Twitter

Trump's Twitter milestone: 20 million followers

Trump has been climbing the Twitter charts recently, thanks in part to his frequent use of the social networking site. Sometime on Monday he surpassed the 20 million mark.

According to the measuring tool TwitterCounter, Trump is the 68th-most-followed user on the site, just behind Canadian singer Avril Lavigne and right ahead of Indian actor Aamir Khan.

Trump's aides had been keeping a close eye on the follower number, waiting for the account to reach 20 million.

Facebook, Google, Twitter accused of enabling ISIS

The suit claims that the three companies allowed ISIS access to its social networks for spreading terrorist propaganda, raising money and luring recruits. (The gunman who killed 49 people at the Orlando nightclub in June had repeatedly referenced ISIS.)

Twitter reinstates 'alt-right' leader

The social network suspended Richard Spencer on 15 November.

Since then, he was filmed shouting: "Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory," at a meeting, prompting some audience members to raise their arms in Nazi-style salutes.

A leading anti-racism campaigner has criticised Twitter's decision.

Extremist images 'fingerprinted' by tech firms

The four tech firms plan to create a database that contains "digital fingerprints" of the content.

The database will be used to screen uploads in order to spot violent or extremist material before it is shared.

Eventually, the database will be made available to other firms keen to police this content.

"There is no place for content that promotes terrorism on our hosted consumer services," said a spokesman for Twitter in a statement.

He said the initiative was aimed at the "most extreme and egregious" images and videos.

MPs debate porn block for Twitter

The Digital Economy Bill will lead to sites that do not ask for age verification being blocked.

It received an unopposed third reading from MPs on Monday evening, meaning it is set to become law.

But John Whittingdale, the Tory MP who first tabled the bill in July, is not convinced it will solve the problem.

"One of the main ways in which young people are now exposed to pornography is through social media such as Twitter, and I do not really see that the bill will do anything to stop that happening," Mr Whittingdale said.

Twitter boss sorry over white supremacist ad

The advert promoted an article headlined, "The United States was founded as a white people's republic."

Mr Dorsey tweeted that the firm had "made a mistake" and blamed an automated system.

However, according to reports, Twitter had originally said a screenshot of the advert appeared to be fake.

Twitter suspends alt-right figureheads

The social network has not given an explanation for its actions.

But they come the same week it announced new ways for users to complain about hateful content.

Some alt-right figures have suggested a switch to Gab, an alternative micro-blogging service that promises "free speech for everyone".

But other have their doubts.

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Twitter announces more tools for dealing with abuse

The "mute" button, which enables users to not see tweets from individual accounts, is being extended to prevent tweets containing chosen key words or phrases appearing in the notifications bar.

It will also enable users to opt out of seeing conversations they are added to.

There will be more categories for reporting offensive material as well.

Twitter admitted the steps would not remove abusive conduct from the platform altogether.

Twitter to cut jobs as revenue growth slows

In the three months to September, revenues rose 8% to $616m. That was better than forecast, but lower than the 20% rise in the previous quarter.

The number of average monthly active users rose 3% to 317 million.

Last month, Twitter hired bankers ahead of a possible sale, but bids from potential suitors such as Google and Salesforce failed to materialise.

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Twitter axes Vine video service

Vine let people share six-second-long video clips that played on a loop.

Twitter did not give a reason for the closure, but earlier on Thursday it announced it was cutting 9% of its workforce following slow growth of the social network.

"In the coming months we'll be discontinuing the [Vine] mobile app," the company said in a blog.