by Tech Talk | Dec 5, 2022 | Articles
Even on Elon Musk’s Twitter, there are red lines for permissible content, and Kanye West, who now calls himself Ye, crossed one of them with a late Thursday night post that prompted Musk to say his account will be suspended.
The artist tweeted an image combining the Star of David with a swastika, which got removed by the social media service. In its place is a message saying the post violated Twitter’s rules and a link to its policy page explaining enforcement actions. It’s the most high-profile test yet of Musk’s avowed policy of making Twitter a home for free speech, even where it offends, so long as it’s not in breach of the law.
Musk addressed the issue after the post’s removal, saying Ye had again breached Twitter’s rule against incitement to violence and his account will be suspended.
Two weeks earlier, the social network’s new owner welcomed Ye back from his Twitter exodus, at the same time as he restored former US President Donald Trump’s access. Ye had left Twitter after the service took action on his posts that it deemed antisemitic.
The cordial relations between the two men did not seem to last long, however, as Ye’s most recent tweet, which he labelled his last, featured an unflattering image of a shirtless Musk on vacation. Musk responded to that post with the words, “That is fine.” He also replied to the tweet containing the removed image with, “This is not.” — (c) 2022 Bloomberg LP
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by Tech Talk | Oct 19, 2022 | Articles
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, said he was motivated to acquire the conservative social media service Parler by his belief that existing platforms like Instagram and Twitter are too restrictive when it comes to user speech.
“When I got kicked off of Instagram and Twitter at the time, I knew it was time to acquire my own platform,” Ye said in an interview on Monday. “People had talked about it and mentioned this idea for years, but enough was enough.”
The rapper and designer was recently restricted from posting on some major social media platforms for violating their content policies. Twitter removed an anti-Semitic post from Ye last week and locked his account just a day after he had returned to the platform for the first time in nearly two years. Meta Platforms’ Instagram also deleted posts over anti-Semitic language.
Ye said Parler is for people like him, who have been penalised by much bigger platforms.
“We’re using this as a net for the people who have been bullied by the thought police to come and speak their mind,” he said. “Express how you feel. Express what’s tied up inside of you. Express what’s been haunting you. I use social media as my therapist.”
Billionaire Elon Musk, who has an agreement to buy Twitter for US$44-billion, says he spoke with Ye last week after Twitter froze his account. Ye said Musk didn’t advise him on buying Parler in that conversation, and he came to the decision on his own.
Ye said he is planning to have dinner with former US President Donald Trump this week, and will invite him onto Parler. Ye said he’ll join Trump’s own alternative network, Truth Social, too. — Bloomberg
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by Tech Talk | Oct 18, 2022 | Articles
Parlement Technologies, the parent company of social media app Parler, said on Monday that it will be acquired by rapper Kanye West, who legally changed his name to Ye last year.
Parler, a popular app among conservatives, said it expects the deal to close during the fourth quarter of 2022. It did not give a deal value.
“In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial, we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves,” Ye said in a statement.
Ye’s Instagram and Twitter accounts have been restricted before, most recently this month when social media platforms removed his posts that online users condemned as anti-Semitic.
The American rapper had announced in 2020 that he would run for US president in an apparent challenge to former US President Donald Trump, but later pulled out.
Last month, Parler created a new parent company, Parlement Technologies, as part of an overhaul.
West last month ended a partnership with apparel company Gap, saying it failed to meet its obligations under the contract. — Reuters
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