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Nov 6 (Reuters) - Elon Musk said on Sunday Twitter users engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying it as a "parody" account will be permanently suspended without a warning.In a separate tweet, Musk said Twitter previously issued a warning before suspension, but as Twitter is rolling out widespread verification, there will be no warning as well as "no exceptions.""This will be clearly identified as a condition for signing up to Twitter Blue," Musk said, adding any name change at all will cause temporary loss of verified checkmark.Twitter on Saturday updated its app in Apple's App Store to begin charging $8 for sought-after blue check verification marks, in Elon Musk's first major revision of the social media platform.Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) boss Musk, who also will serve as chief executive of Twitter, last month said Twitter will be forming a content moderation council with "widely diverse viewpoints"."No major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes," he added.On the topic of banned accounts, Musk last week said they will not be allowed back onto Twitter until the social media platform has "a clear process for doing so."Creating such a process would take at least a few more weeks, Musk

Elon Musk’s Twitter has a new rule for everyone with an account on Twitter to follow, as he announced from his own account: “any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying ‘parody’ will be permanently suspended.” In a follow-up tweet, Musk said “Previously, we issued a warning before suspension, but now that we are rolling out widespread verification, there will be no warning.”It’s an abrupt update from the person who just a few days ago tweeted, “Comedy is now legal on Twitter” after taking control of the company. Comedy is legal — as long as it follows the rules, which are whatever Elon says they are and could change at any time. Ever since Musk promised his Twitter would bring “power to the people” by offering verification to anyone willing to pay $8 for a subscription, some owners of already verified accounts have been renaming themselves Elon Musk, highlighting the issue of a verification system that doesn’t actually check who controls an account. Comedians Kathy Griffin and Sarah Silverman are among the accounts already known to be locked or suspended as a result.Twitter’s existing policies already contain a section covering “parody, commentary, and fan accounts.” As Musk’s later tweets

 Twitter logos and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration, August 10, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoNov 5 (Reuters) - Twitter on Saturday updated its app in Apple's App Store to begin charging $8 for sought-after blue check verification marks, in Elon Musk’s first major revision of the social media platform.The change comes a week after Musk took over the social media company in a $44 billion deal. The billionaire entrepreneur and CEO of electric car maker Tesla (TSLA.O) cut half the staff at Twitter and has vowed to start charging users more.In an update to Apple iOS devices, Twitter said those who "sign up now" for $7.99 a month can receive the blue checkmark next to their user names, "just like the celebrities, companies and politicians you already follow."Before Musk took over, blue check marks next to a person's user name meant Twitter confirmed the account belonged to the person or company claiming it. It was not immediately clear how or if Twitter planned to verify the identity of the user beyond charging a fee.According to the iOS notification, other benefits in the update include "half the ads", the ability to post longer videos to Twitter and priority ranking

Former Twitter chief executive officer Jack Dorsey has gone on the platform recently acquired by billionaire Elon Musk to apologize for the state of the site, which has laid off thousands of workers.On Saturday Dorsey published a series of tweets in response to the layoffs across Twitter’s workforce, which began on Friday. As many as half of the company’s 7,500 staffers could be axed since Musk acquired the company for $44bn last week.“Folks at Twitter, past and present, are strong and resilient,” Dorsey wrote. “They will always find a way no matter how difficult the moment. I realize many are angry with me.“I own the responsibility for why everyone is in this situation: I grew the company size too quickly. I apologize for that.”Dorsey added: “I am grateful for, and love, everyone who has ever worked on Twitter. I don’t expect that to be mutual in this moment … or ever … and I understand,” along with a heart emoji.Response to Dorsey’s comments have been mixed. Many users have blamed Dorsey for issues at Twitter after being bought by Musk.“Oof. Too little. Too late,” wrote one user.Another user wrote: “Dude, you suck.”A number of divisions at Twitter suffered deep cuts

Elon Musk has now purged roughly half of Twitter’s 7,500 employee base, leaving whole teams totally or near completely gutted, including those tasked with defending against election misinformation ahead of the US midterms next week, The Verge has learned. The areas of Twitter impacted the most by Musk’s cuts include its product trust and safety, policy, communications, tweet curation, ethical AI, data science, research, machine learning, social good, accessibility, and even certain core engineering teams, according to tweets by laid-off employees and people familiar with the matter. More company leaders, including Arnaud Weber, VP of consumer product engineering, and Tony Haile, a senior director of product overseeing Twitter’s work with news publishers, have also been laid off following Musk’s firings of Twitter’s senior leadership last week.“Shit is gonna start breaking.”Given the sweeping nature of Musk’s layoffs and his mandate to cut costs in areas like cloud hosting, employees who remain at Twitter told The Verge that they expect the company to have a hard time maintaining critical infrastructure in the short term. “Shit is gonna start breaking,” said one current employee who requested anonymity to speak without the company’s permission, while another called management’s layoff process “an absolute shit show.”Musk’s

If you don't know already, Twitter is under new ownership. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk officially owns the bird app. Yes, after months of "will he or won't he?" Musk acquired Twitter. Musk has made several announcements following the buyout, such as layoffs, plans to charge people $8 a month for Twitter verification as part of Twitter Blue, and possibly reviving Vine, among other things. Many users have expressed gripes with Musk acquiring Twitter and plan to leave rather than stay on the bird app and see what happens, with some users already departing following Musk's takeover of the social media app. If you have no desire to stay on Twitter and are looking for an alternative, you're probably wondering what your options are. Outside of Discord, Facebook, Instagram, Parler, TikTok, and Truth Social, there are a few other places to consider that could fill your void as you depart from the bird app. Mastodon bears the greatest resemblance to Twitter. It also has an IOS app, unlike Cohost. | Image credit: Taylor Lyles MastodonA self-hosted social networking site initially launched in 2016, Mastodon is one of the closer alternatives with a concept akin to what you may be

SAN FRANCISCO — Elon Musk is beginning mass layoffs at Twitter, sharply reducing the company’s workforce of 7,500 and kicking off his wholesale overhaul of the company.An email went out to the company’s employees late Thursday notifying employees of plans to cut jobs, informing them that by 9 a.m. Pacific time Friday, workers would receive an email with the subject line: “Your Role at Twitter.”Those keeping their jobs would be notified on their company email. Those losing them would be told via their personal email.“Team, In an effort to place Twitter on a healthy path, we will go through the difficult process of reducing our global workforce on Friday,” the email said. “We recognize that this will impact a number of individuals who have made valuable contributions to Twitter, but this action is unfortunately necessary to ensure the company’s success moving forward.”Anyone who did not receive an email by 5 p.m. Pacific time was told to follow up with the company. The offices would be closed Friday.“We acknowledge this is an incredibly challenging experience to go through, whether or not you are impacted,” the email continued. “We are grateful for your contributions to Twitter and for your patience as we…

Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesTwitter will be laying off staff Friday, the social media giant said in an email obtained by NBC News.In the email, sent Thursday evening, Twitter said it would be notifying staff by email starting Friday morning about their employment."We recognize that this will impact a number of individuals who have made valuable contributions to Twitter, but this action is unfortunately necessary to ensure the company's success moving forward," the email said.The cuts come after numerous reports that Musk had planned to slash the company's 7,500-person payroll after he finalized his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter late last week. He immediately dismissed CEO Parag Agrawal, as well as Twitter's CFO and its head of trust policy upon taking over the company.Worries about layoffs began to emerge in the days before the buyout transaction was complete, but Twitter's general counsel urged employees not to dwell on rumors before Musk officially took ownership of the company.Meanwhile, Musk has sought to reassure advertisers, saying in a post to Twitter that the platform would not become a "free-for-all hellscape." Musk also told the European Union that he planned to comply with the region's Digital Services Act, which levies penalties on companies if they do…

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What comes next for the social media giant now that it’s under the stewardship of the wealthiest person in the world?More episodes ofThe DailyNov. 1, 2022Updated 7:14 a.m. ETSend any friend a storyAs a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.Listen and follow The DailyApple Podcasts | Spotify | StitcherIt was long awaited, and some doubted that it would ever come to pass, but last week, the tech billionaire Elon Musk officially took over Twitter.The platform was once the place of underdogs, a public square that allowed users to challenge the moneyed and powerful. Is that about to change?Kevin Roose, a technology columnist for The New York Times, and co-host of the Times podcast “Hard Fork.”ImageElon Musk has added Twitter to a portfolio that includes Tesla, SpaceX and the Boring Company.Credit...Jim Watson/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesBackground readingA decade ago, Twitter was a tool for rebels and those challenging authority. But over time, the powerful learned how to use it for their own goals.Mr. Musk and a group of his advisers have been meeting with company executives, working on layoffs, ordering up product changes, talking with advertisers and reviewing content moderation policies.There…