LONDON: Britain’s Prince Harry said he warned the chief executive of Twitter ahead of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots that the social media site was being used to stage political unrest in the US capital.
Harry made the comments Tuesday while he was taking part in an online panel on misinformation in California. He said he made his concerns known via email to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey the day before the riot.
“Jack and I were emailing each other prior to January 6 where I warned him that his platform was allowing a coup to be staged,” Harry said at the at the RE:WIRED tech forum. “That email was sent the day before and then it happened and I haven’t heard from him since.”
Social media sites have come under fire for not doing enough to halt the spread of misinformation and inciteful content, with the storming of the US Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump just one example. Big tech in general has been accused of putting growth and profits ahead of public safety.
Harry also accused other social media sites like Facebook of misleading “billions of people” with COVID and climate change misinformation. He also targeted YouTube, saying many videos spreading COVID misinformation were left up despite violating the site’s own policies.
“And worse, they came to the users via the recommendation tool within YouTube’s own algorithm versus anything that the user was actually searching for,” he said. “It shows really that it can be stopped but also they didn’t want to stop it because it affects their bottom line.”
Harry and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, announced in early 2020 that they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America, citing what they said were the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media.
Meghan, a former star of the American TV legal drama “Suits,” married Harry, a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, at Windsor Castle in May 2018.
Prince Harry says he warned Twitter CEO of US Capitol riot
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Prince Harry says he warned Twitter CEO of US Capitol riot
- Prince Harry said he warned the CEO of Twitter ahead of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots that the social media site was being used to stage political unrest in the US capital
Spotify and Dubai Culture sign MoU to support local talent development
DUBAI: Spotify and the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority signed a memorandum of understanding earlier this month aimed at supporting the growth of local musical talent.
The partnership will include the sharing of insights, data and analytics, as well as practical support to help UAE-based artists sustain and progress their careers, the organizations said.
As part of the MoU, Spotify and Dubai Culture will launch joint programs and develop a series of music-led projects focused on the emirate’s creative community.
Talent development is a core pillar of Dubai Culture’s work, said Her Excellency Hala Badri, director-general of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority.
She added: “In the music sector, this translates into sustained support that enables musicians to develop, produce, and continue their practice over time. The agreement with Spotify is part of our broader efforts to support artists and creatives at all career stages and to strengthen the professional foundations of the music sector in Dubai.”
For Spotify, the MoU is in line with existing initiatives such as the RADAR Arabia program and the Fresh Finds Arabia playlist, which highlight and support local emerging talent.
As a global hub connecting Asia, Africa and Europe, Dubai is playing an increasingly important role in the region’s music economy, said Gustav Gyllenhammar, senior vice president of markets and subscriptions at Spotify.
Through the collaboration with Dubai Culture, he added, Spotify is “helping build a stronger local music ecosystem, supporting discovery and helping music coming out of Dubai reach listeners around the world.”
