Tech
2023: Trump’s Return To Facebook Could Be Major Fundraising Boost
NEW YORK – The decision by the company that owns Facebook to quickly restore Donald Trump’s account comes at a crucial time in the former president’s campaign to get back into office.
The only declared candidate in the 2024 race, whose campaign has been criticized for a slow start, could make a lot more money if he took back control of his social media accounts.
Trump is also thinking about going back to Twitter, which he used to connect with his supporters in the past in a way that was both effective and personal.
He was barred from posting on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites for his role in inciting violence in the deadly insurgency at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.
By thinking about going back to the platforms that turned him down, Trump is admitting that Truth Social, the social media company he started last year, doesn’t come close to the reach of the biggest platforms. He currently has 4.84 million Truth Social followers, far fewer than the 87.7 million who follow his Twitter account, the 34 million who follow him on Facebook, and the 23.4 million who follow Meta’s Instagram.
Trump’s Social Media Was Unlocked In November
Trump’s Twitter account was unlocked in November, shortly after Elon Musk bought the company, but Trump has refused to use it, claiming that he is happier on Truth.
However, while Twitter has long been Trump’s platform for airing his grievances — and has received far more attention — for his new campaign, Facebook is ultimately about money.
The business executive and reality TV star’s 2016 campaign was a first of its kind because it used the power of Facebook’s digital advertising tools. And his 2016 and 2020 campaigns spent millions of dollars on advertisements critical to his small-dollar fundraising efforts.
Meta, the company that owns Facebook, decided to bring him back on Wednesday. This is likely to help his current campaign raise millions of dollars, collect emails, and find voters.
“I think this is first and foremost about fundraising for Trump,” said Katie Harbath, a Bipartisan Policy Center fellow and former Facebook public policy director. “He wants to keep getting emails and addresses for fundraising, which the platform has always been very important to the campaign.”
Personal Appeals From Users
During his suspension from Facebook, Trump’s political operation continued to fundraise on the site but could not run ads directly from him or in his voice — appeals that Harbath said are far more powerful.
“Personal appeals are always the most effective,” she says. “And people haven’t seen that in a long time in their feeds.”
The reinstatement comes at a great time for Trump, who has been struggling in the first few months of his 2024 campaign to bring back the energy of his first two campaigns. On Saturday, he plans to visit two early-voting states, New Hampshire and South Carolina, for his first official campaign event.
Even though Trump and his team are thinking about using the social media brands that helped him get where he is now, big problems could come up.
After being banned from Twitter and Facebook, the former president founded Truth Social, a Twitter clone. He typically posts multiple times per day on his social media site, sharing thoughts, insults, and campaign videos, as well as reposting messages from his supporters, as he did on Twitter.
Cannot Post On Another Site For 6 Hours
According to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last May, Trump agreed to make Truth Social the “first channel” for “any social media communications and posts coming from his profile” as part of his deal with Digital World Acquisition Corp. to take it public.
This includes a clause that says the former president is “generally required to make any social media post on TruthSocial and can’t make the same post on another social media site for 6 hours.” This clause goes into effect on December 22, 2021, and lasts for 18 months, until December 22, 2025.
However, Trump “may make a post from a personal account related to political messaging, political fundraising, or get-out-the-vote efforts on any social media site at any time,” according to the statement.
Some people who support Trump think that this line gives him the right to post political messages whenever he wants, even though he is still not running for office.
Former Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, CEO of Trump Media & Technology Group, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Trump’s obligations are clear from the SEC filing, but he declined to elaborate. Requests for comment were returned by something other than Digital World or its CEO, Patrick Orlando.
Trump Spouting More Hatred
“I think this is more of an ego question than a legal question,” Harbath said, adding that he expects Trump to start advertising on Facebook before resuming messaging. “The man enjoys putting on a show.”
There are questions about whether federal stock exchange regulators will let Digital World merge with Truth Social and go public. Trump, who owns the most shares of Truth Social, will not get shares in the new company, which could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Stock in Digital World has plummeted since rumors spread that Trump may resume posting on rival social media platforms. Even though the broader comparative market has barely moved, the potential Truth Social partner has dropped 30% since Twitter reinstated Trump’s account last year.
So far, Trump has insisted on sticking with Truth, claiming that he prefers the engagement on the site, where fringe content predominates.
But, according to two people familiar with the discussions who spoke anonymously to disclose private conversations, Trump has been talking about returning to Twitter in recent weeks. NBC News says that this has included talking about possible first tweets that would have the most effect.
A spokesperson for Trump’s campaign wouldn’t say anything about Trump’s plans for social media, including his possible return.
But, while Meta deliberated, Trump’s campaign lobbied for his reinstatement.
Metas Vice President Is Ready For Trumps Return
In a letter this month, lawyer Scott Gast asked the company to let Trump back. He said that keeping the ban in place “would be, in Mr. Clegg’s words, a deliberate effort by a private company to silence Mr. Trump’s political voice.”
That’s Meta’s vice president of global affairs, Nick Clegg.
“Moreover, every day that President Trump’s political voice is silenced contributes to an inappropriate interference in the American political and electoral processes,” wrote attorney Gast.
Trump may also face restrictions on the type of content he can share on the platform.
Clegg stated in a blog post announcing Meta’s decision that “the public should be able to hear what their politicians are saying — the good, the bad, and the ugly — so that they can make informed choices at the ballot box.”
At the same time, he said that the company would set up new “guardrails” and that Trump would be suspended again if he posted “more content that broke the rules.”
And if Trump or anyone else posts material that does not violate Facebook’s rules but is otherwise harmful — for example, content that attempts to delegitimize an upcoming election or is related to the QAnon conspiracy theory — Clegg said Meta would take action to limit the material’s reach.
It could also temporarily bar Trump from using its advertising tools.
SOURCE – (AP)
Tech
Apple Launches The IPhone Into The AI Era With Free Software Update
Apple is delivering a free software update that will include its first dosage of artificial intelligence in its iPhone 16 series as the trendsetting business attempts to keep up with technology’s current fad.
The iOS 18 operating system update arrives on Monday, more than a month after four iPhone 16 models outfitted with the unique computer chip required to enable the AI features went on sale for $800 to $1,200. Last year’s premium models, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, also have processors that will enable AI technology once the software update is loaded.
The software is also compatible with recent versions of Apple’s iPad and Mac computers.
Countries outside the United States will not receive the AI software for their iPhones until next year, at an undetermined date. Apple spent the last five weeks testing the AI program with a group of iPhone owners who agreed to help the corporation fine-tune the technology.
Apple Launches The IPhone Into The AI Era With Free Software Update
The AI injection is intended to transform Apple’s frequently bumbling virtual assistant Siri into a more chatty, adaptable, and colorful buddy, whose presence will be indicated by a glowing light surrounding the iPhone screen as requests are handled.
While Apple promises Siri will be able to accomplish more jobs and get less confused, it will be unable to engage with other iPhone apps until another software update is released at an indeterminate date.
This software upgrade also includes AI tools that will handle a variety of writing and editing chores, as well as summarize the content of emails and other documents. The AI will also have various editing options for changing the appearance of photos and making it easier to find old ones.
Other AI tricks to come in future software upgrades include the capacity to generate personalized emojis on the fly or conjure other creative imagery on demand. Apple also intends to someday enable its AI suite to seek assistance from OpenAI’s ChatGPT as needed.
Most of the AI technologies Apple unveiled on Monday are already available on Android-powered handsets released by Samsung and Google earlier this year.
The iPhone’s suite of new technology is advertised as “Apple Intelligence” to distance itself from the early leaders in AI. Apple also promises that its AI features will do much better to preserve iPhone owners’ privacy by executing the technology on the device or in a fortress-like data center when some requests must be completed remotely.
Because the majority of iPhones in use across the world lack the computer chip required for Apple’s AI, the technology is likely to drive high demand for the new models during the holiday season and into next year. That is why Apple’s stock has risen 18% since the Cupertino, California, company unveiled its AI strategy at a conference in early June. The run-up has lifted Apple’s market value by approximately $500 billion, bringing it closer to being the first US firm worth $4 trillion.
Apple will provide investors with their first look at how the iPhone 16 is performing Thursday when the firm releases quarterly financial data for the July-September quarter, which covers the first few days the new models were on sale.
Apple Launches The IPhone Into The AI Era With Free Software Update
According to a smartphone market assessment by research firm International Data Corp. for the most recent quarter, demand for high-end iPhone 15 models increased as costs plummeted and enthusiasm over Apple’s entry into the AI industry grew.
According to IDC, Apple’s iPhone shipments increased 3.5 percent yearly to 56 million worldwide between July and September, trailing only Samsung. The question now is whether Apple’s progressive rollout of additional AI will entice owners of earlier iPhones to upgrade to the new models over the holidays, “future-proofing their purchases for the long term,” according to IDC analyst Nabila Popal.
An estimated 30 million people—one in every eight Americans over 12—have hearing loss in both ears. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, millions of people could benefit from hearing aids, but most have never tried them.
SOURCE | AP
Tech
Microsoft Advises Owners To Turn Down Requests To Spend Company Funds On Bitcoin.
(VOR News) – Microsoft is planning to have its annual shareholder meeting on December 10th, which is set to take place as the year draws to a conclusion.
The meeting is slated to take place simultaneously. According to a document that was distributed by the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday, a proposal that would increase shareholder value and diversify Microsoft’s assets by investing in Bitcoin is put on the list of “voting items” for shareholders this year.
Investing in Bitcoin would diversify Microsoft’s assets.
By encouraging shareholders to vote against it, the board of directors of the relevant firm is encouraging shareholders to vote against it. The proposal that is titled “Assessment of Investing in Bitcoin” suggests that Microsoft should investigate the possibility of diversifying its assets using Bitcoin, which is described as a “excellent, if not the best, hedge against inflation.”
A further implication of the plan is that Microsoft’s current investment in corporate bonds is just marginally higher than the rate of global inflation.
The concept posits that during inflationary periods, organizations ought to diversify their balance sheets with assets that gain more than bonds, as they may have a fiduciary obligation to do so, despite the short-term volatility of those assets. This is because bonds often undergo a greater pace of appreciation than other investment forms.
After the proposal, there is a section that is titled “Board Recommendation” that may be found underneath it. When it comes to this particular matter, the board of directors of Microsoft suggests to shareholders that they vote against the plan.
According to the paper, the board of directors contends that the company does not have to consider investing in Bitcoin since “Microsoft’s management has already carefully considered this topic.” This is the reason why the company does not have to consider investing in Bitcoin.
Microsoft has a Global Treasury and Investment Services team that routinely examines a vast array of potential investments in order to effectively diversify Microsoft’s assets and protect stockholders from inflation, as stated by the technology giant, which has Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street as its largest shareholders.
This team is responsible for ensuring that Microsoft’s stockholders are protected from inflation.
The Microsoft report states that this group has assessed Bitcoin in the past.
According to the submission, it was said that “Microsoft has strong and appropriate processes in place to manage and diversify its corporate Treasury for the long-term benefit of shareholders,” along with the conclusion that “this requested public assessment is unwarranted.”
The National Center for Public Policy, which is a think tank that adheres to a conservative philosophy, was the one that presented the idea to the public.
Project 2025 is a policy project that is backed by the far right and has the objective of increasing the power of the president and imposing a conservative social order on the government of the next Republican president. One of the members of the advisory board for Project 2025 is from this particular group.
The proposal states that even if the firm ought to take into consideration investing in Bitcoin, it ought not to put the value of its shareholders at risk by spending an excessive portion of their assets in the cryptocurrency.
This is because the company would be putting the value of its shareholders at danger. The advice is that Microsoft should “evaluate the benefits of holding some, even just 1% of its assets in Bitcoin,” as stated by the organization.
At the same time that MicroStrategy, another big technology company, has reached a new high of $241 this year, this argument is being presented. This might be attributed to the fact that the company’s strategy shift toward investing in Bitcoin has been highly successful.
Starting from the year 2020, the company has gathered a total of 252,220 Bitcoins, which are estimated to be worth around $17 billion respectively.
Over the course of the past year, the stock of MicroStrategy has gained by around 250%, and the stock of Microsoft has increased by approximately 16%. Both corporations have witnessed an increase in the value of their stock.
SOURCE: FCN
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Spotify Is Facing Competition From Ad Giants On The New Ad Exchange.
Apple Unveiled A Fresh Glimpse Of Their AI Featuring ChatGPT Integration.
Tech
Spotify Is Facing Competition From Ad Giants On The New Ad Exchange.
(VOR News) – Spotify is now running a pilot trial for a new ad exchange in an effort to improve its capabilities in the area of automated advertising.
Their goal is to increase their capabilities in this area. In the beginning, the application will have a key emphasis on the sharing of films as its primary emphasis Through the implementation of this project, Spotify is attempting to make a strategic move in order to compete more effectively with larger platforms such as Meta and Google for advertising revenue.
This action is being taken in order to provide Spotify with an advantage over its competitors. Prior to this point in time, a substantial chunk of Spotify’s programmatic advertising solutions had been limited to programmatic direct transactions. This restriction was lifted. The circumstances had been like this up until this point in time.
These deals buy Spotify advertising through salespeople rather than auctioning it.
This is in contrast to the traditional method of purchasing advertising. Spotify plans to expand the variety of automated advertising options it provides by utilizing SAX and establishing agreements with a large number of other digital service providers.
This will allow Spotify to fulfill its goal of expanding its advertising options. To add insult to injury, this will be in addition to the initial partnership that the company created with The Trade Desk.
According to Axios, a number of insiders who are familiar with the effort have informed the journal that the platform hopes to ease the process of advertising expenditures for both small and medium-sized businesses as well as for existing clients, which may include well-known brands.
This information was provided by insiders. The insiders were the ones who shared this knowledge with us. The freshly built exchange is capable of being integrated into a wide range of demand-side platforms, which will make it simpler for advertisers to establish direct relationships with Spotify’s advertising inventory.
This is because the exchange was recently developed. Because of this, there will be a greater possibility that marketers will utilize the advertising inventory provides. When it comes to the Spotify Ad Exchange, which is also referred to as SAX, The Trade Desk is the first content delivery platform (DSP) partner that Spotify has ever had. February of this year marked the beginning of this cooperation to be developed.
At this point in time, the primary focus of the relationship is on the incorporation of The Trade Desk’s North American clients into the video ad inventory that Spotify offers. Because of this, the collaboration is of the utmost significance.
Plans are underway to add audio ads to Spotify’s partnership.
This matter is under consideration. One is considering this specific element. The link was tested for the first time the week before to last. It was rigorously tested.
In reaction to the continued success that YouTube has had in stealing the audience for the podcasts that are supplied by Spotify, the streaming service has been making attempts to improve the quality of the videos that it provides. This is a response to the fact that YouTube has been such a successful competitor.
According to Edison Podcast Metrics, thirty-one percent of weekly podcast listeners who are thirteen years old or older prefer to listen to their podcasts on YouTube. This information was obtained from data collected by Edison Podcast Metrics. On the other hand, only 15% of people listen to Apple Podcasts, whereas 27% of people subscribe to Spotify.
The popularity of Apple Podcasts is relatively high. When contrasted with the situation involving Apple Podcasts, there is a substantial difference.
During the same time period, Spotify has made the announcement that it will be expanding its capacity to include music videos to approximately one hundred regions across the globe. As a consequence of this, the company will have access to an even broader variety of choices in the field of video advertising than it did before.
SOURCE: RIN
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Apple Unveiled A Fresh Glimpse Of Their AI Featuring ChatGPT Integration.
Google Releases Software That Stamps Text Generated By Artificial Intelligence.
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