Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources • Hacker News Board

Re: Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources

#311

Post by bodono » Mon, Apr 25, 2022, 2:41 PM UTC

Jaruzel wrote: post #254

The ONLY way to solve the toxic nature of Twitter is to enforce a)a real name policy, and b)fully verified[1] identities for all users/bots (opt-in, where others by default filter out non-verified accounts in their feeds) Bots can continue to exist, but must be identifiable as such and connected to a verified real user. Not only will this clean up twitter dramatically, it will also push off those who wish to hide beh…

To me the best option would be to massively expand the blue tick / verified accounts to include anyone who can prove their real world identity (and tie their actual name to their accounts), but continue to allow anonymous accounts, and allow users to only view verified accounts and anonymous accounts they follow if they wish. This would cut off trolls, disinfo bots, and spam at the knees while still allowing people who want or need anonymity to have it.

Re: Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources

#312

Post by TobyTheDog123 » Mon, Apr 25, 2022, 2:41 PM UTC

giarc wrote: post #147

Honest question, why can Elon, and only Elon solve the bot problem? Software devs have been trying to solve this problem since the beginning of the internet and yet bots still fill every space on the web.

TikTok does a pretty good job with its ridiculous security ecosystem hyperfocused on prohibiting any third-party clients.

APIs need to use actual headless browsers in order to generate the appropriate signature.[1]

Maybe s̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶4̶3̶B̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶g̶o̶ ̶t̶o̶w̶a̶r̶d̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶i̶m̶i̶l̶a̶r̶ ̶s̶y̶s̶t̶e̶m̶ the rise in valuation, and Elon's involvement, can bring in some more money for the company itself for these kinds of endeavors.

https://github.com/davidteather/TikTok-Api

Re: Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources

#313

Post by defterGoose » Mon, Apr 25, 2022, 2:42 PM UTC

scop wrote: post #68

I wish him and the team the very best. Social media is an incredibly hard problem that by no means has been solved. I raise a glass to a man who has successfully tackled hard problems and seeks to make the future better.

The idea that a social media company is capable of making a dent in "making the future better" is kind of laughable if you have any sort of rational ideas for what makes a good life...

Re: Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources

#314

Post by cogogo » Mon, Apr 25, 2022, 2:42 PM UTC

There are so many comments I may have missed the right thread but I hope Twitter doesn’t kill all automated and/or anonymous accounts.

I run one (@bostontimelaps1) and it has been such a fun project for the last year with nothing other than positive interactions with my niche group of followers - even a bunch that are obviously on the opposite side of the political spectrum from me.

Not to mention it has been a great learning experience building the automation and the content itself brings me joy to see tweeted automatically.

Had heard about maybe verifying this type of account. I’d be willing to pay to keep it going but I definitely don’t want it overly easy to tie it to my name for all kinds of dumb reasons.

Re: Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources

#315

Post by javajosh » Mon, Apr 25, 2022, 2:42 PM UTC

Jaruzel wrote: post #254

The ONLY way to solve the toxic nature of Twitter is to enforce a)a real name policy, and b)fully verified[1] identities for all users/bots (opt-in, where others by default filter out non-verified accounts in their feeds) Bots can continue to exist, but must be identifiable as such and connected to a verified real user. Not only will this clean up twitter dramatically, it will also push off those who wish to hide beh…

I don't agree that real names matter. You would think people would be ashamed of their views, of their trolling and cruelty, but they aren't. Just the opposite. The only solution is a more comprehensive sentiment analysis and binning procedure that gives users a way to filter out undesirable speech which isn't based on content. see https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31155516

Re: Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources

#316

Post by jillesvangurp » Mon, Apr 25, 2022, 2:42 PM UTC

It's a good offer and the share holders seem to lean towards agreeing with that statement now. Of course the question is whether Elon Musk can turn this company around. He seems to feel that that is something that needs to happen. I tend to agree with on that. If nothing happens, Twitter will continue to slowly and steadily decline; like Facebook has experienced with their social network in recent years as well.

But share holders appear to be happy to take the cash and make that Elon Musk's problem. That tells you all about the level of confidence they have in the current leadership.

Re: Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources

#317

Post by hardware2win » Mon, Apr 25, 2022, 2:43 PM UTC

Jaruzel wrote: post #254

The ONLY way to solve the toxic nature of Twitter is to enforce a)a real name policy, and b)fully verified[1] identities for all users/bots (opt-in, where others by default filter out non-verified accounts in their feeds) Bots can continue to exist, but must be identifiable as such and connected to a verified real user. Not only will this clean up twitter dramatically, it will also push off those who wish to hide beh…

I see worse things on fb with real names than on anonymouse reddit,hn,discord.

Real names is not good solution

Re: Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources

#318

Post by lizardactivist » Mon, Apr 25, 2022, 2:43 PM UTC

I wonder what his real motives are, and if they are his motives alone.

Re: Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources

#319

Post by raxxorraxor » Mon, Apr 25, 2022, 2:43 PM UTC

RockyMcNuts wrote: post #247

Free speech absolutism isn't really the norm in places where people come together for any shared purpose. Courts and parliaments have rules of procedure so it's not, whoever's loudest wins. Free speech is never 100% free, there are laws against libel, fraud, conspiracy, copyright, trademark, which create crimes that consist only of speech, or civil liability. And then there are social norms. It's always a balance bet…

Our laws for copyright and trademarks are pretty broken and inhibit innovation more than they protect it. It is still the law, but not a good measure.

Conspiracies are entertaining and there are consequences for libel and fraud. So what is the problem again?

There are social norms? General norms for the whole planet you mean? I have yet to hear a good case for more content control on the internet. The EU just voted for a law against illegal content? Makes no sense at all. But it is also against hate and for propaganda. Some say it is historic. Doesn't make a good case for history then.

I don't think your quote adequately confirms the incentive of big tech companies deleting user content. Yes, the anonymous blob of internet users has arbitrary und unlimited powers. Should I really believe that?

Re: Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources

#320

Post by jdrc » Mon, Apr 25, 2022, 2:44 PM UTC

MarcScott wrote: post #178

Am I the only person here that finds Twitter a nice place? I'm careful about who I follow, most of whom are tech people or educators. My feed is a really nice place to go, and I can't remember the last time I read or saw anything that triggered me in the slightest. I'm seeing loads of comments about how toxic Twitter is, but isn't that on you? Don't follow or engage and the algorithm will skip you over.

yeah it is , but given this a lot of people are going to leave and some others will become very rabid. Smells like trump again . And perhaps it's for the best - this kind of service should be served by some decentralized protocol so that the chaos is warranted