The ongoing conflict between Musk and Brazil’s authorities is rooted in issues of misinformation and legal compliance.

The feud escalated in April when Justice Alexandre Moraes ordered the suspension of several X accounts accused of spreading disinformation, many of which were linked to supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

X’s failure to appoint a new legal representative in Brazil by a court-imposed deadline only exacerbated the situation, leading to the platform’s suspension.

Justice Moraes justified the ban by citing X’s non-compliance with Brazilian law, specifically its failure to curb the spread of disinformation.

Musk, who positions himself as a staunch defender of free speech, responded by accusing Justice Moraes of undermining democracy.

Free speech is the bedrock of democracy and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes https://t.co/eqbowALCeu

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 30, 2024

X has long been one of the most popular platforms in Brazil, serving as a key space for political discourse, social movements, and everyday communication.

With X now in jeopardy, millions of Brazilian users seek alternatives, with Bluesky emerging as a leading contender.

What is Bluesky?

Bluesky, often shortened to Bsky, is a relatively new decentralised social-blogging platform and public-benefit corporation based in the United States.

The app has seen an unprecedented surge in users following X’s suspension; it gained half a million new users in Brazil within just two days.

While Bluesky and X share some similarities in their basic functionality, they differ significantly in their content moderation and user experience approach.

Bluesky’s decentralised model allows for greater user control over their data and content, contrasting with X’s more centralised structure.

Additionally, Bluesky’s content moderation policies are seen as more transparent and community-driven, a key factor in attracting users disillusioned with X’s practices.

Are users migrating to Bluesky?

Google Trends data shows a sharp increase in searches for “Virtual Private Network” on August 30^th.

However, the ruling also fined individuals and businesses that used virtual private networks (VPNs) to access X. This may explain the surge in searches for “Bluesky” the following day, evidence of Brazilian users’ eagerness to find an alternative to X quickly.

The rapid influx of new users has posed challenges for Bluesky, particularly regarding technical infrastructure. The platform’s servers have experienced unprecedented traffic, leading to occasional slowdowns and connectivity issues.

Despite these challenges, Bluesky’s development team has proactively scaled up their systems to accommodate the growing user base, with reports of 15 times the usual daily peak traffic.

For anyone interested in how it’s going with the Brazil migration to Bluesky, we’re consistently at 15x our normal daily peak traffic

This graph is just kinda crazy, 4 days ago we couldn’t imagine the amount of load we’re seeing on our systems right now

The team is holding it down and doing great

[image or embed]

— Jaz (@jaz.bsky.social) Aug 31, 2024 at 17:36

The future of social media in Brazil

As more users migrate to platforms like Bluesky and Threads, the dominance of traditional social media giants like X and Facebook may be challenged.

This shift could lead to a more diverse and decentralised social media landscape in Brazil, with users enjoying greater freedom and privacy.

While Musk argues that free speech is essential to democracy, Justice Moraes and his supporters contend that freedom of expression must be coupled with a “duty of responsibility”.

The situation in Brazil has attracted global attention, with many wondering whether other countries might follow suit in regulating social media platforms more aggressively.

This comes after the founder of Telegram was arrested in France in relation to various organised crimes carried out within the cloud-based messaging app.

The post Musk moves out as Bluesky rises to fill Brazil’s Twitter void appeared first on TechInformed.

Nearly two years later, the social media firm, now rebranded as X, is embroiled in more controversy. It has reportedly experienced a 24% YOY decline in advertiser support in the first half of 2024.

What was once a bustling marketplace for brands is quickly becoming a vacuum, with companies withdrawing their advertising dollars, leaving X struggling to maintain its relevance and profitability.

Musk’s controversial policies and their impact on brand safety

Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter was far from a smooth transition. After initially agreeing to purchase the platform, Musk tried to back out of the deal, citing concerns over the prevalence of fake accounts.

However, the courts forced him to proceed with the purchase. Under Musk’s leadership, X has undergone significant changes — one of the most consequential being the platform’s approach to content moderation.

Musk’s decision to re-platform previously banned users, such as former US President Donald Trump and UK far-right activist Tommy Robinson, has raised concerns among advertisers about the safety and appropriateness of the content their ads might appear alongside.

Additionally, the decision to ban the word “cisgender” as hate speech has further fuelled the controversy, alienating certain user groups and advertisers alike.

Controversial content vs. ad revenue

The changes in X’s content moderation policies have profoundly impacted the platform’s ad revenue. Advertisers are increasingly wary of their brands appearing next to hate speech, offensive content, or misinformation.

Brenda Imeson, director of strategy at digital advertising firm Brave Bison, explains, "Clients are cautious about exposing their most valuable asset — their brand — to unnecessary risks."

"Musk's well-known scepticism towards the advertising sector, coupled with his penchant for sharing controversial content, left many marketers uneasy about the future of Twitter," she says.

According to a survey conducted by the Kantar Group, many advertisers cite a lack of innovation and trustworthiness as primary reasons for their departure.

The survey found that X's trust score has dropped from 28% in 2021 to just 16% in 2023.

This decline in trust reflects a net 14% of marketers planning to decrease their investment in X in 2024.

In contrast, platforms like TikTok and YouTube continue to attract advertising dollars. TikTok sees a net 77% of marketers planning to increase their budget for the platform in the coming year.

Changing demographics and advertising strategies

Karim Salama, director at e-innovate, highlights that the platform's instability under Musk's leadership has driven advertisers towards more reliable platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

"There's been a noticeable drop in user interaction, as well as controversial policy changes," Salama explains. "This unstable atmosphere for ROI drives advertisers towards platforms where they can expect consistent results."

X is predominantly used for news consumption, with 60.6% of users reporting utilising the platform to stay informed. However, the influx of "fake news" and misinformation on the app has likely contributed to its decline in popularity.

Moreover, X's user demographics present another challenge. The platform's audience is 61.2% male. In contrast, platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn have a more balanced gender distribution, which may make them more attractive to advertisers looking to reach a diverse audience.

Additionally, X's younger user base, with 58.38% of users between 18 and 34, may have a higher propensity for platforms like TikTok and Instagram, which, according to Kantar's survey, are perceived as more innovative and trustworthy.

Salama explains, "TikTok and Instagram are far more appealing — younger audiences thrive on platforms that promote genuine storytelling and community connections. This just doesn't exist on Twitter.

"Twitter's text-driven nature is outdated for today's consumer — advertisers will instead redirect their campaigns to TikTok to take advantage of its organic reach potential."

GARMS's dissolution: legal battles and their broader implications

GARM, a voluntary initiative created in response to high-profile cases of harmful content next to brand ads, was crucial in ensuring safe and responsible ad placements.

However, GARM recently found itself in a legal battle with X after advising businesses to reconsider advertising on the platform due to concerns over brand safety.

X responded by suing GARM, accusing the organisation of colluding with businesses "to collectively withhold billions of dollars in advertising from Twitter".

GARM has over 100 members. Four of which — CVS, Unilever, Mars and the Danish energy company Ørsted — were named defendants in the suit filed in federal court in Texas.

In a statement on its website, GARM announced, "Recent allegations that unfortunately misconstrue its purpose and activities have caused a distraction and significantly drained its resources and finances. WFA [World Federation of Advertisers], therefore, is making the difficult decision to discontinue GARM activities."

As Sarah Aird-Mash, CMO of Adludio, notes, "GARM used the ad collective might to rally against questionable activity, and its absence raises concerns about the future of brand safety in digital advertising."

The future of brand safety without GARM

Peter Ibarra, head of media and AdTech solutions at Amperity, adds that the dissolution of GARM marks a turning point for advertisers. "The proliferation of advertising channels makes it difficult for advertisers to know where to make the next investment," he says.

"The recent lawsuit by X leading to GARM's dissolution signals a new era where unwavering platform allegiance is no longer a reality."

This isn't the first such legal battle for X. Last year, X sued the Center for Countering Digital Hate, another non-profit, when it wrote about hate speech on the platform and blamed it for driving away advertisers.

The case was thrown out by a federal judge in March, claiming it was an attempt to punish CCDH for protected speech.

In November last year, X also began litigation against Media Matters, a watchdog group that highlighted antisemitic and pro-Nazi content appearing next to ads on X. The case is set to go to trial next April.

Our US advertising revenue is still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL (that’s what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X/Twitter!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2023

The tweetings on the wall

Gonca Bubani, global thought leadership director at Kantar, emphasised the broader implications of X's decline, noting that "marketer sentiment around X has been continuously declining."

Bubani pointed out that while X's decline began before Musk's takeover, the current social and political climate has exacerbated the platform's troubles. "Musk's politicisation of the platform is adding fuel to the fire, which will have an impact.

"What's clear is that the decline in spend isn't only coming from the direction institutions like GARM give the industry."

Advertisers are not just concerned with brand safety; they are also wary of the platform's declining performance.

Mark Bellamy, strategy director at NewGen, emphasises that the reduced power of user acquisition on X is not solely due to Musk's controversial remarks. "The increasing power to hold attention through short video on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube has also pushed brands to look elsewhere for ROI as much as peace of mind," Bellamy explains.

"The love for a product or a brand's personality from existing fans hasn't waned on X, even if the ability to find a new audience has due to the reduced number of users going there for discovery purposes. But this reduced power of acquisition on X is a pre-Elon trend."

Data-driven strategies for optimising ad campaigns

As advertisers navigate this changing landscape, many turn to data-driven strategies to optimise their campaigns in real time.

Peter Ibarra underscores the importance of first-party data and advanced analytics in this context: "By using the power of first-party data and advanced analytics, brands are not just adapting to change — they're proactively shaping their advertising future.

"This data-driven agility allows for rapid pivots across media channels, ensuring optimal returns on ad spend by fostering deeper, more personalised customer connections."

Interestingly, despite the exodus of advertisers, user engagement on X has remained relatively stable, with users reportedly spending an average of 30.9 minutes daily on the platform.

However, this increased engagement has yet to translate into advertiser confidence.

User engagement vs. advertiser confidence on X

Brenda Imeson points out that "the perception of the platform as a high-risk environment for brands has driven advertisers away, highlighting a critical disconnect between user engagement and advertiser confidence."

"With GARM's shutdown, advertisers are once again facing uncertainty regarding the safety of their ad placements," she says.

"In the short term, this uncertainty is likely to lead advertisers to stick with media partners and platforms where they have built trust over the past few years. The marketing community views this shift not as a "boycott," as X might perceive it, but rather as the exercise of "freedom of choice."

While the platform still enjoys user engagement, the disconnect between users and advertisers suggests that X may struggle to regain its position as a leading social media platform for advertisers.

Ironically, advertisers leaving X could see consumer patterns change in the other direction — after all, most social media users are deterred by a greater number of ads.

We reached out to GARM for comment, but they have not yet responded at the time of publication.

The post Here today, Elon tomorrow: are advertisers abandoning X? appeared first on TechInformed.

X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, has been ordered to pay former employee Gary Rooney a record fine of more than €550,000 (£470k/$606k) after an Irish tribunal found he was dismissed unfairly from the company.

Rooney, previously a director of “source to pay” procurement in Twitter’s European HQ, left the firm in October 2022 following Elon Musk’s $44 billion takeover.

Within weeks of completing the acquisition, Musk outlined his plans for the social media platform, including an email in which he said staff going forward needed to be “extremely hardcore”.

The message, labelled “the fork in the road,” asked employees to click a link with “yes” or “no” if they wanted “to be part of the new Twitter.” Musk added that those who clicked “no” would receive three months’ severance pay.

Rooney told Ireland’s Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) tribunal that he did not click either option but days later received another email acknowledging his decision to leave.

The WRC found in Rooney’s favour. The €550,131 total unfair dismissal award, an Irish record, consists of Rooney’s lost remuneration of €350,131 from January 2023 to May 2024 and estimated lost future remuneration of €200,000.

Read more…

Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki dies aged 56

Susan Wojcicki, the former Google executive who led YouTube for almost a decade, has died at the age of 56, according to an announcement by the tech company.

Wojcicki, who joined Google as its first marketing manager in 1998, passed away after two years of living with lung cancer, Google chief executive Sundar Pichai announced.

Pichai, who heads up Google’s parent company, Alphabet, used his X profile to say he was “unbelievably saddened” by the passing of someone who was “as core to the history of Google as anyone.”

Prior to joining the search engine firm, Wojcicki worked at chipmaker Intel. She rented her Menlo Park garage to Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page before joining them as the company’s 16^th employee.

After Google acquired YouTube, she became CEO of the video-sharing platform from 2014 until 2023, when she stepped down to focus “on my family, health, and personal projects I’m passionate about.”

She leaves behind five children and husband Dennis Troper, who said: “My beloved wife of 26 years and mother to our five children left us today after two years of living with non-small-cell lung cancer.”

Read more…

NIST unveils quantum standards

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has finalised its principal set of encryption algorithms designed to withstand cyberattacks from a quantum computer.

Developed over the past eight years, the standards are part of its post-quantum cryptography (PQC) project and have been made available for immediate use.

Progress towards the standards’ debut has been a collaborative effort involving cryptography experts from all over the world who have conceived, submitted, and evaluated quantum-safe algorithms.

Overall, NIST assessed 82 algorithms contributed by researchers from 25 countries and whittled them down to a top 14.

The first standard, FIPS 203, has been launched to secure information transmitted over public networks. It is set to become the primary standard for general encryption and is based on the CRYSTALS-Kyber algorithm, now renamed Module-Lattice-Based Key-Encapsulation Mechanism (ML-KEM).

The second standard, FIPS 204, is designated as the main standard for safeguarding digital signatures. It utilises the CRYSTALS-Dilithium algorithm, now known as Module-Lattice-Based Digital Signature Algorithm (ML-DSA).

Finally, the third also addresses digital signatures but uses a different mathematical approach compared to ML-DSA and is used as a backup solution in case ML-DSA proves to become vulnerable.

NIST head of the PQC standardisation project, Dustin Moody, said: “There is no need to wait for future standards.

“We need to be prepared in case of an attack that defeats the algorithms in these three standards, and we will continue working on backup plans to keep our data safe. But for most applications, these new standards are the main event.”

Read more…

Post Office IT chief quits

The UK Post Office’s chief transformation officer, Chris Brocklesby, is set to leave the troubled delivery service amid long delays in replacing the troubled Horizon IT system.

Brocklesby joined the Post Office on a one-year deal in 2023 but will leave the scandal-hit firm on September 6, according to a note sent to staff by CEO Owen Woodley.

The Post Office has faced lengthy delays and rising costs to replace Fujitsu’s Horizon — which produced incorrect accounting shortfalls that led to hundreds of innocent postmasters being wrongly prosecuted and convicted.

A plan to build a new system running on Amazon’s cloud computing system had to be abandoned in 2022, but pressure on the Post Office to axe Horizon increased drastically this year after a Channel 4 dramatisation of the Subpostmaster scandal highlighted the flaws in the system.

Brocklesby is set to be replaced on an interim basis by Camelot transformation director Andy Nice, who recently led a turnaround at the National Lottery operator.

Read more…

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