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Facebook parent Meta Platforms removed a network of fake accounts that originated in Iran and targeted Instagram users in Scotland with content supporting Scottish independence, the company’s investigators said on Thursday. The network used fake accounts to pose as locals in England and Scotland, posting photos and memes about current events and criticism of the

Twitter Flock could be the final version of the ‘Trusted Friends’ feature that the microblogging network announced as a concept in July last year. It appears to allow users to have up to 150 people in a group who all will be able to see their tweets and respond to them privately. A teardown of

Instagram has expanded support for its ‘Remix’ feature for Reels to any video shared on the platform, allowing users to create a response video to regular videos on the service. The Remix feature will work in a similar fashion as rival TikTok, which also allows a similar feature. Meanwhile, TikTok has announced that it is

WhatsApp is working on a feature which allows users to pause and resume voice recordings on the desktop version of the app. The instant messaging service recently rolled out the ability to review voice notes before sending them. The latest beta version of WhatsApp Desktop is now testing the ability to pause and resume voice

A Paris court on Thursday ruled that Twitter must reveal its measures for fighting hate speech, in one of several cases thrashing out whether the French justice system has jurisdiction over the US social media giant. Ireland-based Twitter International had appealed a July decision ordering it to share documents and details about its French moderation

Facebook critics on Wednesday called on the world’s largest social network to release a human rights impact assessment it commissioned in 2020 to investigate hate speech on its platforms in India. The social media company, which is now called Meta, faces increasing scrutiny over its handling of abuses on its services, particularly after whistleblower Frances

Snapchat has announced it is working on a set of new parental controls that will help limit how users can contact minors on the messaging service. The company says it will restrict its Quick Add feature to limit adults strangers from finding minors on the app to add them as friends. The feature is designed

WhatsApp is reportedly working on a feature that will allow users to contact and receive support within a WhatsApp chat. The encrypted messaging service had introduced a similar feature for some beta testers on iOS and Android smartphones in March 2021, but it was eventually discontinued. WhatsApp beta testers on both platforms are now seeing

Twitter said on Monday it will expand its test feature which allows users to flag misleading content on its social media platform to Brazil, Spain, and the Philippines. The company had introduced the pilot test of the feature in August last year, as a part of its effort to reduce misinformation on its platform. It

Microsoft Teams is adding five new features that focus on reducing stress for frontline workers. These new features are Walkie Talkie app, managing virtual appointments, Microsoft Viva, Reflexis Shifts Connector, and audio notification for misplaced device. Microsoft has partnered with Zebra mobile devices for the Walkie Talkie app in Microsoft Teams but it will also

DHL was the most imitated brand by cybercriminals for phishing attempts in the fourth quarter of 2021 (Q4 2021) globally, a new report shows. The global logistics company has replaced Microsoft as the brand that is most likely to be imitated by cybercriminals in phishing scams. WhatsApp, Google, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Apple are also among

WhatsApp is reportedly getting new features for its Android and desktop apps. For the Android app, the instant messaging app is said to be adding new drawing tools and will get new pencil tools in a future update. Separately, WhatsApp for Desktop is receiving new chat bubble colours. The desktop app will be receiving a

WhatsApp has been reported to get message reactions and a fresh report suggests that the global rollout of this feature may happen sometime soon. The instant messaging app from Meta has been tipped to get settings to manage notifications for message reactions. Back in August, it was reported that WhatsApp will allow users to react

Google Meet is getting new features to improve the hybrid work culture and make video meetings more productive. Google has started rolling out live translated captions for Google Meet widely. The new functionality will automatically translate conversations from one language to another in real-time in Google Meet on the Web and mobile devices. Additionally, Google

Months after requesting documents from more than a dozen social platforms, the House committee investigating the US Capitol insurrection has issued subpoenas targeting Twitter, Meta, Reddit and YouTube after lawmakers said the companies’ initial responses were inadequate. The committee chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, demanded records Thursday from the companies relating to their role in allegedly

Twitter Spaces, a feature that allows users to host or take part in live audio conversations on the platform, will now let all its hosts on Android and iOS record a session, which will be made available for public playback for a limited time. It is the second major update in this regard since the

Newly unredacted documents from a state-led antitrust lawsuit against Google accuse the search giant of colluding with rival Facebook to manipulate online advertising sales. The CEOs of both companies were aware of the deal and signed off on it, the lawsuit alleges. The original, redacted lawsuit, filed in December 2021, accused Google of “anti-competitive conduct”

Facebook owner Meta Platforms said on Thursday it would “assess the feasibility” of commissioning an independent human rights assessment into its work in Ethiopia, after its oversight board recommended a review of how Facebook and Instagram have been used to spread content that heightens the risk of violence there. The board, set up by the

Amazon Great Republic Day Sale will kick off on January 17 but ahead of the start, the e-commerce giant has revealed some of the major deals on products such as smartphones, TVs, large home appliances, and various Amazon-brand offerings. It has already been announced that smartphones and accessories will be offered with up to 40

Facebook, now known as Meta Platforms, faces a GBP 2.3 billion (roughly Rs. 23,420 crore)-plus class action in Britain over allegations it abused its market dominance by exploiting the personal data of 44 million users. Liza Lovdahl Gormsen, a senior adviser to Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) watchdog and a competition law academic, said she was

Internet shutdowns around the world grew 36 percent to over 30,000 hours in 2021, costing the global economy a whopping $5.45 billion (roughly Rs. 40,300 crore), according to a report. India was ranked among the top three countries where the cost of Internet shutdowns was the highest last year. The report said that the country

Twitter on Thursday announced a series of initiatives to empower citizens with the right knowledge before they cast their votes in the upcoming Assembly elections in five states. Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur, and Goa will be held between February 10 and March 7 in seven phases with the counting of votes

The Nigerian government has lifted its ban on Twitter in the West African country, seven months after the country’s more than 200 million people were shut out of the social media network. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari directed that Twitter’s operations will resume in the country on Thursday, according to the director-general of the country’s National

Messaging app Signal’s founder and Chief Executive Officer Moxie Marlinspike will step down and WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton will become the interim CEO, Marlinspike said in a blog post on Monday. “It’s a new year, and I’ve decided it’s a good time to replace myself as the CEO of Signal”, he said. Marlinspike, who will

WhatsApp has started beta testing the anticipated global voice message player on iOS to let some iPhone users continue to listen to their voice messages even when they switch from one chat to another. The feature allows voice messages to be played in the background so that users can listen to them directly from the

Mark Zuckerberg in November last year rebranded Facebook under a new name, Meta, depicted by a loopy infinity logo. As suggested by the new moniker, the social networking mammoth is gearing up to work on metaverse projects. In order to strengthen its team with the best minds, Meta is reportedly roping in tech workers from

Michael Dell, the man who founded the world’s third-largest PC maker, was in a mood to entertain Twitter users on Tuesday. Reacting to a post, which suggested that every billionaire CEO should be required to change their surname to accommodate their company name, he shared a funny GIF to imply that he has already done

WhatsApp is testing a global voice message feature on Android that would let users continue to listen to voice messages even when they switch from one chat to another. The instant messaging app at present stops playing a voice message when a user leaves the chat in which that particular message is available. The update

Facebook parent Meta Platforms has delayed its US office reopening date and mandated COVID-19 booster shots for employees returning to office, joining the growing list of companies revamping reopening plans as Omicron surges. For employees who opt to work from office, the reopening date has been delayed to March 28 from the earlier plan of

The head of communications at Facebook parent Meta Platforms, John Pinette, is leaving the company, the social media company said late on Friday. Chris Norton, vice president of international communications, will cover the role on an interim basis, a Meta spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Reuters. “John Pinette has left Meta. We are