Tech Digest daily round up: First ever tweet up for sale

“just setting up my twttr” – the first ever tweet on the platform is up for sale after Twitter boss Jack Dorsey listed his famous post as a unique digital signature on a website for selling tweets as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The post, sent from Dorsey’s account in March of 2006, received offers on Friday that went as high as $88,888.88 within minutes of the Twitter co-founder tweeting a link to the listing on ‘Valuables by Cent’ – a tweets marketplace. NFTs are digital files that serve as digital signatures to certify who owns photos, videos and other online media. See Reuters. 

In further Twitter news, the social media company is testing an “undo send” function (again) that would give users a short time to withdraw a tweet before it is posted, the company confirmed on Friday. App researcher Jane Manchun Wong, who discovers unannounced social media features by looking at the sites’ code, tweeted an animation showing a tweet with a spelling error where an ‘undo’ button was available before a short timer ran out. A Twitter spokeswoman said the feature was being tested as part of the company’s exploration of how subscriptions could work on the platform. She said Twitter would be testing and iterating possible paid-for features over time. See Reuters. 

Williams has unveiled their new FW43B car for the season, but only after hackers forced them to pull the plug on plans to launch the car via an app. The company had planned to give fans a chance to experience seeing the new car within their homes via an app’s projection technology. However one hour before the car’s launch on Friday, the team was forced to abandon the concept and put out a statement confirming the cancellation of the virtual reality launch. George Russell who will drive for the team for a third straight season admitted his disappointment to fans. ‘Massive shame. I’ve seen the app and it was going to be an awesome experience for you guys. Whoever did this, seriously not cool’, the Brit tweeted. For the full story see The Daily Mail. 

Businessman John McAfee, creator of the McAfee anti-virus software, has been charged in the US with conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering. Mr McAfee and his bodyguard Jimmy Gale Watson Jr are accused of promoting cryptocurrencies to Mr McAfee’s large Twitter following to inflate prices. The currencies were then allegedly sold, making the pair $2m (£1.45m), prosecutors said. The men have not commented on the charges. See full story on the BBC. 

Vodafone has launched its Pro Broadband service. Promising comprehensive wireless connectivity around the home, the product is designed to reinforce Vodafone’s commitment to take a greater share of the UK broadband market. Features include broadband backup, which is designed to provide what Vodafone claims is an “unbreakable” internet connection, with the router automatically using Vodafone’s 4G mobile network if the fixed-line connection goes down. The service also guarantees to deliver Wi-Fi signal into every room of the house by using boosters to reach black spots. See Computer Weekly.