New York (PTI): Twitter is planning to defer the rollout of the verification check marks to its subscribers of the new USD 7.99 a month subscription service until after Tuesday's midterm elections in the US, amid concerns over the spread of false information, a media report has said.
The midterm elections on November 8 will decide the control of the US Congress and other important governorships.
The social media company made the call a day after announcing that it was rolling out the programme for subscribers to receive a verification check mark on their profile for the monthly fee.
The New York Times reported on Sunday that Twitter is delaying the rollout of verification check marks to subscribers of its new USD 7.99 a month subscription service until after Tuesday's midterm elections .
Power to the people. Your account will get a blue check mark, just like the celebrities, companies, and politicians you already follow, Twitter said in the announcement for the blue tick on Saturday.
Several Twitter users and employees had voiced concerns that the new badges "could cause confusion ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections because users could easily create verified accounts say, posing as President Biden or as lawmakers or news outlets and publishing false information about voting results which could potentially sow discord," the NYT report said.
One Twitter employee, in an internal company communication, asked why the social network was making such a risky change before elections, which has the potential of causing election interference," the report said.
A manager working on the verification badge project said we've made the decision to move the launch of this release to November 9, after the midterm elections," it said.
In the immediate aftermath following Musk's acquisition of Twitter, the billionaire entrepreneur has orchestrated significant changes at the company, including trimming the workforce by half.
Regarding Twitter's reduction in force, unfortunately there is no choice when the company is losing over USD 4M/day. Everyone exited was offered 3 months of severance, which is 50 per cent more than legally required, Musk tweeted on Friday.
The NYT report said that Musk and his advisers have also been discussing various ways to wring more money out of Twitter.
In addition to the check mark programme, they have talked about adding paid direct messages which would let users send private messages to high-profile users to the service, as well as paywalled videos, which would mean that certain videos could not be viewed unless users paid a fee.
In a series of tweets about changes at Twitter, Musk said Trash me all day, but it'll cost USD 8" and that Twitter will soon add the ability to attach long-form text to tweets, ending "absurdity" of notepad screenshots.
He said going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying parody will be permanently suspended.
"Previously, we issued a warning before suspension, but now that we are rolling out widespread verification, there will be no warning. This will be clearly identified as a condition for signing up to Twitter Blue. Any name change at all will cause temporary loss of verified checkmark," he said.
Musk noted that widespread verification will democratise journalism and empower the voice of the people and Twitter needs to become by far the most accurate source of information about the world.
"That's our mission," he added.
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MP HC sets up judicial commission to probe water contamination in Indore
Indore (PTI): The Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday set up a commission of inquiry comprising a former HC judge to probe the issue of water contamination in city's Bhagirathpura, saying the matter requires probe by an independent, credible authority and "urgent judicial scrutiny".
It also directed the commission to submit an interim report after four weeks from the date of commencement of proceedings.
A division bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi constituted the commission while hearing several public interest litigations (PILs) filed simultaneously regarding the deaths of several people in Bhagirathpura due to the consumption of contaminated water.
The HC reserved the order after hearing all the parties during the day, and released it late at night.
The state government on Tuesday told the HC that the deaths of 16 people in Indore's Bhagirathpura area was possibly linked to a month-long outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea caused by contaminated drinking water.
The government presented an audit report of 23 deaths from the current gastroenteritis epidemic in Bhagirathpura before the bench, suggesting that 16 of these fatalities may have been linked to the outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea caused by contaminated drinking water.
The report, prepared by a committee of five experts from the city's Government Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, stated that the deaths of four people in Bhagirathpura were unrelated to the outbreak, while no conclusion could be reached regarding the cause of death of three other people in the area.
During the hearing, the high court sought to know from the state government the scientific basis behind its report.
The division bench also expressed surprise at the state government's use of the term "verbal autopsy" in relation to the report, sarcastically stating that it had heard the term for the first time.
The HC expressed concern over the Bhagirathpura case, stating that the situation was "alarming," and noted that cases of people falling ill due to contaminated drinking water have also been reported in Mhow, near Indore.
In its order, the HC said the serious issue concerning contamination of the drinking water supply in Bhagirathpura area allegedly resulted in widespread health hazards to residents, including children and elderly persons.
According to the petitioners and media reports, death toll is about 30 till today, but the report depicts only 16 without any basis or record, it said.
It is averred that sewage mixing, leakage in the pipeline, and failure of civic authorities to maintain potable water standards have led to the outbreak of water-borne diseases. Photographs, medical reports, and complaints submitted to the authorities prima facie indicate a matter requiring urgent judicial scrutiny, the HC said.
"Considering the gravity of the allegation and affecting the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India and the need for an independent fact-finding exercise, the Court is of the opinion that the matter requires investigation by an independent, credible authority," it said.
"Accordingly, we appoint Justice Sushil Kumar Gupta, former judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, a one-man commission of inquiry into the issues relating to water contamination in Bhagirathpura, Indore, and its impact on other areas of the city," the HC added.
As per the order, the commission shall inquire into and submit a report on the cause of contamination -- whether the drinking water supplied to Bhagirathpura was contaminated; and the source and nature of contamination (sewage ingress, industrial discharge, pipeline damage etc).
The panel will also probe the number of actual deaths of affected residents on account of contaminated water; find out the nature of disease reported and adequacy of medical response and preventive measures; suggest immediate steps required to ensure safe drinking water as well as long-term infrastructural and monitoring reforms.
It will also identify and fix responsibility upon the officers and officials found prima facie responsible for the Bhagirathpura water contamination incident, and suggest guidelines for compensation to affected residents, particularly vulnerable sections.
The commission shall have powers of a civil court for the purpose of summoning officials and witnesses; calling up records from the government department, hospitals, laboratories and civic bodies; ordering water quality testing through accredited laboratories; conducting spot inspections.
All state authorities involving district administration, Indore Municipal Corporation, public health engineering department and Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board shall extend full co-operation and provide records as sought by the commission, it said.
The state government shall provide office space, staff, and logistical support to the commission, it said.
During the hearing in the day, the state government also presented a status report to the court in this matter.
According to reports, a total of 454 patients were admitted to local hospitals during the vomiting and diarrhea outbreak, of whom 441 have been discharged after treatment, and 11 are currently hospitalised.
According to officials, due to a leak in the municipal drinking water pipeline in Bhagirathpura, sewage from a toilet was also mixed in the water.
