Social Media | Steve Woods

French raid X offices

03/02/2026 Steve WoodsAI, Politics, Social Media, Tech
The Paris Public Prosecutor’s office has today issued the press release in English below concerning a visit by its own officers and those of other agencies to the offices of the right-wing propaganda machine masquerading as a social media platform X.com, which was known as Twitter before its acquisition by far-right man-baby Elon Musk.
A search is being carried out today at the French premises of the X platform, as part of the investigation opened in January 2025 by the cybercrime section of the Paris prosecutor’s office, with the UNCyber unit of the gendarmerie and in the presence of Europol.

In parallel, summonses for voluntary interviews on April 20, 2026, in Paris, were sent to Mr. Elon Musk and Ms. Linda Yacarino, in their capacity as de facto and de jure managers of Platform X at the time of the events. Employees of Platform X are also summoned during the week of April 20-24, 2026, to be heard as witnesses. The voluntary interviews of the managers are intended to allow them to present their position on the events and, where applicable, the compliance measures envisaged.

The conduct of this investigation is, at this stage, part of a constructive approach, with the objective of ultimately ensuring Platform X’s compliance with French law, insofar as it operates within the national territory.

As a reminder, this investigation was opened following two reports received on January 12, 2025. On July 9, 2025, the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office entrusted the investigation to the Directorate General of the National Gendarmerie (DGGN). The investigation was expanded following further reports denouncing Grok’s operations on the X platform, which led to the dissemination of Holocaust denial content and sexually explicit deepfakes.

The investigations concern the following criminal offenses:
- complicity in the possession of child pornography images of minors a © complicity in the organized distribution, offering, or making available of child pornography images of minors
- violation of the right to privacy (sexually explicit deepfakes)
- denial of crimes against humanity (Holocaust denial)
- fraudulent extraction of data from an automated data processing system by an organized group
- falsification of the operation of an automated data processing system by an organized group
- Administration of an illegal online platform by an organized group.
Elon Musk issued a typically petulant response to the action, calling it a “political attack“. If there’s any attack, Mr Musk, it concerns your platform’s lax attitude to responsibility.

Furthermore, Musk was corrected in no uncertain terms by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs account on X, which replied as follows:

Your ‘umble scribe wonders if the French reference to “some island” is a less than subtle dig atMusk’s expression of interest in visiting paedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s child abuse island.

In contrast to the muscular approach taken by the French, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has opened a formal inquiry into X and xAI over whether Elon Musk’s companies have complied with data protection law after the Grok AI tool was used to generate sexual deepfake images without consent.
Metrology – introducing the corgi

01/02/2026 Steve WoodsLanguage, Media, Social Media

The United States of America has long had a system of weights and measures that make the British Imperial system seem logical even if the latter does include such oddities as the furlong, chain and barleycorn even just in the length measurements alone.

And the US metrological landscape has just been augmented by one East Coast addition to the units of measurement.
Your ‘umble scribe much prefers the symmetry and simplicity of the metric system that he was first taught and used in science and mathematics classes six decades ago and which still has to adopted wholeheartedly by a British state allegedly unwilling to upset or confuse (really? Ed.) those of his generation, although he suspects this reluctance is also heavily coloured by a large measure of English/British exceptionalism.

In addition to the officially adopted systems of weights and measures, ordinary folk have always used their own informal and somewhat odd units. In the past this site has covered the introduction – usually by the mainstream media – of units as diverse as the Stockholm (housing stock/housing crisis) and the Leaning Tower of Pisa (height).

As mentioned above, these venerable units of measurement have now been joined by another – the corgi – which is currently being used in North Carolina to assess the depth of the local snowfall. 😀
A nightmare at the movies

30/01/2026 Steve WoodsLanguage, Media, Politics, Social Media, Tech

A new ‘documentary’ film is currently being shown in cinemas across the United States. Entitled Melania, it documents the life of Melania Knauss Trump, the first lady of the United States, in the twenty days before the second presidential inauguration of her husband, the disgraced 45th and current disgraceful 47th President of the United States, adjudicated sexual predator, condemned business fraudster, convicted felon and compulsive liar, one Donald John Trump (who is on a personal quest to Make America Grate Again or something similar. Ed.).

According to The Guardian, Amazon MGM Studios bought the rights to the film for $40m – which reportedly included a considerable sum to the subject of the film (no surprise there! The whole tRump family are high gains grifters. Ed.) – and is spending $35m on a global marketing push. This spend has so far been mostly in the US, with TV spots, billboards and a takeover of Las Vegas’s immersive events venue The Sphere.

However, the film is not proving popular either with the public or the critics. As regards the latter, this might just be due to the mainstream press not being invited by Amazon the the premiere at the Kennedy Center.

The exclusion of the Fourth Estate may also explain the dire reviews the film has been receiving, such as the one below ascribed to Variety, although Yahoo News suggests this could be a misattribution.

What is more, it’s not just film critics that have been drawing attention to the film’s awfulness. Members of the public reviewing it on IMDb have given it an average score of 1.3 out of ten.

However, this criticism is quite mild compared with the defaced bus stop poster portrayed below, which prompts ypour ‘umble scribe to ask when exactly will the so-called Epstein Files be released in full?

Update 31/01/2026: Another tranche of the Epstein Files was released yesterday, with at least one wag on social media suggesting the files’ release was intended to distract from from the Melania documentary.

Update 03/02/2026: The film continues to get panned, as revealed by this social media post referring to a recent review in The Grauniad.
EU Commission investigates Grok and X under DSA

26/01/2026 Steve WoodsAI, Politics, Security, Social Media, Tech
The European Commission has today announced a new formal investigation against X (the ~~conduit of hate~~ alleged social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Ed.) under the Digital Services Act (DSA). In parallel, the Commission extended its current investigation launched in December 2023 into X’s compliance with its recommender systems risk management obligations.

The new investigation will examine whether the company properly assessed and mitigated risks associated with the deployment of Grok’s functionalities into X in the EU, including risks related to the dissemination of illegal content in the EU, such as manipulated sexually explicit images, including child sexual abuse material.

These risks seem to have materialised, exposing EU citizens to serious harm. Consequently, the Commission will further investigate whether X complies with its DSA obligations to:
- Diligently assess and mitigate systemic risks, including of the dissemination of illegal content, negative effects in relation to gender-based violence and serious negative consequences to physical and mental well-being stemming from deployments of Grok’s functionalities on its platform;
- Conduct and transmit to the Commission an ad-hoc risk assessment report for Grok’s functionalities in the X service with a critical impact on X’s risk profile prior to their deployment.
Furthermore, the Commission has extended its continuing formal proceedings initiated against X in December 2023 to determine if X has properly assessed and mitigated all systemic risks (as defined in the DSA) associated with its recommender systems, including the impact of its recently announced switch to a Grok-based recommender system.

If proven, these failures would constitute infringements of Articles 34(1) and (2), 35(1) and 42(2) of the DSA. The Commission will now carry out an in-depth investigation as a matter of priority. The opening of formal proceedings does not prejudge its outcome.

In the run-up to this investigation, the Commission has closely collaborated with Coimisiún na Meán, the Irish Digital Services Coordinator. In addition, Coimisiún na Meán will be associated with this investigation pursuant to Article 66(3) as the national Digital Services Coordinator in the EU country where X is based.

The opening of formal proceedings empowers the Commission to take further enforcement steps, such as adopting a non-compliance decision. The Commission is also empowered to accept any commitment made by X to remedy the matters subject to the proceeding.
Reform candidate emulates tRump

25/01/2026 Steve WoodsAI, Language, Politics, Social Media

On Terry Pratchett’s fictional Discworld, Ankh Morpork local newspaper publisher William de Worde remarks: “Lies could run round the world before the truth could get its boots on” in the novel The Truth.

That turn of speed definitely applies today to internet memes, whether AI-generated slop or otherwise.

It hasn’t taken long for the Farage fascist fan club otherwise known as Reform UK (Ltd.) to pick up on some of the latest garbage emanating from the White House (posts passim) and adapt it for their own Z-list candidate for mayor, Laila Cunningham, another Conservative Party defector who, amongst other things, want to dictate what women choose to wear.

AI from the hard of thinking. Since when have there mountains on the banks of the Thames? And why are the two figures shown leaving no tracks in the snow?

Whatever the direction Farage’s Reform is planning on taking the country, those mythical sunlit uplands of politics (© Winston Churchill, July 1940) do not seem to be involved.
President promises penguins

24/01/2026 Steve WoodsAI, Oddities, Politics, Social Media

The disgraced former 45th and current disgraceful 47th President of the United States, adjudicated sexual predator, condemned business fraudster, convicted felon and compulsive liar, one Donald John Trump (who is on a personal quest to Make America Grate Again or something similar. Ed.), has never been renowned for his intellectual prowess. This, plus his overweening narcissism, means that for his second spell of squatting in the Oval Office, he has surrounded himself with sycophantic staff who will not embarrass him mainly because they are just as stupid as their boss, if not more so.

This stupidity was again on display yesterday on the White House social media accounts, with a post based on the lonely penguin meme from the Werner Herzog film Encounters at the End of the World. The meme features footage of a lone Adélie penguin wandering away from its colony in Antarctica and was posted in connection with the Tangerine Tyrant’s obsession with acquiring Greenland from Denmark, an ambition which has provoked both a consumer boycott (posts passim) and demonstrations in both Denmark itself and Greenland.

Here’s what White House staffers embarrassed themselves and the entire Trump regime with yesterday.

Needless to say the image was produced with the aid of Artificial Ignorance, otherwise abbreviated to AI.

Moreover, it goes without saying that the post attracted extensive mockery online. Here’s an example.

However, this criticism overlooks one vital fact; The Donald’s importing of penguins to Greenland is a far better use of US tax dollars than towing Greenland down to the southern polar region to enable it to be populated by penguins! 😀
Security and wearable animals

15/01/2026 Steve WoodsLanguage, Oddities, Security, Social Media

A number of years ago, wearable technology looked set to become all the rage.

Mention of it has declined noticeably in recent years. When, for instance, was the last time you heard of or encountered, say, Google Glass?

On the other hand, wearable animals – or parts of animals – have a history that extends back into prehistory, in particular that epoch known as the Palaeolithic, the longest period in human history.

Nevertheless, the manners in which animals or their parts have been used have adapted over the millennia in response to technological changes and development.

A recent example of such an adaptation is shown below. It cropped up in your correspondent’s social media timeline today, although a reverse image search indicates it might have originated a couple of years ago.

Why Is The First Letter of Each Word Capitalised?

Are other identity animals available? Comment below.
A few corrections from Merriam Webster

14/01/2026 Steve WoodsLanguage, Social Media

Shamelessly lifted from social media, Merriam-Webster is making an effort to remedy the modern vicious circle (not cycle. Ed.) of misquoted adages.

One stands corrected

Merriam-Webster describes itself as “America’s most trusted dictionary“. It’s also the USA’s oldest dictionary publisher, whose presses first started producing reference books in 1843, according to Wikipedia.

Your ‘umble scribe hopes the company’s efforts are not in vain, as language skills generally seem to be declining. 🙁
A message to Donald

09/01/2026 Steve WoodsLanguage, Politics, Social Media

Your ‘umble scribe is unaware how many times a week – if any – the disgraced former 45th president and current disgraceful 47th president of the United States of America, insurrectionist, convicted felon, adjudicated sexual predator, business fraudster, congenital liar and golf cheat commonly known as Donald John Trump (who is on a mission to Make America Grate Again or something similar. Ed.) catches either a number 77, 87, 196, 452 or N87 from the bus stop at London’s Nine Elms Underground station, but it will do his narcissistic personality disorder no good at all.

The poster below has this week appeared at the bus stop in response to the USA’s attack on Venezuela and kidnapping of its president, Nicolás Maduro, earlier this week.

Of course, having the US military at one’s control does mean that The Donald, as commander-in-chief of the US armed forces, is able to call on their members to indulge in the ultimate ‘look over there‘ tactics when required to distract from his embarrassing local difficulties caused by his long-term friendship with the late American financier, human trafficker, child sex offender and serial rapist Jeffrey Epstein, as the thousands of documents known as the Epstein files slowly make their redacted way into the public domain and which he and his sycophantic subordinates seem very reluctant to release, despite the existence and imperative of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, not to mention the Tango Terrorists campaign trail promise to release the files.

There’s an old adage that says you can tell a man by the company he keeps.

Before we end, a quick translation from EN-GB for any American readers. You will not find the definition of nonce as used above in a standard American dictionary; you’ll need a British one. It’s British prison slang to denote a person who commits a crime involving sex, especially sex with a child. This definition is taken from the Cambridge online English Dictionary.

Which country will tRump invade next as a distraction from his next scandal? Have your say in the comments.
A chilly morning in Barton Hill

04/01/2026 Steve WoodsBristol, Politics, Social Media

Yesterday the regular Barton Hill community litter pick took place on its usual day – the first Saturday of the month.

It was a cold but fine morning with a ferocious wind chill factor, so wrapping up warm was essential.

In addition, we had our best turn-out for a while with six hardy volunteers showing up outside the Wellspring Settlement.

Some of the litter pickers and their haul.

Overall, we picked for an hour and a quarter, with the areas covered including Ducie Road, Morley Street, Cobden Street, the Urban Park, Strawbridge Road and Tichbourne Road.

A good haul of both recyclable materials and landfill were removed, 4 and 5 bags respectively, in addition to which we collected a few bulky items – suitcase, printer/scanner and broken furniture – for removal by Bristol Waste.

Whilst working around the area, we also identified other matters that needed further attention (e.g. scruffy public open space) by either the council or Bristol Waste (e.g. properties that needed help with waste management and/or recycling).

After finishing most of us returned to the Settlement to tea and biscuits, with 2 cuppas proving to be the minimum dose for unfreezing fingers.

February’s pick will be on Saturday 7th February. Note it in your diaries!

In the meantime, if you see fly-tipping, any other environmental crime or something that needs fixing, you can report it to Bristol City Council here, otherwise central government’s GOV.UK site has a handy page to find your local authority in England, Scotland and Wales and notify it of such problems.

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