Twitter is rolling out verified NFT profile pictures
Twitter on Thursday began rolling out a feature that will let some users set NFTs that they own as their profile picture to signal their investment in the emerging digital art space. The move makes Twitter one of the best-known tech platforms so far to launch a feature for the flashy NFT trend.
NFTs, or "nonfungible tokens," are one-of-a-kind, verifiable digital collectibles, often works of art, that can be traded on the blockchain, the technology that underpins cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. While not exactly new, NFTs have exploded into a lucrative industry over the past year, with digital art works selling for millions of dollars, and artists, celebrities and companies jumping on board to make and sell them.
NFTs such as characters from the popular "Bored Apes" collection have been popping up as people's avatars on Twitter in recent months. The new feature, which is only available to users who pay for Twitter's subscription service, will go a step further. It will verify someone's ownership of the NFT by linking the person's digital wallet where the NFTs are stored to their Twitter account.
The images will also look different on Twitter than typical profile pictures. The new NFT avatars will show up as a hexagon, instead of a circle, and users can click on them to get more information about the artwork, including its creator and where it's listed.
Twitter's announcement comes as social media companies scramble to stake out their place in the growing NFT space. Meta Platforms is reportedly considering launching a marketplace for NFTs on Facebook and Instagram, according to reports from the Information and the Financial Times.
It also marks Twitter's latest foray into "decentralized" technologies. In July, Twitter's founder and then-CEO, Jack Dorsey, said bitcoin would be a "big part" of the company's future. In September, the company introduced the ability for users to tip creators using bitcoin. Twitter also announced last year that it was building a crypto team to focus on cryptocurrencies, blockchain and related technologies.
The rollout of the new NFT profile pictures is fairly limited for now. The feature is available to Twitter Blue subscribers using the iOS app in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, although Twitter users on any platform will be able to see the new avatars.
RISKIN REPORTS
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
WATCH LIVE | 'Too many children did not make it home': Anniversary of discovery at Canada's largest residential school
A daylong memorial began Monday in Kamloops, B.C., at the site of what was once Canada's largest residential school on the one-year anniversary of the announcement of the detection of unmarked graves.
Thousands in Ont., Que. still without power after storm leaves at least nine dead
Hundreds of thousands of people remain without power after Saturday's powerful storm that left at least nine dead and caused extensive damage throughout southern Ontario and Quebec.
Monkeypox fears could stigmatize LGBTQ2+ community, expert says
A theory that the recent outbreak of monkeypox may be tied to sexual activity has put the gay community in an unfortunate position, having fought back against previous and continued stigma around HIV and AIDS, an LGBTQ2+ centre director says.
Russian sentenced to life in Ukraine's 1st war crimes trial
A Russian soldier who pleaded guilty to killing a civilian was sentenced by a Ukrainian court Monday to life in prison -- the maximum -- amid signs the Kremlin may hold trials of its own, particularly of the captured fighters who held out at Mariupol's steel plant.
First of three flights bringing Ukrainians to Canada to land in Winnipeg
The first of three charter flights bringing Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia's invasion to Canada is to land in Manitoba this afternoon.
Walk out at trade meeting when Russia spoke 'not one-off,' says trade minister
The United States and four other nations that walked out of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group meeting in Bangkok over the weekend underlined their support Monday for host nation Thailand, saying their protest was aimed solely at Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine.
Military members urged to contact Habitat for Humanity amid housing crisis
An email encouraging members of the Canadian Armed Forces to consider contacting Habitat for Humanity if they can't find affordable housing is casting a spotlight on a growing challenge facing many military personnel and their families.
OPINION | Richard Berthelsen: What kind of King will Prince Charles be? Royal tour offers hints
The Canadian royal visit took place at a time when many are starting to view Prince Charles differently, given that his destiny to be King seems to loom closer, Richard Berthelsen writes in his exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
Wreckage found of plane that disappeared in Ontario with Alberta men onboard, police say
The wreckage of a small plane that disappeared last month in northern Ontario with two men aboard has been located in Lake Superior Provincial Park.
Canada
-
Northern Tornadoes Project continues to investigate damage from Ontario-Quebec storm
Western University's Northern Tornadoes Project is investigating the aftermath of the deadly storm that blew across southern Ontario and Quebec, but analysis will take time.
-
WATCH LIVE
WATCH LIVE | 'Too many children did not make it home': Anniversary of discovery at Canada's largest residential school
A daylong memorial began Monday in Kamloops, B.C., at the site of what was once Canada's largest residential school on the one-year anniversary of the announcement of the detection of unmarked graves.
-
Hydro damage 'significantly worse' than the ice storm and tornadoes, Hydro Ottawa says
Hydro Ottawa says the damage from Saturday's storm is "simply beyond comprehension", and is "significantly worse" than the 1998 ice storm and the tornadoes that hit the capital three years ago.
-
Thousands in Ont., Que. still without power after storm leaves at least nine dead
Hundreds of thousands of people remain without power after Saturday's powerful storm that left at least nine dead and caused extensive damage throughout southern Ontario and Quebec.
-
Military members urged to contact Habitat for Humanity amid housing crisis
An email encouraging members of the Canadian Armed Forces to consider contacting Habitat for Humanity if they can't find affordable housing is casting a spotlight on a growing challenge facing many military personnel and their families.
-
Children's shoes still fill steps of Vancouver Art Gallery in residential school tribute
A moving memorial of more than 200 pairs of tiny shoes still fills the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery a year after it was first installed.
World
-
Freed U.K. woman says Iran forced her to sign false confession
A British-Iranian charity worker who was detained in Tehran for almost six years says she was forced by Iranian officials to sign a false confession to spying before she was freed two months ago.
-
Ukraine updates: Russia escalating Donbas assault
The latest updates on the war in Ukraine on Monday: A Ukrainian official says Russian forces are stepping up their bombardment of the Donbas area.
-
Biden: U.S. would intervene with military to defend Taiwan
President Joe Biden said Monday that the U.S. would intervene militarily if China were to invade Taiwan, saying the burden to protect Taiwan is 'even stronger' after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It was one of the most forceful presidential statements in support of self-governing in decades.
-
Abu Dhabi says 2 killed, 120 injured in gas cylinder blast
A gas cylinder explosion in the capital of the United Arab Emirates killed two people and injured 120 others Monday, police said, hours after authorities downplayed the incident and warned the public not to share images of the aftermath.
-
Russian sentenced to life in Ukraine's 1st war crimes trial
A Russian soldier who pleaded guilty to killing a civilian was sentenced by a Ukrainian court Monday to life in prison -- the maximum -- amid signs the Kremlin may hold trials of its own, particularly of the captured fighters who held out at Mariupol's steel plant.
-
7 die in Philippine ferry fire; over 120 rescued from water
A ferry carrying more than 130 people caught fire in the northeastern Philippines on Monday, killing seven passengers and forcing many survivors to jump into the sea where they were rescued by other vessels.
Politics
-
Walk out at trade meeting when Russia spoke 'not one-off,' says trade minister
The United States and four other nations that walked out of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group meeting in Bangkok over the weekend underlined their support Monday for host nation Thailand, saying their protest was aimed solely at Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine.
-
Conservative party ends its investigation into complaint about a racist email
The Conservative Party of Canada says its ended its investigation into a racist email sent to leadership contender Patrick Brown's campaign team after the party member purportedly behind it resigned their membership.
-
Huawei 5G ban delay wasn't tied to efforts to free Spavor and Kovrig, Mendicino says
Canada's Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino insists the once unknown fate of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig was not why the government delayed its decision to ban Huawei technologies from Canada's 5G network.
Health
-
Monkeypox likely spread by sex at 2 raves in Europe, expert says
A leading adviser to the World Health Organization described the unprecedented outbreak of the rare disease monkeypox in developed countries as 'a random event' that might be explained by risky sexual behaviour at two recent mass events in Europe.
-
Pfizer says 3 COVID shots protect children under 5
Three doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine offer strong protection for children younger than 5, the company announced Monday. Pfizer plans to give the data to U.S. regulators later this week in a step toward letting the littlest kids get the shots.
-
Theories emerge for mysterious liver illnesses in children
Health officials remain perplexed by mysterious cases of severe liver damage in hundreds of young children around the world.
Sci-Tech
-
Why Canada is banning Huawei from participating in Canada's 5G network
The federal government is banning China's Huawei Technologies from involvement in Canada's 5G wireless network. Huawei and the Chinese government have vigorously denied accusations around the danger of spying, saying that the company poses no security threat.
-
Glut of social media posts, political divisiveness a challenge for content moderators
Misinformation, trolling and worse has always existed online, but content moderators say they saw a shift after the U.S. elected Donald Trump president in 2016 that reached a new height when George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis, was killed in police custody in May 2020, fuelling racial tensions just as the world was locked down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
-
Elon Musk denies he sexually harassed flight attendant on private jet: report
Billionaire Elon Musk took to Twitter late on Thursday to denounce as 'utterly untrue' claims in a news report that he had sexually harassed a flight attendant on a private jet in 2016.
Entertainment
-
Heard's lawyers try to poke holes in Depp's libel lawsuit
Attorneys for actor Amber Heard spent much of last week trying to portray her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, as a jealous and drunken abuser who can only blame himself for his nose-diving Hollywood career.
-
Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson departing from 'SNL'
Kate McKinnon and Pete Davidson are among those departing from 'Saturday Night Live,' leaving the sketch institution without arguably its two most famous names after Saturday's 47th season finale.
-
Billie Eilish finds having Tourette's syndrome 'exhausting'
Spend enough time with Billie Eilish and you may notice her tics. The singer talked about having Tourette's syndrome in an interview with David Letterman for his Netflix series, 'My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.'
Business
-
Zelenskyy urges 'maximum' sanctions on Russia in Davos talk
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for 'maximum' sanctions against Russia during a virtual speech Monday to corporate executives, government officials and other elites on the first day of the World Economic Economic gathering in Davos.
-
U.S. stocks gain ground following 7 straight weeks of losses
Stocks rallied in afternoon trading on Wall Street Monday following seven weeks of declines that nearly ended the bull market that began in March 2020.
-
A new billionaire has been minted nearly every day during the pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has been good for the wallets of the wealthy. Some 573 people have joined the billionaire ranks since 2020, bringing the worldwide total to 2,668, according to an analysis released by Oxfam on Sunday. That means a new billionaire was minted about every 30 hours, on average, so far during the pandemic.
Lifestyle
-
You can get unlimited summer travel for US$9.50 a month in this European country
A whole month of unlimited transport in Germany is just US$9.50 -- that's a great deal at any time, but in a time of fuel price hikes, rocketing car rental rates and a worldwide cost of living crisis, it becomes unbeatable.
-
Princess Diana's 'priceless' wedding tiara exhibited for the first time in decades
This summer, auction house Sotheby's will display some of history's most influential tiaras -- many which have not been seen by the public in decades -- in a new exhibition called 'Power & Image: Royal & Aristocratic Tiaras.'
-
Hugs help women face stress, study says. Men, you are out of luck
You have a big test, a difficult conversation or a stressful day ahead -- how much of a difference could a hug from your partner make on your state of mind? A hug can make a big difference for women, according to a new study. Unfortunately, the effect is not as powerful when it comes to men.
Sports
-
Flames trying to shake off 'worst' playoff effort in 4-1 loss to Oilers
If the Calgary Flames thought their second-round series was going to be a cakewalk after scoring nine goals in the opening game, they forgot the firepower of their opponent.
-
Canada's Bianca Andreescu opens French Open with three-set victory
Canadian Bianca Andreescu scored a three-set victory over Ysaline Bonaventure of Belgium in the first round of the French Open on Monday.
-
Kane hat trick fuels Oilers 4-1 win over Flames to take series lead
Evander Kane scored a natural hat trick during an electric six-minute span and captain Connor McDavid provided more magic with three assists in another dominant performance as the Edmonton Oilers downed the Calgary Flames 4-1 on Sunday to take a 2-1 lead in their second-round playoff series.
Autos
-
B.C.'s rejected licence plate list includes GAS LOL, BONDVLN, WE VAPE
Some of British Columbia's more creative vehicle owners received bad news over the last two years: you can't put everything on a licence plate.
-
Expert's tips on what to do if you're being carjacked amid rash of Toronto incidents
Some drivers in Toronto may be feeling on edge as Toronto is dealing with a rash of violent carjackings targeting mostly high-end vehicles.
-
Price of gas remains high across Canada heading into long weekend
Canadians may find a lot of long faces at the pump heading into the long weekend as gas prices across the country remain high.
