Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, a devoted and very active user of Facebook — on which he has posted everything from photos of his grandchildren to threats against his political enemies — said Wednesday that he will no longer upload to the platform and will instead depend on the Telegram app to get his message across. Telegram is a popular messaging app that also has a blogging tool called “channels.” In Russia and some of the neighboring countries, it is actively used both by government officials and opposition activists for communicating with mass audiences. Telegram played an important role in coordinating unprecedented anti-government protests in Belarus in 2020, and currently serves as a major source of news about Russia’s war in Ukraine. The 70-year-old year Hun Sen is listed as having 14 million Facebook followers, though critics have suggested a large number are merely “ghost” accounts purchased in bulk from so-called “click farms,” an assertion the long-serving prime minister has repeatedly denied. The Facebook accounts of Joe Biden and Donald Trump by comparison boast 11 million and 34 million followers, respectively, though the United States has about 20 times the population of Cambodia. Hun Sen officially launched his Facebook page on Sept. 20, 2015, after his fierce political rival, opposition leader Sam Rainsy, effectively demonstrated how it could be used to mobilize support. Hun Sen is noted as a canny and sometimes ruthless politician, and has since then managed to drive his rival into exile and neutralize all his challengers, even though Cambodia is a nominally democratic state. Hun Sen said he is giving up Facebook for Telegram because he believes the latter is more effective for communicating. In a Telegram post on Wednesday he said it will be easier for him to get his message out when he is traveling in other countries that officially ban Facebook use. China, the top ally of his government, is also the biggest country with a Facebook ban. Hun Sen has 855,000 followers so far on Telegram, where he appears to have started posting in mid-May. It is also possible that Hun Sen’s social media loyalty switch has to do with controversy over remarks he posted earlier this year on Facebook that in theory could see him get at least temporarily banned from the platform. As the country’s top leader for 38 years, he has earned a reputation for heated rhetoric, and in January, speaking at a road construction ceremony, he decried opposition politicians who accused his ruling Cambodian People’s Paty of stealing votes. “There are only two options. One is to use legal means and the other is to use a stick,” the prime minister said. “Either you face legal action in court, or I rally (the Cambodian) People’s Party people for a demonstration and beat you up.” His remarks were spoken on Facebook Live and kept online as a video. Perhaps because of heightened consciousness about the power of social media to inflame and trigger violence in such countries as India and Myanmar, and because the remarks were made ahead of a general election in Cambodia this July, complaints about his words were lodged with Facebook’s parent company, Meta. Facebook’s moderators declined to recommend action against Hun Sen, judging that his position as a national leader made his remarks newsworthy and therefore not subject to punishment despite their provocative nature. However, the case was forwarded in March to Meta’s Oversight Board, a group of independent experts that is empowered to render an overriding judgment that could limit Hun Sen’s Facebook activities. They may issue a decision in the next few weeks. The case is being closely watched as an indicator of where Facebook will draw the line in countries with volatile political situations. Hun Sen said his Facebook account will remain online but he will no longer actively post to it. He urged people looking for news from him to check YouTube and his Instagram account as well as Telegram, and said he has ordered his office to establish a TikTok account to allow him to communicate with his country’s youth.. ___ Peck reported from Bangkok. Dasha Litvinova contributed from Tallinn, Estonia. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Cambodian lawmakers approve changes to election law that disqualify candidates who don't vote Trump’s latest defence in the classified documents case: ‘Bravado’ Trump gives ‘bravado’ defence for secret papers tape as he sues E Jean Carroll – live

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The Family Guy TV series has always had a reputation for walking a tightrope between being satirical and downright offensive. Now, an AI-generated version of the show has been banned from one of its main platforms, the streaming site Twitch, after it seemingly made a bomb threat in one of its sequences. The parody was being hosted on the channel ai_peter, when one of the characters started talking about how best to plant a bomb in an indoor arena venue in Washington DC. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter A Twitter user who was tuned into the show when it happened said the account was disabled within minutes. The show was also later removed from YouTube, and the show is no longer streaming on Kick. Now, users trying to visit the channel on Twitch see the message: “This channel is temporarily unavailable due to a violation of Twitch’s Community Guidelines or Terms of Service.” The parody also featured a sequence in which the AI-generated protagonist Peter Griffin announced the death of Brian, the family's dog, who was a hugely popular character in the original show. AI parody streams court controversy The ai_peter account is the latest in a string of live streamers who have used the technology to mimic scenes from a popular TV show and beam it to users on platforms like Twitch, YouTube and Kick. Another earlier parody is AI Seinfeld, which started generating mocked-up scenes from the hit 1990s sitcom. However, that too was banned after it made an anti-LGBT+ joke. Despite the repeated controversies, AI-generated Twitch streamers have attracted thousands of viewers to their regular streams in recent months, with viewers enjoying the novelty of seeing how powerful the technology can be. The shows typically generate parody scenes from the original shows, while also taking suggestions and interacting with viewers. The AI Family Guy uses OpenAI DaVinci, a writing assistant and content creation platform. It uses audio generated using FakeYou.com, with the stream running 24/7. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 26, 2023--

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