Apple Inc. enacted its long-awaited iPhone price increase with as much subtlety as possible, part of an effort

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INDIANAPOLIS & GOTHENBURG, Sweden--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 27, 2023--

Elon Musk has introduced new controls to X, formerly Twitter, that allow users to limit who can comment on posts to just paying users. The reply paywall will prevent unverified accounts that do not pay for X Premium from engaging in discussions on certain posts. It is the latest change to the platform that Mr Musk has overseen since taking over Twitter last year and renaming it X. The tech billionaire, who is the most-followed person on X, said the latest limits “should help a lot with spam bots”. Mr Musk has brought about a complete overhaul of the way verification on the platform works since his takeover, removing the legacy blue ticks from celebrities, journalists and politicians, and giving them to anyone who paid a monthly subscription fee. These paying users were also given prominence over non-paying users when appearing in searches, as well as prioritised ranking in conversations. The move comes amid reports that Mr Musk is planning to test new subscription options for X users, which could see the introduction of up to three tiers. Each premium tier will offer different levels of ad exposure, according to a report in Bloomberg, though it is not clear if the price of the top tier will differ from the $11 (£9.60) that it currently costs. Other social media firms are also considering similar subscription models, with both Meta and TikTok among those who will potentially supplement their advertising revenue with a user-funded model. Monthly fees for Meta’s platforms, which include Facebook and Instagram, could cost between €10 (£9) and €13 in Europe, The Wall Street Journal reported last week, and come in response to Europe’s data privacy laws. These laws are seen as a threat to the lucrative business model of showing personalised ads to users, with a spokesperson confirming that Meta was exploring options to “comply with evolving regulatory requirements”. Read More The mystery AI device that could replace your phone Schoolboy almost dies from swallowing magnets for TikTok challenge Woman shares honest review of New York City apartment TikTok mom slammed after making 5-year-old son run in 104 degree heat

Gaming, streaming, and creating content can get pricey. That's why it's great to be the

Many adults would struggle to understand the terms and conditions for using video-sharing apps, making them particularly unsuitable for children, Ofcom has found. The regulator calculated that the T&Cs set by six platforms – BitChute, Brand New Tube, OnlyFans, Snapchat, TikTok and Twitch – required advanced reading skills to understand, making them unsuitable for many users, including children. At nearly 16,000 words, OnlyFans had the longest terms of service, which would take its adult users more than an hour to read, the regulator said. This was followed by Twitch (27 minutes, 6,678 words), Snapchat (20 minutes, 4,903 words), TikTok (19 minutes, 4,773 words), Brand New Tube (10 minutes, 2,492 words) and BitChute (8 minutes, 2,017 words). Ofcom calculated a ‘reading ease’ score for each platform’s terms of service, finding that all but one was “difficult to read and best understood by high-school graduates”. Twitch’s terms were found to be the most difficult to read, while TikTok was the only platform with terms of service that were likely to be understood by users without a high school or university education – although the reading level required was still higher than that of the youngest users permitted on the site. Ofcom also found that Snapchat, TikTok and BitChute use “click wrap agreements”, which make acceptance of the terms of service implicit in the act of signing up. Users are not prompted or encouraged to access the terms of service and so it makes it easier to agree to them without actually opening or reading them. The regulator said its regulation of video-sharing platforms was important in informing its broader online safety regulatory approach under the Online Safety Bill, which it expected to receive royal assent later this year. Jessica Zucker, online safety policy director at Ofcom, said: “Terms and conditions are fundamental to protecting people, including children, from harm when using social video sites and apps. “That’s because the reporting of potentially harmful videos – and effective moderation of that content – can only work if there are clear and unambiguous rules underpinning the process. “Our report found that lengthy, impenetrable and, in some cases, inconsistent terms drawn up by some UK video-sharing platforms risk leaving users and moderators in the dark. “So today we’re calling on platforms to make improvements, taking account of industry good practice highlighted in our report.” A Snapchat spokeswoman said: “As Ofcom recognises, we have a number of good-practice measures in place, including using reading-ease tools to regularly review language. “We are in the process of updating our guidelines, including adding more information about moderation and what content is and isn’t allowed. We will continue to gather feedback and work with Ofcom to ensure our rules are easy to understand.” BitChute said: “BitChute welcomes users and creators aged 16 and older from all backgrounds to exercise their individual freedoms to share and consider the widest possible variety of experiences and viewpoints. Therefore, it is essential for us to provide transparency and accessibility. “We look forward to reviewing Ofcom’s report with an eye for possible improvements.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Oxford scientists find no evidence to suggest Facebook not good for wellbeing Ozzy Osbourne PlayStation tweet which failed to reveal link to Sony banned Harry and Meghan ring young online innovators after funding awards

The internet is losing it after a TikToker shared a voicemail from 2019, in which Olivia Rodrigo seemingly mistakes the total stranger for her doctor. In the clip, the singer's distinct voice can be heard, and she even introduces herself, as she goes on to explain how she 'tried to schedule an appointment' and asking them to 'call back'. "I would've called back and told her I loved her", one user joked in the comments. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

In late September, scientists at NASA and around the world eagerly awaited the arrival of the OSIRIS-REx capsule containing a sample of the asteroid Bennu. The capsule safely landed on Earth on Sunday 24 September in a Utah desert containing a sample of the asteroid Bennu – categorised as one of the two “most hazardous known asteroids”. When the capsule was first opened, it sparked audible gasps from scientists. Since its arrival, NASA has kept its cards fairly close to its chest but a new blog post from the space agency suggests that progress is going slowly for the “best reason” as there is more sample material than they had anticipated. They explained: “The abundance of material found when the science canister lid was removed earlier this week has meant that the process of disassembling the TAGSAM (Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism) head – which holds the bulk of material from the asteroid – is off to a methodical start.” The OSIRIS-REx’s mission took 7 years to complete, with the sample currently being analysed by NASA taken three years ago before making its way down to Earth. Imagery from the moment the sample was taken confirmed to scientists that there would be asteroid material where they found it, but the quantity of dark particles were far more than they had anticipated. “The very best ‘problem’ to have is that there is so much material, it’s taking longer than we expected to collect it,” said deputy OSIRIS-REx curation lead Christopher Snead of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. “There’s a lot of abundant material outside the TAGSAM head that’s interesting in its own right. It’s really spectacular to have all that material there.” In the coming weeks, experts will continue to work through the particles and begin the complex process of carefully disassembling the TAGSAM to reach the bulk of the Bennu sample inside. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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The latest Warzone 2 Ranked Play Patch Notes increased placement SR to combat Deployment Fees and restricted broken Thermal Optics.