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Social media roundup: Reddit verification; users leaving Threads; CSAM-posting Twitter user reinstated by Musk

A form of Reddit verification is currently being tested, in the form of an “official” label for some accounts confirmed as authentic.

For now at least, verification is only available to organizations, and not individuals, and the current test is extremely limited …

Reddit verification

The new Official label was announced in a Reddit changelog.

Testing an Official label. Starting today, we’re beginning early testing of placing a visual indicator on certain profiles to provide proof of authenticity, reduce impersonation, and increase transparency across the platform.

This is currently only available to a very small (double-digit) number of profiles belonging to organizations with whom we already have existing relationships, and who are interested in engaging with redditors and communities on our platform.

These profiles will have an Official label appear next to their username wherever it shows up across Reddit, similar to how Flair appears across a subreddit.

Reddit says that Official accounts don’t get any perks; it simply confirms that their identity has been verified.

Users leaving Threads in high numbers

Meta has expressed concern about users leaving Threads in high numbers. Reuters reports that more than half of initial users have now left the app.

Meta executives are heavily focused on boosting retention on their new Twitter rival Threads, after the app lost more than half of its users in the weeks following its buzzy launch, CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees on Thursday […]

“Obviously, if you have more than 100 million people sign up, ideally it would be awesome if all of them or even half of them stuck around. We’re not there yet,” he said.

In a recording heard by Reuters, Zuckerberg claimed not to be concerned, stating that this was “normal” and was actually better than expected.

However, chief product officer Chris Cox said that the company is looking at “hooks” to keep people engaged, like showing Threads links to Instagram users.

CSAM-posting Twitter user reinstated by Musk

Gizmodo reports a strange story of Elon Musk reinstating a Twitter user who posted child sexual abuse material.

After Twitter banned the account of Qanon influencer Dom Lucre for posting “child exploitation pictures,” Elon Musk stepped in to reinstate him. 

On Wednesday morning Twitter—recently rebranded by Musk as X—banned Lucre, a right-wing conspiracy theorist with over half a million followers. The move sparked protest from X’s rage-fueled conservatives and even some criticism from users on the left. X doesn’t always publish the reasoning behind account takedowns, but Musk tweeted an explanation in response to a user calling for transparency.

Lucre claims that all he did was post a link to a news story, while others are saying that the link was not to a news source, and contained actual abusive photos. After being reinstated, Lucre said Musk banned him “over Obama.”

Soon after acquiring the company, Musk fired most of the account safety team responsible for blocking material like CSAM.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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