BBC Verify dropped an article last night titled “How X’s new location feature exposed big US politics accounts”, lamenting:
“Dozens of high-engagement accounts on X have been accused of misleading users following the roll-out of a new transparency feature that shows user locations.”
Conveniently, they forget to mention BBC News UK’s own X account also appears to be using a VPN – based in the US. Guido is sure Trump loves the idea of the BBC being based stateside…
X’s new feature – which Nikita Bier, X’s Head of Product, says is “99.99%” accurate – shows that other champions of the Online Safety Act are also internationally mobile: Good Law Project is “based” in the US, while Hope Not Hate’s CEO Nick Lowles is “based” in Ukraine. Do as I say…
Tom Baldwin, author of Starmer’s hagiography, spoke to Times Radio:
Tom Baldwin: “I think he’d like to do something. He’s very dutiful and driven by service. That’s why he came into politics. I think that’s characterised his time as prime minister. He hasn’t always sought popularity or been good at being popular. But I think he has some of the necessary qualities that we actually do want in a prime minister. That resilience, that relentlessness, that ability to carry the weight and the job really does weigh very heavily on people and he carries that weight very, very well.”
Jo Coburn: “NATO Secretary-General?”
Tom Baldwin: “I think that’s something that he would be interested in. I think it probably requires Andy Burnham’s government to support him in that and these are some of the questions which Andy Burnham has to resolve quite quickly.”