Octopus Overlords

Posted: **Sun Dec 18, 2022 8:27 pm**

That seems rather harsh. I think all social networks have benefited from cross-promoting in some way. I would think operating in a bubble would defeat the purpose of the internet.

malchior wrote: Sun Dec 18, 2022 8:25 pm
Rumpy wrote: Sun Dec 18, 2022 8:07 pm No he won't. He'll totally ignore it like he's been ignoring everything else. Chances are, he'll even ban those who voted yes.
He wants an excuse to walk away. He is probably fighting a hell of a battle at Tesla right now at the board level. The million dollar question is who does he install. And does that meaningfully change anything.

It is no coincedence this is happening right after the number 3 shareholder called for him to move on.

Well, if they can shove him out, that'd be a good thing so that he can stop messing with things. I'd imagined that he would sell it once he got tired of it about a year from now.

Posted: **Sun Dec 18, 2022 8:29 pm**

malchior wrote: Sun Dec 18, 2022 8:25 pm who what puppet does he install. And so that doesn't that meaningfully change anything.

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 12:14 am**

Washington Post

tldr; - Musk's purge due to the "assassination coordinates"? The police say there is no link to any information posted online. An incident between Musk's *security team* and alleged stalker happened a day after the last @elonjet post and nowhere near the airport.

The weird thing about the article is both authors on the by-line were suspended in the purge but only obliquely mention "Post" reporters being suspended.

A confrontation between a member of Elon Musk’s security team and an alleged stalker that Musk blamed on a Twitter account that tracked his jet took place at a gas station 26 miles from Los Angeles International Airport and 23 hours after the @ElonJet account had last located the jet’s whereabouts.

...

The incident last week triggered a major rewrite of Twitter’s rules and the suspensions of a half dozen journalists’ accounts, which were condemned by free-speech advocates. It also underscored how Musk’s personal concerns can influence his governance of a social media platform used by hundreds of millions of people around the world.

As the sole owner of Twitter, Musk can dictate policies as he chooses. Musk disbanded Twitter’s board of directors, which at other companies might have influenced the company’s reaction to the incident, as well as its long-standing “trust and safety” committee that had advised the social media platform on its policies. No executive at Twitter has the stature to balance Musk’s directives.

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 1:11 am**

malchior wrote: Sun Dec 18, 2022 8:25 pm
Rumpy wrote: Sun Dec 18, 2022 8:07 pm No he won't. He'll totally ignore it like he's been ignoring everything else. Chances are, he'll even ban those who voted yes.
He wants an excuse to walk away. He is probably fighting a hell of a battle at Tesla right now at the board level. The million dollar question is who does he install. And does that meaningfully change anything.

It is no coincedence this is happening right after the number 3 shareholder called for him to move on.

This. I'm pretty sure he knew the results would be similar to the unsuspend accounts poll.

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 1:16 am**

Alefroth wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 1:11 am
malchior wrote: Sun Dec 18, 2022 8:25 pm
Rumpy wrote: Sun Dec 18, 2022 8:07 pm No he won't. He'll totally ignore it like he's been ignoring everything else. Chances are, he'll even ban those who voted yes.
He wants an excuse to walk away. He is probably fighting a hell of a battle at Tesla right now at the board level. The million dollar question is who does he install. And does that meaningfully change anything.

It is no coincedence this is happening right after the number 3 shareholder called for him to move on.
This. I'm pretty sure he knew the results would be similar to the unsuspend accounts poll.

I'm pretty sure the result will be whatever he wants it to be.

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 1:29 am**

Do you really think he's tampering with the poll results?

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 11:24 am**

I certainly don't put it past him.

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 11:48 am**

TSLA is now down almost 63% this year, and down 34% from where it was when Elon bought Twitter. No wonder he's looking for an out.

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 12:56 pm**

You can either be a spiteful smart ass or you can be a successful businessman. You can rarely be both.

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 2:24 pm**

Alefroth wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 1:29 am Do you really think he's tampering with the poll results?

Anything's possible when you're the man at the controls. Especially when that person is narcissistic and can't stand opposing viewpoints, especially when they relate to him.

Even if he doesn't do anything with it, he could still twist the results to his advantage by saying, "See, they really are out to get me!" and do something drastic.

hepcat wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 12:56 pm You can either be a spiteful smart ass or you can be a successful businessman. You can rarely be both.

Yep, and it's probably the former in this case.

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 2:28 pm**

Deplatforming critics of the RW propaganda machine was ALWAYS the plan, it appears:

https://twitter.com/chancery_daily/stat ... 4021024768

"The Boss"?

Yeah eff right off.

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 3:13 pm**

Pyperkub wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 2:28 pm Deplatforming critics of the RW propaganda machine was ALWAYS the plan, it appears:

https://twitter.com/chancery_daily/stat ... 4021024768

"The Boss"?

Yeah eff right off.

If you dig into the comments, it's a summary of this.

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 3:16 pm**

Blackhawk wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 3:13 pm
Pyperkub wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 2:28 pm Deplatforming critics of the RW propaganda machine was ALWAYS the plan, it appears:

https://twitter.com/chancery_daily/stat ... 4021024768

"The Boss"?

Yeah eff right off.
If you dig into the comments, it's a summary of this.

but it is also in a direct text/conversation to Musk, not just an article.

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 3:25 pm**

Yes (probably? I don't know how thoroughly redacted it was for that to be a certainty.) But if it is, then it is they specifically point to the article I feel dirty for linking (and even dirtier for reading) as a plan of action. And the things in that article are happening, and very quickly.

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 3:37 pm**

Also, the last step was to bring in a 'Blake Masters type', someone with cultural/political savvy.

Spoiler:

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 4:03 pm**

While that seems like some strong evidence that the 'authoritarians chipping in to take down a dissent platform' "conspiracy theory" was essentially correct.

Edit: My strong bet would be the other side of that conversation is David Sacks. He is Musk's chief suck up and a truly shitty person. You can see his slime trail following along every stupid episode in this dumb saga.

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 5:40 pm**

Elon reacts to Twitter implosion (Downfall)

I've been enjoying the relative quiet and sanity of Mastodon. Although it's still a little too quiet for me--while it seems from the Twitter side that the exodus is huge, once you get over to Mastodon you realize how few have actually migrated over.

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 6:07 pm**

Zaxxon wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 5:40 pm Elon reacts to Twitter implosion (Downfall)

Ok, those have been overdone, but that had some brilliant bits. "Webshite" shall be a new word, and I love that they translated "SS" as "Super Social."

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 6:50 pm**

Zaxxon wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 5:40 pm Elon reacts to Twitter implosion (Downfall)

I've been enjoying the relative quiet and sanity of Mastodon. Although it's still a little too quiet for me--while it seems from the Twitter side that the exodus is huge, once you get over to Mastodon you realize how few have actually migrated over.

Yeah, I set up a Mastadon account yesterday and I'm really struggling to find people to follow. The only person I'm currently following is Popehat. I searched for others but it doesn't look like they are there yet.

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 7:53 pm**

msteelers wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 6:50 pm Yeah, I set up a Mastadon account yesterday and I'm really struggling to find people to follow. The only person I'm currently following is Popehat. I searched for others but it doesn't look like they are there yet.

My understanding is the Mastdon accounts hang out in "servers" like you're playing an MMO. Unless you're on the same one as the people you're usually following, you'll never see them. And of course the servers are set up in such a way that scientists are hanging out on one, pop/culture is on another, news on another, etc...

There's very little cross pollination, which is exactly the opposite of what Twitter was and what made it so useful. So many of the science types I follow are saying they don't need a way to have a social media presence with other scientists; they're looking for the unexpected connections that develop when they share their info out to the general public.

It's very, very frustrating.

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 7:57 pm**

Smoove_B wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 7:53 pm
msteelers wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 6:50 pm Yeah, I set up a Mastadon account yesterday and I'm really struggling to find people to follow. The only person I'm currently following is Popehat. I searched for others but it doesn't look like they are there yet.
My understanding is the Mastdon accounts hang out in "servers" like you're playing an MMO. Unless you're on the same one as the people you're usually following, you'll never see them. And of course the servers are set up in such a way that scientists are hanging out on one, pop/culture is on another, news on another, etc...

There's very little cross pollination, which is exactly the opposite of what Twitter was and what made it so useful. So many of the science types I follow are saying they don't need a way to have a social media presence with other scientists; they're looking for the unexpected connections that develop when they share their info out to the general public.

It's very, very frustrating.

You can follow across servers easily, but you need to know the handle of who you're following. There are tools to pull this from your Twitter profile. The issue is that 90+% of those I was following don't exist on Mastodon. (For some that's probably a good thing, but at 90% off plus no algorithmic feed with suggestions, it's eerily quiet)

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 8:16 pm**

It looks like Elmo may be indulging in some copium:

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 8:17 pm**

Mastodon's compartmentalization is what makes me wonder whether it will be more frustrating than useful.

I've signed on to Post, which (while currently a bit sterile) seems like the kind of unitary design that could actually come to replace Twitter. Is there a reason to suspect not?

Should I go Mastodon instead?

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 8:20 pm**

I think trying Mastodon is worthwhile. There are a couple of great getting-started guides that are helpful (which I'll link when not on my phone picking up a kid). The fragmentation is less of an issue than I had originally feared--there is one federated feed of all those you follow across instances.

That said, it is still a major mental model change from the bird site.

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 8:24 pm**

I'll make perhaps an ill-fated prediction but Mastodon is not going to be a lifeboat for Twitter. I tried it a few years ago and quickly found it wasn't that useful. It's been 4 or 5 years and it's basically the same. It's great for limited uses but it is too complicated even for technically savvy people let alone general masses.

Post is probably the best bet but it isn't a sure one. That's the only reason people are hanging onto Twitter at all. There isn't a good alternative that can scale yet and is easy to use. There is a hell of an opportunity now and we just have to see if someone will step up or not.

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 8:40 pm**

LOFL (related to the thread posted above)

https://twitter.com/faizsays/status/160 ... hg96g&s=19

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 8:52 pm**

Max Peck wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 8:16 pm It looks like Elmo may be indulging in some copium:

Not that far off from what I was speculating.

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2022 9:53 pm**

Here's one of the two guides I thought was useful, for anyone interested in checking out Mastodon.

https://github.com/joyeusenoelle/GuideToMastodon

Posted: **Tue Dec 20, 2022 8:51 am**

Heh, I figured that vote was his lifeline to get out in name but still enforce his will while letting someone else get shit on. How come none of the other "I will abide by this vote" votes never had doubt cast on them with a next day resolution to make a change on voting for the better? Psycho.

Posted: **Tue Dec 20, 2022 9:37 am**

https://twitter.com/faygatsirl/status/1 ... 6811225088

Posted: **Tue Dec 20, 2022 9:38 am**

Posted: **Tue Dec 20, 2022 9:40 am**

LordMortis wrote: Tue Dec 20, 2022 8:51 am Heh, I figured that vote was his lifeline to get out in name but still enforce his will while letting someone else get shit on.

Exactly my thought. Exactly.

Posted: **Tue Dec 20, 2022 9:43 am**

Zaxxon wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 8:20 pm That said, it is still a major mental model change from the bird site.

That almost seals its doom, no?

Posted: **Tue Dec 20, 2022 9:51 am**

Unagi wrote: Tue Dec 20, 2022 9:43 am
Zaxxon wrote: Mon Dec 19, 2022 8:20 pm That said, it is still a major mental model change from the bird site.
That almost seals its doom, no?

I would agree with you other than for the fact that I haven't found *any* alternatives that don't require a major mental model change. For all its ills, Twitter is Twitter and there ain't no Twitter like Twitter.

Posted: **Tue Dec 20, 2022 2:12 pm**

Tumblr used to be similar as a micro-blogging site, but Yahoo drove that into the ground, and I'm surprised it's still going.

Posted: **Tue Dec 20, 2022 3:45 pm**

Mastodon has 8x-ed active user base since October.

Posted: **Thu Dec 22, 2022 2:21 pm**

Zaxxon wrote: Tue Dec 20, 2022 3:45 pm Mastodon has 8x-ed active user base since October.

Guess I kilt this thread with that post. But I've been splitting my usual Twitter time ~50/50 with Mastodon this week, and I've surprisingly found Mastodon to be a refreshing change of pace while it's starting to perform better in the role Twitter used-to-but-maybe-still-does for me.

I've posted a few takeaways from my experience so far, and a mini-jumping-off-point for anyone who wants to give it a go over in a dedicated thread.

Posted: **Sun Dec 25, 2022 8:18 pm**

A black hat is claiming they at least part of the user database of Twitter.

A threat actor claims they have obtained data of 400,000,000 Twitter users and is attempting to sell it.

The seller claims the database is private, he provided a sample of 1,000 accounts as proof of claims which included the private information of prominent users such as Donald Trump JR, Brian Krebs, and many more.

The seller, a member of data breach forums named Ryushi, claims the data was scraped via a vulnerability, it includes emails and phone numbers of celebrities, politicians, companies, normal users, and a lot of OG and special usernames.

The seller is also inviting Twitter and Elon Musk to buy the data to avoid GDPR lawsuits.

“Twitter or Elon Musk if you are reading this you are already risking a GDPR fine over 5.4m breach imaging the fine of 400m users breach source. Your best option to avoid paying $276 million USD in GDPR breach fines like facebook did (due to 533m users being scraped) is to buy this data exclusively.” reads the advertising.

The seller also announced that the sale is covered by the escrow service offered by the Breached forum administrators (pompompurin).

Posted: **Sun Dec 25, 2022 10:20 pm**

Huh, not much about it on Twitter.

Posted: **Sun Dec 25, 2022 10:47 pm**

FWIW my experience is that if you want to try to sell it to the victim you don't publicize it...at first. The threat of disclosure is pressure you use to leverage a payout. Though it's possible one of the many people Musk pissed off internally stole the data and is trying to embarrass them. Still I have a lot of thoughts here but it'd be mostly guesswork. We know the CISO and a good chunk of the cybersec staff is gone now. I wouldn't be surprised to hear this was accomplished because no one is watching the 'wire' anymore.

Octopus Overlords

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