🛰️ X blocks JD Vance links, Starlink hits 4M, Discord opens to all
Good morning. It’s Friday, September 27. Today we are covering:
X blocks links to hacked JD Vance dossier
Starlink hits 4 million subscribers
Discord opens Activities, in-app games and features, to all developers
Harris escalates her courtship of crypto
Meta fined $102 million for storing passwords in plain text
Let’s dive in
X blocks links to hacked JD Vance dossier
By Elizabeth Lopatto via The Verge
X has blocked users from posting links to a newsletter by journalist Ken Klippenstein, containing alleged hacked documents from the Trump campaign about JD Vance.
Klippenstein was suspended for posting private information, including Vance's personal details, violating X's policy on sharing unredacted private data.
While X has not clarified why links to the article are blocked, the platform previously had a policy prohibiting the posting of hacked materials, which has fluctuated under different leadership, including Elon Musk.
𝕏: Hey @jim_jordan!?!?! This is an emergency. Xitter is engaged in PRECISELY the kind of throttling that you have fought so valiantly against for years, w/the JD Vance dossier. Will you subpoena @elonmusk for censoring information to interfere in election? - emptywheel (blue moon) (@emptywheel)
Starlink hits 4 million subscribers
By Aria Alamalhodaei via TechCrunch
Starlink, SpaceX's satellite internet network, has surpassed 4 million subscribers, gaining 1 million new customers since May 2024.
The service, now available in nearly 100 countries, is expected to generate $6.6 billion in revenue this year, significantly up from $1.4 billion two years ago.
Starlink plays a central role in funding SpaceX's future developments, including the Starship rocket, which will support the launch of even more satellites.
𝕏: Gwynne Shotwell casually dropped that Starlink will hit 4M customers this week. Past growth for reference: 1M customers - Dec 2022 2M - Sept 2023 3M - May 2024 - Aria Alamalhodaei (@breadfrom)
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Discord opens Activities, in-app games and features, to all developers
By Rachel Kaser via VentureBeat
Discord has opened up its Activities platform to all developers, allowing them to create, distribute, and monetize games and apps directly within the platform.
The Embedded Apps SDK, which has been in preview, supports in-app purchases and offers lower platform fees, dropping from 30% to 15% for the first $1 million in sales.
Discord aims to leverage its vast gaming community, with over 200 million monthly active users, to help developers connect directly with players and foster viral growth through its interconnected social ecosystem.
𝕏: Facebook Platform of 2007-2011 was an incredible system for distributing games within a social network. Discord’s new platform has an incredible opportunity to follow in its footsteps. - Josh Elman (@joshelman)
Harris escalates her courtship of crypto
By Joseph Zeballos-Roig via Semafor
Kamala Harris is courting the crypto industry by dispatching aides to engage with investors and Democratic allies, signaling a more balanced approach compared to President Biden's regulatory stance.
Harris pledged support for blockchain and digital assets during recent fundraising events, positioning her as a pro-crypto alternative to Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
Prominent crypto backers, including Mark Cuban, are supporting Harris's campaign, while skeptics like Sen. Elizabeth Warren emphasize the need for strict regulations to prevent misuse of crypto.
𝕏: Kamala Harris isn’t just talking about a friendlier approach to cryptocurrency than Joe Biden. She’s already dispatching aides to court well-heeled crypto investors and their Democratic allies in Congress, @josephzeballos reports. - Semafor (@semafor)
Meta fined $102 million for storing passwords in plain text
By Mariella Moon via Engadget
Meta has been fined $102 million by the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) for storing user passwords in plain text, violating GDPR rules.
The security breach, which affected up to 600 million passwords, allowed internal access to plain-text passwords since 2012 but did not expose them to external parties.
The DPC found that Meta failed to implement appropriate security measures and did not promptly report the breach, leading to both a fine and a reprimand from the regulator.
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