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Elon Musk says he's found a woman to lead Twitter as new CEO
Elon Musk said Thursday he has found a new CEO for Twitter, or X Corp. as it's now called — and it's a woman. He did not name her but said she will be starting in about six weeks.
Musk, who bought Twitter last fall and has been running it since, has long insisted he is not the company's permanent CEO. The Tesla billionaire said in a tweet Thursday that his role will transition to being Twitter's executive chairman and chief technology officer.
In mid-November, just a few weeks after buying the social media platform for $44 billion, he told a Delaware court that he does not want to be the CEO of any company.
While testifying, Musk said "I expect to reduce my time at Twitter and find somebody else to run Twitter over time."
More than a month later, he tweeted in December: "I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job." The pledge came after millions of Twitter users asked him to step down in a Twitter poll the billionaire himself created and promised to abide by.
In February, he told a conference he anticipated finding a CEO for San Francisco-based Twitter "probably toward the end of this year."
Analysts who follow Twitter's business welcomed the news even without knowing who the replacement will be. Twitter's advertising business has taken a hit under Musk's mercurial rule, though the billionaire told BBC last month that the company is now "roughly" breaking even.
"A new CEO is the only way forward for Twitter," said Insider Intelligence analyst Jasmine Enberg. "The single biggest problem with Twitter's ad business was Elon Musk. As he steps back, Twitter can begin to unravel Musk's personal brand from the company's corporate image and attempt to regain trust among advertisers. The success of those efforts will depend on who takes over, but it's difficult to imagine that the new CEO could be more controversial or damaging to Twitter's ad business than Musk has been."
Shares of Tesla rose about 2% Thursday after Musk made the announcement. Shareholders of the electric car company have been concerned about how much of his attention is being spent on Twitter.
Last November, he was questioned in court about how he splits his time among Tesla and his other companies, including SpaceX and Twitter. Musk had to testify in the trial in Delaware's Court of Chancery over a shareholder's challenge to his potentially $55 billion compensation plan as CEO of the electric car company.
Musk said he never intended to be CEO of Tesla, and that he didn't want to be chief executive of any other companies either, preferring to see himself as an engineer. Musk also said at the time that he expected an organizational restructuring of Twitter to be completed in the next week or so. It's been nearly six months since he said that.
Musk's tenure at Twitter's helm has been chaotic, and he's made various promises and proclamations he's backtracked or never followed up on. He began his first day firing the company's top executives, followed by roughly 80% of its staff. He's upended the platform's verification system and has scaled back content moderation and safeguards against the spread of misinformation.
Bantering with Twitter followers late last year, Musk expressed pessimism about the prospects for a new CEO, saying that person "must like pain a lot" to run a company that "has been in the fast lane to bankruptcy."
"No one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive. There is no successor," Musk tweeted at the time.
Twitter begins removing blue checks from users who don't pay
This time it's for real.
Many of Twitter's high-profile users are losing the blue checks that helped verify their identity and distinguish them from impostors on the Elon Musk-owned social media platform.
After several false starts, Twitter began making good on its promise Thursday to remove the blue checks from accounts that don't pay a monthly fee to keep them. Twitter had about 300,000 verified users under the original blue-check system — many of them journalists, athletes and public figures. The checks — which used to mean the account was verified by Twitter to be who it says it is — began disappearing from these users' profiles late morning Pacific Time.
High-profile users who lost their blue checks Thursday included Beyoncé, Pope Francis, Oprah Winfrey and former President Donald Trump.
The costs of keeping the marks range from $8 a month for individual web users to a starting price of $1,000 monthly to verify an organization, plus $50 monthly for each affiliate or employee account. Twitter does not verify the individual accounts, as was the case with the previous blue check doled out during the platform's pre-Musk administration.
Celebrity users, from basketball star LeBron James to author Stephen King and Star Trek's William Shatner, have balked at joining — although on Thursday, all three had blue checks indicating that the account paid for verification.
King, for one, said he hadn't paid.
"My Twitter account says I've subscribed to Twitter Blue. I haven't. My Twitter account says I've given a phone number. I haven't," King tweeted Thursday. "Just so you know."
In a reply to King's tweet, Musk said "You're welcome namaste" and in another tweet he said he's "paying for a few personally." He later tweeted he was just paying for King, Shatner and James.
Singer Dionne Warwick tweeted earlier in the week that the site's verification system "is an absolute mess."
"The way Twitter is going anyone could be me now," Warwick said. She had earlier vowed not to pay for Twitter Blue, saying the monthly fee "could (and will) be going toward my extra hot lattes."
On Thursday, Warwick lost her blue check (which is actually a white check mark in a blue background).
For users who still had a blue check Thursday, a popup message indicated that the account "is verified because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number." Verifying a phone number simply means that the person has a phone number and they verified that they have access to it — it does not confirm the person's identity.
It wasn't just celebrities and journalists who lost their blue checks Thursday. Many government agencies, nonprofits and public-service accounts around the world found themselves no longer verified, raising concerns that Twitter could lose its status as a platform for getting accurate, up-to-date information from authentic sources, including in emergencies.
While Twitter offers gold checks for "verified organizations" and gray checks for government organizations and their affiliates, it's not clear how the platform doles these out and they were not seen Thursday on many previously verified agency and public service accounts.
The official Twitter account of the New York City government, which earlier had a blue check, tweeted on Thursday that "This is an authentic Twitter account representing the New York City Government This is the only account for @NYCGov run by New York City government" in an attempt to clear up confusion.
A newly created spoof account with 36 followers (also without a blue check), disagreed: "No, you're not. THIS account is the only authentic Twitter account representing and run by the New York City Government."
Soon, another spoof account — purporting to be Pope Francis — weighed in too: "By the authority vested in me, Pope Francis, I declare @NYC_GOVERNMENT the official New York City Government. Peace be with you."
Fewer than 5% of legacy verified accounts appear to have paid to join Twitter Blue as of Thursday, according to an analysis by Travis Brown, a Berlin-based developer of software for tracking social media.
Musk's move has riled up some high-profile users and pleased some right-wing figures and Musk fans who thought the marks were unfair. But it is not an obvious money-maker for the social media platform that has long relied on advertising for most of its revenue.
Digital intelligence platform Similarweb analyzed how many people signed up for Twitter Blue on their desktop computers and only detected 116,000 confirmed sign-ups last month, which at $8 or $11 per month does not represent a major revenue stream. The analysis did not count accounts bought via mobile apps.
After buying San Francisco-based Twitter for $44 billion in October, Musk has been trying to boost the struggling platform's revenue by pushing more people to pay for a premium subscription. But his move also reflects his assertion that the blue verification marks have become an undeserved or "corrupt" status symbol for elite personalities, news reporters and others granted verification for free by Twitter's previous leadership.
Twitter began tagging profiles with a blue check mark starting about 14 years ago. Along with shielding celebrities from impersonators, one of the main reasons was to provide an extra tool to curb misinformation coming from accounts impersonating people. Most "legacy blue checks," including the accounts of politicians, activists and people who suddenly find themselves in the news, as well as little-known journalists at small publications around the globe, are not household names.
One of Musk's first product moves after taking over Twitter was to launch a service granting blue checks to anyone willing to pay $8 a month. But it was quickly inundated by impostor accounts, including those impersonating Nintendo, pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Musk's businesses Tesla and SpaceX, so Twitter had to temporarily suspend the service days after its launch.
The relaunched service costs $8 a month for web users and $11 a month for users of its iPhone or Android apps. Subscribers are supposed to see fewer ads, be able to post longer videos and have their tweets featured more prominently.
Imo to bring in `Annual Report feature’ this Eid
The popular instant audio/video call and messaging app, imo, is set to launch a new “Annual Report” feature on Thursday, aiming to bring people together this Eid-ul-Fitr with enhanced communication amid festivities.
“Imo has always focused on executing meaningful initiatives for the betterment of communities, allowing people to come together and share key moments with each other,” the instant messaging app said in a press release.
The new feature will enable imo users to send their loved ones an 'Annual Report' of the previous year (2022).
Users will be able to avail this feature by clicking on the link sent by imo team through text to generate an Annual Report consisting of the last year's total number of calls, most calls made, most chats and more.
“Users can now easily relive their best moments of last year on imo through this Annual Report and share it with friends, families and close ones on the occasion of Eid while exchanging Eid wishes and pleasantries,” the press release reads.
On this occasion, Mehran Kabir, Business Director at imo, said: "At imo, we focus on innovating meaningful features to our platform that will enhance connections at all levels.”
We hope that our newest “Annual Report” feature will add a new dimension to the Eid festivities and make communication more wholesome. Through this feature, imo has yet again proven to be a powerful tool in safeguarding and empowering bonds with loved ones," he said.
How to Protect Your YouTube Channel from Getting Hacked
Nowadays, millions of people around the world create YouTube channels and publish videos for diverse purposes like recreation, knowledge-sharing, experience-sharing, brand promotion, and earning. Hackers target successful channels which may waste the time, passion, and hard work of talented YouTubers. However, YouTube channels can be protected from hackers, by following a few simple steps. Let’s find out the ways to ensure a YouTube channel’s security.
14 Effective Tips to Protect YouTube Channel’s Security and Prevent Hacking
Create Dedicated Google Accounts
Multiple YouTube channels can be created using one Google account. Though it saves time, it is the least secure way to manage multiple YouTube channels. If a hacker gains access to that specific Google account, all YouTube channels connected to that account may get hacked. Therefore, it is recommended to create a separate Google account for each YouTube channel to prevent hacking.
Opening a YouTube channel with one’s regular Google account can be risky too. However, if someone’s YouTube channel is created using his or her regular Google ID, then it would be wise to switch the YouTube channel to a separate Google account.
Read More: Somoy TV regains control of YouTube channel after it got hacked
Keep the email ID Private
Many people have a tendency to use the same email address for several related online business accounts. For instance, many Youtube channel owners create business-related accounts with the same Gmail IDs that have been used to create their primary YouTube channels. This practice enhances the risks of hacking.
When one uses an email address on any other website, there is a high risk of a breach of privacy and security. As hackers may attempt to access the email address, the Google account may be in danger. Having said that, a YouTube channel owner or manager should never divulge the email address (which is used to manage a YouTube account) to anyone or anywhere.
Set a Strong Password
There is a great chance of being hacked if one uses the same password across multiple apps, websites, and online platforms. A hacker can access someone’s Google account by obtaining the password from a less secure website where the user has previously applied it.
Read More: YouTube Affiliate Marketing: Tips to build a successful channel
One should use different passwords for each website one registers with and each account one creates. A unique and strong password needs to be created while opening a new channel under a dedicated Google account. The passwords should be stored somewhere safe; it can be saved in memory or documents. Under no circumstances, the password should be shared with anyone else or reused again.
To assure security to a higher level, encryption programs can be used to encrypt the password and save it safely digitally. To decode the password from its encrypted form, all it needs is to remember the decrypt private key. Only the Google account’s real owner can interpret the original password because it is encrypted with a secret key.
Use Password Managers Carefully
Password managers can store passwords safely in one place. However, relying on password manager apps blindly can be risky. Not every password manager app or tool is secured.
Still, today, storing passwords offline is the best way to preserve a YouTube channel's Google account password safely.
Read More: How to Increase YouTube subscribers for free
If the YouTube account’s manager wants to sync and store across multiple devices, the Google Password Manager can be used. This default feature of Chrome browser has lots of facilities. Chrome Password Manager notifies the account holder if any password gets compromised. Furthermore, offline passwords can be imported into Google Password Manager.
Before using a third-party password manager, don’t forget to check reviews in different forums, and communities about any security breach news.
Change Account Password Regularly
It is crucial to routinely change the passwords of Google accounts. There is always a danger that one’s credentials can be exposed online or on the dark web. If someone uses the same password for a very long time and it is accidentally disclosed online, he or she may not find time or scope to protect the Google account and YouTube channel from hacking.
Read More: Best YouTube Channels to Learn English
One can create their own highly safe password using a combination of numbers, symbols, small letters, and capital letters. Different apps and software can be used to generate strong and secure passwords randomly.
Use Two Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is the top-level protection one can give to one’s Google account apart from the password. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google (Alphabet Inc.), has recently revealed his trust in 2FA as the best measure to protect his accounts.
If someone’s YouTube channel’s dedicated Google account is not secured with a 2FA, it is high time for the channel owner to enable it. One can easily step up the Google account security with the Authenticator app from Google. It’s recommended to use a dedicated app and not your mobile number for 2FA. Hackers might clone your SIM card and get access to your 2FA codes if they already have access to your password.
Read More: Top YouTube Movie Channels to Watch Full Length Movies Online Free
When 2FA is enabled on a Google account, for every signing attempt, the system will verify the confirmation code sent on the account owner’s primary phone. Thus, hackers will fail to hack that Google account even if they somehow get the password.
TikTok's parent has a new app: What to know about Lemon8
As lawmakers debate whether to ban TikTok nationwide, its Chinese parent company has introduced a new app that's already getting some traction.
The app, called Lemon8, is likely to face some of the same scrutiny as TikTok, which has been dogged by claims the Chinese government could force its parent company ByteDance to hand over U.S. user data or push misinformation on the platform.
TikTok maintains that hasn't happened. And it's attempting to convince lawmakers it can keep user data safe.
Meanwhile, ByteDance is pressing ahead with its expansion plans. Here's what you need to know about the company's new app:
WHAT IS LEMON8?
Lemon8 is a photo-based app that resembles a mixture of Instagram and Pinterest, and is sprinkled with videos that look like the ones posted on TikTok. Social marketing experts say the app is also reminiscent of the Chinese social media and e-commerce giant Xiaohongshu, which translates to "little red book."
Like TikTok, Lemon8's main feed features a "following" section that lets users look at content from creators they follow, as well as a "For You" section that recommends other posts. It also segments posts under different categories, like fashion, beauty and food, and allows users to explore content in other ways.
Similar to TikTok and other social media sites, Lemon8 collects user data, such as IP address, browsing history, device identifiers and other information.
Both the Apple and Google Play app stores list its owner as Heliophilia Pte. Ltd., a Singapore-based company that shares the same address as ByteDance and TikTok.
HOW POPULAR IS IT?
Lemon8 was first launched in Asian markets in 2020 and has already made headway in countries like Thailand and Japan, with roughly 7.4 million and 5 million downloads respectively, according to the app analytics company data.ai.
It was introduced in the U.S. in February with little fanfare, but all that changed when media organizations started paying closer attention and some TikTok influencers began promoting it.
As of Sunday, the app had 290,000 downloads in the U.S., the vast majority of which happened in late March, according to data.ai. It's also listed as one of the most popular apps on Apple's app store.
Nicla Bartoli, the vice president of sales at Influencer Marketing Factory, said ByteDance reached out to her company in late February and gave a lengthy presentation about the app and how influencers can use it. She said the agency, which connects brands with influencers, is recommending that influencers try out the app but isn't doing the same with brands since Lemon8's user base is still relatively small.
It also remains to be seen if the app will take off more organically or flop. The last five years have been littered with social media platforms that got a lot of hype, only to vanish in the end, said Brendan Gahan, partner and chief social officer at the creative agency Mekanism. He pointed to examples like BeReal and Clubhouse, which garnered a lot of attention in the past two years before users turned their attention elsewhere.
"Social app success is difficult to achieve and harder to maintain," Gahan said.
WHAT HAS BYTEDANCE SAID ABOUT THE APP?
ByteDance did not reply to a request for an interview about how it plans to grow Lemon8. But the company's general counsel Erich Andersen noted in an interview with the Associated Press at a cybersecurity conference last week that it will continue to develop the app.
"We're obviously going to do our best with the Lemon8 app to comply with U.S. law and to make sure we do the right thing here," said Andersen, who also serves as TikTok's general counsel. "But I think we got a long way to go with that application — it's pretty much a startup phase."
As part of that work, ByteDance is already seeking job applicants for a few U.S.-based roles that will help grow the app's partnerships with influencers on beauty, food, health and other topics.
WHAT ELSE IS BYTEDANCE DOING?
Another app owned by ByteDance, called CapCut, is also listed on Apple's app store as one of the most popular apps in the U.S.
CapCut markets itself as an "all-in-one" video editing tool that allows users to cut or speed up their content, and do other things like add filters and music.
Data.ai, the app analytics company, said that app was released globally in April 2020, roughly a year after it was introduced in China. As of Sunday, the group said the editing tool had been downloaded 60 million times in the U.S. and 940 million globally.
ARE LAWMAKERS ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT THE OTHER APPS?
There is support for a bipartisan bill in the Senate, called the RESTRICT Act, that does not call out TikTok but would give the Commerce Department power to review and potentially restrict foreign threats to technology platforms. But it has faced some pushback from privacy advocates and ring-wing commentators who argue the legislation is too vague and could be abused.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, who sponsored the bill along with Republican Sen. John Thune, said in a prepared statement that the legislation would make it easier to go after other risky apps like Lemon8.
"For too long, our government has been playing a game of Whac-A-Mole when it comes to addressing the various foreign technology threats popping up all around us," said Warner, D-Va. "The RESTRICT Act would establish a risk-based, intelligence-informed process to evaluate and mitigate the risks posed by tech from adversarial nations, whether that be Huawei, TikTok, Lemon8, or the next viral technology product pushed by an authoritarian nation."
Encrypted video calls with up to 8, audio calls with up to 32 people on WhatsApp: Zuckerberg
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg today (March 23, 2023) announced the launching of a new WhatsApp desktop app for Windows.
“Now you can make E2E encrypted video calls with up to 8 people and audio calls with up to 32 people,” Zuckerberg posted on his verified Facebook profile.
In a recent blog post, Meta said: “We’ll continue to increase these limits over time so you can always stay connected with friends, family, and coworkers.”
The tech giant also announced that its instant messaging app for Windows has got a revamped look with new features.
Read More: Meta slashes another 10,000 jobs
“The new WhatsApp app for Windows will load faster and is built with an interface similar to the mobile version of the app,” the blog post reads.
“We’ve made improvements to device linking and better syncing across multiple devices,” Meta said.
To avail the new features, the users have to install the latest update of the WhatsApp Windows desktop app. Once updated, A call option in the chat box – similar to the call icon available in WhatsApp app on Android or iOS – will be visible to the users
Meta also announced the new Mac desktop version of the app, which is currently in beta testing.
Read More: WhatsApp Communities: Here’s what the latest feature offers
Prioritizing the privacy of the users in mind, WhatsApp has rolled out a new feature that gives group admins more control over their group privacy.
“As more people join communities, we want to give group admins more control over their group privacy, so we’ve built a simple tool that gives admins the ability to decide who is able to join a group,” Meta said in another blog post.
How to Make Money on TikTok: 9 Surefire Ways
TikTok has become one of the world's most popular social media platforms, with millions of users generating billions of views daily. The app provides a unique opportunity for people to connect with others, showcase their talents, and even make money. With its unique feature to create and share short videos by adding a few texts, graphics, and music, the platform Let's find out the most effective ways to make money on TikTok in 2023.
9 Best Ways to Make Money on TikTok in 2023
Developing Videos for TikTok
Making interesting and shareable movies might be one of the simplest ways to earn money on TikTok. When you have built up a sizable audience, you can begin to monetize your material by forming partnerships with companies in exchange for paid adverts or sponsored articles. Suppose you want your TikTok videos to be successful.
In that case, you should utilize popular music, interact with the people who follow you, and produce fresh material on a continuous basis. This is normally the first stage for all the other ways to make money on TikTok. You must make lots of videos to grow your audience. The larger the audience, the more potential for earning money will create.
Read Money: How to Earn Money from YouTube Channel
Marketing Based on Influence
You may also earn money on TikTok by working with businesses and becoming an influencer if you have a huge audience engaged with your content. Brands are continuously seeking prominent users on TikTok to cooperate with so that they may advertise their goods or services to a larger audience and reach more people.
You may make direct contact with businesses, or you can utilize platforms that are specifically designed for influencer marketing.
TikTok Live
TikTok Live is a tool that gives users the ability to stream live videos to their respective followers. Going live allows you to interact with your audience in real time, increasing the likelihood that you will win presents that can afterward be traded in for monetary compensation.
Read More: How to Earn Money from Instagram
Make sure to connect with your viewers, answer any questions they may have, and keep your broadcast exciting and entertaining if you want to get the most out of TikTok Live.
TikTok boss meets European officials as scrutiny intensifies
TikTok’s CEO met Tuesday with European Union officials about strict new digital regulations in the 27-nation bloc as the Chinese-owned social media app faces growing scrutiny from Western authorities over data privacy, cybersecurity and misinformation.
In meetings in Brussels, Shou Zi Chew and four officials from the EU’s executive Commission discussed concerns ranging from child safety to investigations into user data flowing to China, according to European readouts from two of the meetings and tweets from a third.
TikTok is wildly popular with young people but its Chinese ownership has raised fears that Beijing could use it to scoop up user data or push pro-China narratives or misinformation. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020.
Read more: Congress moves to ban TikTok from US government devices
U.S. states including Kansas, Wisconsin, Louisiana and Virginia have moved to ban the video-sharing app from state-issued devices for government workers, and it also would be prohibited from most U.S. government devices under a congressional spending bill.
Fears were stoked by news reports last year that a China-based team improperly accessed data of U.S. TikTok users, including two journalists, as part of a covert surveillance program to ferret out the source of leaks to the press.
There are also concerns that the company is sending masses of user data to China, in breach of stringent European privacy rules. EU data protection watchdogs in Ireland have opened two investigations into TikTok, including one on its transfer of personal data to China.
“I count on TikTok to fully execute its commitments to go the extra mile in respecting EU law and regaining trust of European regulators," Vera Jourova, the commissioner for values and transparency, said after her meeting with Chew. “There cannot be any doubt that data of users in Europe are safe and not exposed to illegal access from third-country authorities."
Caroline Greer, TikTok's director of public policy and government relations, said on Twitter that it was a “constructive and helpful meeting.”
“Online safety & building trust is our number one priority,” Greer tweeted.
The company has said it takes data security “incredibly seriously" and fired the ByteDance employees involved in improperly accessing user data.
Read more: Competition with TikTok: Facebook parent Meta reports revenue down
Jourova said she also grilled Chew about child safety, the spread of Russian disinformation on the platform and transparency of paid political content.
Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager, who's in charge of competition and antitrust matters, met with Chew to “review how the company is preparing for complying with its obligations under the European Commission’s regulation, namely the Digital Services Act and possibly under the Digital Markets Act."
The Digital Services Act is aimed at cleaning up toxic content from online platforms and the Digital Markets Act is designed to rein in the power of big digital companies.
They also discussed privacy and data transfer obligations in reference to recent news reports on “aggressive data harvesting and surveillance in the U.S.,” the readout said.
Chew also met with Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders and Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson.
Reynders tweeted that he “insisted on the importance” of TikTok fully complying with EU privacy rules and cooperating with the Irish watchdog.
“We also took stock of the company’s commitments to fight hate speech online and guarantee the protection of all consumers, including children,” he said.
Chew is scheduled to hold a video chat with Thierry Breton, the commissioner for digital policy, on Jan. 19.
Seattle schools sue tech giants over social media harm
The public school district in Seattle has filed a novel lawsuit against the tech giants behind TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat, seeking to hold them accountable for the mental health crisis among youth.
Seattle Public Schools filed the lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court. The 91-page complaint says the social media companies have created a public nuisance by targeting their products to children.
It blames them for worsening mental health and behavioral disorders including anxiety, depression, disordered eating and cyberbullying; making it more difficult to educate students; and forcing schools to take steps such as hiring additional mental health professionals, developing lesson plans about the effects of social media, and providing additional training to teachers.
“Defendants have successfully exploited the vulnerable brains of youth, hooking tens of millions of students across the country into positive feedback loops of excessive use and abuse of Defendants’ social media platforms,” the complaint said. “Worse, the content Defendants curate and direct to youth is too often harmful and exploitive ....”
Meta, Google, Snap and TikTok did not immediately respond to requests for comment Saturday.
While federal law — Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act — helps protect online companies from liability arising from what third-party users post on their platforms, the lawsuit argues that provision does not protect the tech giants' behavior in this case.
“Plaintiff is not alleging Defendants are liable for what third-parties have said on Defendants’ platforms but, rather, for Defendants’ own conduct,” the lawsuit said. “Defendants affirmatively recommend and promote harmful content to youth, such as pro-anorexia and eating disorder content."
Also Read: Musk says he can't get fair trial in California, wants Texas
The lawsuit says that from 2009 to 2019, there was on average a 30% increase in the number of Seattle Public Schools students who reported feeling “so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row" that they stopped doing some typical activities.
The school district is asking the court to order the companies to stop creating the public nuisance, to award damages, and to pay for prevention education and treatment for excessive and problematic use of social media.
While hundreds of families are pursuing lawsuits against the companies over harms they allege their children have suffered from social media, it's not clear if any other school districts have filed a complaint like Seattle's.
Internal studies revealed by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen in 2021 showed that the company knew that Instagram negatively affected teenagers by harming their body image and making eating disorders and thoughts of suicide worse. She alleged that the platform prioritized profits over safety and hid its own research from investors and the public.
Musk says he can't get fair trial in California, wants Texas
Elon Musk has urged a federal judge to shift a trial in a shareholder lawsuit out of San Francisco because he says negative local media coverage has biased potential jurors against him.
Instead, in a filing submitted late Friday — less than two weeks before the trial was set to begin on Jan. 17 — Musk's lawyers argue it should be moved to the federal court in the western district of Texas. That district includes the state capital of Austin, which is where Musk relocated his electric car company, Tesla, in late 2021.
The shareholder lawsuit stems from Musk's tweets in August 2018 when he said he had sufficient financing to take Tesla private at $420 a share — an announcement that caused heavy volatility in Tesla's share price.
Read more: Over half of 17.5mn Twitter users who voted say Musk should step down as CEO
In a victory for the shareholders last spring, Judge Edward Chen ruled that Musk’s tweets were false and reckless.
If moving the trial isn’t possible, Musk’s lawyers want it postponed until negative publicity regarding the billionaire’s purchase of Twitter has died down.
“For the last several months, the local media have saturated this district with biased and negative stories about Mr. Musk,” attorney Alex Spiro wrote in a court filing. Those news items have personally blamed Musk for recent layoffs at Twitter, Spiro wrote, and have charged that the job cuts may have even violated laws.
The shareholders' attorneys emphasized the last-minute timing of the request, saying, “Musk’s concerns are unfounded and his motion is meritless.”
“The Northern District of California is the proper venue for this lawsuit and where it has been actively litigated for over four years,” attorney Nicholas Porritt wrote in an email.
The filing by Musk's attorneys also notes that Twitter has laid off about 1,000 residents in the San Francisco area since he purchased the company in late October.
Read more: Journalist suspensions widen rift between Twitter and media
“A substantial portion of the jury pool ... is likely to hold a personal and material bias against Mr. Musk as a result of recent layoffs at one of his companies as individual prospective jurors — or their friends and relatives — may have been personally impacted,” the filing said.
Musk has also been criticized by San Francisco’s mayor and other local officials for the job cuts, the filing said.