Musk announces subscription model for X, but with limited details to date
Facing cratering advertising revenues due to his erratic stewardship of the platform, X owner Elon Musk has announced that they’ll begin charging all users of X (formerly Twitter) a monthly subscription fee.
Whilst the platform has not yet confirmed whether this will become an official policy, Musk claims that a nominal fee is necessary to prevent bots from proliferating on the platform.
The seemingly impromptu announcement was made last week during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the main topic of which was meant to be an overview of what X was doing to curb antisemitism and other hate speech on the platform. “It’s the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots,” Musk said. “Because a bot costs a fraction of a penny…but if somebody even has to pay a few dollars, some minor amount, the effective cost of bots is very high.”
BBC introduces new social media guidelines for presenters
The BBC has introduced new social media rules for its presenters, prohibiting them from party political campaigning or endorsements. However, they will still be able to express views on political issues and policies.
The new code of conduct comes after a review of social media guidance for journalists and presenters and will apply to hosts of “flagship programmes” including Match of the Day, Antiques Roadshow, Dragon’s Den, MasterChef, Top Gear and Strictly Come Dancing.
The review was launched by BBC director-general Tim Davie after the broadcaster’s decision to suspend presenter Gary Lineker for breaching impartiality rules on Twitter.
Indonesia bans direct transactions on social media platforms
Indonesia’s President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has decided to ban direct transactions on social media platforms in Indonesia, dealing a huge blow to the future of TikTok Shop in its largest market in Southeast Asia.
As a result, TikTok will have to separate its ecommerce unit from its social media platform. Meanwhile, Facebook and Instagram don’t allow direct transactions in Indonesia, exposing them less to regulatory scrutiny.
Regulators in Indonesia have been scrutinizing TikTok over fears that TikTok Shop – a feature integrated into the main app – is monopolizing the market. Jokowi recently said that social commerce platforms like TikTok Shop have played a role in the downslide of SMEs and traditional markets.
A TikTok Indonesia spokesperson said there have been many concerns from sellers seeking greater clarity about the regulations. “While we respect local laws and regulations, we hope that the regulations take into account its impact on the livelihoods of more than 6 million sellers and close to 7 million affiliate creators who use TikTok Shop.”
A year on an author of the ‘pause AI’ letter reflects on its impact
MIT professor and President of the Future of Life Institute, Max Tegmark, who last year led the publication of a letter which called for a pause on certain AI developments, sat down with outlet Semafor to discuss its impact a year on.
Tegmark states that his intention with the letter was to “legitimize” the conversation about the rate of change in AI and whether certain developments needed to be slowed down.
Looking ahead he expects change will continue at pace with Artificial General Intelligence and Super Intelligence expected to be popularized by the end of the decade.
He also identifies that there will be an ongoing issue with the pace of change of the technology versus that of policymaking, arguing that the sector needs an FDA equivalent body to instill a culture of safety.
