Elon Musk shared on Saturday that he may launch his own smartphone if Apple and Google decide to remove the Twitter app from their app stores. Since Twitter is reportedly facing close scrutiny by both Apple and Google app stores, there were concerns that the micro-blogging platform may be removed from their app stores. Musk was replying to right-wing podcaster Liz Wheeler’s suggestion that he should create a new phone if the tech giants boot Twitter from their app stores.
Wheeler said the endeavour would not be a challenge for a man who builds rockets to Mars, and added that “half the country would happily ditch the biased, snooping iPhone & Android” and purchase instead the “tELONphone” a term she coined for the device.
To Musk’s response, many users said that regardless of this he should make his smartphones. One user said, “Raise your hand if you think @elonmusk should make an alternative phone regardless.”
Imagine a smartphone without all the spy and tracking features, and that stands up for free speech. The demand would be huge. Take the extra step to not build it with Chinese slave labor, and Apple would be done.
— Joshua Philipp (@JoshJPhilipp) November 26, 2022
Probably should do it anyway. Spite is a powerful tool. In a couple months I will be receiving my graduate degree from Georgetown University, where I was denied entry for my undergraduate school about 15 years ago. And I will have paid $0 for it. In the end, I won. Always do.
— Ryan M. Spaeder (@theaceofspaeder) November 25, 2022
Watch | Twitter Blue Tick Relaunched: Elon Musk plans to roll out gold and grey ticks next Friday
Meanwhile, Musk also plans to soon introduce encryption services for messages, videos and voice calls.
The Verge cited Musk presented a presentation titled “Twitter-2.0” to the employees at San Fransico’s headquarters and told them that the company would encrypt DMs, and voice and video calls between users over privacy concerns.
He also tweeted some slides from his presentation about advertisement and content moderation.
He said, “We want to enable users to be able to communicate without being concerned about their privacy, [or] without being concerned about a data breach at Twitter causing all of their DMs to hit the web, or think that maybe someone at Twitter could be spying on their DMs.”
He further mentioned what happened in 2018, when DMs of businesses and users were accessed by outsiders. “It should be the case that I can’t look at anyone’s DMs if somebody has put a gun to my head,” he told employees saying that encryption is the main priority for his “Twitter 2.0 vision.”
Adding to this, Musk said that they will enable voice and video chats so that users don’t have to share their numbers.
(With inputs from agencies)
