Lmst

Weekly output: Bluesky verification, brain-computer interface, Xfinity Mobile, resisting FTC commissioners, Comcast pain points

RIO DE JANEIRO–The organizers of Web Summit Rio have once again seen fit to have me moderate panels at their conference here (with my hotel paid for and my airfare to be reimbursed). And while last year I got away with only doing one panel, this year I have three: a discussion about Web3 possibilities Monday, a session on data privacy Tuesday, and a panel about AI in advertising on Wednesday.

4/21/2025: Bluesky Adds Blue Checks to Verified Accounts, But They’re Not for Sale, PCMag

Bluesky’s management continues to impress me with their thoughtful responses to problems that arise with that decentralized platform.

4/23/2025: I Controlled a Wheelchair With My Mind (Well, I Think I Did), PCMag

The research for this happened three weeks ago at NTT’s Upgrade 2025 conference in San Francisco (with that Japanese telco covering my airfare and lodging), but writing this post took some time. And then my editor had to find time of her own to edit this between all of the news breaking this month.

4/23/2025: Xfinity Mobile’s New Premium Unlimited Plan Doubles Data Without a Price Hike, PCMag

I felt a little confused covering a story about Comcast that did not involve a service costing more–especially coming a day after T-Mobile announced a rate rewrite that looks like it will amount to a large cost increase for many users.

4/24/2025: The FTC Commissioners That Trump Wants to Fire: We’re Not Going Away, PCMag

I spent Wednesday and Thursday at the privacy trade group IAPP’s annual conference in D.C. thinking that Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel interviewing Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya, the two members of the Federal Trade Commission that Trump wants gone, would be the newsiest part. And so it was.

4/25/2025: Comcast Execs: Our Pricing Is Opaque and We Can Be Hard to Do Business With, PCMag

Because I was busy getting ready for IAPP Thursday morning, I missed the Comcast earnings call that featured executives admitting the “pain points” the company had created with its customers. Fortunately, nobody else at PCMag picked up the story before I could get to it Friday.

#blueCheck #blueCheckmark #bluecheck #Bluesky #BlueskyVerification #brainComputerInterface #Comcast #ComcastRates #FederalTradeCommision #FTC #IAPP #NTT #NTTUpgrade2025 #pricingTransparency #RebeccaSlaughter #wheelchair #Xfinity #XfinityMobile

In other words, forget about the #bluecheckmark lol 😂

Okay, let's give it a go. Still can't see a blue checkmark, but looking forward to it! ☺️ #bluecheckmark #bluecheckmarkmatters #whoami

In today’s edition we discuss Dude Perfect’s $100+ Million Funding, Tesla RoboTaxis, Beyoncé's Country Music, X/Twitter Blue check marks, and Balmoral Castle.

#DudePerfect #Funding #Tesla #RoboTaxis #Beyoncé's #CountryMusic #cmt #X #Twitter #Bluecheckmark #BalmoralCastle #royals

https://irlmedianews.beehiiv.com/p/in-today-s-edition-we-discuss-dude-perfect-s-100-million-funding-tesla-robotaxis-beyonce-s-country-m

#elonmusk #x #Hezbollah #terrorists #bluecheckmark

“Elon Musk's X, formerly Twitter, granted subscription perks to designated terrorist groups and others barred from operating in the US, according to campaigners.
The Tech Transparency Project (TTP) found X had granted blue check marks to accounts tied to Hezbollah members, among others.
For $8 (£6.40) a month, a tick allows longer posts and better promotion.
X removed some ticks after the report, saying its security was "robust".

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-68297121.amp

#lewispaite #bluecheckmark

#idea -- #bluecheckmark database.

Nothing fancy, just a mapping of known and good user/handle -> identity mappings, maintained by humans. With rules and such like #wikipedia

Maybe #cryptography come to the rescue but it's going to get mighty unsure out there.

Well, yeah, I'm paying for X, but I'm waaaaaay too embarrassed to admit it: "Twitter/X Blue subscribers can now hide that they’re paying and avoid the memes." :D
#Twitter #X #BlueCheckmark
https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/2/23816924/twitter-x-blue-subscribers-hide-blue-check-option

30) In a true sign of #ElonMusk's sucess in monitizing #Twitter's blue checkmark, some poor coding creature was charged with making said checkmark hideable

The old #BlueCheckmark has come a long way in 10 months. What was once and indicator of authenticity and influence has now degraded into what exactly?

Please fill in the blank:
The X Blue Checkmark signifies ________

#Sad #SocialMedia

https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/2/23816924/twitter-x-blue-subscribers-hide-blue-check-option

Twitter Blue subscribers can now hide their blue checks | #TheVerge

#TwitterBlue, which #ElonMusk is currently rebranding to €X Blue, now includes the option to hide the notorious #BlueCheckmark. Twitter Blue subscribers recently started noticing the “hide your blue checkmark” option on the web and in mobile apps, offering the ability to hide that they’re paying for #Twitter and avoid memes about how “this mf paid for twitter.”

#XCorp #TwitterTakeover #BlueCheck

https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/2/23816924/twitter-x-blue-subscribers-hide-blue-check-option

#musk continues to fascinate with his encore announcement that he will be :birdsite: torching the #twitter #logo!

#AllMuskedUp #MuskedItUp #BlueCheckMark
#TwitterBlue

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/23/business/elon-musk-twitter-revamp-intl-hnk/index.html

Dem Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, a Black woman, called out GOP Rep. Eli Crane for his use of the term "colored people" while he attempted to defend the amendment during a floor debate in the House this Thursday. #EliCrane
https://crooksandliars.com/2023/07/gop-rep-pretends-racist-defense-bill

I captioned this & asked @Karoli to put it up since I didn't want #Twitter to get all the hits followed by #BlueCheckmark #racist trolls "Just asking questions" Like "What about the NAACP?"
I answered them here:
https://letmegooglethat.com/?q=Ask+NAACP+President+Rev.+William+Barber+Why+doesn%27t+the+NAACP+change+its+name%3F&l=1

@jremsikjr Not sure I’d want to be associated with a #BlueCheckMark these days given the level of bile surging through #Twitter these days. To some degree, subscribing to this service is endorsing #racism, #homophobia etc

How to Build (And Destroy) a #SocialNetwork

Status means everything to platforms like #Twitter and Facebook. But contrary to what #ElonMusk thinks, it doesn’t come from a #BlueCheckmark.

"#TwitterBlue may be boneheaded as a revenue scheme, but it excels as a case study in how grappling for status can ruin a social network."

#TwitterTakeover #SocialMedia #BlueCheck #BlockTheBlue #BlueSky

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/05/social-media-status-twitter-blue-checks-bluesky/673987/

Dev Bounty: "TICK OFF"

A Chrome plugin to block all Twitter activity by users whose accounts bear a #BlueTick #BlueCheckMark
(individual ignore rules: to manually approve acct)

PASS IT ON
#bounty #developers #developer #chrome #tickoff