The soap opera and tensions around the takeover of Twitter continue. Tesla boss Elon Musk said on Tuesday (May 17) that the takeover of Twitter would not come to an end until he was guaranteed that less than 5% of the accounts on the platform were fake. “The executive director of Twitter yesterday refused to prove that less than 5% of the accounts were fake,” tweeted Elon Musk, who has nearly 94 million subscribers on the social network. “Until he does, the transaction cannot go forward,” he added.
20% fake/spam accounts, while 4 times what Twitter claims, could be *much* higher.
My offer was based on Twitter’s SEC filings being accurate.
Yesterday, Twitter’s CEO publicly refused to show proof of
This deal cannot move forward until it does.5%.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 17, 2022
Elon Musk had already suggested on Monday May 16 that a drop in the purchase price of Twitter could be justified, after starting a controversy with the group’s chief executive, Parag Agrawal, on the extent of spam on the social network, according to a participant in a private conference where Elon Musk was speaking.
The title Twitter accentuated its losses at the end of the afternoon following comments by Elon Musk, during a conference in Miami closed to the press. Twitter thus closed down more than 8% at 37.39 dollars – a level lower than that recorded on the eve of the announcement in early April by Elon Musk of the level of his participation in Twitter – which casts doubt on his ability to complete the takeover of the company for the agreed amount of $44 billion.
Read alsoTwitter and fake accounts, an old story unearthed by Elon Musk
Controversies over the number of fake accounts
Parag Agrawal tweeted earlier on Monday that internal estimates of spam counts on the social media platform for the past four quarters were « well below 5% », responding to repeated criticism from Elon Musk about how the company manages the fictitious accounts. Elon Musk, for his part, estimated at the Miami conference that he suspected bots – or automated accounts – represent around 20 to 25% of users, according to tweets from participants.
The billionaire, also owner of Tesla, has pledged to change Twitter’s content moderation practices, denouncing decisions such as the company’s banning of former President Donald Trump’s account as too aggressive, while promising to crack down on « spambots » on the platform. Elon Musk called for tests to be carried out on random samples of Twitter users to identify bots, and said he had yet seen « no » analysis showing that spam accounts accounted for less than 5 % of user base. He estimated on Sunday that “there is a certain chance that it is more than 90% of daily active users”.
Read alsoTwitter: Elon Musk lost the spirit of Silicon Valley a long time ago
An altercation on Twitter earlier today
Independent researchers have estimated that 9-15% of millions of Twitter profiles are bots. Twitter does not currently require users to register using their real identities and expressly allows automated profiles, parodies and pseudonyms. It does, however, prohibit impersonation and spamming, and penalizes accounts when the company determines their purpose is to « deceive or manipulate others. »
Earlier in the day, the boss of Twitter split Monday on the social network of a long explanation on the measures taken to fight against fake accounts after criticism from Elon Musk, who responded with an emoji in form of poop. In response to challenges from Elon Musk, the general manager of Twitter stepped up to the plate.
« First, let me state the obvious: Spam hurts real people’s experience on Twitter, and therefore can hurt our business, » Parag Agrawal pointed out. The social network is therefore « strongly encouraged to detect and delete as much spam as possible » and « anyone who suggests otherwise is simply wrong ».
More than half a million fake accounts suspended every day
The group suspends more than half a million fake accounts every day and several million users every week do not meet certain verification procedures, he said, while acknowledging that it was sometimes difficult to distinguish the legitimate accounts of others.
When Twitter claims that the proportion of fake accounts is significantly lower than 5%, it is based on internal data. « We shared an overview of the estimation process with Elon (Musk) a week ago and look forward to continuing the conversation with him and all of you, » Parag Agrawal concludes. Elon Musk replied to this thread of about fifteen tweets with several messages, including a simple emoji representing a turd with a smile.
So how do advertisers know what they’re getting for their money? This is fundamental to the financial health of Twitter.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 16, 2022
Elon Musk seems to be « starting to hesitate »
He also wondered: « How then can advertisers know what they are really paying for? This is a fundamental question for the financial health of Twitter ». Since he filed his takeover offer, accepted by the board of directors of the social network, Elon Musk has shown his desire to make it a bastion of freedom of expression. He also promised to rid Twitter of spam, better authenticate users and increase transparency, without specifying how he intended to do so.
Wedbush analyst Dan Ives says Elon Musk is « beginning to balk » over Twitter’s falling stock, the trend of financial market sluggishness and other elements of the deal’s financing. part of which is backed by shares in his company Tesla. He’s probably using the long-running spam story « as a scapegoat to ask to lower the price, » he said in a note to investors.
(With AFP and Reuters)
#Musk #guarantee #fake #accounts #takeover #Twitter
