French authorities detained Durov to question him as part of a probe into a wide range of alleged violations—including money laundering and CSAM—but it remains unclear if he will face charges.
Category: Business / Social Media
Pavel Durov’s Arrest Leaves Telegram Hanging in the Balance
Durov has reportedly been detained in France over Telegram’s alleged failure to adequately moderate illegal content on the messaging app. His arrest sparked backlash and left some associates asking, what now?
Elon Musk’s X Is Leaving San Francisco
The office closure marks the end of an era for the site formerly known as Twitter.
TikTok Sued by US Justice Department for Alleged Violations of Kids’ Privacy
The social media company, already fighting for its existence in the US, now has to contend with a potentially expensive penalty stemming from its policies toward users under 13.
Instagram Will Let You Make Custom AI Chatbots—Even Ones Based on Yourself
Meta’s AI Studio will let users build virtual characters, with a few limitations.
The EU Is Coming for X’s Paid Blue Checks
Elon Musk’s paid blue-check system on X deceives users and can be abused by malicious actors, the European Union said today.
Orkut’s Founder Is Still Dreaming of a Social Media Utopia
In the mid-2000s, Google engineer Orkut Büyükkökten’s self-titled social network briefly took the world by storm before disappearing. Now he’s back, with a plan for a happier social media.
Marc Andreessen Once Called Online Safety Teams an Enemy. He Still Wants Walled Gardens for Kids
Investor Marc Andreessen called tech ethics and safety teams “the enemy” in his “Techno-Optimist Manifesto” last year. Today he clarified he’s in favor of online guardrails for his 9-year-old son.
The Latest Online Culture War Is Humans vs. Algorithms
Ever feel like Instagram or TikTok algorithms know you a bit too well? The backlash against automated curation is building, and new algorithm-free platforms are springing up.
TikTok’s Creator Economy Stares Into the Abyss
The US Senate voted to pass a bill that could see TikTok banned within a year, pitching creators and businesses dependent on the platform into an uncertain future.