Huawei may return to the 5G market thanks to a loophole

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Huawei was one of the biggest threats to Samsung… until it was banned from the US. Now, the company is in a tough spot, as it can’t properly produce 5G phones without help from the US. However, Huawei might have a chance to return to the 5G market with the help of a loophole. However, it’s still an uphill battle.

Back in 2020, the former US president banned Huawei from selling its phones in the United States over fears of the company spying on US citizens. Not only that, but this restricted US-based company Qualcomm from supplying its chips to the company, which means that it can’t use the company’s 5G modems.

So, Huawei is basically blocked from providing any 5G phones, and that’s a major bummer, as much of the smartphone market has adopted 5G as the standard. The company is stuck providing its users with 4G phones. As you can imagine, this had a massive negative effect on its sales.

The company, at its peak (2019) raked in about 483 Chinese Yuan (about $67 billion) and moved more than 240 million units. However, a year later, it brought in about half of the profit of the previous year.

Huawei could return to The States through a loophole

While Huawei was severely hindered by the US sanctions, the company is still looking to pull itself out of its hole. Three separate sources informed Reuters of the company’s plans.

Huawei might be able to score 5G chips in its home country by partnering with a chipmaking company called Semiconductor Manufacturing International Co (SMIC). The report states that Huawei will use “its own advances in semiconductor design tools”, so it seems that SMIC could use Huawei’s design and produce the chips.

This means that the company won’t have to rely on 4G technology or get back in good with The States. It will be able to provide its own 5G chips for its phones.

The timetable for this venture seems pretty optimistic, as the company is planning its heroic return to the 5G market by the end of the year. If this goes off without a hitch, then it will be a long road to returning to its former prime.


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OpenAI is under investigation by the FTC

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This new generative AI boom is one of the biggest technological revolutions of the modern age, and our governing bodies just aren’t ready for it. With each new innovation, tension rises between consumers, lawmakers, and the companies that push the technology forward. OpenAI is under investigation by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) over how ChatGPT could harm people.

The OpenAI FTC investigation

Generative AI technology is still in its infancy, so we’re still feeling out the situation. We speculate about the negative effects of generative AI on the workforce, creators, and countless industries. This is why the FTC is looking into OpenAI, the most popular generative AI company.

According to The Washington Post (via CNN Business), the FTC presented OpenAI with a 20-page investigation demand. It’s looking deep into the company to find information like how likely ChatGPT is to give inaccurate information, the potential to cause “reputational harm”, how the company obtains users’ information, how it handles that data, and so on.

The document leaves no stone unturned, as it wants to know about what complaints it’s received from users along with lawsuits against it. There are dozens of requests in the document, sources near to the matter were able to confirm with CNN. As this investigation persists, we hope to know more about what the FTC wants to know.

If the FTC finds that OpenAI’s creations could cause actual harm to the public, we can expect some legal action to take place. Only time will tell.

This is necessary

This investigation might seem like a step back for AI, but it’s all necessary. When it comes to AI, one word stands out above the rest, and that’s Regulation. Innovation in generative AI hit a point of rapid acceleration as more people discovered how it could benefit them. It’s advancing so fast that we don’t have any laws to police it.

We’re now debating if scraping data is illegal or just immoral. There are no laws outright stating that AI-generated can’t be copyrighted. It’s still the wild west when it comes to AI, and that makes a lot of people nervous.

Sure, AI can bring some objective benefits to the table- and you can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs- but AI is nipping at the heels of some major industries. It threatens to put creators like artists, composers, developers, and writers out of their jobs. That’s not all, several upper-level executives fear that AI could take their jobs as well.

We also can’t forget about AI deep-fakes. This technology gives people the ability to make fake videos and audio clips of people doing and saying whatever they want. It doesn’t take an Einsteinian intellect to tell why that’s bad.

We need investigations like these to better ascertain what kind of dangers we’re looking at in the future. We’ll need to stay tuned to see the results of this investigation.


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GeForce NOW users can stream two new games this week

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If you subscribe to GeForce NOW then you’ll have two games coming to the service this week, including another title from Capcom. Unfortunately, it is kind of a light week in terms of new games to stream.

That could be because we’re headed into the third week of the service’s newly added monthly games with next week’s releases. See, if you’re new to GeForce NOW, here’s how things work. The service adds new games to the library every Thursday. As has always been the case you still need to own these games on their respective storefronts. Which usually amounts to Steam, or the Epic Games Store. But it can also include the Ubisoft Store, and in some cases GOG. And once owned, you can stream them via GeForce NOW. So long as the service supports those titles.

Every week NVIDIA also tends to add more than a few games. But in months where there aren’t a lot of new games coming, there ends up being one week where we don’t see much. This week is that week. Here’s what you have to look forward to.

Capcom action rpg Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen joins GeForce NOW

Two games might be a small list for this week’s new additions, but at least one of them is a heavy hitter. Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is an action rpg featuring some cool combat and even cooler gameplay mechanics. It’s set in a vast open world. So there’s lots to explore and plenty of hours of game time to keep you entertained. What’s more is that the game supports 4K visuals and 60 frames per second, and it’s just $30 on steam.

Now would also be a good time to play it since Dragon’s Dogam II is on the horizon. Capcom hasn’t confirmed a release date on this one yet since it wasn’t announced too long ago. But you’re bound to need lots of time to finish Dark Arisen and the original Dragon’s Dogma, so why not get them out of the way while you can. Especially with games like Armored Core VI, Starfield, and the Cyberpunk 2077 expansion releases just around the corner.

As for the second title, it’s a day and date release of Jagged Alliance 3, which lands on Steam on July 14. That means you won’t be able to stream this game until tomorrow. As it’s expected to unlock via Steam in about 16 hours.


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Jenkins Plugin Flaw let Attackers Gain Admin Access

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A recent security advisory from Jenkins reported that they had fixed 24 vulnerabilities affecting multiple Jenkins plugins.

This Flaw includes 5 High, 18 Medium, and 1 Low severity vulnerabilities.

Patches have been released for some of the affected plugins, while others are still under development.

Affected Plugins and their Versions

The list of affected Jenkins plugins includes,

  • Active Directory Plugin up to and including 2.30
  • Assembla Auth Plugin up to and including 1.14
  • Benchmark Evaluator Plugin up to and including 1.0.1
  • Datadog Plugin up to and including 5.4.1
  • ElasticBox CI Plugin up to and including 5.0.1
  • External Monitor Job Type Plugin up to and including 206.v9a_94ff0b_4a_10
  • mabl Plugin up to and including 0.0.46
  • MathWorks Polyspace Plugin up to and including 1.0.5
  • OpenShift Login Plugin up to and including 1.1.0.227.v27e08dfb_1a_20
  • Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Compute Plugin up to and including 1.0.16
  • Orka by MacStadium Plugin up to and including 1.33
  • Pipeline restFul API Plugin up to and including 0.11
  • Rebuilder Plugin up to and including 320.v5a_0933a_e7d61
  • SAML Single Sign On(SSO) Plugin up to and including 2.3.0
  • Sumologic Publisher Plugin up to and including 2.2.1
  • Test Results Aggregator Plugin up to and including 1.2.13

CVE(s):

The list of CVEs, severity, and their related affected plugin are as mentioned below,

CVE IDSeverityDescriptionAffected Plugin
CVE-2023-37946HighSession fixation vulnerability in OpenShift Login PluginOpenShift Login Plugin 1.1.0.227.v27e08dfb_1a_20 and earlier
CVE-2023-37957HighCSRF vulnerability in Pipeline restFul API PluginPipeline restFul API Plugin 0.11 and earlier
CVE-2023-37952, CVE-2023-37953 HighCSRF vulnerability and missing permission checks in mabl Plugin allow capturing credentialsmabl Plugin 0.0.46 and earlier
CVE-2023-37942HighXXE vulnerability in External Monitor Job Type PluginExternal Monitor Job Type Plugin 206.v9a_94ff0b_4a_10 and earlier
CVE-2023-37961MediumCSRF vulnerability in Assembla Auth PluginAssembla Auth Plugin 1.14 and earlier
CVE-2023-37947MediumOpen redirect vulnerability in OpenShift Login PluginOpenShift Login Plugin 1.1.0.230.v5d7030b_f5432 and earlier
CVE-2023-37954MediumCSRF vulnerability in Rebuilder PluginRebuilder Plugin 320.v5a_0933a_e7d61 and earlier
CVE-2023-37948MediumMissing SSH host key validation in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Compute PluginOracle Cloud Infrastructure Compute Plugin 1.0.16 and earlier
CVE-2023-37958, CVE-2023-37959MediumCSRF vulnerability and missing permission checks in Sumologic Publisher PluginSumologic Publisher Plugin 2.2.1 and earlier
CVE-2023-37962, CVE-2023-37963MediumCSRF vulnerability and missing permission checks in Benchmark Evaluator PluginBenchmark Evaluator Plugin 1.0.1 and earlier
CVE-2023-37955CVE-2023-37956MediumCSRF vulnerability and missing permission check in Test Results Aggregator PluginTest Results Aggregator Plugin 1.2.13 and earlier
CVE-2023-37960MediumArbitrary file read vulnerability in MathWorks Polyspace PluginMathWorks Polyspace Plugin 1.0.5 and earlier
CVE-2023-37949MediumMissing permission check in Orka by MacStadium Plugin allows capturing credentialsOrka by MacStadium Plugin 1.33 and earlier
CVE-2023-37944MediumMissing permission check in Datadog Plugin allows capturing credentialsDatadog Plugin 5.4.1 and earlier
CVE-2023-37964, CVE-2023-37965MediumCSRF vulnerability and missing permission checks in ElasticBox CI Plugin allow capturing credentialsElasticBox CI Plugin 5.0.1 and earlier
CVE-2023-37950MediumMissing permission check in mabl Plugin allows enumerating credentials IDsmabl Plugin 0.0.46 and earlier
CVE-2023-37951MediumExposure of system-scoped credentials in mabl Pluginmabl Plugin 0.0.46 and earlier
CVE-2023-37945MediumMissing permission check in SAML Single Sign On(SSO) PluginSAML Single Sign On(SSO) Plugin 2.3.0 and earlier
CVE-2023-37943LowPassword transmitted in plain text by Active Directory Plugin Active Directory Plugin 2.30.1 and earlier

High Severity Vulnerabilities

CVE-2023-37946: Session Fixation Vulnerability

This vulnerability exists due to improper session management in the OpenShift Login Plugin due to which previous sessions are not invalidated. This can allow threat actors to gain administrator access with social engineering techniques.

The CVSS Score for this vulnerability is yet to be confirmed.

CVE-2023-37957: CSRF vulnerability in Pipeline

This vulnerability exists due to the lack of POST requests to an HTTP endpoint which results in Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF).

An attacker can connect to Jenkins with an attacker-specified URL resulting in the impersonation of a victim with a newly generated JCLI token. The CVSS Score for this vulnerability is yet to be confirmed.

CVE-2023-37952, CVE-2023-37953: CSRF Vulnerability and Missing Permission

A vulnerability exists as several HTTP endpoints do not perform permission checks which allows threat actors to obtain the connection to Jenkins with Overall/Read permissions through attacker-specified URL and credential IDs collected with another method.

In addition to this, these endpoints do not require POST requests which result in Cross-Site Request Forgery. The CVSS Score for these vulnerabilities is yet to be confirmed.

CVE-2023-37942: XXE vulnerability in External Monitor

This vulnerability exists due to the misconfiguration of the XML parser, which prevents External XML Entity (XXE) attacks.

This allows threat actors to parse a crafted HTTP request with XML data that results in the extraction of sensitive information from Jenkins Controller or Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF).

The CVSS Score for this vulnerability is yet to be confirmed.

Fixed Plugins

Jenkins has fixed some of the affected plugins, which include,

  • Active Directory Plugin should be updated to version 2.30.1
  • Datadog Plugin should be updated to version 5.4.2
  • External Monitor Job Type Plugin should be updated to version 207.v98a_a_37a_85525
  • mabl Plugin should be updated to version 0.0.47
  • OpenShift Login Plugin should be updated to version 1.1.0.230.v5d7030b_f5432
  • Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Compute Plugin should be updated to version 1.0.17
  • Orka by MacStadium Plugin should be updated to version 1.34
  • SAML Single Sign On(SSO) Plugin should be updated to version 2.3.1

Unfixed Plugins

The plugins for which fixes are not available include,

  • Assembla Auth Plugin
  • Benchmark Evaluator Plugin
  • ElasticBox CI Plugin
  • MathWorks Polyspace Plugin
  • Pipeline restFul API Plugin
  • Rebuilder Plugin
  • Sumologic Publisher Plugin
  • Test Results Aggregator Plugin

Users of these Jenkins plugins are advised to upgrade to the latest versions to avoid unauthorized access to systems. Other plugins are still being fixed, and patches are yet to be made available.

More details about all these vulnerabilities can be found on the Jenkins Security Advisory Page.


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The Google Calendar widget gets the Material You paint job

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There are still bits and pieces of the Android operating system that still need the Material You makeover. However, Google is hard at work giving all of its services the same look. According to a tweet from the Google Calendar Twitter, the Google Calendar widget is getting the Material You paint job.

It’s been a long path for Google to walk applying the Material You design language to all of its apps and services. Every so often, we see Google revamping an app or service to better reflect the Material You aesthetic. Not too long ago, the company delivered two new Google News widgets adorned with Material You.

The Google Calendar widget gets the Material You paint job

A ton of people use the Google Calendar widget to get a quick glance at their upcoming events. The widget itself has remained pretty neutral in terms of its colors. It’d either have a white background or a dark gray background depending on your phone’s theme.

However, looking at the tweet, Google is going to make the widget better reflect the color scheme chosen for your phone. As you know, Stock Android and several skins take the colors present in your wallpaper and create a color scheme based on them. This color scheme pervades your whole UI.

The Google Calendar widget will adopt the color scheme. The background of the widget will more closely match the color of your wallpaper. The Add event button will be a darker shade of the color. Google shared a GIF of this change, but we only see it in light mode. If it’s in dark mode, we expect the Add event button to be a lighter shade.

We’re not 100% sure when Google’s going to bring the change to the public. we weren’t able to see it on our Pixel 6, so it might still be rolling out.


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Google brings Bard to Europe & Brazil, adds new features

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Today, Google announced that it is bringing Bard to more of Europe and into Brazil. This makes Bard available in a lot more countries now, making it easier than ever for people to get on-board.

Starting today, Bard will also work in more languages. It’ll support 40 languages including Arabic, Chinese, German, Hindi and Spanish, to name a few.

Google also announced today that Bard is getting four new features, to help it better suit your needs.

What’s new in Bard

So what’s new with Bard? Well, Google is adding a way for you to listen to responses. This will allow Bard to read them aloud to you, so you can approach your idea in a different way. The feature is now live in over 40 languages.

You can also easily adjust Bard’s responses. Google is allowing you to change the tone and style of Bard’s responses. Using five different options: simple, long, short, professional or casual. This is similar to a few other AI writing tools that already exist, but now you can do it with Bard.

Like with ChatGPT, Bard is now allowing you to have different conversations and now they can be pinned and renamed. So you can continue where you left off with Bard from yesterday, last week, or last month. Like the other features here, this is also available in over 40 languages.

Finally, Google is going to allow Bard to export code to more places. So many are using Bard for coding tasks, now you can do things like export Python code to Replit, or Google Colab. This is also available in more than 40 languages right now.

There’s so much new coming to Bard over the coming weeks and months. Google is moving at break-neck speed with Bard, and it’s quickly becoming the best chat bot on the market right now.


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Fake THREADS App Climbed to Number 1 Spot on Apple Store in Europe

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Apple has removed the fake THREADS app from the European App Store, ending its top position as the number 1 iOS app until July 11, 2023, when it was reported.

In a recent development, Apple has taken down a fake version of the popular Threads app from its App Store in Europe. The fake app, developed by SocialKit LTD, had been soaring up the charts of the most downloaded apps. However, thanks to the diligent work of cybersecurity firm and iOS developer Mysk, the fraudulent app has been exposed and removed, and the developer’s account has been suspended.

Among the apps created by SocialKit LTD that have been removed are ChatGP, SelfMe: Selfie AI Face Editor, and Remove Background Eraser, among others. The fakeThreads app had gained significant traction, particularly in Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, where it had claimed the number one position in the App Store rankings.

Fake THREADS App Climbs to Number 1 Spot on Apple Store in Europe
Fake app topping in EU countries (Screenshots via Mysk – Twitter)

The original Threads app, launched by Meta as a competitor to Twitter, has garnered more than 100 million downloads worldwide since its release earlier this month. However, the app has yet to be made available in the European Union due to the bloc’s stringent privacy laws.

This absence has created an opportunity for cybercriminals to capitalize on the demand by producing counterfeit apps and employing over 700 phoney domain names in a single day, according to a report.

Mysk, in a tweet, highlighted the concerning statistics regarding the genuine app’s absence in the European market. They stated, “Statistically, exactly 0% of iOS users looking for Threads in the EU have downloaded the right app. If app sideloading was possible, the percentage of EU users downloading the right app would certainly be greater than 0%.”

Cybersecurity analyst Veriti warns users, especially those in Europe, to exercise caution when downloading knock-off versions of Threads, as they often serve as conduits for malware or phishing attacks. It is crucial to obtain the app from trusted sources and exercise due diligence at all times.

While the fraudulent Threads app has been removed from the European App Store, similar bogus apps have also been detected on other platforms. Before the official launch of Instagram’s Threads on July 6, several impersonating apps were circulating on the Google Play Store, prompting Google to eventually remove them.

Nevertheless, ChatGPT’s official app for iPhone has already been released, while its Android app could soon be available on the Google Play Store.

  1. Google Deletes Fake BatteryBot Pro Malware App
  2. Scylla Ad Fraud Attack on iOS Users Halted by Apple
  3. Apple removes Clearview AI iPhone app from App Store
  4. Apple removes anti-virus apps from store for “stealing data”
  5. Google removes ClearURLs Chrome extension from app store

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Malicious Chrome Extensions Steals Businesses Ads Manager

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Cybercriminals are using malicious Chrome extensions to steal Facebook login information in a recent operation.

The reports shared by Malwarebytes Labs also stated that sponsored posts and accounts impersonating Meta/Facebook’s Ads Manager have become more prevalent.

With a focus on Facebook advertising accounts, threat actors like DuckTail, which have been active for a while, have been watched and investigated by Meta.

“In total, we identified over 20 different malicious Facebook Ad Manager archives that installed Chrome extensions or instead went with traditional malware executables”, Malwarebytes reports.

Over 800 victims have been reported globally, including 310 in the US.

Malicious Chrome Extension

Researchers explain that once the MSI installer is finished, the batch script is run, and it effectively creates a new browser window that is started with the custom extension from the previous installation path and directs the victim to the Facebook login page.

“Malicious Google Chrome extensions are used to steal and extract login information,” researchers said.

Malicious Extension

“That custom extension is cleverly disguised as Google Translate and is considered ‘Unpacked’ because it was loaded from the local computer, rather than the Chrome Web Store,” researchers explain.

Quick hex obfuscation to hide

In reality, the code is wholly targeted at Facebook and obtaining crucial data bits enabling an attacker to log into accounts.

The threat actors’ interest in Facebook cookies, which they seek through cookies.getAll technique.

Fake Ads Manager Accounts

Scammers used verified accounts to purchase advertising from Meta. To handle their advertising with a “more professional and secure tool,” they were attempting to persuade potential victims to download software.

“These fraudulent accounts often have tens of thousands of followers and any of their posts can quickly become viral.

Scammers are primarily targeting business users who may spend ad dollars on the platform”, researchers said.

The initial step in compromising those accounts is to drive potential victims to external websites.

The Facebook Ads Manager program, promoted via a download link, serves as the lure.

Final Thoughts

Businesses may be enticed to optimize their Facebook ad campaigns by clicking on specific postings and installing programs that claim to boost their revenue.

This is an extremely risky practice, even if the instructions promise that the program is secure and malware-free.

As a result, if you downloaded one of those malicious Facebook Ad Manager installers, you should withdraw access to unfamiliar users from their Business Manager account profile that the fraudsters may have created and analyze their transaction history.


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Sony will launch its Access controller for PS5 in December

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Sony will officially launch the Access Controller for PS5 this December, the company has said. In post over at PlayStation Blog, Sony expands on details about when players can expect to see the Access Controller on store shelves.

After announcing the controller at CES 2023, then known as Project Leonardo, Sony revealed information about it in mid-May, including the official name. The Access Controller, as the name suggests, is designed to give players with disabilities a more accessible approach to playing games on PS5.

Sony says it’s been developing the controller over the past five years. Working closely with accessibility organizations to get things right. And now, the fruits of that labor are almost here. While the actual launch of the Access Controller on PS5 is still months away, it’ll be available for pre-order really soon.

Sony says pre-orders are going live on July 21. Which means next Friday anyone who wants one will be able to secure a unit. Pre-orders will be available from PlayStation Direct in the US, UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Austria, and Portugal. Pre-orders will also be available from select retailers in those regions. Other regions around the world will be able to place pre-orders on July 21 as well through local retailers.

The PS5 Access controller will launch globally on December 6

Not every new product gets worldwide availability. But that isn’t the case with the Access controller. Sony confirms it will be a globally available product. Stating that the controller will launch globally on December 6. If you’re wondering where, the very same retailers where pre-orders will be live, will also sell the controller upon launch.

So if you live in one of the unlisted regions, be sure to check with your local retailers on July 21. In addition to announcing the launch date, Sony has also listed the price. The Access controller will be available for $89.99 in the US. That’s about $10 less than Microsoft’s Accessibility controller, but mostly on par with its cost. Sony has also detailed the specs of the Access controller, and put out a brief explainer video of it which you can watch above.


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Advertisers are now looking towards Threads as Twitter’s struggles continue

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It’s no secret that Musk’s erratic changes for Twitter have caused many of the biggest advertisers to abandon the platform. However, with a new competitor by the likes of Threads emerging and growing at a rapid pace, it looks like advertisers have also started shifting their focus while Twitter grapples with brand safety concerns and declining user engagement. 

Why is Threads taking off?

Although it has only been a week since Threads officially launched, the platform has already amassed over 100 million users, thanks in part due to Instagram’s integration and its focus on social conversations. As a result, advertisers are eager to explore how this new platform can complement their existing social media strategies, according to Natasha Blumenkron, Vice President of the marketing firm Tinuiti.

Furthermore, the fact that Threads shares the backend administration tools with Instagram is of particular appeal to advertisers since it will make it easier for corporate social media managers to utilize the platform.

“It’s the most instant onboarding experience I’ve ever experienced in the history of my career, and my entire career has been in social,” said Rachel Tipograph, CEO of the marketing technology firm MikMak.

However, it’s important to note that Meta’s primary focus is currently on developing the core functionality of Threads rather than monetizing the app. This is because the app still lacks essential features, including a chronological feed and hashtags.

End of the road for Twitter?

Although Twitter still boasts a massive user count compared to Threads, Tipograph suggests that the platform’s recent struggles with brand safety, hate speech, and impersonation have resulted in a significant decline in traffic, causing concern among advertisers.

However, despite its advantages, Threads is still in its early stages, and its success as an advertising channel depends on cultivating an active user base that engages regularly with the platform. Moreover, as the platform grows, there are concerns about the potential influx of bad actors and trolls onto Threads, which could lead to the spread of misinformation and hate speech content, similar to what has occurred on Twitter.


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