Shiny Shiny snippets: Hate thriving on Twitter, insiders tell BBC

Twitter insiders have told the BBC that the company is no longer able to protect users from trolling, state-co-ordinated disinformation and child sexual exploitation, following lay-offs and changes under owner Elon Musk. Exclusive academic data plus testimony from Twitter users backs up their allegations, suggesting hate is thriving under Mr Musk’s leadership, with trolls emboldened, harassment intensifying and a spike in accounts following misogynistic and abusive profiles. Current and former employees of the company tell BBC Panorama that features intended to protect Twitter users from trolling and harassment are proving difficult to maintain. BBC 

The Apple AR/VR headset isn’t official yet, but leaks surrounding it just keep on coming – and the latest to arrive outlines how the device might work with other Apple products, such as iPhones and HomePods. A patent filed in Europe (via MacRumors) describes “Multi-Device Continuity for use with Extended Reality (XR) Systems”, and expands on the Continuity features already available on existing Apple gadgets. We’re assuming that the same Continuity rules will apply to the upcoming AR/VR (or XR) headset: as long as you’re signed into the same Apple ID on all your devices, they’ll work seamlessly together. Tech Radar 

I am a long-time Fitbit user. I think they’re some of the best fitness trackers you can buy. But recent changes are making me, and many other users, question the future of the fitness tracker brand and what makes it stand out. Namely, this involves the removal of Challenges and open groups, which are services targeted at community engagement, on March 27, 2023. For me, challenges were one of Fitbit’s main strengths. You could strap a fitness tracker or smartwatch to your wrist, set up an account, and chances are at least a handful of your contacts were also Fitbit users. Then, you could add them as friends to compete and compare your progress. XDA Developers 

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is reportedly getting a sequel, with a beta for Counter-Strike 2 tentatively planned for this month. The news was reported by journalist Richard Lewis who claimed to have been told of the sequel by anonymous sources with knowledge of development. Lewis’ report claimed that the sequel will “almost certainly” be launched under the title Counter-Strike 2, and a beta is planned to launch in March. It is claimed that a number of professional Counter-Strike players have already tested the game in secret, with Lewis’ sources claiming Counter-Strike 2 is “about ready to go.” NME

Apple’s biggest supplier Foxconn says its revenue last month fell by 11.65% compared to the same period in 2022 due to weaker demand for electronics. However, February’s revenue was more than $13bn (£10.8bn), the second-highest figure on record for the month. Foxconn added that operations at the world’s biggest iPhone factory in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou are recovering from Covid disruptions. Also over the weekend the firm said it was exploring opportunities in India. Foxconn said in a statement on Sunday that revenue from computing, smart consumer electronics and cloud and networking products declined in February from a year earlier “due to conservative customers’ pull-in”. BBC

Scientists have been left concerned by the prime minister’s reported “scepticism” about rejoining the EU’s €95.5bn Horizon science programme, despite the positive outcome of talks over Northern Ireland which had been blocking UK access. “Silence is causing people really to be worried and concerned,” Professor Sir Adrian Smith, president of the Royal Society, said. During last week’s news conference after the Windsor Framework was signed commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she looked forward to UK and EU researchers working together again. Sky News