - is there was a hack that happened separately, and they loaded the hacked materials on the laptop that magically appeared at a repair shop in Delaware”, said the report quoting an email. 38. By 10 am, Twitter execs had bought into a wild hack-and-dump story “The suggestion from experts - which rings true - is there was a hack that happened separately, and they loaded the hacked materials on the laptop that magically appeared at a repair shop in Delaware” pic.twitter.com/n2Xj9mP1Hs — Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) December 19, 2022 × "The influence operation persuaded Twitter execs that the Hunter Biden laptop did *not* come from a whistleblower," said Shellenberger. 42. In 2020, the FBI gave a briefing to Senator Grassley and Johnson, claiming evidence of “Russian interference” into their investigation of Hunter Biden. The briefing angered the Senators, who say it was done to discredit their investigation.https://t.co/5QsJKMPhpM — Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) December 19, 2022 × Notably, Jim Baker was fired by Musk, earlier this month, after his alleged role in attempting to stop the release of Twitter Files came to light. 45. In the end, the FBI's influence campaign aimed at executives at news media, Twitter, & other social media companies worked: they censored & discredited the Hunter Biden laptop story. By Dec. 2020, Baker and his colleagues even sent a note of thanks to the FBI for its work. pic.twitter.com/ZEASt2aXXm — Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) December 19, 2022 × WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Twitter files 7.0 show FBI pressured social media platforms to ‘discredit’ Hunter Biden laptop story

Twitter has officially launched "Blue for Business". According to the micro-blogging site, it is a new way for businesses and their affiliates to verify and distinguish themselves on Twitter.&nbsp;

In a release, Twitter said that its rollout will provide opportunities for businesses to further enhance and distinguish businesses on Twitter.&nbsp;

As per the social media giant, the subscribers of Twitter Blue for Business can link a company with any number of their affiliated individuals, businesses and brands to their account.&nbsp;

After doing it, affiliated accounts will get a small badge of their parent company's profile picture next to their blue or gold checkmark. Although, the tech firm did mention that all the features are not available on all platforms.&nbsp;

Twitter said that this kind of network will make it possible for businesses to create networks within their own organisations on the platform.&nbsp;

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Today, we’re rolling out Twitter Blue for Business, a new program that lets businesses distinguish their brands and key employees on Twitter. These accounts will show a square company badge next to their display names. <a href="https://t.co/d6sNPqFNnY">pic.twitter.com/d6sNPqFNnY</a>
— Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwitterBusiness/status/1604956203401912321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
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"Businesses can affiliate their leadership, brands, support handles, employees or teams. Journalists, sports team players or movie characters can all be affiliated. You name it, we got it," the post read.&nbsp;

The company has also stated that each affiliate will be verified and officially linked to its parent handle based on a list provided by the parent business. New criteria, pricing or process will be shared by the tech giant after the update.&nbsp;

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"This is an incredible moment for businesses to further incorporate their affiliated individuals, businesses, and brands into the DNA of Twitter. In the future, we plan to layer more value into the offering to help businesses and their affiliates get the most from Twitter," it further said.&nbsp;

Twitter also said that "Blue for Business" has been launched with a select group of businesses.&nbsp;

Next year, the company will roll this out to more businesses who wish to subscribe.&nbsp;

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Twitter has officially launched "Blue for Business". According to the micro-blogging site, it is a new way for businesses and their affiliates to verify and distinguish themselves on Twitter.

Twitter has officially launched "Blue for Business". According to the micro-blogging site, it is a new way for businesses and their affiliates to verify and distinguish themselves on Twitter. In a release, Twitter said that its rollout will provide opportunities for businesses to further enhance and distinguish businesses on Twitter. As per the social media giant, the subscribers of Twitter Blue for Business can link a company with any number of their affiliated individuals, businesses and brands to their account. After doing it, affiliated accounts will get a small badge of their parent company's profile picture next to their blue or gold checkmark. Although, the tech firm did mention that all the features are not available on all platforms. Twitter said that this kind of network will make it possible for businesses to create networks within their own organisations on the platform. Today, we’re rolling out Twitter Blue for Business, a new program that lets businesses distinguish their brands and key employees on Twitter. These accounts will show a square company badge next to their display names. pic.twitter.com/d6sNPqFNnY — Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness) December 19, 2022 × "Businesses can affiliate their leadership, brands, support handles, employees or teams. Journalists, sports team players or movie characters can all be affiliated. You name it, we got it," the post read. The company has also stated that each affiliate will be verified and officially linked to its parent handle based on a list provided by the parent business. New criteria, pricing or process will be shared by the tech giant after the update. WATCH | Madrid's festive lights dazzle visitors ahead of Christmas × "This is an incredible moment for businesses to further incorporate their affiliated individuals, businesses, and brands into the DNA of Twitter. In the future, we plan to layer more value into the offering to help businesses and their affiliates get the most from Twitter," it further said. Twitter also said that "Blue for Business" has been launched with a select group of businesses. Next year, the company will roll this out to more businesses who wish to subscribe. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Twitter rolls out 'Blue For Business' to create a new network for businesses

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