Facebook is now Meta. World's most dominant social network has its eyes set on ambitious&nbsp;new pastures. The Mark Zuckerberg-led social media giant will now focus on building a 'metaverse'. Zuckerberg himself made the announcement late on October 28 (Indian time).

The announcement on Facebook's ambitious new step sent the social media in a tizzy. From understanding what is metaverse to planning how to maximise one's presence in it, people were searching all sort of things.&nbsp;

The increased awareness and&nbsp;excitement around the word 'meta' proved to be a windfall for a company.

Meta Marterials Inc. A Canadian company, found itself gaining monetary benefit due the buzz surrounding the word.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/meta-or-facebook-twitter-users-make-fun-of-rebranding-of-social-media-platform-424869">Meta or Facebook? Twitter users make fun of rebranding of social media platform</a>&nbsp;

Shares of the company, which goes by the ticker name MMAT, rose by whopping 26 per cent in after-hours trading as people mistook it to be the rebranded entity of Facebook. This was followed by 4.8 per cent gain during trading hours.&nbsp;

The company now has a market cap of $1.3 billion.

Facebook itself was,&nbsp;quite expectedly,&nbsp;in the centre of a fierce debate online after the rechristening. Many wondered why the hugely popular social media network would give such a strong brand name.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/from-faang-to-manga-twitter-users-speculate-future-of-tech-companies-424901">From FAANG to MANGA: Twitter users speculate future of tech companies</a>

Zuckerberg tried to answer this in his lengthy Facebook post about the name change.

"We are at the beginning of the next chapter for the internet.." his note began.

"The defining quality of the metaverse will be a feeling of presence -- like you are right there with another person or in another place. Feeling truly present with another person is the ultimate dream of social technology. That is why we are focused on building this.In the metaverse, you'll be able to do almost anything you can imagine -- get together with friends and family, work, learn, play, shop, create -- as well as completely new experiences that don't really fit how we think about computers or phones today. We made a film that explores how you might use the metaverse one day," he explained.

Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook profile now describes him as 'Founder and CEO at Meta'.

Facebook is now Meta. World's most dominant social network has its eyes set on ambitious new pastures. The Mark Zuckerberg-led social media giant will now focus on building a 'metaverse'.

Facebook is now Meta. World's most dominant social network has its eyes set on ambitious new pastures. The Mark Zuckerberg-led social media giant will now focus on building a 'metaverse'. Zuckerberg himself made the announcement late on October 28 (Indian time). The announcement on Facebook's ambitious new step sent the social media in a tizzy. From understanding what is metaverse to planning how to maximise one's presence in it, people were searching all sort of things. The increased awareness and excitement around the word 'meta' proved to be a windfall for a company. Meta Marterials Inc. A Canadian company, found itself gaining monetary benefit due the buzz surrounding the word. Also Read | Meta or Facebook? Twitter users make fun of rebranding of social media platform Shares of the company, which goes by the ticker name MMAT, rose by whopping 26 per cent in after-hours trading as people mistook it to be the rebranded entity of Facebook. This was followed by 4.8 per cent gain during trading hours. The company now has a market cap of $1.3 billion. Facebook itself was, quite expectedly, in the centre of a fierce debate online after the rechristening. Many wondered why the hugely popular social media network would give such a strong brand name. Also Read | From FAANG to MANGA: Twitter users speculate future of tech companies Zuckerberg tried to answer this in his lengthy Facebook post about the name change. "We are at the beginning of the next chapter for the internet.." his note began. "The defining quality of the metaverse will be a feeling of presence -- like you are right there with another person or in another place. Feeling truly present with another person is the ultimate dream of social technology. That is why we are focused on building this.In the metaverse, you'll be able to do almost anything you can imagine -- get together with friends and family, work, learn, play, shop, create -- as well as completely new experiences that don't really fit how we think about computers or phones today. We made a film that explores how you might use the metaverse one day," he explained. Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook profile now describes him as 'Founder and CEO at Meta'.

Facebook is now Meta, but another company pocketted money from all the buzz

Mark Zuckerberg&nbsp;announced that Facebook's name will now change to Meta to represent the company's vision of&nbsp;metaverse as the "next chapter" on the internet&nbsp;during a live stream event on Thursday.

"To reflect who we are and what we hope to build I am proud to announce, starting today our company is now Meta," Zuckerberg said. "Our mission remains the same, it is still about bringing people together," he added while asserting that "we are still the company that&nbsp;designs technology around people."

"Now we have a new north star&nbsp;to help bring the metaverse to life," Zuckerberg said.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Announcing <a href="https://twitter.com/meta?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Meta</a> — the Facebook company’s new name. Meta is helping to build the metaverse, a place where we’ll play and connect in 3D. Welcome to the next chapter of social connection. <a href="https://t.co/ywSJPLsCoD">pic.twitter.com/ywSJPLsCoD</a>
— Facebook (@Facebook) <a href="https://twitter.com/Facebook/status/1453795115701440524?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2021</a></blockquote>
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"We've learned a lot from struggling with social issues and living under closed platforms, and now it is time to take everything that we've learned and help build the next chapter," Zuckerberg said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/what-is-metaverse-the-new-buzzword-in-internet-technology-412364">Also Read:&nbsp;What is metaverse, the new buzzword in internet technology?</a>

However, Zuckerberg asserted that "our apps and their brands, they are not changing".

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Mark announces <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Meta?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Meta</a>, the new name for FACEBOOK. <a href="https://t.co/I7O2xKsHr3">pic.twitter.com/I7O2xKsHr3</a>
— OTT Reporter (@Rahul7867861) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rahul7867861/status/1453797644711563289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Facebook founder Zuckerberg spoke about the social media giant's vision for metaverse in a keynote live stream event.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/next-great-leap-in-evolution-of-internet-why-is-facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-betting-on-metaverse-401150">Also Read |&nbsp;'Next great leap in evolution of internet': Why is Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg betting on metaverse?</a>

"Metaverse will have richer ways to connect," Zuckerberg said during the live video link as he described the virtual concept as a way to "connect with people".

He informed how "gaming" will change in the metaverse with a more "immersive experience".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/meta-or-facebook-twitter-users-make-fun-of-rebranding-of-social-media-platform-424869">Also Read:&nbsp;Twitter users make fun of rebranding of social media platform</a>

“The last few years have been humbling for me and our company in a lot of ways,” the Facebook chief conceded as he introduced “a social version of home” where users can “jump into apps” with other avatars.

"Work from anywhere" as a concept is&nbsp;high on the metaverse horizon, Zuckerberg explained. He said access to jobs for people will be a "gamechanger".

"Metaverse is the next frontier," Zuckerberg said.

(With inputs from Agencies)

Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook's name will now change to Meta to represent the company's vision of metaverse as the "next chapter" on the internet during a live stream event on Thursday.

Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook's name will now change to Meta to represent the company's vision of metaverse as the "next chapter" on the internet during a live stream event on Thursday. "To reflect who we are and what we hope to build I am proud to announce, starting today our company is now Meta," Zuckerberg said. "Our mission remains the same, it is still about bringing people together," he added while asserting that "we are still the company that designs technology around people." "Now we have a new north star to help bring the metaverse to life," Zuckerberg said. Announcing @Meta — the Facebook company’s new name. Meta is helping to build the metaverse, a place where we’ll play and connect in 3D. Welcome to the next chapter of social connection. pic.twitter.com/ywSJPLsCoD — Facebook (@Facebook) October 28, 2021 × "We've learned a lot from struggling with social issues and living under closed platforms, and now it is time to take everything that we've learned and help build the next chapter," Zuckerberg said. Also Read: What is metaverse, the new buzzword in internet technology? However, Zuckerberg asserted that "our apps and their brands, they are not changing". Mark announces #Meta, the new name for FACEBOOK. pic.twitter.com/I7O2xKsHr3 — OTT Reporter (@Rahul7867861) October 28, 2021 × Facebook founder Zuckerberg spoke about the social media giant's vision for metaverse in a keynote live stream event. Also Read | 'Next great leap in evolution of internet': Why is Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg betting on metaverse? "Metaverse will have richer ways to connect," Zuckerberg said during the live video link as he described the virtual concept as a way to "connect with people". He informed how "gaming" will change in the metaverse with a more "immersive experience". Also Read: Twitter users make fun of rebranding of social media platform “The last few years have been humbling for me and our company in a lot of ways,” the Facebook chief conceded as he introduced “a social version of home” where users can “jump into apps” with other avatars. "Work from anywhere" as a concept is high on the metaverse horizon, Zuckerberg explained. He said access to jobs for people will be a "gamechanger". "Metaverse is the next frontier," Zuckerberg said. (With inputs from Agencies)

Facebook is now Meta, says Mark Zuckerberg, changes company name to reflect 'metaverse' vision

Deleting Facebook, according to one lady, was the key to her 30 kg lockdown weight reduction.

Brenda Finn, 33, said that she'd always "been a little overweight," but that bad eating habits caused her to expand to a size 22 between 2016 and 2019.

The candlemaker resolved to change her life after she reached 99 kg in August of last year.

She also blamed her failure to lose weight or stay healthy on social media, alleging that continual posts and advertisements about unhealthy foods were to blame.

Because she had "no excuses," the self-confessed social media junkie went cold turkey.&nbsp;

Brenda then deleted Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and her weight began to drop dramatically.

Brenda is now a healthy 58 kg, having shed more than a third of her body weight.&nbsp;

"When I realised how distracting Facebook and Instagram were from my progress, I shut off from it all," she said.

"That was a pinnacle point for me – it was hard to say goodbye to my social media, but it was the best decision I ever made.

(With inputs from agencies)

Deleting Facebook, according to one lady, was the key to her 30 kg lockdown weight reduction. Brenda Finn, 33, said that she'd always "been a little overweight," but that bad eating habits caused her to expand to a size 22 between 2016 and 2019.

Deleting Facebook, according to one lady, was the key to her 30 kg lockdown weight reduction. Brenda Finn, 33, said that she'd always "been a little overweight," but that bad eating habits caused her to expand to a size 22 between 2016 and 2019. The candlemaker resolved to change her life after she reached 99 kg in August of last year. She also blamed her failure to lose weight or stay healthy on social media, alleging that continual posts and advertisements about unhealthy foods were to blame. Because she had "no excuses," the self-confessed social media junkie went cold turkey. Brenda then deleted Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and her weight began to drop dramatically. Brenda is now a healthy 58 kg, having shed more than a third of her body weight. "When I realised how distracting Facebook and Instagram were from my progress, I shut off from it all," she said. "That was a pinnacle point for me – it was hard to say goodbye to my social media, but it was the best decision I ever made. (With inputs from agencies)

She deleted her Facebook account, and says it helped her lose 32 kg

Frances Haugen, a Facebook data scientist turned whistleblower, appeared Monday before a UK Parliamentary committee looking at online safety legislation.

Speaking to the British parliament, she said that Facebook will fuel more violent unrest around the world because of the way its algorithms are designed to promote divisive content.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/frances-haugen-to-testify-about-facebook-and-online-harm-423860">Frances Haugen to testify about Facebook and online harm</a>

In her view, the social network saw safety as a cost centre and glorified a start-up culture where cutting corners was good. It was "unquestionably" making hate worse, she added.

"The events we're seeing around the world, things like Myanmar and Ethiopia, those are the opening chapters because engagement-based ranking does two things: one, it prioritises and amplifies divisive and polarising extreme content and two it concentrates it," she said.

Haugen said she had come forward "because now is the most critical time to act"

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/facebook-struggles-to-combat-misinformation-and-hate-speech-in-india-report-423506">Also read |&nbsp;Facebook struggles to combat misinformation and hate speech in India: Report</a>

She explained how Facebook Groups amplify online hate, saying algorithms that prioritize engagement take people with mainstream interests and push them to the extremes.

“One of the things that happens in aggregate is the algorithms take people who have very mainstream interests and they push them towards extreme interests. You can be someone who is center left and you’ll be pushed to radical left, you can be centre right and you’ll be pushed to radical right.”

As per her, the company could add moderators to prevent groups from being used to spread extremist views.

Watch |&nbsp;Facebook selective in curbing hate speech, mis-information and inflammatory posts

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/facebook-selective-in-curbing-hate-speech-mis-information-and-inflammatory-posts-423637/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The committee is proposing that companies that fail to limit and remove harmful online material should face heavy fines and other significant penalties.

"It pushes you to the extremes and it fans hate," she told lawmakers, adding," Anger and hate is the easiest way to grow on Facebook... bad actors have an incentive to play the algorithm, and they figure out all the ways to optimise Facebook."

Social media companies could face fines of up to 10% of their revenue if they fail to remove or limit the spread of illegal content, such as child sexual abuse.

The government has also called on platforms such as Facebook to do more to protect children from grooming, bullying, and pornography.

(With inputs from Agencies)

Frances Haugen, a Facebook data scientist turned whistleblower, appeared Monday before a UK Parliamentary committee looking at online safety legislation. Speaking to the British parliament, she said that Facebook will fuel more violent unrest around the world because of the way its algorithms are designed to promote divisive content.

Frances Haugen, a Facebook data scientist turned whistleblower, appeared Monday before a UK Parliamentary committee looking at online safety legislation. Speaking to the British parliament, she said that Facebook will fuel more violent unrest around the world because of the way its algorithms are designed to promote divisive content. Also read | Frances Haugen to testify about Facebook and online harm In her view, the social network saw safety as a cost centre and glorified a start-up culture where cutting corners was good. It was "unquestionably" making hate worse, she added. "The events we're seeing around the world, things like Myanmar and Ethiopia, those are the opening chapters because engagement-based ranking does two things: one, it prioritises and amplifies divisive and polarising extreme content and two it concentrates it," she said. Haugen said she had come forward "because now is the most critical time to act" Also read | Facebook struggles to combat misinformation and hate speech in India: Report She explained how Facebook Groups amplify online hate, saying algorithms that prioritize engagement take people with mainstream interests and push them to the extremes. “One of the things that happens in aggregate is the algorithms take people who have very mainstream interests and they push them towards extreme interests. You can be someone who is center left and you’ll be pushed to radical left, you can be centre right and you’ll be pushed to radical right.” As per her, the company could add moderators to prevent groups from being used to spread extremist views. Watch | Facebook selective in curbing hate speech, mis-information and inflammatory posts The committee is proposing that companies that fail to limit and remove harmful online material should face heavy fines and other significant penalties. "It pushes you to the extremes and it fans hate," she told lawmakers, adding," Anger and hate is the easiest way to grow on Facebook... bad actors have an incentive to play the algorithm, and they figure out all the ways to optimise Facebook." Social media companies could face fines of up to 10% of their revenue if they fail to remove or limit the spread of illegal content, such as child sexual abuse. The government has also called on platforms such as Facebook to do more to protect children from grooming, bullying, and pornography. (With inputs from Agencies)

Hate easiest way to grow on Facebook: Whistleblower Frances Haugen testifies before UK parliament

Facebook has lurched from controversy to controversy since Mark Zuckerberg started it as a Harvard undergrad in 2004. But the actions of Frances Haugen, a former product manager, have created a backlash and public relations crisis that stand apart.

On Monday, she took her tightly choreographed campaign to build a case for stiffer oversight of the social media giant to Europe. In front of British lawmakers Monday, she painted a portrait of a company vividly aware of its harmful effects on society but unwilling to act because doing so could jeopardize profits and growth.

Hours before she began speaking in London, more than a dozen news organizations published articles based on the Facebook Papers, a cache of documents she took before resigning from the company.

“We need regulation,” Haugen said Monday. “Until the incentives change, Facebook will not change,” she added later.

Facebook on Monday said profits in the latest quarter, which ended in September, had risen 17% to $9.2 billion, reflecting the company’s financial strength.

The revelations from Haugen have generated increased political support for new regulation in the United States and Europe, including some calls for Zuckerberg to step aside as Facebook’s CEO.

“Facebook is failing to prevent harm to children, it’s failing to stop the spread of disinformation, it is failing to stop the spread of hate speech,” John Nicolson, a lawmaker from Scotland, said during the hearing on Monday.

Haugen left Facebook with scores of internal research papers, slide decks, discussion threads, presentations and memos that she has shared with lawmakers, regulators and journalists.

After leaking internal company documents to The Wall Street Journal, Haugen revealed her identity this month for an episode of “60 Minutes” and testified before a Senate committee. She also shared the documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Since then, she has shared the Facebook materials with other news organizations.

During a call with financial analysts on Monday, Zuckerberg strongly criticized the news coverage and criticism stemming from Haugen’s leaks.

“My view on what we are seeing is a coordinated effort to selectively use leaked documents to create a false picture about our company,” he said.

Facebook has lurched from controversy to controversy since Mark Zuckerberg started it as a Harvard undergrad in 2004. But the actions of Frances Haugen, a former product manager, have created a backlash and public relations crisis that stand apart.

Facebook has lurched from controversy to controversy since Mark Zuckerberg started it as a Harvard undergrad in 2004. But the actions of Frances Haugen, a former product manager, have created a backlash and public relations crisis that stand apart. On Monday, she took her tightly choreographed campaign to build a case for stiffer oversight of the social media giant to Europe. In front of British lawmakers Monday, she painted a portrait of a company vividly aware of its harmful effects on society but unwilling to act because doing so could jeopardize profits and growth. Hours before she began speaking in London, more than a dozen news organizations published articles based on the Facebook Papers, a cache of documents she took before resigning from the company. “We need regulation,” Haugen said Monday. “Until the incentives change, Facebook will not change,” she added later. Facebook on Monday said profits in the latest quarter, which ended in September, had risen 17% to $9.2 billion, reflecting the company’s financial strength. The revelations from Haugen have generated increased political support for new regulation in the United States and Europe, including some calls for Zuckerberg to step aside as Facebook’s CEO. “Facebook is failing to prevent harm to children, it’s failing to stop the spread of disinformation, it is failing to stop the spread of hate speech,” John Nicolson, a lawmaker from Scotland, said during the hearing on Monday. Haugen left Facebook with scores of internal research papers, slide decks, discussion threads, presentations and memos that she has shared with lawmakers, regulators and journalists. After leaking internal company documents to The Wall Street Journal, Haugen revealed her identity this month for an episode of “60 Minutes” and testified before a Senate committee. She also shared the documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Since then, she has shared the Facebook materials with other news organizations. During a call with financial analysts on Monday, Zuckerberg strongly criticized the news coverage and criticism stemming from Haugen’s leaks. “My view on what we are seeing is a coordinated effort to selectively use leaked documents to create a false picture about our company,” he said.

Facebook whistleblower brings campaign to Europe after disclosures

Facebook is struggling to identify and deal with active users creating multiple accounts on its platform, the Wall Street Journal report states, citing internal documents of the social media behemoth.

An internal presentation at the company reportedly noted that it was “very prevalent” among individual users to have multiple accounts.

The findings came after Facebook looked at around 5,000 recent sign-ups and found that between 32% and 56% were created by users who already had previous accounts.

Additionally, another memo from May reportedly found that the number of Facebook users in the US who are in their 20s and active on the platform at least once a month is often greater than the total population of Americans in that demographic. The memo noted this could mean Facebook's number of daily active users could be “less trustable”, the Journal report states.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-to-pay-french-publishers-for-news-content-422671">Facebook to pay French publishers for news content</a>

A spokesman for Facebook told the Wall Street Journal, “It’s not a revelation that we study duplicate accounts, and this snapshot of information doesn’t tell the full story.

“Nothing in this story changes the estimate of duplicate accounts we disclose in our public filings, which includes new users, or that we provide context on in our ad products, ad interfaces, in our help centres, and in other places.”

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-fined-696-million-by-uk-regulator-for-breaching-order-in-giphy-deal-422400">Facebook fined $69.6 million by UK regulator for breaching order in Giphy deal</a>

He said that advertisers continue to use Facebook because it gets them the results they want.

Watch

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-facebook-set-to-change-name-and-logo-423144/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The company says in its quarterly public reports that about 10 per cent of its nearly 3 billion listed users are fake or duplicate accounts.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science-tech/facebook-planning-to-change-its-name-announcement-likely-in-a-week-report-422190">Facebook planning to change its name, announcement likely in a week: Report</a>

According to the&nbsp;WSJ, however, Facebook staff are concerned that its estimates to advertisers may count many duplicate accounts, which often occur when users get locked out of their original profiles and make new ones.

The company is&nbsp;currently fighting a lawsuit&nbsp;by advertisers who accuse it of knowingly overstating the number of people their messages might reach, which Facebook denies.

In March this year, Facebook Inc said it took down 1.3 billion fake accounts between October and December and that it had over 35,000 people working on tackling misinformation on its platform.

(With inputs from agencies)

Facebook is struggling to identify and deal with active users creating multiple accounts on its platform, the Wall Street Journal report states, citing internal documents of the social media behemoth.

Facebook is struggling to identify and deal with active users creating multiple accounts on its platform, the Wall Street Journal report states, citing internal documents of the social media behemoth. An internal presentation at the company reportedly noted that it was “very prevalent” among individual users to have multiple accounts. The findings came after Facebook looked at around 5,000 recent sign-ups and found that between 32% and 56% were created by users who already had previous accounts. Additionally, another memo from May reportedly found that the number of Facebook users in the US who are in their 20s and active on the platform at least once a month is often greater than the total population of Americans in that demographic. The memo noted this could mean Facebook's number of daily active users could be “less trustable”, the Journal report states. Also read | Facebook to pay French publishers for news content A spokesman for Facebook told the Wall Street Journal, “It’s not a revelation that we study duplicate accounts, and this snapshot of information doesn’t tell the full story. “Nothing in this story changes the estimate of duplicate accounts we disclose in our public filings, which includes new users, or that we provide context on in our ad products, ad interfaces, in our help centres, and in other places.” Also read | Facebook fined $69.6 million by UK regulator for breaching order in Giphy deal He said that advertisers continue to use Facebook because it gets them the results they want. Watch The company says in its quarterly public reports that about 10 per cent of its nearly 3 billion listed users are fake or duplicate accounts. Also read | Facebook planning to change its name, announcement likely in a week: Report According to the WSJ, however, Facebook staff are concerned that its estimates to advertisers may count many duplicate accounts, which often occur when users get locked out of their original profiles and make new ones. The company is currently fighting a lawsuit by advertisers who accuse it of knowingly overstating the number of people their messages might reach, which Facebook denies. In March this year, Facebook Inc said it took down 1.3 billion fake accounts between October and December and that it had over 35,000 people working on tackling misinformation on its platform. (With inputs from agencies)

Facebook struggling to identify multiple account holders: Report

Ten months since being banned by social medial companies following the January 6 Capitol Hill riots, former US president Donald Trump has now decided to launch his own social networking platform called “TRUTH Social.”

The platform will be owned by Trump Media &amp; Technology Group (TMTG), which also intends to launch a subscription video on demand service that will feature “non-woke” entertainment programming, the group said in a statement.

“I am excited to send out my first TRUTH on TRUTH Social very soon. TMTG was founded with a mission to give a voice to all,” Trump said in a statement on Wednesday.

Trump said that Truth Social would “stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech”. The platform will be available through an app on the Apple Store as a beta version for trial by “invited guests” in November and the company expects a full rollout in the first quarter of 2022.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2024-poll-shows-80-republicans-want-donald-trump-to-run-422257">US election 2024: Poll shows 80% Republicans want Donald Trump to run</a>

“We live in a world where the Taliban has a huge presence on Twitter, yet your favourite American President has been silenced. This is unacceptable,” he continued.&nbsp;

The Trump Media &amp; Technology Group will merge with blank check company Digital Acquisition Corp to make TMTG a publicly-listed company, the statement said.&nbsp;

“The transaction values Trump Media &amp; Technology Group at an initial enterprise value of $875 Million, with a potential additional earnout of $825 Million in additional shares (at the valuation they are granted) for a cumulative valuation of up to $1.7 Billion depending on the performance of the stock price post-business combination,” it stated.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/capitol-riot-us-committee-votes-to-hold-criminal-contempt-charge-against-trumps-ex-aide-steve-bannon-422167">Capitol riot: US committee votes to hold criminal contempt charge against Trump’s ex-aide Steve Bannon</a>

Trump was banned from the many social media platforms— Twitter, Facebook and YouTube— after his supporters stormed the Capitol earlier this year—over concerns that he might further incite the mob with his continued presence on social media.

YouTube said its ban would be lifted after the “risk of violence” decreases, Facebook said Trump could come back to the platform at the soonest in 2023 and Twitter said its ban would be permanent.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-sues-us-committee-investigating-jan-6-capitol-hill-riots-to-block-release-of-white-house-records-421934">Trump sues US committee investigating Jan 6 Capitol Hill riots to block release of White House records</a>

Since then, Trump has been trying to reclaim his space on social networking sites.

In May he launched a blog called “From the Desk of Donald J. Trump,” which was touted as a major new outlet.

But Trump, who was also banned from Instagram, and Snapchat, cancelled the blog just a month later.&nbsp;

He has been communicating&nbsp; through a constant stream of press releases with tweet-like statements to the media and supporters.

(With inputs from agencies)

Ten months since being banned by social medial companies following the January 6 Capitol Hill riots, former US president Donald Trump has now decided to launch his own social networking platform called “TRUTH Social.

Ten months since being banned by social medial companies following the January 6 Capitol Hill riots, former US president Donald Trump has now decided to launch his own social networking platform called “TRUTH Social.” The platform will be owned by Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), which also intends to launch a subscription video on demand service that will feature “non-woke” entertainment programming, the group said in a statement. “I am excited to send out my first TRUTH on TRUTH Social very soon. TMTG was founded with a mission to give a voice to all,” Trump said in a statement on Wednesday. Trump said that Truth Social would “stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech”. The platform will be available through an app on the Apple Store as a beta version for trial by “invited guests” in November and the company expects a full rollout in the first quarter of 2022. Also read | US election 2024: Poll shows 80% Republicans want Donald Trump to run “We live in a world where the Taliban has a huge presence on Twitter, yet your favourite American President has been silenced. This is unacceptable,” he continued. The Trump Media & Technology Group will merge with blank check company Digital Acquisition Corp to make TMTG a publicly-listed company, the statement said. “The transaction values Trump Media & Technology Group at an initial enterprise value of $875 Million, with a potential additional earnout of $825 Million in additional shares (at the valuation they are granted) for a cumulative valuation of up to $1.7 Billion depending on the performance of the stock price post-business combination,” it stated. Also read | Capitol riot: US committee votes to hold criminal contempt charge against Trump’s ex-aide Steve Bannon Trump was banned from the many social media platforms— Twitter, Facebook and YouTube— after his supporters stormed the Capitol earlier this year—over concerns that he might further incite the mob with his continued presence on social media. YouTube said its ban would be lifted after the “risk of violence” decreases, Facebook said Trump could come back to the platform at the soonest in 2023 and Twitter said its ban would be permanent. Also read | Trump sues US committee investigating Jan 6 Capitol Hill riots to block release of White House records Since then, Trump has been trying to reclaim his space on social networking sites. In May he launched a blog called “From the Desk of Donald J. Trump,” which was touted as a major new outlet. But Trump, who was also banned from Instagram, and Snapchat, cancelled the blog just a month later. He has been communicating through a constant stream of press releases with tweet-like statements to the media and supporters. (With inputs from agencies)

Donald Trump, banned on Twitter and FB, to launch his own social network

Facebook announced today that it has&nbsp;reached an agreement with French&nbsp;publications to pay them&nbsp;for news shown on its feed.

The tech giant will be obtaining license to publish content. Facebook said it had reached an agreement with APIG alliance which comprises of national and regional newspapers in France.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-australia-canada-vows-to-go-after-facebook-to-pay-for-news-364813">Also Read:&nbsp;After Australia, Canada vows to go after Facebook to pay for news</a>

Google had made a similar announcement on payment content deal in January regarding APIG.

News publications have been complaining for years over the revenue generated by Google and Facebook as it shows ads along with news on&nbsp;its feed without paying the content creators.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/now-french-court-asks-google-to-pay-publishers-for-their-content-334113">Also Read:&nbsp;Now, French court asks Google to pay publishers for their content</a>

In February, the Australian government had passed a legislation which required tech companies to pay local outlets.&nbsp;

Although Facebook had rejected the Australian proposal to pay for news content initially and had blocked news from&nbsp;its site for Australian users but it reached an agreement with the government later as it restored the pages.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/google-says-not-up-to-us-to-dictate-how-news-companies-spend-its-1-billion-374665">Also Read:&nbsp;Google says 'not up to us' to dictate how news companies spend its $1 billion</a>

Google had announced last year that it had reached copyright agreements with French publications. The European Union had earlier directed tech companies to discuss online payment with news publications.

(With inputs from Agencies)

Facebook announced today that it has reached an agreement with French publications to pay them for news shown on its feed. The tech giant will be obtaining license to publish content.

Facebook announced today that it has reached an agreement with French publications to pay them for news shown on its feed. The tech giant will be obtaining license to publish content. Facebook said it had reached an agreement with APIG alliance which comprises of national and regional newspapers in France. Also Read: After Australia, Canada vows to go after Facebook to pay for news Google had made a similar announcement on payment content deal in January regarding APIG. News publications have been complaining for years over the revenue generated by Google and Facebook as it shows ads along with news on its feed without paying the content creators. Also Read: Now, French court asks Google to pay publishers for their content In February, the Australian government had passed a legislation which required tech companies to pay local outlets. Although Facebook had rejected the Australian proposal to pay for news content initially and had blocked news from its site for Australian users but it reached an agreement with the government later as it restored the pages. Also Read: Google says 'not up to us' to dictate how news companies spend its $1 billion Google had announced last year that it had reached copyright agreements with French publications. The European Union had earlier directed tech companies to discuss online payment with news publications. (With inputs from Agencies)

Facebook to pay French publishers for news content

Social media giant Facebook is mulling to rebrand itself with a new name that focuses on the&nbsp;metaverse.

According to a report published in 'The Verge,' Facebook Inc will announce the change in name next week.

The move would likely position the flagship app as one of many products under a parent company overseeing brands such as Instagram and WhatsApp as per the report.

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/facebooks-ai-reality-scroll-images-on-a-computer-screen-by-just-thinking-about-it-371594" hreflang="en">Facebook's AI reality: Scroll images on a computer screen by just thinking about it</a>

In 2015,&nbsp;Google adopted such a structure when it reorganized into a holding company called Alphabet.

What is metaverse?

The Metaverse is a term used to describe a virtual space within digital environments such as online games, social media, and virtual reality. It is a combination of the prefix "meta", meaning beyond, and stem "universe".

Coined by Neal Stephenson, the metaverse is, in fact, the stuff of science-fiction. He talked about it in detail in his 1992 novel "Snow Crash", in which people don virtual reality headsets to interact inside a game-like digital world. The book has long enjoyed cult status among Silicon Valley entrepreneurs.

The term, which&nbsp;derived from digital antiquity, was re-imagined as the Oasis in Ernest Cline's novel ''Ready Player One.''

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/what-is-the-metaverse-and-how-does-it-work-411928/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Freed from cultural and economic sclerosis, a&nbsp;utopian metaverse may be portrayed as a new frontier in fiction, where social norms and value systems can be written anew.&nbsp;But more often, metaverses are a bit dystopian, virtual refuges from a fallen world.

Recently, metaverse has become one of the tech sector's hottest buzzwords, with companies pouring millions of dollars into its development.

'Next great leap'

Metaverse is a vision of the future that may sound fantastical, but which tech titans like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg are betting on as the next great leap in the evolution of the internet.

It refers to shared virtual worlds where land, buildings, avatars, and even names can be bought and sold, often using cryptocurrency.

In these environments, people can wander around with friends, visit buildings, buy goods and services, and attend events.

With the help of augmented reality glasses, it might allow you to see information whizz before your eyes as you walk around a city, from traffic and pollution updates to local history.

Surge in popularity

As Covid lockdown measures and work-from-home policies pushed more people online for both business and pleasure, the concept has surged in popularity during the pandemic.

Games in which players enter immersive digital worlds offer a glimpse into what the metaverse could eventually look like, blurring virtual entertainment with the real-world economy.

World built on blockchain

As far back as the early 2000s, the game Second Life allowed people to create digital avatars that could interact and shop with real money.

More recently, plots of land in Decentraland, a virtual world where visitors can watch concerts, visit art galleries, and gamble in casinos, have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars in MANA, a cryptocurrency.

'More than a game'

The hugely popular video game Fortnite has also expanded into other forms of entertainment, with 12.3 million people logging in to watch rapper Travis Scott perform last year. Fortnite's owners Epic Games said in April that $1 billion of funding raised recently would be used to support its "vision for the metaverse".

And on Roblox, a gaming platform popular with children, a digital version of a Gucci bag sold in May for over $4,100, more than the physical version would have cost.

(With inputs from agencies)

Social media giant Facebook is mulling to rebrand itself with a new name that focuses on the metaverse. According to a report published in 'The Verge,' Facebook Inc will announce the change in name next week.

Social media giant Facebook is mulling to rebrand itself with a new name that focuses on the metaverse. According to a report published in 'The Verge,' Facebook Inc will announce the change in name next week. The move would likely position the flagship app as one of many products under a parent company overseeing brands such as Instagram and WhatsApp as per the report. Also see | Facebook's AI reality: Scroll images on a computer screen by just thinking about it In 2015, Google adopted such a structure when it reorganized into a holding company called Alphabet. What is metaverse? The Metaverse is a term used to describe a virtual space within digital environments such as online games, social media, and virtual reality. It is a combination of the prefix "meta", meaning beyond, and stem "universe". Coined by Neal Stephenson, the metaverse is, in fact, the stuff of science-fiction. He talked about it in detail in his 1992 novel "Snow Crash", in which people don virtual reality headsets to interact inside a game-like digital world. The book has long enjoyed cult status among Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. The term, which derived from digital antiquity, was re-imagined as the Oasis in Ernest Cline's novel ''Ready Player One.'' Freed from cultural and economic sclerosis, a utopian metaverse may be portrayed as a new frontier in fiction, where social norms and value systems can be written anew. But more often, metaverses are a bit dystopian, virtual refuges from a fallen world. Recently, metaverse has become one of the tech sector's hottest buzzwords, with companies pouring millions of dollars into its development. 'Next great leap' Metaverse is a vision of the future that may sound fantastical, but which tech titans like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg are betting on as the next great leap in the evolution of the internet. It refers to shared virtual worlds where land, buildings, avatars, and even names can be bought and sold, often using cryptocurrency. In these environments, people can wander around with friends, visit buildings, buy goods and services, and attend events. With the help of augmented reality glasses, it might allow you to see information whizz before your eyes as you walk around a city, from traffic and pollution updates to local history. Surge in popularity As Covid lockdown measures and work-from-home policies pushed more people online for both business and pleasure, the concept has surged in popularity during the pandemic. Games in which players enter immersive digital worlds offer a glimpse into what the metaverse could eventually look like, blurring virtual entertainment with the real-world economy. World built on blockchain As far back as the early 2000s, the game Second Life allowed people to create digital avatars that could interact and shop with real money. More recently, plots of land in Decentraland, a virtual world where visitors can watch concerts, visit art galleries, and gamble in casinos, have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars in MANA, a cryptocurrency. 'More than a game' The hugely popular video game Fortnite has also expanded into other forms of entertainment, with 12.3 million people logging in to watch rapper Travis Scott perform last year. Fortnite's owners Epic Games said in April that $1 billion of funding raised recently would be used to support its "vision for the metaverse". And on Roblox, a gaming platform popular with children, a digital version of a Gucci bag sold in May for over $4,100, more than the physical version would have cost. (With inputs from agencies)

What is metaverse, the new buzzword in internet technology?

When it comes to art and artistic expression, a debate always rages as to where the boundaries of freedom give way to so-called 'obscenity'. In digital age and in times of social media, though the general acceptance and understanding appears to have improved, art still finds itself at odds with online rules of propriety.

Tired of 'censorship' of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram among others, Vienna tourism board has opened an account on OnlyFans, the adults-only platform. Tourism board has taken this decision to protest against the traditionally dominant social platforms.

OnlyFans was started in 2016. It is the only social platform that allows depiction of nudity.

Vienna museums have recently been sparring with social media networks over posts of their artwork. In July this year, TikTok account of Albertina was suspended and later blocked for posts containing Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki's artwork that showed a female breast.

In 2018, Natural History Museum's photograph was deemed pornographic by Facebook and was removed.

The Leopold Museum faced such trouble as well.

Vienna tourism board's spokesperson has been mentioned in media reports as terming actions by the social media giants as "unfair and frustrating"

All the artworks that earlier found themselves in the crosshairs of social media giants are now fully available on the OnlyFans account.

When it comes to art and artistic expression, a debate always rages as to where the boundaries of freedom give way to so-called 'obscenity'. In digital age and in times of social media, though the general acceptance and understanding appears to have improved, art still finds itself at odds with online rules of propriety.

When it comes to art and artistic expression, a debate always rages as to where the boundaries of freedom give way to so-called 'obscenity'. In digital age and in times of social media, though the general acceptance and understanding appears to have improved, art still finds itself at odds with online rules of propriety. Tired of 'censorship' of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram among others, Vienna tourism board has opened an account on OnlyFans, the adults-only platform. Tourism board has taken this decision to protest against the traditionally dominant social platforms. OnlyFans was started in 2016. It is the only social platform that allows depiction of nudity. Vienna museums have recently been sparring with social media networks over posts of their artwork. In July this year, TikTok account of Albertina was suspended and later blocked for posts containing Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki's artwork that showed a female breast. In 2018, Natural History Museum's photograph was deemed pornographic by Facebook and was removed. The Leopold Museum faced such trouble as well. Vienna tourism board's spokesperson has been mentioned in media reports as terming actions by the social media giants as "unfair and frustrating" All the artworks that earlier found themselves in the crosshairs of social media giants are now fully available on the OnlyFans account.

Tired of 'censorship' on nudes, Vienna museums open OnlyFans account

According to a report, Facebook has a list of thousands of individuals and organisations which it categories as those belonging to terrorism, hate organisations, militarised social movements, non-state actors and militant groups.

The list is however not a new&nbsp;phenomenon, the social media giant reportedly started it back in 2012 when it was facing a backlash from the US government and the UN over online recruitment by terror organisations. The social media giant reportedly added best practises community standards in order to keep out hate and violence from its platform.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/take-a-break-nudge-facebook-instagram-to-launch-features-to-keep-kids-away-from-harmful-content-419896#:~:text=With%20the%20new%20'take%20a,to%20look%20at%20different%20stuff.">Also Read:&nbsp;Facebook-Instagram to launch features to keep kids away from harmful content</a>

The report published by <a href="https://theintercept.com/document/2021/10/12/facebook-dangerous-individuals-and-organizations-list-reproduced-snapshot/">The Intercept </a>shows how Facebook has identified little known terror organisations on its platform from South Asia, Russia, Europe, Turkey, Pakistan, Middle East and North Africa.

It records Al Qaeda's media wing, also the media wing of the Taliban. In fact, the media wings have been especially targeted covering the Islamic Revolutionary Cops Guard, the Islamic State, Al-Aqsa&nbsp;media of Jammu and Kashmir belonging to the Lahkar-e-Taiba(LeT) and others.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/facebook-algorithms-promote-falsehood-faster-than-truth-frances-haugen-419246">Watch:&nbsp;Facebook algorithms promote falsehood faster than truth, says Haugen</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/facebook-algorithms-promote-falsehood-faster-than-truth-frances-haugen-419246/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

A group named Haji Basir and Zarjmil Company Hawala reportedly belonging to Pakistan has also been named in the list, including a little known organisation called Haji Khairullah Haji Sattar Money Exchange belonging to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The list also has a category for criminal organisations on Facebook stretching from Brazil, US, Europe, Columbia and Mexico.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-makes-an-attempt-to-stop-the-illegal-sale-of-amazon-rainforest-419379">Also Read:&nbsp;Facebook makes an attempt to stop the illegal sale of Amazon rainforest</a>

The hate groups are identified under music bands in US, Germany, Sweden and several other nations.&nbsp;The militarised social movement under the description "armed militia group" identifies groups that spew venom on social media.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-makes-an-attempt-to-stop-the-illegal-sale-of-amazon-rainforest-419379">Also Read:&nbsp;Facebook makes an attempt to stop the illegal sale of Amazon rainforest</a>

There is also a category for non-state actors from the Middle East, Africa and North America including a list of individuals under the hate category&nbsp;which includes the Proud Boys.

The list also targets individuals reportedly associated&nbsp;with Al Qaeda's central command, Hamas, Taliban, Haqqani Network, LeT, JeM, Al Shabaab and others.

(With inputs from Agencies)

According to a report, Facebook has a list of thousands of individuals and organisations which it categories as those belonging to terrorism, hate organisations, militarised social movements, non-state actors and militant groups.

According to a report, Facebook has a list of thousands of individuals and organisations which it categories as those belonging to terrorism, hate organisations, militarised social movements, non-state actors and militant groups. The list is however not a new phenomenon, the social media giant reportedly started it back in 2012 when it was facing a backlash from the US government and the UN over online recruitment by terror organisations. The social media giant reportedly added best practises community standards in order to keep out hate and violence from its platform. Also Read: Facebook-Instagram to launch features to keep kids away from harmful content The report published by The Intercept shows how Facebook has identified little known terror organisations on its platform from South Asia, Russia, Europe, Turkey, Pakistan, Middle East and North Africa. It records Al Qaeda's media wing, also the media wing of the Taliban. In fact, the media wings have been especially targeted covering the Islamic Revolutionary Cops Guard, the Islamic State, Al-Aqsa media of Jammu and Kashmir belonging to the Lahkar-e-Taiba(LeT) and others. Watch: Facebook algorithms promote falsehood faster than truth, says Haugen A group named Haji Basir and Zarjmil Company Hawala reportedly belonging to Pakistan has also been named in the list, including a little known organisation called Haji Khairullah Haji Sattar Money Exchange belonging to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The list also has a category for criminal organisations on Facebook stretching from Brazil, US, Europe, Columbia and Mexico. Also Read: Facebook makes an attempt to stop the illegal sale of Amazon rainforest The hate groups are identified under music bands in US, Germany, Sweden and several other nations. The militarised social movement under the description "armed militia group" identifies groups that spew venom on social media. Also Read: Facebook makes an attempt to stop the illegal sale of Amazon rainforest There is also a category for non-state actors from the Middle East, Africa and North America including a list of individuals under the hate category which includes the Proud Boys. The list also targets individuals reportedly associated with Al Qaeda's central command, Hamas, Taliban, Haqqani Network, LeT, JeM, Al Shabaab and others. (With inputs from Agencies)

How Facebook kept secret list of terror organisations, hate groups and criminals

A tech body backed by the Australian units of Facebook, Google and Twitter said on Monday it has set up a special committee to adjudicate complaints over misinformation, a day after the government threatened tougher laws over false and defamatory online posts.

The issue of damaging online posts has emerged as a second battlefront between Big Tech and Australia, which last year passed a law to make platforms pay licence fees for content, sparking a temporary Facebook blackout in February.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-makes-an-attempt-to-stop-the-illegal-sale-of-amazon-rainforest-419379">Facebook makes an attempt to stop the illegal sale of Amazon rainforest</a>

Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week labelled social media "a coward's palace",&nbsp;while the government said on Sunday it was looking at measures to make social media companies more responsible, including forcing legal liability onto the platforms&nbsp;for the content published on them.

The Digital Industry Group Inc (DIGI), which represents the Australian units of Facebook Inc, Alphabet's Google and Twitter Inc, said its new misinformation oversight subcommittee showed the industry was willing to self-regulate against damaging posts.

The tech giants had already agreed a code of conduct against misinformation, "and we wanted to further strengthen it with independent oversight from experts, and public accountability," DIGI Managing Director Sunita Bose said in a statement.

A three-person "independent complaints sub-committee" would seek to resolve complaints about possible breaches of the code conduct via a public website, DIGI said, but would not take complaints about individual posts.

The industry's code of conduct includes items such as taking action against misinformation affecting public health, which would include the novel coronavirus.

DIGI, which also counts Apple Inc and TikTok as signatories, said it could issue a public statement if a company was found to have violated the code of conduct or revoke its signatory status with the group.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-instagram-stop-working-yet-again-twitterati-open-bag-of-memes-419307">Facebook, Instagram stop working yet again; Twitterati open bag of memes</a>

Australian communications minister Paul Fletcher, who has been among senior lawmakers promising tougher action against platforms hosting misleading and defamatory content, welcomed the measure.

"I'm pleased that DIGI is announcing an important development to strengthen the way the code will protect Australians from misinformation and disinformation," he said in a statement.

But Reset Australia, an advocate group focused on the influence of technology on democracy, said the oversight panel was "laughable" as it involved no penalties and the code of conduct was optional.

"DIGI's code is not much more than a PR stunt given the negative PR surrounding Facebook in recent weeks," said Reset Australia Director of tech policy Dhakshayini Sooriyakumaran in a statement, urging regulation for the industry.

A tech body backed by the Australian units of Facebook, Google and Twitter said on Monday it has set up a special committee to adjudicate complaints over misinformation, a day after the government threatened tougher laws over false and defamatory online posts.

A tech body backed by the Australian units of Facebook, Google and Twitter said on Monday it has set up a special committee to adjudicate complaints over misinformation, a day after the government threatened tougher laws over false and defamatory online posts. The issue of damaging online posts has emerged as a second battlefront between Big Tech and Australia, which last year passed a law to make platforms pay licence fees for content, sparking a temporary Facebook blackout in February. Also Read | Facebook makes an attempt to stop the illegal sale of Amazon rainforest Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week labelled social media "a coward's palace", while the government said on Sunday it was looking at measures to make social media companies more responsible, including forcing legal liability onto the platforms for the content published on them. The Digital Industry Group Inc (DIGI), which represents the Australian units of Facebook Inc, Alphabet's Google and Twitter Inc, said its new misinformation oversight subcommittee showed the industry was willing to self-regulate against damaging posts. The tech giants had already agreed a code of conduct against misinformation, "and we wanted to further strengthen it with independent oversight from experts, and public accountability," DIGI Managing Director Sunita Bose said in a statement. A three-person "independent complaints sub-committee" would seek to resolve complaints about possible breaches of the code conduct via a public website, DIGI said, but would not take complaints about individual posts. The industry's code of conduct includes items such as taking action against misinformation affecting public health, which would include the novel coronavirus. DIGI, which also counts Apple Inc and TikTok as signatories, said it could issue a public statement if a company was found to have violated the code of conduct or revoke its signatory status with the group. Also Read | Facebook, Instagram stop working yet again; Twitterati open bag of memes Australian communications minister Paul Fletcher, who has been among senior lawmakers promising tougher action against platforms hosting misleading and defamatory content, welcomed the measure. "I'm pleased that DIGI is announcing an important development to strengthen the way the code will protect Australians from misinformation and disinformation," he said in a statement. But Reset Australia, an advocate group focused on the influence of technology on democracy, said the oversight panel was "laughable" as it involved no penalties and the code of conduct was optional. "DIGI's code is not much more than a PR stunt given the negative PR surrounding Facebook in recent weeks," said Reset Australia Director of tech policy Dhakshayini Sooriyakumaran in a statement, urging regulation for the industry.

Facebook-backed group launches misinformation adjudication panel in Australia

While Facebook has been introducing new features to Instagram, the photo-sharing site has been accused for negatively impacting teens' mental health.

As a result, in order to protect young minds from engaging with dangerous information on Instagram, Facebook has stated that a new "Take a Break" function would be added to Instagram shortly.

In an interview with CNN, Facebook's Vice President of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg, acknowledged this development.

During the interview, CNN reporter Dana Bash questioned Clegg about comments made by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, who testified before Congress that Instagram is harmful to children.&nbsp;

With the new 'take a break' and 'nudge' features, Facebook intends to identify whether a kid is viewing the same content often, and if that content "may not be beneficial to their well-being," it will encourage them to look at different stuff.

This would simply be a push, not a forced refresh of the feed, so it would still be up to the adolescent user to decide what material they want to see on Instagram.

There is no set date for the release of these features, but testing will begin soon.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

While Facebook has been introducing new features to Instagram, the photo-sharing site has been accused for negatively impacting teens' mental health. As a result, in order to protect young minds from engaging with dangerous information on Instagram, Facebook has stated that a new "Take a Break" function would be added to Instagram shortly.

While Facebook has been introducing new features to Instagram, the photo-sharing site has been accused for negatively impacting teens' mental health. As a result, in order to protect young minds from engaging with dangerous information on Instagram, Facebook has stated that a new "Take a Break" function would be added to Instagram shortly. In an interview with CNN, Facebook's Vice President of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg, acknowledged this development. During the interview, CNN reporter Dana Bash questioned Clegg about comments made by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, who testified before Congress that Instagram is harmful to children. With the new 'take a break' and 'nudge' features, Facebook intends to identify whether a kid is viewing the same content often, and if that content "may not be beneficial to their well-being," it will encourage them to look at different stuff. This would simply be a push, not a forced refresh of the feed, so it would still be up to the adolescent user to decide what material they want to see on Instagram. There is no set date for the release of these features, but testing will begin soon. (With inputs from agencies)

Take a break & nudge: Facebook-Instagram to launch features to keep kids away from harmful content

When Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp got hit by a global outage, the competitive social media platforms buckled up and welcomed all the new and revived users.<o:p></o:p>

In this technologically advanced world, competition is one of the biggest motivators for a company to do better. However, this competitive market can also bring in huge losses for companies.<o:p></o:p>

One such incident happened when the global outage of Facebook Inc. took place. Telegram, an instant messaging service like WhatsApp, gained nearly 70 million new users on Monday when the social media platforms of Facebook group.

<o:p>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/deeply-illogical-zuckerberg-hits-out-at-facebook-whistleblower-418514">'Deeply illogical': Zuckerberg hits out at Facebook whistleblower</a></o:p>

"The daily growth rate of Telegram exceeded the norm by an order of magnitude, and we welcomed over 70 million refugees from other platforms in one day," Telegram founder Pavel Durov wrote on his Telegram channel. <o:p></o:p>

He also thanked his team for pulling up extra weight during this increased work load, and apologised to existing users for any possible delays in the platforms. "I am proud of how our team handled the unprecedented growth because Telegram continued to work flawlessly for the vast majority of our users. That said, some users in the Americas may have experienced slower speed than usual as millions of users from these continents rushed to sign up for Telegram at the same time."<o:p></o:p>

This growth in the new users took place as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp failed to load and the platforms kept crashing for all users.

<o:p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/error-during-routine-maintenance-of-data-centers-facebook-418552">WATCH |</a></o:p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/error-during-routine-maintenance-of-data-centers-facebook-418552/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The global outage continued for nearly six hours and no explanation was provided by the platforms until later. These platforms, however, simply tweeted out apologies for the disruption of services. "We apologize to all those affected, and we're working to understand more about what happened today so we can continue to make our infrastructure more resilient," Facebook Vice President Infrastructure Santosh Janardhan said in a statement on Monday.<o:p></o:p>

However, the company has also assured that there has been no compromise in the user database privacy. The company said there is "no evidence that user data was compromised as a result of this downtime."<o:p></o:p>

When Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp got hit by a global outage, the competitive social media platforms buckled up and welcomed all the new and revived users. In this technologically advanced world, competition is one of the biggest motivators for a company to do better.

When Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp got hit by a global outage, the competitive social media platforms buckled up and welcomed all the new and revived users. In this technologically advanced world, competition is one of the biggest motivators for a company to do better. However, this competitive market can also bring in huge losses for companies. One such incident happened when the global outage of Facebook Inc. took place. Telegram, an instant messaging service like WhatsApp, gained nearly 70 million new users on Monday when the social media platforms of Facebook group. Also read | 'Deeply illogical': Zuckerberg hits out at Facebook whistleblower "The daily growth rate of Telegram exceeded the norm by an order of magnitude, and we welcomed over 70 million refugees from other platforms in one day," Telegram founder Pavel Durov wrote on his Telegram channel. He also thanked his team for pulling up extra weight during this increased work load, and apologised to existing users for any possible delays in the platforms. "I am proud of how our team handled the unprecedented growth because Telegram continued to work flawlessly for the vast majority of our users. That said, some users in the Americas may have experienced slower speed than usual as millions of users from these continents rushed to sign up for Telegram at the same time." This growth in the new users took place as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp failed to load and the platforms kept crashing for all users. WATCH | The global outage continued for nearly six hours and no explanation was provided by the platforms until later. These platforms, however, simply tweeted out apologies for the disruption of services. "We apologize to all those affected, and we're working to understand more about what happened today so we can continue to make our infrastructure more resilient," Facebook Vice President Infrastructure Santosh Janardhan said in a statement on Monday. However, the company has also assured that there has been no compromise in the user database privacy. The company said there is "no evidence that user data was compromised as a result of this downtime."

Telegram gains 70 million new users as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram crash

Facebook said on Tuesday (Indian time) that the major outage of its main social media app along with WhatsApp and Instagram was caused due to&nbsp;configuration changes it made to routers that coordinate network traffic between its data centers.

Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp started working again late on Monday after an outage that lasted nearly six-hours. This prevented the company`s 3.5 billion users from accessing its social media and messaging services.

Facebook apologized but did not immediately explain what caused the failure, the largest ever tracked by web monitoring group Downdetector. Facebook claimed that there was no evidence that user data was compromised.

The outage was a second blow to social media giant Facebook after a whistleblower on Sunday alleged that Facebook had repeatedly prioritise profit over clamping down on hate speech and misinformation.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-instagram-whatsapp-services-down-for-users-418225">Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp services down for users</a>

As the world flocked to competing apps such as Twitter and TikTok, shares of Facebook fell 4.9%, their biggest daily drop since last November, amid a broader selloff in technology stocks on Monday. Shares rose about half a percent in after-hours trade following resumption of service.

"To every small and large business, family, and individual who depends on us, I`m sorry," Facebook Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer tweeted, adding that it "may take some time to get to 100%."

Several Facebook employees who declined to be named said that they believed that the outage was caused by an internal mistake in how internet traffic is routed to its systems. The failures of internal communication tools and other resources that depend on that same network in order to work compounded the error, the employees said.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hate-speech-for-profit-facebook-whistleblower-reveals-identity-418061">Hate speech for profit: Facebook whistleblower reveals identity</a>

Security experts said an inadvertent mistake or sabotage by an insider were both plausible.

"Facebook basically locked its keys in its car," tweeted Jonathan Zittrain, director of Harvard`s Berkman Klein Center for Internet &amp; Society.

Twitter on Monday reported higher-than-normal usage, which led to some issues in people accessing posts and direct messages.

In one of the day`s most popular tweets, video streaming company Netflix shared a meme from its new hit show "Squid Game" captioned "When Instagram &amp; Facebook are down," that showed a person labeled "Twitter" holding up a character on the verge of falling labeled "everyone."

(With inputs from agencies)

Facebook said on Tuesday (Indian time) that the major outage of its main social media app along with WhatsApp and Instagram was caused due to configuration changes it made to routers that coordinate network traffic between its data centers.

Facebook said on Tuesday (Indian time) that the major outage of its main social media app along with WhatsApp and Instagram was caused due to configuration changes it made to routers that coordinate network traffic between its data centers. Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp started working again late on Monday after an outage that lasted nearly six-hours. This prevented the company`s 3.5 billion users from accessing its social media and messaging services. Facebook apologized but did not immediately explain what caused the failure, the largest ever tracked by web monitoring group Downdetector. Facebook claimed that there was no evidence that user data was compromised. The outage was a second blow to social media giant Facebook after a whistleblower on Sunday alleged that Facebook had repeatedly prioritise profit over clamping down on hate speech and misinformation. Also Read | Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp services down for users As the world flocked to competing apps such as Twitter and TikTok, shares of Facebook fell 4.9%, their biggest daily drop since last November, amid a broader selloff in technology stocks on Monday. Shares rose about half a percent in after-hours trade following resumption of service. "To every small and large business, family, and individual who depends on us, I`m sorry," Facebook Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer tweeted, adding that it "may take some time to get to 100%." Several Facebook employees who declined to be named said that they believed that the outage was caused by an internal mistake in how internet traffic is routed to its systems. The failures of internal communication tools and other resources that depend on that same network in order to work compounded the error, the employees said. Also Read | Hate speech for profit: Facebook whistleblower reveals identity Security experts said an inadvertent mistake or sabotage by an insider were both plausible. "Facebook basically locked its keys in its car," tweeted Jonathan Zittrain, director of Harvard`s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. Twitter on Monday reported higher-than-normal usage, which led to some issues in people accessing posts and direct messages. In one of the day`s most popular tweets, video streaming company Netflix shared a meme from its new hit show "Squid Game" captioned "When Instagram & Facebook are down," that showed a person labeled "Twitter" holding up a character on the verge of falling labeled "everyone." (With inputs from agencies)

Router was bad, says Facebook after FB, Instagram, WhatsApp go down

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday apologised for the six-hour outage of social media apps Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram.&nbsp;

In a post on Facebook, Zuckerberg said the social media platforms were coming back to normal. "Sorry for the disruption today -- I know how much you rely on our services to stay connected with the people you care about," he wrote.

Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram went dark around 1600 GMT on Monday (October 4). Website monitoring group Downdetector said that it was largest such failure it had ever seen.

Some users began to regain access around 0045 GMT.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/router-was-bad-says-facebook-after-fb-instagram-whatsapp-go-down-418265">Router was bad, says Facebook after FB, Instagram, WhatsApp go down</a>

Though Zuckerberg's post was met with general sigh of relief. There were many who were not happy about how things went down. And Zuckerberg's post was flooded with comments that were angry as well as humourous.

"I was wondering why I could not use WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram yesterday afternoon. I even went to the extent of taking my phone for repair whereby the ICT guy charged me 500 dollar for repair just to have learn later that all social media’s platforms were shut down the whole world yesterday afternoon for almost five hours.... " wrote a user in comment

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hate-speech-for-profit-facebook-whistleblower-reveals-identity-418061">Hate speech for profit: Facebook whistleblower reveals identity</a>

"I feel sad for those who didn't receive birthday wishes today due to server issue!" wrote another user

Some of them even thanked Mark Zuckerberg as they said they could sleep peacefully with Facebook not working.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-lawmakers-grill-facebook-over-teen-mental-health-417319">US lawmakers grill Facebook over teen mental health</a>

"Last Night I slept peacefully because Facebook was off. Thanks Mark Zuckerberg," wrote GK Tahmid

Some users poured creativity into memes that described the situation aptly.

<img alt="Gollum" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="73275b01-6a7e-44c9-8bc5-2acefd1d40ce" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/FB%20meme.JPG" />

Some users had a warning for Mark

<img alt="Facebook" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a042e875-e663-4ce5-aa51-76c4017e8015" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/FB%20MEME%202.JPG" />

&nbsp;

A world without Facebook is a world without modern civilisation

<img alt="Facebook" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="88cfbe80-d0d5-4d28-a292-7775c245d31a" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/fb%20meme%203.JPG" />

Several Facebook employees who declined to be named said that they believed that the outage was caused by an internal routing mistake to an internet domain that was compounded by the failures of internal communication tools and other resources that depend on that same domain in order to work.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday apologised for the six-hour outage of social media apps Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. In a post on Facebook, Zuckerberg said the social media platforms were coming back to normal.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday apologised for the six-hour outage of social media apps Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. In a post on Facebook, Zuckerberg said the social media platforms were coming back to normal. "Sorry for the disruption today -- I know how much you rely on our services to stay connected with the people you care about," he wrote. Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram went dark around 1600 GMT on Monday (October 4). Website monitoring group Downdetector said that it was largest such failure it had ever seen. Some users began to regain access around 0045 GMT. Also Read | Router was bad, says Facebook after FB, Instagram, WhatsApp go down Though Zuckerberg's post was met with general sigh of relief. There were many who were not happy about how things went down. And Zuckerberg's post was flooded with comments that were angry as well as humourous. "I was wondering why I could not use WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram yesterday afternoon. I even went to the extent of taking my phone for repair whereby the ICT guy charged me 500 dollar for repair just to have learn later that all social media’s platforms were shut down the whole world yesterday afternoon for almost five hours.... " wrote a user in comment Also Read | Hate speech for profit: Facebook whistleblower reveals identity "I feel sad for those who didn't receive birthday wishes today due to server issue!" wrote another user Some of them even thanked Mark Zuckerberg as they said they could sleep peacefully with Facebook not working. Also Read | US lawmakers grill Facebook over teen mental health "Last Night I slept peacefully because Facebook was off. Thanks Mark Zuckerberg," wrote GK Tahmid Some users poured creativity into memes that described the situation aptly. Some users had a warning for Mark A world without Facebook is a world without modern civilisation Several Facebook employees who declined to be named said that they believed that the outage was caused by an internal routing mistake to an internet domain that was compounded by the failures of internal communication tools and other resources that depend on that same domain in order to work.

Facebook outage: Mark Zuckerberg apologises, users have fun commenting

After a whistleblower came out and outages brought Facebook Inc.'s key programmes down, Mark Zuckerberg's personal worth dropped by over $7 billion in a matter of hours, pushing him down a rung on the list of the world's richest individuals.

The stock of the social media behemoth fell over 5% on Monday, bringing its total loss to nearly 15% since mid-September.

The stock market decline on Monday reduced Zuckerberg's net worth to $120.9 billion, putting him behind Bill Gates on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index at No. 5. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-outage-mark-zuckerberg-apologises-users-have-fun-commenting-418284">Also read | Facebook outage: Mark Zuckerberg apologises, users have fun commenting</a>

According to the index, he has lost over $19 billion in value since September&nbsp;13, when he was worth nearly $140 billion.&nbsp;

The Wall Street Journal began publishing a series of stories on September 13 based on a cache of internal documents.

Revealing that Facebook was aware of a wide range of problems with its products — including Instagram's negative impact on teenage girls' mental health and misinformation about the January 6 Capitol riots — while downplaying the issues in public.

The reports drew the attention of government authorities, and the whistleblower came forward on Monday.&nbsp; 
 
Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/router-was-bad-says-facebook-after-fb-instagram-whatsapp-go-down-418265">Router was bad, says Facebook after FB, Instagram, WhatsApp go down</a>

From a revenue standpoint, the downtime will be costly for Facebook.

Advertising revenues are thought to bring in approximately US$330 million every day for the firm, and the blackout has rendered this aspect of the business entirely inoperable.&nbsp;

$50 billion wiped off Facebook's market capitalisation after global outage

As a result of a global outage of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, Facebook's market capitalization dropped by approximately $50 billion.

According to Fortune, Facebook lost $99.75 million in income during the downtime on Monday, which lasted for more than six hours.

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, saw his net worth plummet by more than $6 billion.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

After a whistleblower came out and outages brought Facebook Inc.'s key programmes down, Mark Zuckerberg's personal worth dropped by over $7 billion in a matter of hours, pushing him down a rung on the list of the world's richest individuals.

After a whistleblower came out and outages brought Facebook Inc.'s key programmes down, Mark Zuckerberg's personal worth dropped by over $7 billion in a matter of hours, pushing him down a rung on the list of the world's richest individuals. The stock of the social media behemoth fell over 5% on Monday, bringing its total loss to nearly 15% since mid-September. The stock market decline on Monday reduced Zuckerberg's net worth to $120.9 billion, putting him behind Bill Gates on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index at No. 5. Also read | Facebook outage: Mark Zuckerberg apologises, users have fun commenting According to the index, he has lost over $19 billion in value since September 13, when he was worth nearly $140 billion. The Wall Street Journal began publishing a series of stories on September 13 based on a cache of internal documents. Revealing that Facebook was aware of a wide range of problems with its products — including Instagram's negative impact on teenage girls' mental health and misinformation about the January 6 Capitol riots — while downplaying the issues in public. The reports drew the attention of government authorities, and the whistleblower came forward on Monday. Also Read | Router was bad, says Facebook after FB, Instagram, WhatsApp go down From a revenue standpoint, the downtime will be costly for Facebook. Advertising revenues are thought to bring in approximately US$330 million every day for the firm, and the blackout has rendered this aspect of the business entirely inoperable. $50 billion wiped off Facebook's market capitalisation after global outage As a result of a global outage of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, Facebook's market capitalization dropped by approximately $50 billion. According to Fortune, Facebook lost $99.75 million in income during the downtime on Monday, which lasted for more than six hours. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, saw his net worth plummet by more than $6 billion. (With inputs from agencies)

Mark Zuckerberg loses $7 billion in hours as Facebook plunges

Users claimed that popular social media platforms WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook were down in various regions of the world on Monday evening.

Around 9 pm Indian time, users reported on Twitter that the prominent social networking and communication sites were unreachable.&nbsp; 
 
"We’re aware that some people are experiencing issues with WhatsApp at the moment. We’re working to get things back to normal and will send an update here as soon as possible, " said WhatsApp in an official statement. 
 
Facebook owns all these four most downloaded applications: Facebook, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram.&nbsp; 
 
Facebook confirmed the issue on its Twitter feed, and said it's "working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible."

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We’re aware that some people are having trouble accessing our apps and products. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience.
— Facebook (@Facebook) <a href="https://twitter.com/Facebook/status/1445061804636479493?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Instagram and friends are having a little bit of a hard time right now, and you may be having issues using them. Bear with us, we’re on it! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/instagramdown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#instagramdown</a>
— Instagram Comms (@InstagramComms) <a href="https://twitter.com/InstagramComms/status/1445062531932835841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Outage tracking website DownDetector shows complaints of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp not working.

Users have taken to Twitter to complain that they are not able to use the services.

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I wonder how hard Twitter usage spikes when Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp all go down at once
— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) <a href="https://twitter.com/MKBHD/status/1445056411940048897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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seems like chaos as facebook, whatsapp and instagram go down while twitter is the hottest things to verify this <a href="https://t.co/MD5zgvjqyE">pic.twitter.com/MD5zgvjqyE</a>
— David Borg (@Thraher_o1) <a href="https://twitter.com/Thraher_o1/status/1445056336455249923?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Us whenever Instagram WhatsApp or Facebook is down, double checking we’re not alone lmao <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/instagramdown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#instagramdown</a> <a href="https://t.co/qcTx5v1Dy3">pic.twitter.com/qcTx5v1Dy3</a>
— 🥂✨ (@winetilldawn) <a href="https://twitter.com/winetilldawn/status/1445056211444027401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Users claimed that popular social media platforms WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook were down in various regions of the world on Monday evening. Around 9 pm Indian time, users reported on Twitter that the prominent social networking and communication sites were unreachable.

Users claimed that popular social media platforms WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook were down in various regions of the world on Monday evening. Around 9 pm Indian time, users reported on Twitter that the prominent social networking and communication sites were unreachable. "We’re aware that some people are experiencing issues with WhatsApp at the moment. We’re working to get things back to normal and will send an update here as soon as possible, " said WhatsApp in an official statement. Facebook owns all these four most downloaded applications: Facebook, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram. Facebook confirmed the issue on its Twitter feed, and said it's "working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible." We’re aware that some people are having trouble accessing our apps and products. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience. — Facebook (@Facebook) October 4, 2021 × Instagram and friends are having a little bit of a hard time right now, and you may be having issues using them. Bear with us, we’re on it! #instagramdown — Instagram Comms (@InstagramComms) October 4, 2021 × Outage tracking website DownDetector shows complaints of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp not working. Users have taken to Twitter to complain that they are not able to use the services. I wonder how hard Twitter usage spikes when Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp all go down at once — Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) October 4, 2021 × seems like chaos as facebook, whatsapp and instagram go down while twitter is the hottest things to verify this pic.twitter.com/MD5zgvjqyE — David Borg (@Thraher_o1) October 4, 2021 × Us whenever Instagram WhatsApp or Facebook is down, double checking we’re not alone lmao #instagramdown pic.twitter.com/qcTx5v1Dy3 — 🥂✨ (@winetilldawn) October 4, 2021 ×

Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp services down for users

In a crackdown on accounts spreading COVID-19 misinformation, Facebook removed a series of such accounts days before Germany’s federal elections. &nbsp;

These accounts were also encouraging violent responses to Covid restrictions. &nbsp;

The crackdown, which was announced on September 16, was the first action taken according to the Facebook’s new “coordinated social harm” policy. It aims to stop disinformation campaigns.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/cnn-pulls-out-of-facebook-in-australia-citing-defamation-risk-416879" hreflang="en">CNN pulls out of Facebook in Australia, citing defamation risk</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;

In Germany, around 150 accounts, pages and groups were linked to 'Querdenken' movement, a group that protests lockdown measures in the country. &nbsp;

While far-right users called it censorship, Facebook pushed it as an innovative response to potentially harmful content. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-youtube-bans-rt-due-to-multiple-violations-russia-threatens-to-ban-video-platform-416785" hreflang="en">After YouTube bans RT due to multiple violations, Russia threatens to ban video platform</a>

Earlier, Facebook also announced various new efforts to combat climate crisis misinformation on its platform. &nbsp;&nbsp;

These included expanding its climate science centre to provide more reliable information, investing in organisations that fight misinformation and launching a video series to highlight young climate advocates on both Facebook and Instagram.

Watch:&nbsp;

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However, as per critics, the push falls short and will allow vast amounts of climate misinformation to slip through the cracks. &nbsp;

During the 2021 April congressional hearing, the CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg admitted that climate misinformation is “a big issue”. &nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

In a crackdown on accounts spreading COVID-19 misinformation, Facebook removed a series of such accounts days before Germany’s federal elections. These accounts were also encouraging violent responses to Covid restrictions.

In a crackdown on accounts spreading COVID-19 misinformation, Facebook removed a series of such accounts days before Germany’s federal elections. These accounts were also encouraging violent responses to Covid restrictions. The crackdown, which was announced on September 16, was the first action taken according to the Facebook’s new “coordinated social harm” policy. It aims to stop disinformation campaigns. Also Read: CNN pulls out of Facebook in Australia, citing defamation risk In Germany, around 150 accounts, pages and groups were linked to 'Querdenken' movement, a group that protests lockdown measures in the country. While far-right users called it censorship, Facebook pushed it as an innovative response to potentially harmful content. Also Read: After YouTube bans RT due to multiple violations, Russia threatens to ban video platform Earlier, Facebook also announced various new efforts to combat climate crisis misinformation on its platform. These included expanding its climate science centre to provide more reliable information, investing in organisations that fight misinformation and launching a video series to highlight young climate advocates on both Facebook and Instagram. Watch: × However, as per critics, the push falls short and will allow vast amounts of climate misinformation to slip through the cracks. During the 2021 April congressional hearing, the CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg admitted that climate misinformation is “a big issue”. (With inputs from agencies)

In a crackdown, Facebook axed accounts spreading Covid misinformation in Germany before polls

News outlet CNN has said it scrapped its Facebook presence in Australia claiming that the social media behemoth refused to disable the comments section, while also citing the country’s high court ruling which made publishers responsible for defamatory comments posted by users on social media.

The move reportedly makes CNN the first major news organisation to pull its Facebook presence in Australia.

CNN said that Facebook declined a request to help it and other publishers disable public comments in the country following the ruling.

CNN's main Facebook page showed an error message when accessed from Australia on Wednesday.

<img alt="CNN's main Facebook page showed an error message when accessed from Australia on Wednesday" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f298644e-0457-4d42-a697-e3f66de89692" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/FB.jpg" />

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australian-media-may-rethink-facebook-presence-416130">Australian media may rethink facebook presence</a>

“We are disappointed that Facebook, once again, has failed to ensure its platform is a place for credible journalism and productive dialogue around current events among its users,” a CNN spokeswoman said in a statement.

A Facebook spokesperson suggested that the Australian defamation law needed reform and the company looked forward to “greater clarity and certainty in this area”.

Also read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/court-rules-australian-news-outlets-can-be-sued-for-comments-on-social-media-posts-411728">&nbsp;Court rules Australian news outlets can be sued for comments on social media posts</a>

“While it’s not our place to provide legal guidance to CNN, we have provided them with the latest information on tools we make available to help publishers manage comments,” the spokesperson told Reuters.

Social media is a central channel for distributing content in Australia, with about two-thirds of the country's 25 million population on Facebook, according to industry figures.

About a third of the country's population used Facebook to source news in 2021, a University of Canberra report said.

“The fact that a foreign outlet like CNN are pulling out shows the degree of concern that Australia's laws have not kept up with the pace of technological change,” Matt Collins, a prominent defamation lawyer, told Reuters.

CNN would have no equivalent exposure in the United States and relatively little exposure in Britain or other English-speaking countries like New Zealand, he added.

(With inputs from agencies)

News outlet CNN has said it scrapped its Facebook presence in Australia claiming that the social media behemoth refused to disable the comments section, while also citing the country’s high court ruling which made publishers responsible for defamatory comments posted by users on social media.

News outlet CNN has said it scrapped its Facebook presence in Australia claiming that the social media behemoth refused to disable the comments section, while also citing the country’s high court ruling which made publishers responsible for defamatory comments posted by users on social media. The move reportedly makes CNN the first major news organisation to pull its Facebook presence in Australia. CNN said that Facebook declined a request to help it and other publishers disable public comments in the country following the ruling. CNN's main Facebook page showed an error message when accessed from Australia on Wednesday. Also read | Australian media may rethink facebook presence “We are disappointed that Facebook, once again, has failed to ensure its platform is a place for credible journalism and productive dialogue around current events among its users,” a CNN spokeswoman said in a statement. A Facebook spokesperson suggested that the Australian defamation law needed reform and the company looked forward to “greater clarity and certainty in this area”. Also read | Court rules Australian news outlets can be sued for comments on social media posts “While it’s not our place to provide legal guidance to CNN, we have provided them with the latest information on tools we make available to help publishers manage comments,” the spokesperson told Reuters. Social media is a central channel for distributing content in Australia, with about two-thirds of the country's 25 million population on Facebook, according to industry figures. About a third of the country's population used Facebook to source news in 2021, a University of Canberra report said. “The fact that a foreign outlet like CNN are pulling out shows the degree of concern that Australia's laws have not kept up with the pace of technological change,” Matt Collins, a prominent defamation lawyer, told Reuters. CNN would have no equivalent exposure in the United States and relatively little exposure in Britain or other English-speaking countries like New Zealand, he added. (With inputs from agencies)

CNN pulls out of Facebook in Australia, citing defamation risk

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, signed off last month on a new initiative code-named Project Amplify.

The effort, which was hatched at an internal meeting in January, had a specific purpose: to use Facebook’s News Feed, the site’s most important digital real estate, to show people positive stories about the social network.

The idea was that pushing pro-Facebook news items, some of them written by the company,&nbsp;would improve its image in the eyes of its users, three people with knowledge of the effort said. But the move was sensitive because Facebook had not previously positioned the News Feed as a place where it burnished its own reputation. Several executives at the meeting were shocked by the proposal, one attendee said.&nbsp;

Project Amplify punctuated a series of decisions that Facebook has made this year to aggressively reshape its image. Since that January meeting, the company has begun a multipronged effort to change its narrative by distancing Zuckerberg from scandals, reducing outsiders’ access to internal data, burying a potentially negative report about its content, and increasing its own advertising to showcase its brand.

The moves amount to a broad shift in strategy. For years, Facebook confronted crisis after crisis over privacy, misinformation, and hate speech on its platform by publicly apologizing. Zuckerberg personally took responsibility for Russian interference on the site during the 2016 presidential election and has loudly stood up for free speech online. Facebook also promised transparency into the way that it operated.

But the drumbeat of criticism on issues as varied as racist speech and vaccine misinformation has not relented. Disgruntled Facebook employees have added to the furor by speaking out against their employer and leaking internal documents. Last week, The Wall Street Journal published articles based on such documents that showed Facebook knew about many of the harms it was causing.

So Facebook executives, concluding that their methods had done little to quell criticism or win supporters, decided early this year to go on the offensive, said six current and former employees, who declined to be identified for fear of reprisal.

“They’re realizing that no one else is going to come to their defense, so they need to do it and say it themselves,” said Katie Harbath, a former Facebook public policy director.

The changes have involved Facebook executives from its marketing, communications, policy and integrity teams. Alex Schultz, a 14-year company veteran who was named chief marketing officer last year, has also been influential in the image reshaping effort, said five people who worked with him. But at least one of the decisions was driven by Zuckerberg, and all were approved by him, three of the people said.

Joe Osborne, a Facebook spokesperson, denied that the company had changed its approach.

“People deserve to know the steps we’re taking to address the different issues facing our company — and we’re going to share those steps widely,” he said in a statement.

For years, Facebook executives have chafed at how their company appeared to receive more scrutiny than Google and Twitter, said current and former employees. They attributed that attention to Facebook’s leaving itself more exposed with its apologies and providing access to internal data, the people said.

So in January, executives held a virtual meeting and broached the idea of a more aggressive defense, one attendee said. The group discussed using the News Feed to promote positive news about the company, as well as running ads that linked to favorable articles about Facebook. They also debated how to define a pro-Facebook story, two participants said.

That same month, the communications team discussed ways for executives to be less conciliatory when responding to crises and decided there would be less apologizing, said two people with knowledge of the plan.

Zuckerberg, who had become intertwined with policy issues including the 2020 election, also wanted to recast himself as an innovator, the people said. In January, the communications team circulated a document with a strategy for distancing Zuckerberg from scandals, partly by focusing his Facebook posts and media appearances on new products, they said.

The Information, a tech news site, previously reported on the document.

The impact was immediate. On Jan. 11, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer — and not Zuckerberg — told Reuters that the storming of the U.S. Capitol a week earlier had little to do with Facebook. In July, when President Joe Biden said the social network was “killing people” by spreading COVID-19 misinformation, Guy Rosen, Facebook’s vice president for integrity, disputed the characterization in a blog post and pointed out that the White House had missed its coronavirus vaccination goals.

“Facebook is not the reason this goal was missed,” Rosen wrote.

Zuckerberg’s personal Facebook and Instagram accounts soon changed. Rather than addressing corporate controversies, Zuckerberg’s posts have recently featured a video of himself riding across a lake carrying an American flag, with messages about new virtual reality and hardware devices. (After this article, which described Zuckerberg as riding an electric surfboard, was published, he wrote on Facebook that it was actually “a hydrofoil that I’m pumping with my own legs.”)

Facebook also started cutting back the availability of data that allowed academics and journalists to study how the platform worked. In April, the company told its team behind CrowdTangle, a tool that provides data on the engagement and popularity of Facebook posts, that it was being broken up. While the tool still exists, the people who worked on it were moved to other teams.

Part of the impetus came from Schultz, who had grown frustrated with news coverage that used CrowdTangle data to show that Facebook was spreading misinformation, said two people involved in the discussions.

For academics who relied on CrowdTangle, it was a blow. Cameron Hickey, a misinformation researcher at the National Conference on Citizenship, a nonprofit focused on civic engagement, said he was “particularly angry” because he felt the CrowdTangle team was being punished for giving an unfiltered view of engagement on Facebook.

Schultz argued that Facebook should publish its own information about the site’s most popular content rather than supply access to tools like CrowdTangle, two people said. So in June, the company compiled a report on Facebook’s most-viewed posts for the first three months of 2021.

But Facebook did not release the report. After the policy communications team discovered that the top-viewed link for the period was a news story with a headline that suggested a doctor had died after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, they feared the company would be chastised for contributing to vaccine hesitancy, according to internal emails reviewed by The New York Times.

A day before the report was supposed to be published, Schultz was part of a group that voted to shelve the document, according to the emails. He later posted an internal message about his role at Facebook, which was reviewed by The Times, saying, “I do care about protecting the company’s reputation, but I also care deeply about rigor and transparency.”

Facebook also worked to stamp out employee leaks. In July, the communications team shuttered comments on an internal forum that was used for companywide announcements. “OUR ONE REQUEST: PLEASE DON’T LEAK,” read a post about the change.

At the same time, Facebook ramped up its marketing. During the Olympics this summer, the company paid for television spots with the tagline “We change the game when we find each other,” to promote how it fostered communities. In the first half of this year, Facebook spent a record $6.1 billion on marketing and sales, up more than 8% from a year earlier, according to a recent earnings report.

Weeks later, the company further reduced the ability of academics to conduct research on it when it disabled the Facebook accounts and pages of a group of New York University researchers. The researchers had created a feature for web browsers that allowed them to see users’ Facebook activity, which 16,000 people had consented to use. The resulting data had led to studies showing that misleading political ads had thrived on Facebook during the 2020 election and that users engaged more with right-wing misinformation than many other types of content.

In a blog post, Facebook said the NYU researchers had violated rules around collecting user data, citing a privacy agreement it had originally struck with the Federal Trade Commission in 2012. The FTC later admonished Facebook for invoking its agreement, saying it allowed for good-faith research in the public interest.

Laura Edelson, the lead NYU researcher, said Facebook cut her off because of the negative attention her work brought. “Some people at Facebook look at the effect of these transparency efforts and all they see is bad PR,” she said.

The episode was compounded this month when Facebook told misinformation researchers that it had mistakenly provided incomplete data on user interactions and engagement for two years for their work.

“It is inconceivable that most of modern life, as it exists on Facebook, isn’t analyzable by researchers,” said Nathaniel Persily, a Stanford University law professor, who is working on federal legislation to force the company to share data with academics.

In August, after Zuckerberg approved Project Amplify, the company tested the change in three U.S. cities, two people with knowledge of the effort said. While the company had previously used the News Feed to promote its own products and social causes, it had not turned to it to openly push positive press about itself, they said.

Once the tests began, Facebook used a system known as Quick Promotes to place stories about people and organizations that used the social network into users’ News Feeds, they said. People essentially see posts with a Facebook logo that link to stories and websites published by the company and from third-party local news sites. One story pushed “Facebook’s Latest Innovations for 2021” and discussed how it was achieving “100 percent renewable energy for our global operations.”

“This is a test for an informational unit clearly marked as coming from Facebook,” Osborne said, adding that Project Amplify was “similar to corporate responsibility initiatives people see in other technology and consumer products.”

Facebook’s defiance against unflattering revelations has also not let up, even without Zuckerberg. On Saturday, Nick Clegg, the company’s vice president for global affairs, wrote a blog post denouncing the premise of The Journal investigation. He said the idea that Facebook executives had repeatedly ignored warnings about problems was “just plain false.”

“These stories have contained deliberate mischaracterizations of what we are trying to do,” Clegg said. He did not detail what the mischaracterizations were.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, signed off last month on a new initiative code-named Project Amplify. The effort, which was hatched at an internal meeting in January, had a specific purpose: to use Facebook’s News Feed, the site’s most important digital real estate, to show people positive stories about the social network.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, signed off last month on a new initiative code-named Project Amplify. The effort, which was hatched at an internal meeting in January, had a specific purpose: to use Facebook’s News Feed, the site’s most important digital real estate, to show people positive stories about the social network. The idea was that pushing pro-Facebook news items, some of them written by the company, would improve its image in the eyes of its users, three people with knowledge of the effort said. But the move was sensitive because Facebook had not previously positioned the News Feed as a place where it burnished its own reputation. Several executives at the meeting were shocked by the proposal, one attendee said. Project Amplify punctuated a series of decisions that Facebook has made this year to aggressively reshape its image. Since that January meeting, the company has begun a multipronged effort to change its narrative by distancing Zuckerberg from scandals, reducing outsiders’ access to internal data, burying a potentially negative report about its content, and increasing its own advertising to showcase its brand. The moves amount to a broad shift in strategy. For years, Facebook confronted crisis after crisis over privacy, misinformation, and hate speech on its platform by publicly apologizing. Zuckerberg personally took responsibility for Russian interference on the site during the 2016 presidential election and has loudly stood up for free speech online. Facebook also promised transparency into the way that it operated. But the drumbeat of criticism on issues as varied as racist speech and vaccine misinformation has not relented. Disgruntled Facebook employees have added to the furor by speaking out against their employer and leaking internal documents. Last week, The Wall Street Journal published articles based on such documents that showed Facebook knew about many of the harms it was causing. So Facebook executives, concluding that their methods had done little to quell criticism or win supporters, decided early this year to go on the offensive, said six current and former employees, who declined to be identified for fear of reprisal. “They’re realizing that no one else is going to come to their defense, so they need to do it and say it themselves,” said Katie Harbath, a former Facebook public policy director. The changes have involved Facebook executives from its marketing, communications, policy and integrity teams. Alex Schultz, a 14-year company veteran who was named chief marketing officer last year, has also been influential in the image reshaping effort, said five people who worked with him. But at least one of the decisions was driven by Zuckerberg, and all were approved by him, three of the people said. Joe Osborne, a Facebook spokesperson, denied that the company had changed its approach. “People deserve to know the steps we’re taking to address the different issues facing our company — and we’re going to share those steps widely,” he said in a statement. For years, Facebook executives have chafed at how their company appeared to receive more scrutiny than Google and Twitter, said current and former employees. They attributed that attention to Facebook’s leaving itself more exposed with its apologies and providing access to internal data, the people said. So in January, executives held a virtual meeting and broached the idea of a more aggressive defense, one attendee said. The group discussed using the News Feed to promote positive news about the company, as well as running ads that linked to favorable articles about Facebook. They also debated how to define a pro-Facebook story, two participants said. That same month, the communications team discussed ways for executives to be less conciliatory when responding to crises and decided there would be less apologizing, said two people with knowledge of the plan. Zuckerberg, who had become intertwined with policy issues including the 2020 election, also wanted to recast himself as an innovator, the people said. In January, the communications team circulated a document with a strategy for distancing Zuckerberg from scandals, partly by focusing his Facebook posts and media appearances on new products, they said. The Information, a tech news site, previously reported on the document. The impact was immediate. On Jan. 11, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer — and not Zuckerberg — told Reuters that the storming of the U.S. Capitol a week earlier had little to do with Facebook. In July, when President Joe Biden said the social network was “killing people” by spreading COVID-19 misinformation, Guy Rosen, Facebook’s vice president for integrity, disputed the characterization in a blog post and pointed out that the White House had missed its coronavirus vaccination goals. “Facebook is not the reason this goal was missed,” Rosen wrote. Zuckerberg’s personal Facebook and Instagram accounts soon changed. Rather than addressing corporate controversies, Zuckerberg’s posts have recently featured a video of himself riding across a lake carrying an American flag, with messages about new virtual reality and hardware devices. (After this article, which described Zuckerberg as riding an electric surfboard, was published, he wrote on Facebook that it was actually “a hydrofoil that I’m pumping with my own legs.”) Facebook also started cutting back the availability of data that allowed academics and journalists to study how the platform worked. In April, the company told its team behind CrowdTangle, a tool that provides data on the engagement and popularity of Facebook posts, that it was being broken up. While the tool still exists, the people who worked on it were moved to other teams. Part of the impetus came from Schultz, who had grown frustrated with news coverage that used CrowdTangle data to show that Facebook was spreading misinformation, said two people involved in the discussions. For academics who relied on CrowdTangle, it was a blow. Cameron Hickey, a misinformation researcher at the National Conference on Citizenship, a nonprofit focused on civic engagement, said he was “particularly angry” because he felt the CrowdTangle team was being punished for giving an unfiltered view of engagement on Facebook. Schultz argued that Facebook should publish its own information about the site’s most popular content rather than supply access to tools like CrowdTangle, two people said. So in June, the company compiled a report on Facebook’s most-viewed posts for the first three months of 2021. But Facebook did not release the report. After the policy communications team discovered that the top-viewed link for the period was a news story with a headline that suggested a doctor had died after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, they feared the company would be chastised for contributing to vaccine hesitancy, according to internal emails reviewed by The New York Times. A day before the report was supposed to be published, Schultz was part of a group that voted to shelve the document, according to the emails. He later posted an internal message about his role at Facebook, which was reviewed by The Times, saying, “I do care about protecting the company’s reputation, but I also care deeply about rigor and transparency.” Facebook also worked to stamp out employee leaks. In July, the communications team shuttered comments on an internal forum that was used for companywide announcements. “OUR ONE REQUEST: PLEASE DON’T LEAK,” read a post about the change. At the same time, Facebook ramped up its marketing. During the Olympics this summer, the company paid for television spots with the tagline “We change the game when we find each other,” to promote how it fostered communities. In the first half of this year, Facebook spent a record $6.1 billion on marketing and sales, up more than 8% from a year earlier, according to a recent earnings report. Weeks later, the company further reduced the ability of academics to conduct research on it when it disabled the Facebook accounts and pages of a group of New York University researchers. The researchers had created a feature for web browsers that allowed them to see users’ Facebook activity, which 16,000 people had consented to use. The resulting data had led to studies showing that misleading political ads had thrived on Facebook during the 2020 election and that users engaged more with right-wing misinformation than many other types of content. In a blog post, Facebook said the NYU researchers had violated rules around collecting user data, citing a privacy agreement it had originally struck with the Federal Trade Commission in 2012. The FTC later admonished Facebook for invoking its agreement, saying it allowed for good-faith research in the public interest. Laura Edelson, the lead NYU researcher, said Facebook cut her off because of the negative attention her work brought. “Some people at Facebook look at the effect of these transparency efforts and all they see is bad PR,” she said. The episode was compounded this month when Facebook told misinformation researchers that it had mistakenly provided incomplete data on user interactions and engagement for two years for their work. “It is inconceivable that most of modern life, as it exists on Facebook, isn’t analyzable by researchers,” said Nathaniel Persily, a Stanford University law professor, who is working on federal legislation to force the company to share data with academics. In August, after Zuckerberg approved Project Amplify, the company tested the change in three U.S. cities, two people with knowledge of the effort said. While the company had previously used the News Feed to promote its own products and social causes, it had not turned to it to openly push positive press about itself, they said. Once the tests began, Facebook used a system known as Quick Promotes to place stories about people and organizations that used the social network into users’ News Feeds, they said. People essentially see posts with a Facebook logo that link to stories and websites published by the company and from third-party local news sites. One story pushed “Facebook’s Latest Innovations for 2021” and discussed how it was achieving “100 percent renewable energy for our global operations.” “This is a test for an informational unit clearly marked as coming from Facebook,” Osborne said, adding that Project Amplify was “similar to corporate responsibility initiatives people see in other technology and consumer products.” Facebook’s defiance against unflattering revelations has also not let up, even without Zuckerberg. On Saturday, Nick Clegg, the company’s vice president for global affairs, wrote a blog post denouncing the premise of The Journal investigation. He said the idea that Facebook executives had repeatedly ignored warnings about problems was “just plain false.” “These stories have contained deliberate mischaracterizations of what we are trying to do,” Clegg said. He did not detail what the mischaracterizations were.

No more apologies: Inside Facebook’s push to defend its image

According to reports, social media giant Facebook has exempted high profile VIPs from its rules in a new quality control move.

The programme&nbsp;is reportedly called "cross-check" or "XCheck". The Wall Street Journal report said the policy protests celebrities even though the social media company claims to apply rules equally to everyone.

Andy Stone, Facebook spokesman in a series of tweets said: "The WSJ piece repeatedly cites Facebook's own documents pointing to the need for changes that are in fact already underway at the company."

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
But since 2019, when we, ourselves, promoted that the company would take this approach to politicians’ speech, there have been literally hundreds of news stories critical of our approach.
— Andy Stone (@andymstone) <a href="https://twitter.com/andymstone/status/1437463051985473538?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2021</a></blockquote>
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"We have new teams, new resources and an overhaul of the process that is an existing work-stream at Facebook," Stone added.&nbsp; 
Stone said there have been "literally hundreds of news stories critical of our approach" while conceding&nbsp;that Facebook's own analysis had come to the conclusion improvements need&nbsp;to be made.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Journal’s reporting also suggests we were not clear about the ability of politicians to speak freely on the platform -- suggesting this somehow a secret protection.
— Andy Stone (@andymstone) <a href="https://twitter.com/andymstone/status/1437462907202281472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2021</a></blockquote>
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"There aren't two systems of justice; it's an attempted safeguard against mistakes," Stone said in the tweet, adding: "We know our enforcement is not perfect and there are tradeoffs between speed and accuracy."

The WSJ report said XCheck grew to include at least 5.8 million users last year.&nbsp;Facebook had claimed earlier that it does not protect profiles, pages or content from being removed while adding that it "is simply done to make sure our decision is correct."

(With inputs from Agencies)

According to reports, social media giant Facebook has exempted high profile VIPs from its rules in a new quality control move. The programme is reportedly called "cross-check" or "XCheck".

According to reports, social media giant Facebook has exempted high profile VIPs from its rules in a new quality control move. The programme is reportedly called "cross-check" or "XCheck". The Wall Street Journal report said the policy protests celebrities even though the social media company claims to apply rules equally to everyone. Andy Stone, Facebook spokesman in a series of tweets said: "The WSJ piece repeatedly cites Facebook's own documents pointing to the need for changes that are in fact already underway at the company." But since 2019, when we, ourselves, promoted that the company would take this approach to politicians’ speech, there have been literally hundreds of news stories critical of our approach. — Andy Stone (@andymstone) September 13, 2021 × "We have new teams, new resources and an overhaul of the process that is an existing work-stream at Facebook," Stone added. Stone said there have been "literally hundreds of news stories critical of our approach" while conceding that Facebook's own analysis had come to the conclusion improvements need to be made. The Journal’s reporting also suggests we were not clear about the ability of politicians to speak freely on the platform -- suggesting this somehow a secret protection. — Andy Stone (@andymstone) September 13, 2021 × "There aren't two systems of justice; it's an attempted safeguard against mistakes," Stone said in the tweet, adding: "We know our enforcement is not perfect and there are tradeoffs between speed and accuracy." The WSJ report said XCheck grew to include at least 5.8 million users last year. Facebook had claimed earlier that it does not protect profiles, pages or content from being removed while adding that it "is simply done to make sure our decision is correct." (With inputs from Agencies)

Facebook protects elite users from its own rules: Report

Facebook&nbsp;Inc launched its first smart glasses on Thursday in a step toward its aim of offering true augmented-reality spectacles.

The glasses, which were created in partnership with Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica, allow wearers to listen to music, take calls or capture photos and short videos and share them across&nbsp;Facebook's services using a companion app.&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;said the glasses line, called "Ray-Ban Stories," would start at $299.

The social media giant, which reported revenue of about $86 billion in 2020, makes most of its money from advertising but has invested heavily in virtual and augmented reality, developing hardware such as its Oculus VR headsets and working on wristband technologies&nbsp;to support augmented reality glasses.

Facebook's chief scientist said last year the company was five to 10 years away from being able to bring to market "true" AR glasses, which would superimpose virtual objects onto the wearer's view of the real world.

Major tech firms including Amazon.com Inc, Alphabet Inc's Google, Microsoft Corp, Apple Inc, and Snap Inc have raced to develop various smart glasses products, but early offerings like Google Glass proved difficult to sell to consumers put off by high price points and design issues.

Snap, which unveiled its smart Spectacles in 2016, this year launched AR glasses but they are not for sale and are offered only to AR creators. Snap's CEO, Evan Spiegel, said in 2019 that he expected it would be a decade before consumers widely adopted AR smart glasses.

Facebook's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, recently announced the company was setting up a team to work on building the metaverse, a shared virtual environment which it is betting will be the successor to the mobile internet.

"We’ve believed for a long time that glasses are going to be an important part of building the next computing platform," said Zuckerberg in a video posted on his&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;page on Thursday.

Facebook, which has been criticized over its handling of user data, said it would not access the media used by its smart-glasses customers without their consent.

The company also said it would not use the content of the photos or videos captured using the glasses and stored in the&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;View app for personalizing ads, and said the glasses would be an "ads-free experience."

The glasses include an optional virtual assistant so photos and videos can be captured hands-free through voice commands.&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;said an LED light on the glasses would show when the camera is on, to make other people aware when a wearer is taking a photo or video.

It published a guide outlining how to use the glasses responsibly, for example turning them off in private spaces like public bathrooms and not using them for illegal actions like harassment or capturing sensitive information such as PIN codes.

Facebook Inc launched its first smart glasses on Thursday in a step toward its aim of offering true augmented-reality spectacles. The glasses, which were created in partnership with Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica, allow wearers to listen to music, take calls or capture photos and short videos and share them across Facebook's services using a companion app.

Facebook Inc launched its first smart glasses on Thursday in a step toward its aim of offering true augmented-reality spectacles. The glasses, which were created in partnership with Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica, allow wearers to listen to music, take calls or capture photos and short videos and share them across Facebook's services using a companion app. Facebook said the glasses line, called "Ray-Ban Stories," would start at $299. The social media giant, which reported revenue of about $86 billion in 2020, makes most of its money from advertising but has invested heavily in virtual and augmented reality, developing hardware such as its Oculus VR headsets and working on wristband technologies to support augmented reality glasses. Facebook's chief scientist said last year the company was five to 10 years away from being able to bring to market "true" AR glasses, which would superimpose virtual objects onto the wearer's view of the real world. Major tech firms including Amazon.com Inc, Alphabet Inc's Google, Microsoft Corp, Apple Inc, and Snap Inc have raced to develop various smart glasses products, but early offerings like Google Glass proved difficult to sell to consumers put off by high price points and design issues. Snap, which unveiled its smart Spectacles in 2016, this year launched AR glasses but they are not for sale and are offered only to AR creators. Snap's CEO, Evan Spiegel, said in 2019 that he expected it would be a decade before consumers widely adopted AR smart glasses. Facebook's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, recently announced the company was setting up a team to work on building the metaverse, a shared virtual environment which it is betting will be the successor to the mobile internet. "We’ve believed for a long time that glasses are going to be an important part of building the next computing platform," said Zuckerberg in a video posted on his Facebook page on Thursday. Facebook, which has been criticized over its handling of user data, said it would not access the media used by its smart-glasses customers without their consent. The company also said it would not use the content of the photos or videos captured using the glasses and stored in the Facebook View app for personalizing ads, and said the glasses would be an "ads-free experience." The glasses include an optional virtual assistant so photos and videos can be captured hands-free through voice commands. Facebook said an LED light on the glasses would show when the camera is on, to make other people aware when a wearer is taking a photo or video. It published a guide outlining how to use the glasses responsibly, for example turning them off in private spaces like public bathrooms and not using them for illegal actions like harassment or capturing sensitive information such as PIN codes.

Facebook unveils its first-generation smart glasses

Google on Wednesday ramped up cloud collaboration tools for businesses, expecting "hybrid" work routines to remain even after the pandemic has ended.

The internet titan competes with Microsoft, Zoom, Facebook and others with online services that employees can use to collaborate remotely.

Tech giants turned to their own tools after abandoning campuses early in the pandemic, which fueled a fierce remote work trend.

"We've seen a radical transformation, and a lot of that transformation is here to stay," Google product management director Dave Citron said during a briefing on new Workspace offerings.

"But I think it is too early to say that the 40-hour work week in a cubicle is permanently dead across all industries and regions."

Major tech companies themselves have postponed workers returning to offices and expect the new norm to become "hybrid" routines that mix being on-site with working remotely.

Google said it has created a hybrid work handbook for how to take advantage of tools, as well as software for employees to conduct efficient meetings no matter where they are working from.

"We're really excited to bring this to our customers to give them some best practices as they're working to redesign their offices," Citron said.

Google also announced enhancements to its Workspace portfolio that integrate the tech giant's apps for meetings, email, calendars, documents, chat and more.

"As some people return to the office, teams need that ability to flexibly collaborate from anywhere, anytime,” said Workspace senior director of product management Sanaz Ahari.

"The innovations we're bringing to customers today help bridge the gaps of virtual and in-person collaboration."

Workspace added a dedicated online venue for working on projects, and unveiled interactive Series One displays designed specifically for conferencing.

An all-in-one desktop model of Series One was priced at $2,000, while a larger model designed for conference rooms was priced at $7,000.

"Based on the price points, we think the vast amount of the customers will be companies buying it for their employees," Citron said.

Google on Wednesday ramped up cloud collaboration tools for businesses, expecting "hybrid" work routines to remain even after the pandemic has ended. The internet titan competes with Microsoft, Zoom, Facebook and others with online services that employees can use to collaborate remotely.

Google on Wednesday ramped up cloud collaboration tools for businesses, expecting "hybrid" work routines to remain even after the pandemic has ended. The internet titan competes with Microsoft, Zoom, Facebook and others with online services that employees can use to collaborate remotely. Tech giants turned to their own tools after abandoning campuses early in the pandemic, which fueled a fierce remote work trend. "We've seen a radical transformation, and a lot of that transformation is here to stay," Google product management director Dave Citron said during a briefing on new Workspace offerings. "But I think it is too early to say that the 40-hour work week in a cubicle is permanently dead across all industries and regions." Major tech companies themselves have postponed workers returning to offices and expect the new norm to become "hybrid" routines that mix being on-site with working remotely. Google said it has created a hybrid work handbook for how to take advantage of tools, as well as software for employees to conduct efficient meetings no matter where they are working from. "We're really excited to bring this to our customers to give them some best practices as they're working to redesign their offices," Citron said. Google also announced enhancements to its Workspace portfolio that integrate the tech giant's apps for meetings, email, calendars, documents, chat and more. "As some people return to the office, teams need that ability to flexibly collaborate from anywhere, anytime,” said Workspace senior director of product management Sanaz Ahari. "The innovations we're bringing to customers today help bridge the gaps of virtual and in-person collaboration." Workspace added a dedicated online venue for working on projects, and unveiled interactive Series One displays designed specifically for conferencing. An all-in-one desktop model of Series One was priced at $2,000, while a larger model designed for conference rooms was priced at $7,000. "Based on the price points, we think the vast amount of the customers will be companies buying it for their employees," Citron said.

Google see the future of work as 'hybrid'

The National Crime Agency (NCA) of Britain has warned that Facebook's plan to encrypt its messages can prevent detection of child abuse.

The social media giant's end-to-end encryption can hamper access to ''incisive technology'' according&nbsp;to NCA's director Rob Jones.

The warning comes as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company was working on plans to extend encryption.

It is bound to alarm privacy campaigners. UK's government is also trying to curb the tech titan's plans.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/facebook-misinformation-gets-six-times-more-engagement-than-factual-posts-study-411355" hreflang="en">Facebook misinformation gets six times more engagement than factual posts: Study</a>

Facebook had allowed its users to make voice and video calls within its main app on a trial basis, aiming to make it easier to place calls without opening its standalone Messenger app.

Under this strategy, Facebook extended the option of end-to-end encryption in which nobody else, not even the company itself can listen or see what is said or sent.

After facing criticism for introducing child safety updates, Apple had announced a delay in its introduction.

The company had promised last month to check US customer phones and computers for child sex abuse images.

But the move sparked a global backlash from a wide range of rights groups, with employees also criticising the plan internally.

As per the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), the tech industry made over 21 million referrals internationally of child sexual abuse on its platforms in 2020.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) of Britain has warned that Facebook's plan to encrypt its messages can prevent detection of child abuse. The social media giant's end-to-end encryption can hamper access to ''incisive technology'' according to NCA's director Rob Jones.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) of Britain has warned that Facebook's plan to encrypt its messages can prevent detection of child abuse. The social media giant's end-to-end encryption can hamper access to ''incisive technology'' according to NCA's director Rob Jones. The warning comes as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company was working on plans to extend encryption. It is bound to alarm privacy campaigners. UK's government is also trying to curb the tech titan's plans. Also read | Facebook misinformation gets six times more engagement than factual posts: Study Facebook had allowed its users to make voice and video calls within its main app on a trial basis, aiming to make it easier to place calls without opening its standalone Messenger app. Under this strategy, Facebook extended the option of end-to-end encryption in which nobody else, not even the company itself can listen or see what is said or sent. After facing criticism for introducing child safety updates, Apple had announced a delay in its introduction. The company had promised last month to check US customer phones and computers for child sex abuse images. But the move sparked a global backlash from a wide range of rights groups, with employees also criticising the plan internally. As per the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), the tech industry made over 21 million referrals internationally of child sexual abuse on its platforms in 2020.

UK: National Crime Agency warns Facebook's encryption can prevent detection of child abuse

Social media is a handy tool to stay in touch with your loved ones, reading news and even acquiring new knowledge. But it is also the fastest way misinformation travels around the globe. Now it has come to light that misinformation on Facebook gets 6 times more attention than factual posts.

The study was carried out by New York University and Université Grenoble Alpes. The researchers looked at posts put out by 2500 Facebook pages between August 2020 to January 2021.

It was found in the study that posts from sources known for spreading misinformation got six times more likes, shares and interactions than the posts made by reputed news sources.

The study looked at misinformation from both ends of political spectrum. It found that misinformation at both ends, far-right and far-left, got more engagement than correct info. But interestingly, the study found that far-right put out more misinformation than far-left overall.

NYU researchers found that 40 per cent far-right sources and 10 per cent left-leaning sources promoted misinformation. They also said that misinformation accounted for 68 per cent of engagement with far-right sources while it was 36 per cent for far-left sources.

The study was first reported in Washington Post.

Social media is a handy tool to stay in touch with your loved ones, reading news and even acquiring new knowledge. But it is also the fastest way misinformation travels around the globe.

Social media is a handy tool to stay in touch with your loved ones, reading news and even acquiring new knowledge. But it is also the fastest way misinformation travels around the globe. Now it has come to light that misinformation on Facebook gets 6 times more attention than factual posts. The study was carried out by New York University and Université Grenoble Alpes. The researchers looked at posts put out by 2500 Facebook pages between August 2020 to January 2021. It was found in the study that posts from sources known for spreading misinformation got six times more likes, shares and interactions than the posts made by reputed news sources. The study looked at misinformation from both ends of political spectrum. It found that misinformation at both ends, far-right and far-left, got more engagement than correct info. But interestingly, the study found that far-right put out more misinformation than far-left overall. NYU researchers found that 40 per cent far-right sources and 10 per cent left-leaning sources promoted misinformation. They also said that misinformation accounted for 68 per cent of engagement with far-right sources while it was 36 per cent for far-left sources. The study was first reported in Washington Post.

Facebook misinformation gets six times more engagement than factual posts: Study

In the 46 days between June 16 and July 31, 2021, WhatsApp banned almost 3 million Indian accounts on the messaging service, according to the company's second compliance report under the new Information Technology Rules, 2021.

According to the study, the messaging giant received 137 requests for account help, of which one was handled, and 316 requests to ban accounts, of which 73 were handled. During the reporting period, it banned a total of 3,027,000 accounts.&nbsp;

WhatsApp previously said that over 95% of bans are caused by the unauthorised use of automated or bulk messaging (spam).

WhatsApp disables roughly 8 million accounts each month on average throughout the world to prevent abuse on the network.

During the period of June 16 to July 31, WhatsApp received 594 user reports spanning account support (137), ban appeal (316), other support (45), product support (64), and safety (32).

According to the report, 74 accounts were "actioned" during this time.

"Accounts Actioned" refers to reports for which WhatsApp takes corrective action as a result of the report, according to WhatsApp.&nbsp;

WhatsApp has previously stated that accounts should not be allowed to send automated mass spam at a large scale.

It employs artificial intelligence to detect suspect activity from accounts that send a high or unusual number of messages, and it bans millions of such accounts in India and around the world.

Because WhatsApp is an end-to-end encrypted platform, it has no visibility into the content of any messages.&nbsp;

Instead, it relies on unencrypted data such as user reports, profile photos, group photos, and descriptions, as well as advanced AI tools and resources to detect and prevent abuse on the platform, in addition to behavioural signals from accounts.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

In the 46 days between June 16 and July 31, 2021, WhatsApp banned almost 3 million Indian accounts on the messaging service, according to the company's second compliance report under the new Information Technology Rules, 2021.

In the 46 days between June 16 and July 31, 2021, WhatsApp banned almost 3 million Indian accounts on the messaging service, according to the company's second compliance report under the new Information Technology Rules, 2021. According to the study, the messaging giant received 137 requests for account help, of which one was handled, and 316 requests to ban accounts, of which 73 were handled. During the reporting period, it banned a total of 3,027,000 accounts. WhatsApp previously said that over 95% of bans are caused by the unauthorised use of automated or bulk messaging (spam). WhatsApp disables roughly 8 million accounts each month on average throughout the world to prevent abuse on the network. During the period of June 16 to July 31, WhatsApp received 594 user reports spanning account support (137), ban appeal (316), other support (45), product support (64), and safety (32). According to the report, 74 accounts were "actioned" during this time. "Accounts Actioned" refers to reports for which WhatsApp takes corrective action as a result of the report, according to WhatsApp. WhatsApp has previously stated that accounts should not be allowed to send automated mass spam at a large scale. It employs artificial intelligence to detect suspect activity from accounts that send a high or unusual number of messages, and it bans millions of such accounts in India and around the world. Because WhatsApp is an end-to-end encrypted platform, it has no visibility into the content of any messages. Instead, it relies on unencrypted data such as user reports, profile photos, group photos, and descriptions, as well as advanced AI tools and resources to detect and prevent abuse on the platform, in addition to behavioural signals from accounts. (With inputs from agencies)

WhatsApp says it banned 3 million accounts in India in its second compliance report

Facebook has approached academics and policy experts about forming a commission to advise it on global election-related matters, said five people with knowledge of the discussions, a move that would allow the social network to shift some of its political decision-making to an advisory body.

The proposed commission could decide on matters such as the viability of political ads and what to do about election-related misinformation, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the discussions were confidential. Facebook is expected to announce the commission this fall in preparation for the 2022 midterm elections, they said, though the effort is preliminary and could still fall apart.

Outsourcing election matters to a panel of experts could help Facebook sidestep criticism of bias by political groups, two of the people said. The company has been blasted in recent years by conservatives, who have accused Facebook of suppressing their voices, as well as by civil rights groups and Democrats for allowing political misinformation to fester and spread online. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, does not want to be seen as the sole decision-maker on political content, two of the people said.

Facebook declined to comment.

If an election commission is formed, it would emulate the step Facebook took in 2018 when it created what it calls the Oversight Board, a collection of journalism, legal and policy experts who adjudicate whether the company was correct to remove certain posts from its platforms. Facebook has pushed some content decisions to the Oversight Board for review, allowing it to show that it does not make determinations on its own.

Facebook has had a spotty track record on election-related issues, going back to Russian manipulation of the platform’s advertising and posts in the 2016 presidential election.

There are several elections in the coming year in countries such as Hungary, Germany, Brazil and the Philippines where Facebook’s actions will be closely scrutinized. Voter fraud misinformation has already begun spreading ahead of German elections in September. In the Philippines, Facebook has removed networks of fake accounts that support President Rodrigo Duterte, who used the social network to gain power in 2016.

“There is already this perception that Facebook, an American social media company, is going in and tilting elections of other countries through its platform,” said Nathaniel Persily, a law professor at Stanford University. “Whatever decisions Facebook makes have global implications.” 
&nbsp;

Facebook has approached academics and policy experts about forming a commission to advise it on global election-related matters, said five people with knowledge of the discussions, a move that would allow the social network to shift some of its political decision-making to an advisory body.

Facebook has approached academics and policy experts about forming a commission to advise it on global election-related matters, said five people with knowledge of the discussions, a move that would allow the social network to shift some of its political decision-making to an advisory body. The proposed commission could decide on matters such as the viability of political ads and what to do about election-related misinformation, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the discussions were confidential. Facebook is expected to announce the commission this fall in preparation for the 2022 midterm elections, they said, though the effort is preliminary and could still fall apart. Outsourcing election matters to a panel of experts could help Facebook sidestep criticism of bias by political groups, two of the people said. The company has been blasted in recent years by conservatives, who have accused Facebook of suppressing their voices, as well as by civil rights groups and Democrats for allowing political misinformation to fester and spread online. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive, does not want to be seen as the sole decision-maker on political content, two of the people said. Facebook declined to comment. If an election commission is formed, it would emulate the step Facebook took in 2018 when it created what it calls the Oversight Board, a collection of journalism, legal and policy experts who adjudicate whether the company was correct to remove certain posts from its platforms. Facebook has pushed some content decisions to the Oversight Board for review, allowing it to show that it does not make determinations on its own. Facebook has had a spotty track record on election-related issues, going back to Russian manipulation of the platform’s advertising and posts in the 2016 presidential election. There are several elections in the coming year in countries such as Hungary, Germany, Brazil and the Philippines where Facebook’s actions will be closely scrutinized. Voter fraud misinformation has already begun spreading ahead of German elections in September. In the Philippines, Facebook has removed networks of fake accounts that support President Rodrigo Duterte, who used the social network to gain power in 2016. “There is already this perception that Facebook, an American social media company, is going in and tilting elections of other countries through its platform,” said Nathaniel Persily, a law professor at Stanford University. “Whatever decisions Facebook makes have global implications.”

Facebook said to consider forming an election commission

Facebook-owned&nbsp;Instagram is retiring the&nbsp;swipe-up gesture to access links on August 30 and replacing it with&nbsp;addictive stickers.

The company said it is making the move to “streamline the stories creation experience” and offer more “creative control,” given that uses can format the look of stickers and not the swipe up.

Instagram started testing these stickers in June for various users, not just people who already had swipe-up privileges.

This is seen as a big change as the swipe-up function was a premium feature for Instagram and it was being offered only to influencers with more than 10,000 followers and advertisers who pay for visibility.

Instagram is diversifying its features. It will launch advertising on its Shop feature globally,&nbsp;&nbsp;as it seeks to earn more money from brands hoping to reach new customers.

Instagram&nbsp;Shop is a tab on the photo and video sharing app that lets users browse items such as clothes and beauty products and in some cases purchase the items directly within the&nbsp;Instagram&nbsp;app.

Users can click on an&nbsp;Instagram&nbsp;Shop ad to view more details about the product, browse additional items from the brand or save the product to a wishlist.

The company began testing the ads earlier this month with a few select advertisers, but the feature is now open to brands globally wherever&nbsp;Instagram&nbsp;Shop is available.

Facebook has been trying to tie together messaging across its suite of apps and first enabled it between&nbsp;Instagram&nbsp;and Messenger last September. The move enabled users of each service to find, message and hold video calls with contacts on the other without needing to download both apps.

(With inputs from agencies)

Facebook-owned Instagram is retiring the swipe-up gesture to access links on August 30 and replacing it with addictive stickers. The company said it is making the move to “streamline the stories creation experience” and offer more “creative control,” given that uses can format the look of stickers and not the swipe up.

Facebook-owned Instagram is retiring the swipe-up gesture to access links on August 30 and replacing it with addictive stickers. The company said it is making the move to “streamline the stories creation experience” and offer more “creative control,” given that uses can format the look of stickers and not the swipe up. Instagram started testing these stickers in June for various users, not just people who already had swipe-up privileges. This is seen as a big change as the swipe-up function was a premium feature for Instagram and it was being offered only to influencers with more than 10,000 followers and advertisers who pay for visibility. Instagram is diversifying its features. It will launch advertising on its Shop feature globally, as it seeks to earn more money from brands hoping to reach new customers. Instagram Shop is a tab on the photo and video sharing app that lets users browse items such as clothes and beauty products and in some cases purchase the items directly within the Instagram app. Users can click on an Instagram Shop ad to view more details about the product, browse additional items from the brand or save the product to a wishlist. The company began testing the ads earlier this month with a few select advertisers, but the feature is now open to brands globally wherever Instagram Shop is available. Facebook has been trying to tie together messaging across its suite of apps and first enabled it between Instagram and Messenger last September. The move enabled users of each service to find, message and hold video calls with contacts on the other without needing to download both apps. (With inputs from agencies)

Instagram is deleting swipe-up feature, replacing it with addictive stickers

The Taliban's rapid takeover of&nbsp;Afghanistan&nbsp;poses challenges for multiple major social media and messaging platforms on what and who should be allowed on their platforms.

The companies, which have come under fire from global lawmakers and regulators for their outsized political and economic influence, often depend on state designations or official international recognitions to determine who is allowed on their sites.

These also help determine who might be verified, allowed official state accounts or may receive special treatment for rule-breaking speech due to newsworthiness or public interest loopholes.

However, the differences among the tech companies' stances suggest the approach is not uniform.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-7-videos-that-show-life-under-taliban-406402/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Here is what various social media giants are doing after the Taliban&nbsp;seized Kabul, confirming their takeover of power in Afghanistan after a stunningly swift end to the country's 20-year war.

Facebook blocks WhatsApp accounts

WhatsApp accounts linked to the&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;have been banned after the radical Islamic group seized control of Afghanistan and sought to use the messaging service to help it govern.

"The&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;is sanctioned as a terrorist organization under US law and we have banned them from our services under our Dangerous Organization policies," a Facebook spokesperson said.

The Facebook move shut down a WhatsApp hotline the&nbsp;Taliban&nbsp;had set up to receive complaints about violence and looting, according to the Financial Times.

Facebook had on Monday said it designates the Taliban a terrorist group and bans it and content supporting it from its platforms.

Twitter

On&nbsp;Twitter&nbsp;Inc, Taliban spokesmen with hundreds of thousands of followers have tweeted updates during the country's takeover.

However, the company has issued&nbsp;a statement saying that the network would review Taliban's content that may violate its rules, specifically against the glorification of violence or platform manipulation.

Youtube

Alphabet Inc’s YouTube said on Tuesday it has a long-held policy of not allowing accounts believed to be operated by the Taliban on its site, as social media companies faced questions about how they would handle the group that fast gained control of&nbsp;Afghanistan.

The video-sharing service relies on governments to define "Foreign Terrorist Organizations" (FTO) to guide the site's enforcement of its rules against violent criminal groups.

The US&nbsp;instead classifies the Taliban as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist," which freezes the US&nbsp;assets of those blacklisted and bars Americans from working with them.

(With inputs from agencies)

The Taliban's rapid takeover of Afghanistan poses challenges for multiple major social media and messaging platforms on what and who should be allowed on their platforms.

The Taliban's rapid takeover of Afghanistan poses challenges for multiple major social media and messaging platforms on what and who should be allowed on their platforms. The companies, which have come under fire from global lawmakers and regulators for their outsized political and economic influence, often depend on state designations or official international recognitions to determine who is allowed on their sites. These also help determine who might be verified, allowed official state accounts or may receive special treatment for rule-breaking speech due to newsworthiness or public interest loopholes. However, the differences among the tech companies' stances suggest the approach is not uniform. Here is what various social media giants are doing after the Taliban seized Kabul, confirming their takeover of power in Afghanistan after a stunningly swift end to the country's 20-year war. Facebook blocks WhatsApp accounts WhatsApp accounts linked to the Taliban have been banned after the radical Islamic group seized control of Afghanistan and sought to use the messaging service to help it govern. "The Taliban is sanctioned as a terrorist organization under US law and we have banned them from our services under our Dangerous Organization policies," a Facebook spokesperson said. The Facebook move shut down a WhatsApp hotline the Taliban had set up to receive complaints about violence and looting, according to the Financial Times. Facebook had on Monday said it designates the Taliban a terrorist group and bans it and content supporting it from its platforms. Twitter On Twitter Inc, Taliban spokesmen with hundreds of thousands of followers have tweeted updates during the country's takeover. However, the company has issued a statement saying that the network would review Taliban's content that may violate its rules, specifically against the glorification of violence or platform manipulation. Youtube Alphabet Inc’s YouTube said on Tuesday it has a long-held policy of not allowing accounts believed to be operated by the Taliban on its site, as social media companies faced questions about how they would handle the group that fast gained control of Afghanistan. The video-sharing service relies on governments to define "Foreign Terrorist Organizations" (FTO) to guide the site's enforcement of its rules against violent criminal groups. The US instead classifies the Taliban as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist," which freezes the US assets of those blacklisted and bars Americans from working with them. (With inputs from agencies)

What are social media giants doing to curb Taliban amid Afghanistan crisis?

The Taliban's rapid takeover of Afghanistan poses a new challenge for big US tech companies on handling content created by a group considered to be terrorists by some world governments.

Social media giant&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;confirmed on Monday that it designates the Taliban as a terrorist group and bans it and content supporting it from its platforms.

But Taliban members have reportedly continued to use&nbsp;Facebook's end-to-end encrypted messaging service WhatsApp to communicate directly with Afghanis despite the company prohibiting it under rules against dangerous organisations.

A&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;Inc spokesperson said the company was closely monitoring the situation in the country and that WhatsApp would take action on any accounts found to be linked with sanctioned organizations in Afghanistan, which could include account removal.

On Twitter Inc, Taliban spokesmen with hundreds of thousands of followers have tweeted updates during the country's takeover.

Asked about the Taliban's use of the platform, the company pointed to its policies against violent organizations and hateful conduct but did not answer Reuters questions about how it makes its classifications. Twitter's rules say it does not allow groups that promote terrorism or violence against civilians.

The Taliban's return has raised fears it will crackdown on freedom of speech and human rights, especially women's rights, and that the country could become a haven once again for global terrorism.

Taliban officials have issued statements saying they want peaceful international relations and have promised to protect Afghans.

Major social media firms this year made high-profile decisions on handling sitting world leaders and groups in power.

These include controversial blocks of former US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a> for inciting violence around the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and bans on Myanmar's military amid a coup in the country.

Facebook, which was long criticized for failing to combat hate speech in Myanmar, said the coup escalated risks of offline harm and its history of human rights violations contributed to the ban on the ruling military or Tatmadaw.

The companies, which have come under fire from global lawmakers and regulators for their outsized political and economic influence, often depend on state designations or official international recognitions to determine who is allowed on their sites.

These also help determine who might be verified, allowed official state accounts or may receive special treatment for rule-breaking speech due to newsworthiness or public interest loopholes.

However, the differences among the tech companies' stances suggest the approach is not uniform.

Alphabet Inc's YouTube asked whether it has a ban or restrictions on the Taliban, declined to comment but said the video-sharing service relies on governments to define "Foreign Terrorist Organizations" (FTO) to guide the site's enforcement of its rules against violent criminal groups.

YouTube pointed to the US State Department's list of FTO's of which the Taliban is not a member. The US instead classifies the Taliban as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist," which freezes the US assets of those blacklisted and bars Americans from working with them.

Complicating matters further, though most countries show little sign they will recognize the group diplomatically, the Taliban's position on the world stage may yet shift as they cement control.

"The Taliban is somewhat an accepted player at an international relations level," said Mohammed Sinan Siyech, a researcher on security in South Asia and doctoral candidate at the University of Edinburgh, pointing to talks China and the United States have held with the group.

"If that recognition comes in, then for a company like <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/twitter">Twitter</a> or&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;to make a subjective decision that this group is bad and we will not host them poses complications."

The Taliban's rapid takeover of Afghanistan poses a new challenge for big US tech companies on handling content created by a group considered to be terrorists by some world governments.

The Taliban's rapid takeover of Afghanistan poses a new challenge for big US tech companies on handling content created by a group considered to be terrorists by some world governments. Social media giant Facebook confirmed on Monday that it designates the Taliban as a terrorist group and bans it and content supporting it from its platforms. But Taliban members have reportedly continued to use Facebook's end-to-end encrypted messaging service WhatsApp to communicate directly with Afghanis despite the company prohibiting it under rules against dangerous organisations. A Facebook Inc spokesperson said the company was closely monitoring the situation in the country and that WhatsApp would take action on any accounts found to be linked with sanctioned organizations in Afghanistan, which could include account removal. On Twitter Inc, Taliban spokesmen with hundreds of thousands of followers have tweeted updates during the country's takeover. Asked about the Taliban's use of the platform, the company pointed to its policies against violent organizations and hateful conduct but did not answer Reuters questions about how it makes its classifications. Twitter's rules say it does not allow groups that promote terrorism or violence against civilians. The Taliban's return has raised fears it will crackdown on freedom of speech and human rights, especially women's rights, and that the country could become a haven once again for global terrorism. Taliban officials have issued statements saying they want peaceful international relations and have promised to protect Afghans. Major social media firms this year made high-profile decisions on handling sitting world leaders and groups in power. These include controversial blocks of former US President Donald Trump for inciting violence around the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and bans on Myanmar's military amid a coup in the country. Facebook, which was long criticized for failing to combat hate speech in Myanmar, said the coup escalated risks of offline harm and its history of human rights violations contributed to the ban on the ruling military or Tatmadaw. The companies, which have come under fire from global lawmakers and regulators for their outsized political and economic influence, often depend on state designations or official international recognitions to determine who is allowed on their sites. These also help determine who might be verified, allowed official state accounts or may receive special treatment for rule-breaking speech due to newsworthiness or public interest loopholes. However, the differences among the tech companies' stances suggest the approach is not uniform. Alphabet Inc's YouTube asked whether it has a ban or restrictions on the Taliban, declined to comment but said the video-sharing service relies on governments to define "Foreign Terrorist Organizations" (FTO) to guide the site's enforcement of its rules against violent criminal groups. YouTube pointed to the US State Department's list of FTO's of which the Taliban is not a member. The US instead classifies the Taliban as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist," which freezes the US assets of those blacklisted and bars Americans from working with them. Complicating matters further, though most countries show little sign they will recognize the group diplomatically, the Taliban's position on the world stage may yet shift as they cement control. "The Taliban is somewhat an accepted player at an international relations level," said Mohammed Sinan Siyech, a researcher on security in South Asia and doctoral candidate at the University of Edinburgh, pointing to talks China and the United States have held with the group. "If that recognition comes in, then for a company like Twitter or Facebook to make a subjective decision that this group is bad and we will not host them poses complications."

Facebook bans Taliban and its supporting content, designates it as a terrorist group

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