Twitter users faced service disruptions on Monday as the platform experienced hours-long outages in more than 4 separate intervals throughout the day, Israel Hayom confirmed, with the site "Downdetector" confirming there was an outage at least in some parts of the world. Elon Musk confirmed Monday evening that although the social media network was apparently mostlyback to running smooth "there was (still is) a massive cyberattack against 𝕏." He added on his handle, "We get attacked every day, but this was done with a lot of resources. Either a large, coordinated group and/or a country is involved."

The first outage began around noon Israel time and lasted approximately 30 minutes, followed by a brief second disruption two hours later. A third, more significant outage was reported around 4 p.m. Israel time, affecting at least 30,000 users and continuing for about 30 minutes. Elon Musk, who owns the platform now officially known as X, has not issued any public statement regarding the service interruptions or their potential causes.

According to Downdetector, a website that tracks online service outages, user reports confirmed widespread problems with the platform during each incident. The exact cause of the disruptions was not immediately clear, and users were left in the dark for hours, apart from brief interludes of the network working, until Musk made his statement.

The timing and duration of the outages varied, with the first lasting about 30 minutes before service resumed around 12:30 p.m. The second disruption occurred approximately two hours later but lasted only several minutes. The third and most widespread outage began around 4 p.m. Israel time and affected the largest number of users.

Twitter has not provided an official explanation for the technical difficulties or indicated and whether there are more likely outages on Monday.

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Twitter was experiencing a widespread outage for approximately 30 minutes as of noon Israel time on Monday, with users unable to access the platform. The cause of the disruption remains unclear as of this report. The glitch appears to have ended about an hour after, toward 12:30 p.m.. About two hours later, users once again reported the platform was down. It was unclear what the cause was for this second glitch and how widespread it was, but it lasted only several minutes. Then toward 4 p.m. Israel Time another major glitch was reported by the greatest number yet – more than 30000 users, and this continued for at least 30 minutes. It was still unclear when it was expected to be resolved.

Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, did not yet issued any statement regarding the service interruption or its potential causes in the immediate aftermath of the first glitch.

The timing and scope of the outages, as well as when users might expect service to resume, were unknown. Technical difficulties affecting major social media platforms typically stem from server issues, maintenance gone awry, or other infrastructure problems.

"User reports indicate problems at X (Twitter)," the site Downdetector reported in the first outage. "X (previously Twitter) is a microblog that allows users to publish shorter, less text messages. Twitter users can post their tweets across multiple devices and platforms. This includes iPhone, Android, Blackberry or Windows Phone devices and traditional computers."

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While Beijing officials strongly prefer ByteDance Ltd. to maintain ownership of TikTok, Bloomberg reported, they have begun evaluating backup options as part of broader discussions about working with President-elect Donald Trump's administration.

"In my opinion, TikTok should not be banned in the USA, even though such a ban may benefit the X platform," Musk wrote on X, Bloomberg reported. "Doing so would be contrary to freedom of speech and expression. It is not what America stands for."

One scenario under consideration involves Musk's X platform taking control of TikTok's US operations, which would combine the platforms' operations, Bloomberg reported. TikTok's US user base of more than 170 million could potentially boost X's advertising appeal.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun declined to comment during a Tuesday press briefing, directing reporters to Beijing's previous statements. "We can't be expected to comment on pure fiction," a ByteDance representative said, according to Bloomberg.

The Chinese government maintains influence through a "golden share" in a ByteDance affiliate, though TikTok maintains this only applies to the China-based subsidiary Douyin Information Service Co., Bloomberg reported.

Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Mandeep Singh and Damian Reimertz estimated TikTok's US operations could be valued at $40 billion–$50 billion. The transaction's feasibility remains unclear, as Musk is still paying off loans from his $44 billion Twitter acquisition in 2022.

Supreme Court justices signaled support for security concerns over free speech arguments during January 10 deliberations, though no formal decision has been issued. President-elect Trump, who takes office January 20, has sought to delay the January 19 ban to continue negotiations, expressing his desire to "save" the application.

Alternative outlets exploring potential TikTok acquisition include a bid from billionaire Frank McCourt and "Shark Tank" investor Kevin O'Leary through Project Liberty, while Microsoft Corp. previously sought to acquire the business, and Oracle Corp. maintains a technology partnership with the company, Bloomberg reported.

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A WSJ report published Tuesday describes Elon Musk's $44 billion acquisition of Twitter (now X) as the worst leveraged buyout (LBO) deal for the banks involved in it since the 2008 global financial crisis. The report cites data by PitchBook LCD showing $13 billion in loans remained unsold on the banks' balance sheets, making it the longest unsold debt financing deal on their books since the financial crisis.

X's poor financial performance has made it difficult for banks to sell the debt, leading to significant losses and write-downs.

Musk's controversial comments and actions during his ownership of Twitter have impacted the platform's brand and financial performance. Twitter is currently valued at $19 billion, less than half of what Musk paid for it, and its financial struggles persist despite Musk's efforts to revamp and cut costs.

Musk may need to sell $1 billion to $2 billion in Tesla shares to address X's financial issues.

Talks with bankers regarding restructuring the debt for Twitter have reached an impasse.

Lenders may face a $2 billion loss if Twitter cannot pay back the principal on the loans.

Despite the challenges, banks remain interested in Musk's ventures, including a potential IPO of his companies like SpaceX or Starlink.

Analysts have a Hold consensus rating on TSLA stock, with potential downside from current levels.

The disastrous outcome of Musk's ambitious social media takeover has placed bank executives under intense pressure, highlighting the risks for potential leveraged buyout investors.

Sources: Futurism, Business Insider, Gizmodo, TipRanks, Latestly, Aussiedlerbote, Evrim Ağacı, Market Research Telecast, Gigazine, Wolf Street, The Bharat Express News, SFist, BroBible.

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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Donald Trump was scheduled for an unscripted interview with Elon Musk on X, aimed at independent voters, but the event faced technical issues and delays.

Musk said X was targeted by a denial of service attack ahead of the interview, blaming opposition to hearing Trump's viewpoints.

The European Commission warned Musk about potential penalties and restrictions in Europe due to concerns over the spread of hate speech and incitements to violence on X, especially around political events.

Trump and Musk have formed an alliance, with Musk expressing willingness to assist a potential Trump administration and using X to promote his political views.

The interview was described as "unscripted" and "highly entertaining" by Musk, covering topics like an assassination attempt on Trump, missile defense, immigration, and Biden's exit from the presidential race.

The Harris campaign criticized Musk and Trump as "self-obsessed" rich individuals unable to run a proper livestream.

Trump made a notable return to X after being removed in 2021, though he previously stated he would not return.

His posts include campaign videos and he promoted the Musk interview.

Trump claimed God saved his life during an assassination attempt by turning his face at the "perfect angle" to look at an immigration chart.

In his Presidential term, Trump appointed Musk to economic advisory councils but Musk later resigned over environmental policies.

The phrase "He's back" trended on X as users welcomed Trump's return to the platform after his last post.

The interview was scheduled for yesterday on Trump's X page, with Musk conducting system scaling tests and allowing user questions.

Trump launched his own platform, Truth Social, during his X absence, where he continued criticizing Biden and Harris.

Truth Social, owned by Trump, has reported significant losses and declining stock prices, linked to Trump's ownership stake.

Sources: The Guardian, BBC, The Washington Times, Business Insider, WSJ, Nicki Swift, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, The New York Times, CBS News, CNBC, Sky News, Newsweek, Axios, Fast Company

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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The Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT), a tech industry counter-terrorism organization, is concerned about content posted by Hamas on Elon Musk's social media platform X (Twitter).

The GIFCT was established in 2017 under pressure from the U.S. and European governments to counter terrorist and violent extremist content. Members include Google, Meta, and Microsoft.

The tech umbrella group said X's membership on GIFCT's board undermines the group's credibility and effectiveness in combating online extremism.

Since Musk's takeover, there has been internal unrest within GIFCT regarding X's continued membership, as the platform has reduced content moderation, enabled anyone to pay for a verification mark. The social platform is currently considered the easiest online location to find Hamas videos.

The GIFC was established in 2017 under pressure from the U.S. and European governments to counter terrorist and violent extremist content.

Sources: Economic Times, Yahoo Finance, Zaobao, Business World, NDTV, Japan Today, Khaleej Times, Investing.com, MarketScreener, Devdiscourse, Daily Mail, The Times, U.S. News.

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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London's Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, has warned individuals, including American citizens, who may be contributing to the ongoing unrest in the United Kingdom through their online activities.

In an interview with Sky News, Rowley stated, "We will throw the full force of the law at people. And whether you're in this country committing crimes on the streets or committing crimes from further afield online, we will come after you. Being a keyboard warrior does not make you safe from the law." He elaborated on potential offenses, including "incitement, stirring up racial hatred, [and] numerous terrorist offenses regarding the publishing of material."

Freedom of speech is the bedrock of democracy. If the truth is suppressed, it is impossible to make an informed voting decision.

The degree to which freedom of speech is being undermined around the world is extremely alarming.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 10, 2024

Elon Musk has been vocal in his criticism of the UK government's response to the riots. Musk suggested that the UK is headed toward "civil war" and questioned whether Britain was becoming like "the Soviet Union" in response to reports of arrests for offensive online comments.

He wrote on X, "Freedom of speech is the bedrock of democracy. If the truth is suppressed, it is impossible to make an informed voting decision. The degree to which freedom of speech is being undermined around the world is extremely alarming."

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer responded to Musk's comments, stating there was "no justification" for them. The spokesperson added that social media companies "have a responsibility" to combat misinformation and limit the spread of criminal activity on their platforms.

Just Elon Musk quote tweeting the co-leader of far-right party, Britain First, who is sharing a fake Telegraph headline

Seen by almost 1 million people in 15 minutes

Utterly dystopian pic.twitter.com/4W5ZOssbEY

— Josh Self (@Josh_Self_) August 8, 2024

Musk previously shared a fake headline – pretending to be from the Telegraph – that said Starmer is "considering building 'emergency detainment camps' on the Falkland Islands." 30 minutes later, Musk deleted the post.

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Violent protests and riots have erupted across multiple cities in Britain, partly fueled by online misinformation and false claims about a Southport stabbing suspect's identity, leading to anti-immigrant demonstrations and disorder.

Elon Musk, the owner of the social media platform X, has taken a combative stance, declaring that civil war is inevitable in the UK and criticizing the British government's response, while suggesting that police are cracking down harder on white people than minorities.

The British government, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, criticized Musk's remarks as unjustifiable and called for calm, warning social media companies about allowing violent disorder to spread online and holding them responsible.

The right-wing English Defense League, labeled by the British government as a nativist and racist group, claims to resist Islamic extremists and protect the country's identity, while their opponents accuse them of Islamophobia and anti-immigrant sentiments.

The unrest was triggered by misinformation and false rumors alleging an attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop for children was carried out by a Muslim. Anti-immigrant and Islamophobic crowds attacked hotels and mosques.

Sources: Washington Post, WSJ, Washington Times, MarketWatch, National Post, The Conservative Treehouse.

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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X (formerly Twitter) has filed an antitrust lawsuit against the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), the World Federation of Advertisers, and major advertisers like CVS, Unilever, Mars, and Ørsted.

The lawsuit alleges that the defendants' actions violated antitrust laws and caused X to lose billions of dollars in advertising revenue.

The alleged boycott was motivated by concerns over brand safety, content moderation standards, and Musk's commitment to removing harmful online content on the platform.

"We tried peace for 2 years, now it is war," Musk wrote in a post on X.

Sources: BBC, PCMag, Yahoo Finance, BusinessWorld, Ticker News, ClaimsJournal, Adgully, AdExchanger, Branding in Asia, Marketing Interactive, Firstpost, Newsweek, CBS News, Axios, Wired, The Guardian, Bloomberg, CNN, Forbes.

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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Vincent Flibustier, a satirical writer, went viral over the weekend after falsely taking responsibility for the wide computer outage caused by a CrowdStrike update.

On Friday, a faulty update to CrowdStrike's 'Falcon Sensor' antivirus program led to widespread blue screen errors, system crashes for Windows users, and disruptions in critical infrastructure like aviation, banking, and businesses worldwide.

Flibustier, known for the controversial NordPresse site, jokingly claimed responsibility for the outage by posing as a new CrowdStrike hire, sharing an AI-generated photo and confessing to making a code update error leading to his termination. His viral tweet garnered millions of likes, shares, and comments, initially fooling some people and showcasing the spread of misinformation and the impact of generative AI.

Social media users frantically searching for a culprit helped Flibustier's posts go viral. Elon Musk also joined in with memes.

Microsoft and CrowdStrike are working to resolve the issue, but manual fixes are required for some systems.

First day at Crowdstrike, pushed a little update and taking the afternoon off pic.twitter.com/bOs4qAKwu0

— Vincent Flibustier (@vinceflibustier) July 19, 2024

Sources: Corriere, Republic World, ABP Live, Il Giornale, Times Now, India Blooms, NewsX, Economic Times, MENAFN, News18, Livemint, DNP India, Unique News Online, udn

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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