TIG Post

Tag: X

  • X moves to crack down on impersonation profiles

    X moves to crack down on impersonation profiles

    X is introducing tougher rules for parody accounts starting April 10.

    Under the new guidelines, any account pretending to be someone else must clearly include the word “fake” or “parody” at the beginning of its account name. In addition, these accounts must not use the same profile pictures as the real people or accounts they are imitating.

    This move comes after several users raised concerns about being misled by parody accounts, especially ones pretending to be X owner Elon Musk.

    “These changes are designed to help users better understand the unaffiliated nature of PCF accounts and reduce the risk of confusion or impersonation,” the company said in a post on Saturday.

    It encouraged affected accounts to update their profiles by the enforcement date.
    The changes will also apply for fan and commentary accounts, it said.

    “Hopefully this includes all the thousands of fake variations of Elon Musk accounts,” wrote one user in response to X’s post about its policy update.


    “About time, I get a fake Elon account contacting me almost once a week,” wrote another.
    There are many parody accounts of Elon Musk on X, each using different ways to show they’re fake. Some of these accounts post funny memes, jokes, or even promote things like cryptocurrency and fake car giveaways.

    In one example, a parody account with over a million followers asked users to “like and comment” for a chance to win a Tesla. That post ended up getting 428,000 likes and over 200,000 replies.

    Back in January, X introduced labels for parody accounts. This built on earlier rules that required users who impersonate others for entertainment to make it clear they are doing so. The platform’s blue tick system was also meant to help users tell real accounts from fake ones. However, some say these steps haven’t worked well enough.

    In July 2024, the European Union criticized the blue tick feature, saying it could mislead users. They said some verified accounts might confuse people. Musk responded by calling the EU’s claims “misinformation.”

    After he bought X in November 2022, Musk warned that accounts pretending to be someone else without clearly saying so would be banned.

    While many parody accounts do label themselves—often putting “parody” in brackets at the end of their usernames—this isn’t always effective. When account names are too long, only part of the name shows up in posts or replies. If the profile photo also matches the real person, users can easily be fooled.

  • Elon Musk sells X for $33 billion

    Elon Musk sells X for $33 billion

    On Friday evening, Elon Musk shared that he has sold his social media company, X, to his AI firm, xAI. The sale is valued at $45 billion, which is a bit more than what he originally spent on X in 2022. However, the deal also includes $12 billion in debt.

    Musk announced on X that the transaction now places the company’s worth at $33 billion.

    “xAI and X’s futures are intertwined,” Musk said in a post on X. “Today, we officially take the step to combine the data, models, compute, distribution and talent. This combination will unlock immense potential by blending xAI’s advanced AI capability and expertise with X’s massive reach.”

    Elon Musk has not announced any immediate changes to X, though xAI’s Grok chatbot is already integrated into the platform. He stated that merging the two companies would create “smarter, more meaningful experiences” and revealed that their combined value is now $80 billion.

    Since buying X (formerly Twitter) in 2022, Musk has introduced major changes, including laying off 80% of the workforce, altering the verification system, and reinstating accounts that were previously banned. These decisions led to an advertiser exodus and a significant drop in the company’s value.

    Although X is now worth less than what Musk originally paid, it has regained some of its lost value. Investment firm Fidelity estimated in October that X had lost nearly 80% of its original worth, but by December, it had recovered to about 30% of its purchase price.

    Musk’s sale of X to xAI comes at a time when he is facing scrutiny for his role in the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, raising concerns about whether he is fully focused on his companies, particularly Tesla.

    Additionally, Musk has been positioning himself as a key player in artificial intelligence, an area of interest for both the tech industry and the Trump administration. Earlier this year, he led a group of investors in an attempt to buy OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, for nearly $100 billion, intensifying his long-running rivalry with OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman.

    While it is unclear how merging X with xAI will advance Musk’s AI ambitions, the integration could help xAI introduce its latest AI models and features to a wider audience more quickly.

    A significant reversal of X’s fortunes
    Big advertisers, who had largely abandoned X after hate speech surged on the platform and ads were seen running alongside pro-Nazi content, have begun to return. (X made several pro-Nazi accounts ineligible for ads following advertiser departures.) Amazon and Apple are both reportedly reinvesting in X campaigns again, a remarkable endorsement from two brands with mass appeal.

    The brand’s stabilization helped a group of bondholders, who had been deep underwater in their investments, sell billions of dollars in their X debt holdings at 97 cents on the dollar earlier this month — albeit with exceedingly high interest rates — according to several recent reports.

    Bloomberg in February reported that X was in talks to raise money that would value the company at $44 billion. It’s not clear what came of those talks and why xAI is valuing X at less than it could reportedly fetch from investors. X needs to pay down its massive debt load, which Musk on Friday said totals $12 billion.

    A big part of why X’s valuation has rebounded in recent months is xAI, which X reportedly held a stake in. Last month, xAI was seeking a $75 billion valuation in a funding round, according to Bloomberg.

    But the biggest factor in X’s stunning bounce-back is almost certainly Musk himself: Musk’s elevation to a special government employee under President Donald Trump has empowered the world’s richest person with large sway over the operations of the federal government, which he has rapidly sought to reshape.

    Investors putting their money into X may be relying more on Elon Musk’s leadership than the company’s actual business performance. Over the past year, Musk has reshaped X into a platform that strongly supports former President Donald Trump, frequently using it to promote his campaign.

    With an audience of 200 million followers, Musk has shared controversial views on immigration policies under the Biden administration and often speaks out against progressive movements, using the term “woke mind virus,” which some conservatives use to criticize liberal ideologies.

    Now that Trump is back in office and Musk holds a position in the government, X has once again become a major platform for tracking and engaging with the administration. Musk has also used X to communicate updates on policy changes within his Department of Government Efficiency.

  • Mahama recovers hacked X account

    Mahama recovers hacked X account

    President John Dramani Mahama has had his hacked X account restored after working with the X support team.

    In an announcement on his X page, the president thanked the public for the “enquiries and offers to assist.”

    In the early hours of Monday, March 17, the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) received a report concerning the compromise of the President, H.E. John Dramani Mahama’s X (formerly Twitter) account; @JDMahama.

    The account was used to promote a cryptocurrency called “Solana Africa.” This incident generated public concern.

    Meanwhile, the authority says it is working closely with X and other relevant stakeholders to address this incident and prevent future occurrences. CSA will provide further updates as the investigation progresses.

    For years, the West African country has been battling cyber fraud. Ghana’s revision of its National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy provides clear guidance for continued growth in the field.

    The country has also demonstrated a commitment to cybersecurity awareness through initiatives such as the annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month, which, alongside capacity-building programs for law enforcement, the public sector, and academia, reflects Ghana’s dedication to enhancing cybersecurity skills.

    Internationally, Ghana has earned recognition as a hub for training and capacity-building, particularly in partnership with organizations such as the European Union, Council of Europe (COE), the World Bank, and ECOWAS.

    Ghana’s commitment to international cooperation is further highlighted by its ratification of the Second Additional Protocol to the Budapest Convention and its contributions to the adoption of the recent UN Convention on Cybercrimes.

    Ghana and 18 other African countries apprehended a total of 1,006 suspects behind ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), digital extortion, and online scams, according to the 2024 Africa Cyber Threat Assessment Report by INTERPOL.

    Operation Serengeti, which spanned from 2 September to 31 October, dismantled 134,089 malicious infrastructures and networks thanks to a joint operation by INTERPOL and AFRIPOL against cybercrime.

    During the operation, more than 35,000 victims were identified, and the cases have been linked to nearly USD 193 million in financial losses worldwide.

    Ghana has been awarded Tier 1 status in the 2024 Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI), released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), positioning the country as a global leader in cybersecurity.

    The GCI ranks countries based on a five-tier system that assesses their cybersecurity frameworks, with Tier 1 being the highest level of recognition. Ghana’s placement in this category, known as the “Role Modelling” tier, underscores its advanced cybersecurity measures, serving as a benchmark for other nations.

    This prestigious ranking highlights the robustness of Ghana’s cybersecurity infrastructure, which is vital in safeguarding its growing digital ecosystem. With a remarkable score of 99.27%, Ghana is the second-highest ranked country in Africa, after Mauritius, and is among only five African nations that have reached Tier 1. Globally, Ghana is part of a select group of 46 countries in this top category.

  • X bot accounts leveraging ChatGPT to spread disinformation against NDC to favour NPP – Report

    X bot accounts leveraging ChatGPT to spread disinformation against NDC to favour NPP – Report

    A recent report reveals that a network of 171 bot accounts on X (formerly Twitter) has been using ChatGPT-generated content to spread disinformation ahead of Ghana’s 2024 presidential elections.

    The accounts, which have been active since February, consistently promote the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and its presidential candidate, Mahamudu Bawumia, while disparaging the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its candidate, John Mahama, according to NewsGuard.

    The bots employ popular hashtags such as #Bawumia2024, #ItIsPossible, and #NPP, and often push right-wing talking points. They also engage in negative campaigning against Mahama, with posts falsely accusing him of being a drunkard, a claim he has denied. The content produced by the bot accounts, which include AI-generated profile photos and names like “Glenn Washington” and “Patriot,” is posted at predictable intervals and is designed to amplify pro-NPP messaging.

    The findings were part of a study by NewsGuard, a website that tracks misinformation. Researchers used AI tools to analyze the posts, concluding that the content was highly likely to have been generated by ChatGPT. The bots’ activities reflect the growing use of AI by political influence networks, particularly during vulnerable political periods like elections.

    The research also highlights the role of X’s diminished content moderation efforts under Elon Musk’s leadership, which has made it easier for such disinformation campaigns to proliferate. Despite the findings, only two of the accounts have been suspended so far, with little immediate response from X or OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT.

    NewsGuard’s report marks this as one of the first instances of an AI-driven, partisan bot network designed to influence elections in Ghana, though the full impact of these accounts on the election’s discourse remains unclear.

  • Historic! Ronaldo hits 1 billion followers on X, Instagram and other social media platforms

    Historic! Ronaldo hits 1 billion followers on X, Instagram and other social media platforms

    Cristiano Ronaldo has once again made history, becoming the first athlete to surpass 1 billion followers across X, Instagram, and other social media platforms.

    In a celebratory post on X, the global football icon expressed his gratitude to his fans, highlighting the significance of this milestone.

    “We’ve made history — 1 BILLION followers!” Ronaldo wrote, emphasizing that the achievement represents more than just a number but a “testament to our shared passion, drive, and love for the game and beyond.”

    Reflecting on his journey, the Portuguese superstar acknowledged his roots, from the streets of Madeira to the world’s grandest stages, stating that his motivation has always been for his family and his loyal supporters.

    “I’ve always played for my family and for you, and now 1 billion of us stand together.”

    Ronaldo expressed appreciation for the unwavering support he has received from his fans throughout his career, during both the highs and the lows.

    “This journey is our journey, and together, we’ve shown that there are no limits to what we can achieve,” he noted.

    He concluded by promising more memorable moments ahead, saying, “The best is yet to come, and we’ll keep pushing, winning, and making history together.”

  • Elon Musk’s social media platform X nears money transmitter license in New York

    Elon Musk’s social media platform X nears money transmitter license in New York

    During the Morgan Stanley technology, media, and telecom conference, Elon Musk revealed that his social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), is on track to obtain a money transmitter license in New York.

    Additionally, Musk confirmed plans to secure a California license within the next month, as part of X’s expansion strategy.

    Experts note that for X to operate nationwide, it must obtain a money transmitter license in each of the United States’ 50 states.

    Musk also discussed potential changes to X’s platform, including the removal of likes and reposts visibility on posts, aiming to shift the focus away from engagement metrics.

    Moreover, Musk announced a new feature where users’ pinned posts would be recommended to all their followers every 48 hours, with restrictions to prevent gaming of the system.

    As part of Musk’s broader vision for X as an “everything app,” he shared a post from X Hiring highlighting the platform’s role in job postings across various industries, positioning it as a jobs app with over a million job listings.