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AU Financial Review
01-05-2025
- Business
- AU Financial Review
Millions of Australians are invested in Trump (they don't know it)
Millions of Australians own a small portion of Donald Trump's business empire after the country's second-largest retirement fund bought a stake in the US president's Nasdaq-listed media arm ahead of his inauguration. Australian Retirement Trust has become the first major superannuation fund to disclose a holding in Trump Media & Technology Group – the parent company of Truth Social, the president's Twitter-like social media platform.
Business Insider
24-04-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Meta Platforms (META) Opens ‘Threads' App to Advertisers Worldwide
Meta Platforms (META) has opened up its Threads app, the company's answer to X/Twitter, up to all advertisers worldwide. Stay Ahead of the Market: Discover outperforming stocks and invest smarter with Top Smart Score Stocks. Filter, analyze, and streamline your search for investment opportunities using Tipranks' Stock Screener. In a company blog post, Meta said that all 'eligible advertisers globally' can now run advertisements on Threads, marking an expansion from the company's initial testing with only a few U.S. and Japanese-based companies. The move is expected to provide Meta Platforms with a lucrative new revenue stream at a time when many individuals and businesses are moving away from rival X/Twitter. 'These ads will be delivered in select markets at launch and will roll out to additional markets as we continue to test and learn,' reads Meta Platforms' blog post. Meta's testing of Threads ads is the company's first foray into generating revenue for its Twitter-like service that launched in summer 2023. Big Bucks Executives at Meta have sought to downplay the potential revenue that could be generated from advertisements on Threads, which claims to have 320 million monthly active users. In January, Meta Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Susan Li said during an earnings call that the company's introduction of ads on Threads 'will be gradual.' However, many analysts who cover Meta Platforms see big bucks ahead from Threads ads, saying that the social media platform could be a major source of revenue for the company. Bullish analysts note that X, formerly known as Twitter, generated advertising revenue of more than $5 billion at its peak in 2021. Meta said in January of this year that Threads was adding more than one million new users per day. META stock has declined 11% this year. Is META Stock a Buy? The stock of Meta Platforms has a consensus Strong Buy rating among 46 Wall Street analysts. That rating is based on 42 Buy, three Hold, and one Sell recommendations issued in the past three months. The average META price target of $712.86 implies 36.99% upside from current levels.
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Business Standard
22-04-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Bluesky introduces blue checkmarks for identity verification: How to apply
Social media platform Bluesky has begun rolling out a blue check verification feature for its users. This new feature aims to verify legitimate accounts, making it easier for users to assess an account's credibility and related posts. Bluesky's verification system also allows 'Trusted Verifiers' such as organisations to issue blue checks directly. These trusted verifiers are identified by scalloped blue checkmarks. For instance, an organisation can issue verification badges to its members directly through the app. Bluesky's moderation team will review each verification to ensure authenticity. By tapping on a verified account's blue check, users can see which organisation has granted the verification badge. The feature is optional, and users can choose to hide it through the app settings. This is not Bluesky's first verification initiative. In 2023, the platform introduced its initial verification layer, allowing individuals and organisations to set their domain as their username. How to get verified on Bluesky Bluesky has stated that during the initial phase, it will not accept direct applications for verification. Once the feature is stable, the company plans to launch a request form for notable and authentic accounts seeking verification or interested in becoming Trusted Verifiers. Additionally, users can self-verify by setting their domain—such as their website—as their username. To do this, follow these steps: Create a Bluesky account. Open the left-side menu, click 'Settings,' then 'Account,' then 'Handle.' On the 'Change my handle' screen, click 'I have my own domain.' What is Bluesky Bluesky is a decentralised social app by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who led the board until May 2024. The social network has a Twitter-like user interface. It was initially launched as an invite-only open beta for iOS users in February 2023, with Android release in April 2023. The platform opened public registration in February 2024. It is free to use and available on both smartphones (app) and desktop.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - USAID's fake Cuban Twitter plot shows why we need a TikTok ban
As tomorrow's TikTok ban deadline approaches, let us reconsider one of the more compelling arguments for its forced sale: the threat that the Chinese government may use the app to influence U.S. politics. Various influential voices, including the ACLU and Electronic Frontier Foundation, argue this does not present sufficient rationale to override free speech concerns — that the ban must require, in the ACLU's words, 'real evidence of serious harm.' But we must ask: Is it even possible to detect real evidence that TikTok is causing harm to our politics before it's too late to stop it? History provides a useful parallel. In 2014, it was revealed that the U.S. Agency for International Development had covertly designed and launched a Twitter-like app called ZunZuneo in Cuba. The Guardian reports that U.S. government documents described plans to build a user base through 'non-controversial content' such as 'news messages on soccer, music and hurricane updates.' Only later would they 'introduce political content aimed at inspiring Cubans to organize 'smart mobs'' that might trigger a 'Cuban spring' and 'renegotiate the balance of power between the state and society.' One memo explicitly stated: 'There will be absolutely no mention of United States government involvement.' These words are eerily relevant today. What the U.S. once planned, we must consider China capable of doing through TikTok. And we have, of course, already seen the platform turned toward political ends within the U.S. When first facing legislative threats, TikTok launched a notification urging users to call their representatives — but tellingly, targeted only to those with House members on the Energy and Commerce Committee. Earlier this year, TikTok pushed a message to all U.S. users thanking President Trump for 'providing the necessary clarity and assurance,' allowing its continued operation. And just this month, the app notified some American users with a message encouraging calls to senators to 'vote no on the TikTok ban.' Free speech concerns raised by critics of the proposed bill should not be dismissed lightly. But we must balance them against considerations that have guided media regulation for generations in this country. Nearly 100 years ago, Congress passed the Radio Act of 1927, which required licenses for broadcasters and for 'broadcasting to serve the public good.' And since 1934, the Federal Communications Commission has barred exclusive foreign ownership of U.S. media entities. Critics note these regulations emerged for 'a limited set of broadcast frequencies,' constraints that don't apply to the internet. Yet as Americans continue to shift from traditional to digital media consumption, we're increasingly left without a regulatory agency to ensure the media serves to benefit society at large. Existing regulation was never designed for an era where foreign entities can directly reach one in three American adults through the unique isolation of a social media feed. And just as our media technologies change, so must our regulatory approaches. Some argue that forcing TikTok's sale doesn't go far enough — that we need broader legislation preventing any individual or small group from holding outsized influence over our politics and social media. And I agree. But addressing these concerns becomes far more feasible when those individuals are American citizens, and subject to American laws. As Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson point out in the recent book, 'Abundance,' American progressives too often strive for 'the perfect' at the expense of 'the good.' A forced TikTok sale should be viewed not as a complete solution, but as a crucial first step toward advancing other rules ensuring social media doesn't further erode American society. Recent bipartisan legislation seeking to repeal Section 230 is a particularly poor example of this, and would lead to disaster if passed. But one piece of misguided legislation shouldn't scare us away from pursuing its other, better forms. The internet presents unprecedented challenges to our nation's education, mental health and democracy itself. While we must proceed carefully, it is increasingly irresponsible to survey the landscape of American media and declare that nothing can be done to fix it. Without this, we face the risk that platforms like TikTok could, just as ZunZuneo intended, begin subtly weighting 'non-controversial content' toward that which might 'renegotiate the balance of power' — all while we wait for 'real evidence of serious harm' that might come too late. Now more than ever, we must reconsider what it means for our media to serve the public good in the digital age, and to imagine a responsible regulatory future that ensures it does. The forced sale of TikTok should be seen not as the end of this conversation, but as its necessary beginning. Ted McCarthy is a writer and researcher who spent 15 years interviewing internet users in the Global South, including interviews with Cubans about their social media use, political views and protest movements. He is the publisher of The Web and the World newsletter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
04-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
USAID's fake Cuban Twitter plot shows why we need a TikTok ban
As tomorrow's TikTok ban deadline approaches, let us reconsider one of the more compelling arguments for its forced sale: the threat that the Chinese government may use the app to influence U.S. politics. Various influential voices, including the ACLU and Electronic Frontier Foundation, argue this does not present sufficient rationale to override free speech concerns — that the ban must require, in the ACLU's words, 'real evidence of serious harm.' But we must ask: Is it even possible to detect real evidence that TikTok is causing harm to our politics before it's too late to stop it? History provides a useful parallel. In 2014, it was revealed that the U.S. Agency for International Development had covertly designed and launched a Twitter-like app called ZunZuneo in Cuba. The Guardian reports that U.S. government documents described plans to build a user base through 'non-controversial content' such as 'news messages on soccer, music and hurricane updates.' Only later would they 'introduce political content aimed at inspiring Cubans to organize 'smart mobs'' that might trigger a 'Cuban spring' and 'renegotiate the balance of power between the state and society.' One memo explicitly stated: 'There will be absolutely no mention of United States government involvement.' These words are eerily relevant today. What the U.S. once planned, we must consider China capable of doing through TikTok. And we have, of course, already seen the platform turned toward political ends within the U.S. When first facing legislative threats, TikTok launched a notification urging users to call their representatives — but tellingly, targeted only to those with House members on the Energy and Commerce Committee. Earlier this year, TikTok pushed a message to all U.S. users thanking President Trump for 'providing the necessary clarity and assurance,' allowing its continued operation. And just this month, the app notified some American users with a message encouraging calls to senators to 'vote no on the TikTok ban.' Free speech concerns raised by critics of the proposed bill should not be dismissed lightly. But we must balance them against considerations that have guided media regulation for generations in this country. Nearly 100 years ago, Congress passed the Radio Act of 1927, which required licenses for broadcasters and for 'broadcasting to serve the public good.' And since 1934, the Federal Communications Commission has barred exclusive foreign ownership of U.S. media entities. Critics note these regulations emerged for 'a limited set of broadcast frequencies,' constraints that don't apply to the internet. Yet as Americans continue to shift from traditional to digital media consumption, we're increasingly left without a regulatory agency to ensure the media serves to benefit society at large. Existing regulation was never designed for an era where foreign entities can directly reach one in three American adults through the unique isolation of a social media feed. And just as our media technologies change, so must our regulatory approaches. Some argue that forcing TikTok's sale doesn't go far enough — that we need broader legislation preventing any individual or small group from holding outsized influence over our politics and social media. And I agree. But addressing these concerns becomes far more feasible when those individuals are American citizens, and subject to American laws. As Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson point out in the recent book, ' Abundance,' American progressives too often strive for 'the perfect' at the expense of 'the good.' A forced TikTok sale should be viewed not as a complete solution, but as a crucial first step toward advancing other rules ensuring social media doesn't further erode American society. Recent bipartisan legislation seeking to repeal Section 230 is a particularly poor example of this, and would lead to disaster if passed. But one piece of misguided legislation shouldn't scare us away from pursuing its other, better forms. The internet presents unprecedented challenges to our nation's education, mental health and democracy itself. While we must proceed carefully, it is increasingly irresponsible to survey the landscape of American media and declare that nothing can be done to fix it. Without this, we face the risk that platforms like TikTok could, just as ZunZuneo intended, begin subtly weighting 'non-controversial content' toward that which might 'renegotiate the balance of power' — all while we wait for 'real evidence of serious harm' that might come too late. Now more than ever, we must reconsider what it means for our media to serve the public good in the digital age, and to imagine a responsible regulatory future that ensures it does. The forced sale of TikTok should be seen not as the end of this conversation, but as its necessary beginning. Ted McCarthy is a writer and researcher who spent 15 years interviewing internet users in the Global South, including interviews with Cubans about their social media use, political views and protest movements. He is the publisher of The Web and the World newsletter.
