Twitter

By Sabiu Abdullahi

X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has closed its Brazilian office due to a dispute with Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes over censorship.

According to X, Judge de Moraes threatened to arrest its legal representative in Brazil unless the company complied with his directives to censor certain content. 

Despite the office closure, X confirmed that its platform remains accessible to users in Brazil.

The dispute began when Judge de Moraes ordered X to block accounts accused of spreading misinformation, primarily supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro. 

X owner Elon Musk criticised the judge, leading to daily fines of $19,774 and potential legal consequences for X’s Brazilian representatives.

Musk is now under investigation for alleged obstruction of justice and other charges. 

X stated, “As a result, to protect the safety of our staff, we have made the decision to close our operation in Brazil, effective immediately.

The responsibility lies solely with Alexandre de Moraes. His actions are incompatible with democratic government.” 

Musk posted on X, “There was no question that Moraes needs to leave. If we had agreed to (Mr. Moraes) @alexandre’s (illegal) secret censorship and private information handover demands, there was no way we could explain our actions without being ashamed.”

By Uzair Adam Imam

In a recent decision, the US Supreme Court has rejected Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s attempt to overturn a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that mandates preapproval from a lawyer for certain Tesla-related tweets, colloquially known as his “Twitter sitter.”

The settlement stems from Musk’s 2018 tweets regarding taking Tesla private, during which he falsely claimed to have “funding secured.”

As part of the agreement, Musk agreed to seek approval from a lawyer for tweets that could significantly affect Tesla.

Despite agreeing to the terms, Musk has persistently sought avenues to circumvent the settlement.

Reports indicate that the identity of the purported “Twitter sitter” remains undisclosed, with Tesla declining to reveal this information.

Investigative efforts by Bloomberg’s Dana Hull have thus far been unsuccessful in uncovering the individual behind the role.

In 2023, a federal appeals court dismissed Musk’s attempt to modify or annul the settlement.

Musk’s legal team subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that the requirement infringed upon his free speech rights.

However, the highest court declined to hear the case, affirming the lower court’s ruling.

The federal appeals court noted that the SEC had investigated only three of Musk’s past tweets, including the notorious 2018 “funding secured” tweet, which led to the consent decree, a $40 million fine, and Musk’s resignation as Tesla’s chairman.

The other tweets under scrutiny contained misleading information about Tesla’s vehicle production and a poll suggesting Musk sell a portion of his Tesla stock.

By Uzair Adam Imam

In the span of 48 hours, Mrs. Deborah Olaki, also known as Mummy Zee, has become a social media sensation and a millionaire, thanks to the overwhelming support of Nigerians on the platform X.

This transformation was sparked by a post in which she shared her daily routine of waking up at 4.30 am to prepare her husband’s lunch.

Olaki, a graduate of Geophysics based in Lagos State, had initially requested a small bedside fridge from Santa Claus in a tweet on December 29, 2023.

Despite garnering attention with 230 likes, 70 retweets, and 16 comments, her wish remained unfulfilled.

Expressing concern for his wife’s well-being, Olaki’s husband, Mr. Abiola Adebisi, a classroom science teacher, noted on Twitter that she deserved a better life.

Subsequently, Mrs. Olaki shared her account number, and within a short time, she received over N2 million from generous Nigerians.

Astounded by the support, she shared a screenshot of her account balance, exclaiming, “She’fe pami ni? (Do you want to kill me?)”.

Besides the monetary gifts, an angel recommended her for a remote Virtual Assistant role with a monthly pay of N50,000.

As of the latest update, Mrs. Olaki has received over N5 million in her account, and her husband has also benefited from cash donations.

Her initial tweet generated over 21 million impressions, with a surge in followers from around 2,300 to over 78,000.

In addition to the financial support from well-wishers, Mrs. Olaki has received various donations, including a generator set worth N250,000 from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

Other contributions include two laptops and a one-year Internet subscription from the National Information Development Agency (NITDA), an Infinix 40, an iPhone, a Smart TV, a cabinet, a mattress, a freezer, a blender, a microwave oven, one year’s health insurance, one year’s worth of insecticide, N200,000 worth of deliveries from Kiakia Delivery App, and furniture from @OTUNBA_TIZ.Mrs.

Deborah Olaki’s heartwarming story has captured the attention of individuals and organizations alike, reflecting the power of social media in positively impacting lives.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari 

New users on X, formerly known as Twitter, are now required to pay $1 annually as a subscription fee for signing up. 

This new policy was announced on Wednesday in a statement shared on the support account of X. 

According to X, the programme is now being tested in New Zealand and the Philippines.

The test will allow new accounts to post and interact with other users. 

The statement reads, “Starting today, we’re testing a new program (Not A Bot) in New Zealand and the Philippines. 

“New, unverified accounts will be required to sign up for a $1 annual subscription to be able to post & interact with other posts. Within this test, existing users are not affected. 

“This new test was developed to bolster our already successful efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount. It is not a profit driver. 

“And so far, subscription options have proven to be the main solution that works at scale.” 

In a tweet, Elon Musk, X’s owner, disclosed the reason for the annual subscription fee. 

According to Musk, the charge will reduce spam and automated bot accounts.  

“Correct, read for free, but $1/year to write. It’s the only way to fight bots without blocking real users. 

“This won’t stop bots completely, but it will be 1000X harder to manipulate the platform.”

By Muhammadu Sabiu 

Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, and its new CEO announced on Sunday that the social media platform would get rid of its bird emblem, change its name to X, and soon enter the payment, banking, and commerce sectors. 

According to the design website Creative Bloq, Twitter, which was founded in 2006, gets its name from the sound of birds chirping. 

The firm has used avian branding ever since purchasing a stock symbol of a light blue bird for $15. 

Late Sunday night, Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino tweeted a photo of the company’s new logo: a white X on a black background. She wrote, “X is here! Let’s proceed. 

Later on the same Sunday, Musk also updated his profile image to the business’s new logo, which he dubbed “minimalist art deco,” and his Twitter bio to “X.com,” which now reroutes to twitter.com. 

“If a good enough X logo is posted tonight, we’ll make (it) go live worldwide tomorrow,” Musk tweeted.

By Muhammad Abdurrahman

A photo and video clip of a man and his wife went viral in the past days on Nigerian social media. Several users, especially on Twitter, alleged that the wife was 11 years old while the man looked much older.

Others condemned the marriage, calling the man a paedophile and other unprintable words.

The man, identified as Aminu Danmaliki, debunked all these rumours. He those sharing them “blackmailers and doubting Thomas”.

Danmaliki, in a Facebook post, says:

“My recent marriage with Sakina has generated a lot of tension and unfounded allegations that I married an underage girl, some suggesting she is 11 years old and that she was forced to marry me. That is untrue.

“The wedding video went viral. We decided to keep mute, but [I] was advised to state the true facts. Here it is: My beloved wife is 21 years old. She made her own choice of me as her husband, and I loved her too.

“I hope the blackmailers and doubting Thomas will see the reality in this picture and leave us alone to enjoy our honeymoon.”

Danmaliki, per his social media profile, hails from Bauchi. However, he now lives in Abuja. The Daily Reality has not been able to contact him for further information.

By Muhammadu Sabiu 
 
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has drawn criticism for congratulating Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the winner of Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election, on his victory last Saturday.
 
Zelensky expressed his country’s readiness to collaborate with Nigeria to address global concerns, particularly risks to food security, in a tweet on Saturday.
 
Zelensky’s tweet reads, “Congratulations @officialABAT on the victory in the election of the President of Nigeria. I look forward to close cooperation. I am convinced that the two-way interaction 🇺🇦 and 🇳🇬 will strengthen. Ukraine is determined to work together to overcome global challenges, including threats to food security!”
 
Criticising the Ukrainian president, some Nigerian Twitter users expressed their dissatisfaction over the tweet, as can be seen as follows:
 
@IjeleMela, “Corrupt people always know how to align with one another. This guy is probably very corrupt.”
 
@WeriseB, “May Putin never leave Ukraine!! Amen!”
 
@TheOliviaMead, “You will not get any money from Nigeria! Get out!”
 
“Our democracy was invaded and you are congratulating the man … on behalf of Ukrainians,” @aai_austin claimed in reply.”

A few other users have also raised Mr Zelensky for the congratulatory message to the President-elect.
 
 

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Aminu Muhammad Adamu, the detained critic of the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has apologized to Aisha Buhari and thanked the people who stood for him on social media.

Following Aminu’s release from detention, he took to his Twitter handle on Saturday to apologize to the First Lady and thank his supporters for their supports.

Aminu, a student of the Federal University Dutse, Jigawa State, was arrested for trolling Aisha Buhari on Twitter. He was then secretly arraigned and remanded at a correctional facility in Suleja, Niger State.

Aminu in his tweet said, “I would like to use this medium to express my sincere apologies to those I’ve hurt especially our mother, Aisha Buhari it was never my intention to hurt your feelings and insha Allah I will change for the better. However, I’m also grateful for your forgiveness, thank u mama😊🤝.”

Aminu also thanked those who supported him in another tweet. He noted that his ordeals amount to a lessons for everyone

“I would also like to use this medium to express my heartfelt gratitude toward those that helped me go through the darkest hours of my life, man cannot escape his destiny but my incidence should serve as a lesson to all of us. Thank you all and one love❤️🌹.” He said

Aminu’s arbitrary abduction and consequent detention was condemned by international human rights organizations, media influencers and many people nationwide.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

Jack Dorsey, the creator of Twitter and former CEO, has introduced a brand-new social networking platform called “Bluesky.”

This is only a week or so after business tycoon and investor Elon Musk bought Twitter.

Within two days of the announcement, over 30,000 individuals had already signed up for the new app’s beta testing, which is still in its testing phase.

According to reports, Bluesky allows designers the opportunity to build independently from platforms and developers while also giving users authority over their algorithms, allowing them to choose the experience they want.

On April 14, 2022, Musk started the acquisition of Twitter and completed the deal on October 27, 2022.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The social media app, Twitter, plans to start charging $20 dollars per month for users whose Twitter accounts are verified.

According to reports by The Verge, verified users would have 90 days to subscribe or lose their blue tick badge.

This is coming after Elon Musk completed the acquisition of Twitter. It is believed to be amongst the many policies expected from Twitter’s new owner.

Musk has been critical of Twitter’s verification process before acquisition. He announced in a tweet on Sunday, October 30, 2022, that the the entire verification process is currently being revamped.

“The whole verification process is being revamped right now ” He tweeted

Employees working on the new features were reportedly given a deadline of November 7 to complete their task or get fired by Musk.