MUSK OWNS TWITTER

he took over, Musk was flooded with requests to reverse permanent bans. Former US President Donald Trump, who was permanently banned from Twitter over accusations of inciting violence after the Jan 6, 2021 capitol riots, welcomed the takeover, but said little about a return to Twitter. “I am very happy that Twitter is now in sane hands, and will no longer be run by Radical Left Lunatics and Maniacs who truly hate our country.”

Musk said in May he would reverse Twitter’s ban on Donald Trump, whose account was removed after the attack on the US Capitol. Musk tried to calm Twitter employee fears that major layoffs are coming and assured advertisers that his past criticism of Twitter’s content moderation rules would not harm its appeal.

“Twitter obviously cannot become a free-for-all hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences!” Musk said in an open letter to advertisers on Thursday.

Others asked Musk to reverse penalties inflicted by the social media platform. In response to @catturd2, an anonymous account with 852,000 followers, known for being a big supporter of Trump’s election fraud claims, and who said it was “shadowbanned,” Musk tweeted: “I will be digging in more today.” Musk’s other goals include wanting to “defeat” spam bots on Twitter and make the algorithms that determine how content is presented to its users publicly available.

Yet Musk has not offered details on how he will achieve all this and who will run the company. He has said he plans to cut jobs, leaving Twitter’s 7,500 employees fretting about their future. He also said on Thursday he did not buy Twitter to make more money but “to try to help humanity, whom I love”.

In an email to Reuters, Equilar, known for its research on executive compensation, valued Agrawal’s so-called “golden parachute” payout at $57.4 million, while Segal’s was $44.5 million and Gadde’s was $20 million.

Before closing the deal, Musk walked into Twitter’s headquarters on Wednesday with a big grin and a porcelain sink, subsequently tweeting “let that sink in”. He changed his Twitter profile description to “Chief Twit”.

European regulators reiterated past warnings that, under Musk’s leadership, Twitter must still abide by the region’s Digital Services Act, which levies hefty fines on companies if they do not control illegal content.

“In Europe, the bird will fly by our EU rules,” EU industry chief Thierry Breton tweeted on Friday. European Parliament lawmaker and civil rights proponent Patrick Breyer suggested people look for alternatives where privacy is a priority.

Musk has indicated he sees Twitter as a foundation for creating a “super app” that offers everything from money transfers to shopping and ride-hailing.

But Twitter is struggling to engage its most active users who are vital to the business. These “heavy tweeters” account for less than 10% of monthly overall users but generate 90% of all tweets and half of global revenue.

The deal’s road to fruition was full of twists and turns that sowed doubt over whether it would happen at all. It began on April 4, when Musk disclosed a 9.2% Twitter stake, becoming the company’s largest shareholder.

Musk then agreed to join Twitter’s board, only to balk at the last minute and offer to buy the company instead for $54.20 per share. Later in April, the two sides reached a deal without Musk carrying out any due diligence on the company’s confidential information.

In the weeks that followed, Musk had second thoughts. He told Twitter on July 8 he was terminating the deal. Four days later, Twitter sued Musk to force him to complete the acquisition.

On October 4, Musk performed another U-turn, offering to complete the deal as promised. He managed to do that, just one day ahead of a deadline to avoid going to trial. ‘one nation, one police uniform’. Yes, there can be different numbers and insignia for the states but is this something which can be discussed among states, police establishment?” Modi said at the event in Surajkund.

He clarified that it was just an idea that could be further discussed by chief ministers and home ministers. Currently, the British-era khaki is worn by police forces across the country but its colour, fabric and pattern changes according to the state and Union territory. “States can have their number or insignia… I am just putting forward this as a thought for your consideration,” the PM added.

He said the scheme will be very beneficial because it will lead to the manufacture of quality products at scale. “If any citizen goes to any part of the country, they will know who the policeman is, just like every person, whether literate or uneducated, can identity a postbox,” said the PM.

In 2017, the home ministry’s think-tank, the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), designed a new allweather “smart uniform” for police personnel with nine prototypes. At the time, research showed that there was no uniformity in police uniform. “While basic fit and shade changed from state to state, there were flaws like thick trouser fabric, which made it inconvenient during hot climate, and not having enough space to carry personal/official objects. The helmets are too heavy during lawand-order situations and the metal belts are too wide and big,” said the Smart Uniform report, seen by HT.

Law and order is a state subject and all decisions on uniform and other aspects of policing are taken by state governments. “Consider the suggestion if it appears productive, whether after 5, 50 or 100 years,” said the PM.

In his 45-minute virtual speech, the PM warned against Naxalism and fake news. “Be it the one with guns or the one with pens, the Naxals have to be uprooted to prevent them from misleading the youth of the country,” he said. On fake news, the PM said a single piece of incorrect news could snowball into a matter of national concern, and cited the example of rumours of a “reservation scheme” that sparked violence and caused widespread damage. “We need to educate people about analysing and verifying any piece of information before forwarding it. We have to come up with technological advancement to prevent the spreading of fake news,” he added.

He urged states to work together and harness technology. Even though law and order is the responsibility of states as per the Constitution, the PM noted, they are equally linked to the unity and integrity of the country. “Every state should learn from each other, take inspiration from each other, work for the betterment of the country, this is the spirit of the constitution and it is also our responsibility towards the countrymen,” he said.

Pointing out why there was a need for states and Centre to cooperate on policing, Modi said crime was no longer localised and instances of interstate or international crimes are going up. “Whether it is cybercrime or the use of drones for the smuggling of weapons or drugs, the government needs to keep working towards new technologies to tackle the menace. The law and order system can be improved with the help of smart technology,” he said, adding that the recently launched 5G technology could help in this area.

“We should have a pan India outlook, all our best practices should be interoperable and should have a common link,” he said.

Modi urged state governments to also repeal obsolete local laws.