Wednesday, March 29, 2023

It's all about technology

A German official calls on the European Union to directly supervise Twitter because it “poses a threat to freedom of expression”

A senior German official said – yesterday, Thursday – that the Twitter platform should be among the technology companies that are subject to direct monitoring by the European Commission.

State Minister responsible for competition policy at the German Economy Ministry, Sven Gigold, added that the company’s “strange behavior” under the management of its new owner, Elon Musk, constituted a threat to freedom of expression. Referring to Twitter’s sudden suspension of journalists’ accounts, and restrictions on accessing some links.

In a letter to two European Commission officials, Gigold called on the European Union to open an investigation. He said the commission should act to prevent what he called “anti-competitive Twitter behaviour”.

The European Commission confirmed receipt of the letter and said it would respond in due course, adding that it was closely following developments related to Twitter.

Gigold pointed out – on his Twitter account – the general terms and conditions that change almost every hour, and the strange justifications for the wide restrictions on links and the blocking of journalists, saying that all this “threatens the freedom of competition, and poses a threat to freedom of expression, the circulation of information and the press.”

Gigold also mentioned that the Commission will take over the oversight of large platforms; Such as Facebook and Google, according to the new regulations it has established regarding digital markets.

He also said, “Twitter is not yet ranked as a dominant digital platform given that the company’s sales are still very low” and continued, “However, Twitter has a significant impact on shaping public opinion around the world, as well as in Europe.”

It is worth noting that Musk announced last Tuesday that he will step down as CEO of Twitter. And the American billionaire said – in a tweet – “I will resign from my position as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take over the job! After that, I will only run the software and server teams.”

The announcement came after more than a day of silence regarding the poll that Musk himself launched on the platform, in which a majority of Twitter users supported his stepping down from his position in the company.

Get notified whenever we post something new!

Continue reading

German Regulator Launches Antitrust Review of Microsoft’s Market Power

The German regulator responsible for enforcing antitrust laws is investigating Microsoft's market power, a move that may result in an examination of the tech giant's business practices and potential bans if they are deemed to damage competition

Europol Warns of Criminal Misuse of ChatGPT’s AI Capabilities for Phishing and Disinformation

Europol, the European police force, has expressed concerns about the potential misuse of the chatbot ChatGPT, which is powered by artificial intelligence (AI)

Nvidia’s CTO Claims Cryptocurrencies Are Useless for Society, Advocates for AI Chatbots Instead

According to the chief technology officer of US chip-maker Nvidia, Michael Kagan, cryptocurrencies do not add any value to society. Despite selling a large number of powerful processors to the sector, Kagan said that the development of artificial intelligence chatbots, such as Nvidia's ChatGPT,