Tech Digest daily roundup: Twitter users vote for Elon Musk to step down
Twitter users have voted in favour of Elon Musk stepping down as the platform’s chief executive after the billionaire ran a poll on his future. A total of 57.5% voted “yes” after Mr Musk asked his 122 million followers whether he should stand down. Mr Musk, who bought Twitter for $44bn (£36bn), said before the poll closed that he would abide by the result. The technology tycoon, who also runs Tesla and Space X, has faced much criticism since taking over the site. Mr Musk is yet to comment since the poll closed. Even if he were to resign as chief executive, he would remain as Twitter’s owner. BBC
Twitter users will no longer be able to link to a number of rival social media websites, including Facebook, Instagram and Mastodon. On Sunday, Twitter Support tweeted that it will “no longer allow free promotion of certain social media platforms on Twitter”. “Specifically, we will remove accounts created solely for the purpose of promoting other social platforms and content that contains links or usernames for the following platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Nostr and Post,” it added. Sky News
Oppo wants to disprove your assumption that all smartphones share the same appearance. We had the opportunity to attend Oppo Inno Days this week, the Chinese manufacturer’s annual event that serves as a genuine technological exhibition. The Chinese company used the occasion to introduce a new smartphone idea, a phone that is entirely constructed of glass, negating the need for a frame to hold the screen and shell together. Oppo refers to it as “Integrated glass” or “All-glass unibody” for the same reason. Gizchina
Multi-storey and underground car parks could collapse under the weight of electric vehicles, engineers have warned. Electric cars, which are roughly twice as heavy as standard models, could cause ‘catastrophic’ damage, according to the British Parking Association (BPA), which wants local authorities to conduct urgent structural surveys. Most of the nation’s 6,000 multi-storey and underground facilities were built according to guidance based on the weight of popular cars of 1976, including the Mk 3 Ford Cortina. But the electric cars currently on the UK market are far bulkier. Daily Mail
The European Union has accused Meta of breaking antitrust rules relating to its online classified ad business. The Facebook owner faces a fine of up to 10 per cent of its annual global revenue if found guilty, which would be an $11.8 billion fine if applied to the firm’s latest financial results. The EU’s executive commission said it “takes issue” with the tech company tying its online classified ad business, Facebook Marketplace, to Facebook. That means Facebook users automatically have access to Marketplace “whether they want it or not”, the European Commission said. Independent
Boris Johnson’s brother Jo has been advising cryptocurrency business Binance as it struggles to launch its exchange in the UK, official records show. Lord Johnson of Marylebone took up a role on the UK advisory board of one of Binance’s subsidiaries in September, The Telegraph can disclose. He resigned last week as pressure grew over the transparency of Binance’s finances and amid a deepening crisis in the cryptocurrency sector. Former universities minister Lord Johnson served as adviser to Bifinity, a payments business founded by Binance, alongside Lord Vaizey, the former digital minister. Telegraph
