Notable Canadians on Twitter lose 'verified' checkmarks: 'Impersonation rampant' | Canada News Media
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Notable Canadians on Twitter lose ‘verified’ checkmarks: ‘Impersonation rampant’

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It’s a new era on Twitter, one that has left many worried about the social media giant’s future.(Credit: Justin Bieber/Twitter, Doug Ford/Twitter, Getty Images)

Many on Twitter are voicing concern over impersonation efforts following the latest update of Twitter Blue, which has left many Canadian politicians and celebrities check-less, including NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Justin Bieber and Drake.

On April 20, Twitter owner Elon Musk decided to remove “legacy” verified status — a free feature that was used to legitimize credible news sources, politicians, celebrities and more, through a blue checkmark next to one’s title. Now, anyone can sign up for Twitter Blue by paying $8 a month and verifying their phone number, to receive a blue check.

After about 24 hours, Travis Brown, a Berlin-based developer of software for tracking social media, has pointed out how the updated paid model has made little impact, except for stripping many of their blue checkmark status.

With barely anyone having a blue checkmark, many are concerned that it makes it open season for impersonators. It allows them to trick the public with fake accounts, putting the extra responsibility on the reader to distinguish if what they’re reading is in fact from a legitimate source.

Canadian political leaders lose blue checkmark

Canadians are taking note of who has and hasn’t opted to pay $8 to maintain their “blue checkmark” status on the social media site.

Of Canada’s main four party leaders, it’s Pierre Poilievre who sticks out.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau currently has a grey checkmark, a free feature that indicates that the account “represents a government/multilateral organization or a government/multilateral official.” It’s unclear why Poilievre doesn’t have a grey checkmark himself, since the feature is also given to those who are part of “parliamentary or equivalent institutional and committee accounts,” according to Twitter’s guidelines.

A gold checkmark has been made for an “official business account through Twitter Verified Organizations.”

 

As of Friday afternoon, many notable Canadian politicians, celebrities and media organizations have been made check-less, such as Toronto-based news station CP24 and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who according to CTV News, will “not be paying for Twitter Blue verification services.”

Credit: Doug Ford’s Twitter
Credit: CP24’s Twitter
Credit: Justin Bieber’s Twitter
Credit: Drake’s Twitter

What is Twitter Blue?

Twitter Blue is the social media site’s “premium subscription service,” as Musk looks to revamp its “corrupt” predecessor. It provides users with access to features like editing tweets, NFT profile pictures and publishing longer text and video posts.

Those who have Twitter Blue receive a blue checkmark beside their name. Previously, that was a feature that was made available to users who went through Twitter’s free verification process, which had the goal of legitimizing an account by verifying that the person reflected as the holder of the account is in fact the one leading it.

To obtain Twitter Blue for a personal account, users must pay $8 and verify their phone number. On Twitter’s website, at the time of publication, there are no mentions of further steps to verify one’s identity, however it’s stated that “changes to your profile photo, display name, or username (@handle) will result in the loss of the blue checkmark until the account is validated as continuing to meet our requirements.”

Since the unveiling of the new model, Musk has confirmed that he is footing the bill for some celebrities’ Twitter Blue status, like those of LeBron James, William Shatner and Stephen King, who all had previously mentioned that they were not going to pay for the feature.

Other celebrities have taken to Twitter to note that they’ve lost their checkmarks, like Halle Berry and Ben Stiller.

However, many are also voicing their concern over impersonation efforts, like what was recently seen in Chicago, where fake accounts tricked many into believing that a major thoroughfare was closing to private traffic next month — tweets that were viewed by over 100,000 users.

Others are worried similar scenarios could take place during moments of crisis, like during extreme weather warnings, where the public relies on Twitter accounts for urgent info.

Many are skeptical that this era of Twitter will last, as they foresee class action lawsuits as a result of impersonators.

Others are also calling for a different system, where free verification is not lumped into the same model at Twitter Blue, which provides additional features on the social media site.

 

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Telus prioritizing ‘most important customers,’ avoiding ‘unprofitable’ offers: CFO

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Telus Corp. says it is avoiding offering “unprofitable” discounts as fierce competition in the Canadian telecommunications sector shows no sign of slowing down.

The company said Friday it had fewer net new customers during its third quarter compared with the same time last year, as it copes with increasingly “aggressive marketing and promotional pricing” that is prompting more customers to switch providers.

Telus said it added 347,000 net new customers, down around 14.5 per cent compared with last year. The figure includes 130,000 mobile phone subscribers and 34,000 internet customers, down 30,000 and 3,000, respectively, year-over-year.

The company reported its mobile phone churn rate — a metric measuring subscribers who cancelled their services — was 1.09 per cent in the third quarter, up from 1.03 per cent in the third quarter of 2023. That included a postpaid mobile phone churn rate of 0.90 per cent in its latest quarter.

Telus said its focus is on customer retention through its “industry-leading service and network quality, along with successful promotions and bundled offerings.”

“The customers we have are the most important customers we can get,” said chief financial officer Doug French in an interview.

“We’ve, again, just continued to focus on what matters most to our customers, from a product and customer service perspective, while not loading unprofitable customers.”

Meanwhile, Telus reported its net income attributable to common shares more than doubled during its third quarter.

The telecommunications company said it earned $280 million, up 105.9 per cent from the same three-month period in 2023. Earnings per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 19 cents compared with nine cents a year earlier.

It reported adjusted net income was $413 million, up 10.7 per cent year-over-year from $373 million in the same quarter last year. Operating revenue and other income for the quarter was $5.1 billion, up 1.8 per cent from the previous year.

Mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.85 in the third quarter, a decrease of $2.09 or 3.4 per cent from a year ago. Telus said the drop was attributable to customers signing up for base rate plans with lower prices, along with a decline in overage and roaming revenues.

It said customers are increasingly adopting unlimited data and Canada-U.S. plans which provide higher and more stable ARPU on a monthly basis.

“In a tough operating environment and relative to peers, we view Q3 results that were in line to slightly better than forecast as the best of the bunch,” said RBC analyst Drew McReynolds in a note.

Scotiabank analyst Maher Yaghi added that “the telecom industry in Canada remains very challenging for all players, however, Telus has been able to face these pressures” and still deliver growth.

The Big 3 telecom providers — which also include Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. — have frequently stressed that the market has grown more competitive in recent years, especially after the closing of Quebecor Inc.’s purchase of Freedom Mobile in April 2023.

Hailed as a fourth national carrier, Quebecor has invested in enhancements to Freedom’s network while offering more affordable plans as part of a set of commitments it was mandated by Ottawa to agree to.

The cost of telephone services in September was down eight per cent compared with a year earlier, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent inflation report last month.

“I think competition has been and continues to be, I’d say, quite intense in Canada, and we’ve obviously had to just manage our business the way we see fit,” said French.

Asked how long that environment could last, he said that’s out of Telus’ hands.

“What I can control, though, is how we go to market and how we lead with our products,” he said.

“I think the conditions within the market will have to adjust accordingly over time. We’ve continued to focus on digitization, continued to bring our cost structure down to compete, irrespective of the price and the current market conditions.”

Still, Canada’s telecom regulator continues to warn providers about customers facing more charges on their cellphone and internet bills.

On Tuesday, CRTC vice-president of consumer, analytics and strategy Scott Hutton called on providers to ensure they clearly inform their customers of charges such as early cancellation fees.

That followed statements from the regulator in recent weeks cautioning against rising international roaming fees and “surprise” price increases being found on their bills.

Hutton said the CRTC plans to launch public consultations in the coming weeks that will focus “on ensuring that information is clear and consistent, making it easier to compare offers and switch services or providers.”

“The CRTC is concerned with recent trends, which suggest that Canadians may not be benefiting from the full protections of our codes,” he said.

“We will continue to monitor developments and will take further action if our codes are not being followed.”

French said any initiative to boost transparency is a step in the right direction.

“I can’t say we are perfect across the board, but what I can say is we are absolutely taking it under consideration and trying to be the best at communicating with our customers,” he said.

“I think everyone looking in the mirror would say there’s room for improvement.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:T)

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TC Energy cuts cost estimate for Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico

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CALGARY – TC Energy Corp. has lowered the estimated cost of its Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico.

It says it now expects the project to cost between US$3.9 billion and US$4.1 billion compared with its original estimate of US$4.5 billion.

The change came as the company reported a third-quarter profit attributable to common shareholders of C$1.46 billion or $1.40 per share compared with a loss of C$197 million or 19 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 totalled C$4.08 billion, up from C$3.94 billion in the third quarter of 2023.

TC Energy says its comparable earnings for its latest quarter amounted to C$1.03 per share compared with C$1.00 per share a year earlier.

The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TRP)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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BCE reports Q3 loss on asset impairment charge, cuts revenue guidance

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BCE Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter as it recorded $2.11 billion in asset impairment charges, mainly related to Bell Media’s TV and radio properties.

The company says its net loss attributable to common shareholders amounted to $1.24 billion or $1.36 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $640 million or 70 cents per share a year earlier.

On an adjusted basis, BCE says it earned 75 cents per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 81 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

“Bell’s results for the third quarter demonstrate that we are disciplined in our pursuit of profitable growth in an intensely competitive environment,” BCE chief executive Mirko Bibic said in a statement.

“Our focus this quarter, and throughout 2024, has been to attract higher-margin subscribers and reduce costs to help offset short-term revenue impacts from sustained competitive pricing pressures, slow economic growth and a media advertising market that is in transition.”

Operating revenue for the quarter totalled $5.97 billion, down from $6.08 billion in its third quarter of 2023.

BCE also said it now expects its revenue for 2024 to fall about 1.5 per cent compared with earlier guidance for an increase of zero to four per cent.

The company says the change comes as it faces lower-than-anticipated wireless product revenue and sustained pressure on wireless prices.

BCE added 33,111 net postpaid mobile phone subscribers, down 76.8 per cent from the same period last year, which was the company’s second-best performance on the metric since 2010.

It says the drop was driven by higher customer churn — a measure of subscribers who cancelled their service — amid greater competitive activity and promotional offer intensity. BCE’s monthly churn rate for the category was 1.28 per cent, up from 1.1 per cent during its previous third quarter.

The company also saw 11.6 per cent fewer gross subscriber activations “due to more targeted promotional offers and mobile device discounting compared to last year.”

Bell’s wireless mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.26, down 3.4 per cent from $60.28 in the third quarter of the prior year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BCE)

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