Bluesky vs X: The Social Media Showdown

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Bluesky is blazing a trail in the social media world.** The Twitter-like service has surpassed 16 million users, with many flocking from X over its right-wing leanings and controversial changes. Meanwhile, X is still the top dog in monthly active users, but Threads is hot on its heels. And let's not forget about Bluesky's indie rival, Mastodon. But what sets Bluesky apart? It's all about putting users in control with its decentralized approach and federation. **Here's the lowdown on the social media showdown:

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Albania TikTok Ban: A Year-Long Hiatus from Social Media

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Albania has decided to ban TikTok for a year, following a fatal stabbing at a school. The ban is part of the government's plan to make schools safer and promote healthier social media use among children. The decision comes after several European countries and Australia imposed restrictions on social media use for minors.

Prime Minister Edi Rama blamed TikTok for fuelling violence among youths in and outside schools. The ban is expected to come into effect early next year and will also include measures to help parents monitor their children's online activities.

Supreme Court to Decide Fate of TikTok in the US

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Supreme Court to Decide Fate of TikTok in the US
The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments on January 10 over TikTok's effort to block a federal ban on the platform if it's not sold by Jan. 19.

Why is TikTok at Risk?

  • The Biden administration and lawmakers say the Chinese government's ability to collect data from TikTok poses a significant national security risk
  • TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance argue that the law is unconstitutional

What Happens Next?

  • The Supreme Court will hear arguments in January and decide the fate of TikTok in the US.

Is TikTok getting banned in the US?*

ROMANIA'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION SHAKEUP: Can TikTok Decide the Outcome?

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Romania's presidential election has been shaken up** after the top court annulled the results due to security concerns over a pro-Russia campaign on TikTok and Telegram. The first round saw an outsider, Calin Georgescu, emerge as the frontrunner, despite having no declared campaign spending. The court has ordered a rerun of the election, causing uncertainty in the Eastern European nation. With TikTok being a major platform for political campaigns, the question remains: Can social media decide the outcome of elections?

Under-16s Social Media Ban: No Need for Personal ID, Assures Minister

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The Australian communications minister, Michelle Rowland, has pledged that users won't be required to hand over personal identification like a driver's license or passport for the under-16s social media ban. The bill, which is set to be rammed through parliament, has raised concerns about privacy implications. However, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has negotiated an amendment to ensure no compulsion for people to hand over any form of government ID. Despite these changes, some Coalition members may still vote against the bill.

Reddit Outage: What You Need to Know

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Reddit Outage: What You Need to Know
Reddit, the social media platform, is having some serious technical difficulties today. As of this writing, over 51,000 users have reported problems on Downdetector.com, with many unable to access the website or app.

  • The outage appears to be due to an HTTP Error.
  • Reddit confirmed the issue and is currently investigating.
  • Users are seeing a black screen with the message: 'Upstream connect error or disconnect/reset before headers. Reset reason: connection failure.'
  • The issue has been ongoing since at least 7 a.m. PT.

This is the second outage in as many days, with the first one happening yesterday afternoon. TechCrunch has reached out to the company for comment.

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Social Media Giants Face Strict Age Limit in Australia

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In a bold move, Australia's government has pledged to introduce world-leading legislation to ban children under 16 from social media platforms. This new law will affect giants like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and others, giving them a year to figure out how to exclude Australian children under 16. The main goal is to protect young people from potential harm, with the onus on platforms to demonstrate they're taking reasonable steps to prevent access. However, not everyone is on board, as industry representatives claim this might encourage children to explore darker, unregulated parts of the internet. What does this mean for the future of social media and young users?

Artificial Intelligence Taking Over the 2024 US Election?

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AI-driven bots are trying to sway the 2024 US election in favor of Donald Trump.** Open source intelligence researcher Elise Thomas discovered a large bot network on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, promoting Trump. The bots are using generative artificial intelligence to create posts, and many of them have blue tick verified accounts. However, the bots are giving themselves away with old hashtags and inconsistent behavior. The network could be the work of one person or a group, and it's not the first time AI bot networks have targeted US elections. While the network isn't generating much authentic engagement, as AI gets more sophisticated, bot networks might be harder to spot. **Is AI taking over the 2024 US election?

States Take Action Against TikTok Over Kids' Mental Health

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TikTok Faces Lawsuits Over Children's Mental Health**: More than a dozen states and the District of Columbia have filed lawsuits against TikTok, alleging the app is addictive and harmful to kids. Key Concerns: The lawsuits focus on TikTok's algorithm and features that keep kids glued to their screens and expose them to potential harm. TikTok's Response: TikTok maintains that it restricts underage users and complies with US laws. What's Next: The lawsuits could lead to changes in TikTok's practices and policies to better protect kids' mental health. Impact: This action highlights growing concerns about the impact of social media on young users, potentially sparking similar actions against other platforms.

Elon Musk Shuts Down X in Brazil Over 'Censorship' Allegations

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Elon Musk's X social media platform has shut down its operations in Brazil due to what it calls 'censorship' orders from a Brazilian judge.** The judge, Alexandre de Moraes, allegedly threatened X's legal representative with arrest if they didn't comply with orders to take down some content. X claims this was done in secret, and Brazil's supreme court has not yet responded to a request for comment. The X service remains available to the people of Brazil, and Musk has previously denounced Moraes's decisions as 'unconstitutional'.

Social Network Butterflies AI Turns Users into AI Characters with New Clones Feature

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Butterflies AI, the social network where humans and AIs interact, launched a new Clones feature that lets users turn themselves into AI characters. Users can take a selfie and create a Butterfly—an AI persona with a backstory—allowing them to reimagine themselves in different storylines. The feature is designed for people who want to have fun and visualize how their life could be different. Butterflies AI already lets users create AI personas that automatically create posts, and the new Clones feature builds on that concept. The feature is available for both iOS and Android users for free. Butterflies AI previously closed a $4.8 million seed round led by Coatue in November 2023, and the app is available for free on iOS and Android.