As a string of Taliban victories show Afghan government forces in disarray, a young general is advancing his reputation on the battlefield and on social media.

Provincial cities in the north have fallen like dominoes this week -- in some cases after government forces retreated or surrendered without a fight -- but in Lashkar Gah, a Taliban heartland, the army appears to be providing stiffer resistance.

Leading them is&nbsp;Sami&nbsp;Sadat, 36, the highest-ranking army officer in southern Afghanistan, in an intense fight in defence of a provincial capital the Taliban are desperate to seize.

And as the insurgents flood social media with images of surrendering Afghan soldiers and snap selfies with locals, the young general is also using Twitter and Facebook as a slick PR tool in the fight against the hardline islamists.

He and the 20,000 men under his command in the 215th Corps have garnered thousands of followers, with their Twitter accounts awash with images of the general&nbsp;among the troops, posing for selfies with young civilians, and meeting local shopkeepers.

On Wednesday the defence ministry tweeted he had been promoted to lead the country's special forces, an announcement widely applauded on the platform.&nbsp;

Sadat&nbsp;remains optimistic despite the Taliban's advances.

"Because I know we are going to win," he told AFP in a phone interview from the frontlines of Lashkar Gah.

"I know this is our country, that the Taliban are failing, that they will fail sooner or later."

Confident, and ruthless

But there is more to him than meets the eye, say fellow officers and friends.

"He is anything but naive," said a security official who asked not to be named.

"He has a very strategic vision and a very deep analysis of what is happening," said a general who was&nbsp;Sadat's colleague at the spy agency.

A graduate of the prestigious King's College in London,&nbsp;Sadat&nbsp;began his military career at the Afghan interior ministry.

He received military training in Germany, Britain, Poland and the United States, and also served in the National Directorate of Security -- Afghanistan's spy agency.

Sadat&nbsp;prefers to talk about his men rather than himself and family -- senior officers and their relatives are particular targets for Taliban hit squads -- and declines even to say where he was born.

But he is also keen to talk about the war, which he does confidently -- and ruthlessly.

"Any Taliban who comes to Lashkar Gah will die or leave disabled for life," he told AFP.

Still, he admits it will take time to fully secure the city.

'Do anything for his soldiers'&nbsp;

On August 4,&nbsp;Sadat&nbsp;called on residents to leave Lashkar Gah so the military could launch an all-out counteroffensive.

But he has still held back, saying he is fearful of hurting those who chose to stay behind.

Sadat&nbsp;described how his forces were going house-to-house to secure neighbourhoods that the Taliban had infiltrated in Lashkar Gah.

"We still find civilians -- especially the elderly and trapped women -- who we take to safer places," he said.

NGOs and the United Nations have repeatedly expressed concern about the violence and the risks incurred by civilians -- threats that include aerial bombardment of suspected Taliban positions in Lashkar Gah by the Afghan military.

The loyalty and respect&nbsp;Sadat&nbsp;appears to command among the troops have been a key factor in the resistance to the Taliban in the city, despite their morale-damaging advances elsewhere in Afghanistan.

"He is not someone who gives orders from the rear while hiding in the humvee," an Afghan security source said.&nbsp;

"He will do anything for his soldiers".

As a string of Taliban victories show Afghan government forces in disarray, a young general is advancing his reputation on the battlefield and on social media. Provincial cities in the north have fallen like dominoes this week -- in some cases after government forces retreated or surrendered without a fight -- but in Lashkar Gah, a Taliban heartland, the army appears to be providing stiffer resistance.

As a string of Taliban victories show Afghan government forces in disarray, a young general is advancing his reputation on the battlefield and on social media. Provincial cities in the north have fallen like dominoes this week -- in some cases after government forces retreated or surrendered without a fight -- but in Lashkar Gah, a Taliban heartland, the army appears to be providing stiffer resistance. Leading them is Sami Sadat, 36, the highest-ranking army officer in southern Afghanistan, in an intense fight in defence of a provincial capital the Taliban are desperate to seize. And as the insurgents flood social media with images of surrendering Afghan soldiers and snap selfies with locals, the young general is also using Twitter and Facebook as a slick PR tool in the fight against the hardline islamists. He and the 20,000 men under his command in the 215th Corps have garnered thousands of followers, with their Twitter accounts awash with images of the general among the troops, posing for selfies with young civilians, and meeting local shopkeepers. On Wednesday the defence ministry tweeted he had been promoted to lead the country's special forces, an announcement widely applauded on the platform. Sadat remains optimistic despite the Taliban's advances. "Because I know we are going to win," he told AFP in a phone interview from the frontlines of Lashkar Gah. "I know this is our country, that the Taliban are failing, that they will fail sooner or later." Confident, and ruthless But there is more to him than meets the eye, say fellow officers and friends. "He is anything but naive," said a security official who asked not to be named. "He has a very strategic vision and a very deep analysis of what is happening," said a general who was Sadat's colleague at the spy agency. A graduate of the prestigious King's College in London, Sadat began his military career at the Afghan interior ministry. He received military training in Germany, Britain, Poland and the United States, and also served in the National Directorate of Security -- Afghanistan's spy agency. Sadat prefers to talk about his men rather than himself and family -- senior officers and their relatives are particular targets for Taliban hit squads -- and declines even to say where he was born. But he is also keen to talk about the war, which he does confidently -- and ruthlessly. "Any Taliban who comes to Lashkar Gah will die or leave disabled for life," he told AFP. Still, he admits it will take time to fully secure the city. 'Do anything for his soldiers' On August 4, Sadat called on residents to leave Lashkar Gah so the military could launch an all-out counteroffensive. But he has still held back, saying he is fearful of hurting those who chose to stay behind. Sadat described how his forces were going house-to-house to secure neighbourhoods that the Taliban had infiltrated in Lashkar Gah. "We still find civilians -- especially the elderly and trapped women -- who we take to safer places," he said. NGOs and the United Nations have repeatedly expressed concern about the violence and the risks incurred by civilians -- threats that include aerial bombardment of suspected Taliban positions in Lashkar Gah by the Afghan military. The loyalty and respect Sadat appears to command among the troops have been a key factor in the resistance to the Taliban in the city, despite their morale-damaging advances elsewhere in Afghanistan. "He is not someone who gives orders from the rear while hiding in the humvee," an Afghan security source said. "He will do anything for his soldiers".

Young Afghan general takes fight against Taliban to social media

Parents, educators, child safety and privacy professionals, and policymakers are rightfully concerned about how to keep children and teenagers safe online as they spend more time online. 
 
In order to create a safer online experience for children, Google has announced that anybody under the age of 18 or their parent or guardian will be able to request that their photos be removed from Google search results in the coming weeks.

Removing an image from search doesn't remove it from the web, but "we believe this change will help give young people more control of their images online," Google said in a statement late on Tuesday. 
 
Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/apple-to-check-icloud-photo-uploads-for-child-abuse-images-403391">Apple to check iCloud photo uploads for child abuse images</a>

In a post on its blog website, Google said that, "While we already provide a range of removal options for people using Google Search, children are at particular risk when it comes to controlling their imagery on the internet. In the coming weeks, we’ll introduce a new policy that enables anyone under the age of 18, or their parent or guardian, to request the removal of their images from Google Image results. Of course, removing an image from search doesn’t remove it from the web, but we believe this change will help give young people more control of their images online. " 
 
Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-kingdom-lodges-more-cases-of-child-sexual-abuse-during-lockdown-311679">United Kingdom lodges more cases of child sexual abuse during lockdown</a>

The changes are similar to those made by Facebook last month, when it announced that Instagram accounts for children under the age of 16 would be turned private by default, requiring users to select whether or not to make their profiles public.

It also prohibited advertisements targeting children based on their hobbies or activities, but it did not prohibit targeting them based on age, gender, or geography.&nbsp;

Children's YouTube uploads will eventually default to the most private option.&nbsp;

"We're going to change the default upload setting to the most private option available (on YouTube) for teens ages 13-17," said the company. 
 
Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-east-asia/keyboard-predators-southeast-asias-kids-targeted-by-online-paedophiles-219432">Keyboard predators: Southeast Asia's kids targeted by online paedophiles</a>

Over the next several months, Google will begin rolling out these improvements to all of its products throughout the world.

SafeSearch, which helps filter out explicit results when enabled, is currently available from Google and is turned on by default for any signed-in users under the age of 13 who have accounts managed by Family Link.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Parents, educators, child safety and privacy professionals, and policymakers are rightfully concerned about how to keep children and teenagers safe online as they spend more time online.

Parents, educators, child safety and privacy professionals, and policymakers are rightfully concerned about how to keep children and teenagers safe online as they spend more time online. In order to create a safer online experience for children, Google has announced that anybody under the age of 18 or their parent or guardian will be able to request that their photos be removed from Google search results in the coming weeks. Removing an image from search doesn't remove it from the web, but "we believe this change will help give young people more control of their images online," Google said in a statement late on Tuesday. Also read | Apple to check iCloud photo uploads for child abuse images In a post on its blog website, Google said that, "While we already provide a range of removal options for people using Google Search, children are at particular risk when it comes to controlling their imagery on the internet. In the coming weeks, we’ll introduce a new policy that enables anyone under the age of 18, or their parent or guardian, to request the removal of their images from Google Image results. Of course, removing an image from search doesn’t remove it from the web, but we believe this change will help give young people more control of their images online. " Also read | United Kingdom lodges more cases of child sexual abuse during lockdown The changes are similar to those made by Facebook last month, when it announced that Instagram accounts for children under the age of 16 would be turned private by default, requiring users to select whether or not to make their profiles public. It also prohibited advertisements targeting children based on their hobbies or activities, but it did not prohibit targeting them based on age, gender, or geography. Children's YouTube uploads will eventually default to the most private option. "We're going to change the default upload setting to the most private option available (on YouTube) for teens ages 13-17," said the company. Also read | Keyboard predators: Southeast Asia's kids targeted by online paedophiles Over the next several months, Google will begin rolling out these improvements to all of its products throughout the world. SafeSearch, which helps filter out explicit results when enabled, is currently available from Google and is turned on by default for any signed-in users under the age of 13 who have accounts managed by Family Link. (With inputs from agencies)

Children and minors can now request Google to remove their images from Google Search

Social media giant&nbsp;Facebook has&nbsp;removed a network of accounts from Russia that it linked to a marketing firm that aimed to enlist influencers to push anti-vaccine content about the COVID-19 jabs.

Influencers who caught onto the sham turned out to be the undoing of a deceitful influence campaign orchestrated by marketing firm Fazze in Russia, according to Facebook.

"The assumption was the influencers wouldn't do any of their own homework, but two did," Facebook global threat intelligence lead Ben Nimmo said while briefing journalists.

"It's really a warning,&nbsp;be careful when someone is trying to spoon-feed you a story. Do your own research."

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/coronavirus-pandemic-deepens-global-hunger-millions-on-the-brink-of-famine-404361/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The company's investigators called the campaign a "disinformation laundromat," creating misleading articles and petitions on forums like Reddit, Medium, and Change.org, and using fake accounts on platforms like&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;and Instagram to amplify the content.&nbsp;

Facebook&nbsp;said while the majority of the campaign fell flat, the crux of it appeared to be engaging with paid influencers and these posts attracted "some limited attention."

The California-based company&nbsp;said that in July it removed 65 accounts at the leading social network and 243 accounts at photo-centric Instagram that were linked to the campaign, and banned Fazze from its platform.

Fazze is a subsidiary of a AdNow, an advertising company registered in Britain, according to media reports.

The operation targeted primarily India and Latin America, but also took aim at the United States, as governments debated approving vaccines to fight the pandemic, according to Nimmo.

Late last year, the network of fake accounts tried to fuel a false meme that the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19 would turn people into chimpanzees, Facebook reported.

After going quiet for five months, the organisers attacked the safety of the Pfizer vaccine and leaked what it billed as an AstraZeneca document stolen by hacking, Facebook said.

The campaign took advantage of online platforms including Reddit, Medium, Change.org, and Facebook, creating misleading articles and petitions then providing "influencers" with links, hashtags and more to spread vaccine misinformation, according to Nimmo.

"In effect, this campaign functioned as a cross-platform disinformation laundromat," Nimmo said.

Researchers have noted an increase both in "for-hire" influence campaigns and also in deceptive operations targeting real online personalities to deliver messages to these influencers' own ready-made audiences.

Facebook&nbsp;said it took down 65&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;accounts and 243 Instagram accounts as part of the Fazze-linked operation. It said 24,000 accounts followed one or more of the Instagram accounts. The company said questions about the campaign remained, such as who commissioned Fazze to run it.

Facebook&nbsp;also said in its Tuesday report it had in July removed a separate network in Myanmar, linked to individuals associated with the Myanmar military and targeting audiences in the country. It said the operation used duplicate and fake accounts, some posing as protesters and members of the opposition while others ran pro-military&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;Pages.

The social network banned the Myanmar military from&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;and Instagram in February, after the army seized power in a coup.

(With inputs from agencies)

Social media giant Facebook has removed a network of accounts from Russia that it linked to a marketing firm that aimed to enlist influencers to push anti-vaccine content about the COVID-19 jabs.

Social media giant Facebook has removed a network of accounts from Russia that it linked to a marketing firm that aimed to enlist influencers to push anti-vaccine content about the COVID-19 jabs. Influencers who caught onto the sham turned out to be the undoing of a deceitful influence campaign orchestrated by marketing firm Fazze in Russia, according to Facebook. "The assumption was the influencers wouldn't do any of their own homework, but two did," Facebook global threat intelligence lead Ben Nimmo said while briefing journalists. "It's really a warning, be careful when someone is trying to spoon-feed you a story. Do your own research." The company's investigators called the campaign a "disinformation laundromat," creating misleading articles and petitions on forums like Reddit, Medium, and Change.org, and using fake accounts on platforms like Facebook and Instagram to amplify the content. Facebook said while the majority of the campaign fell flat, the crux of it appeared to be engaging with paid influencers and these posts attracted "some limited attention." The California-based company said that in July it removed 65 accounts at the leading social network and 243 accounts at photo-centric Instagram that were linked to the campaign, and banned Fazze from its platform. Fazze is a subsidiary of a AdNow, an advertising company registered in Britain, according to media reports. The operation targeted primarily India and Latin America, but also took aim at the United States, as governments debated approving vaccines to fight the pandemic, according to Nimmo. Late last year, the network of fake accounts tried to fuel a false meme that the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19 would turn people into chimpanzees, Facebook reported. After going quiet for five months, the organisers attacked the safety of the Pfizer vaccine and leaked what it billed as an AstraZeneca document stolen by hacking, Facebook said. The campaign took advantage of online platforms including Reddit, Medium, Change.org, and Facebook, creating misleading articles and petitions then providing "influencers" with links, hashtags and more to spread vaccine misinformation, according to Nimmo. "In effect, this campaign functioned as a cross-platform disinformation laundromat," Nimmo said. Researchers have noted an increase both in "for-hire" influence campaigns and also in deceptive operations targeting real online personalities to deliver messages to these influencers' own ready-made audiences. Facebook said it took down 65 Facebook accounts and 243 Instagram accounts as part of the Fazze-linked operation. It said 24,000 accounts followed one or more of the Instagram accounts. The company said questions about the campaign remained, such as who commissioned Fazze to run it. Facebook also said in its Tuesday report it had in July removed a separate network in Myanmar, linked to individuals associated with the Myanmar military and targeting audiences in the country. It said the operation used duplicate and fake accounts, some posing as protesters and members of the opposition while others ran pro-military Facebook Pages. The social network banned the Myanmar military from Facebook and Instagram in February, after the army seized power in a coup. (With inputs from agencies)

Facebook shuts down Russian network that targeted influencers to peddle anti-vax messages

Chinese short-video platform <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/tiktok">TikTok</a> has overtaken <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/facebook">Facebook</a> as the most downloaded social media app in the world, the media reported. 
 
According to Nikkei Asia, a global survey of downloads in 2020 showed TikTok on top of the list of social media providers for the first time since the study was first conducted in 2018.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/source-of-income-for-poor-pakistan-court-questions-telecom-authority-over-banning-of-tiktok-404218" hreflang="en">'Source of income for poor': Pakistan court questions telecom authority over banning of TikTok</a> 
 
The report said that TikTok's parent company ByteDance launched the international version of the short-video platform in 2017, and has since overtaken Facebook, WhatsApp, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/instagram">Instagram</a> and Facebook Messenger, all of which are Facebook-owned, in downloads, even in the US. 
 
The app's popularity grew during the pandemic when it became the leading download in Europe, South America and the US, the report said on Monday. 
 
Chat and communications platform Discord has benefited from people's need to isolate during the pandemic. It is popular among gamers for chatting when online and has been funded by Sony Group.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/tiktok-tests-disappearing-videos-feature-but-with-a-twist-403120" hreflang="en">TikTok tests disappearing videos feature, but with a twist</a> 
 
At the start of 2021, WhatsApp announced that it would share messaging data with Facebook relating to interactions between users and companies. Although WhatsApp promised to protect information about communications between friends and family, some users moved over to other apps. 
 
Bucking that trend, Telegram, a messaging app originally developed in Russia but now based in Germany, moved up to seventh. The report mentioned that Telegram has also been driven up by the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">COVID-19 pandemic</a>. 
 
China's Likee, a TikTok competitor, that many companies use for marketing has ranked eighth in the latest global download league.

Chinese short-video platform TikTok has overtaken Facebook as the most downloaded social media app in the world, the media reported. According to Nikkei Asia, a global survey of downloads in 2020 showed TikTok on top of the list of social media providers for the first time since the study was first conducted in 2018.

Chinese short-video platform TikTok has overtaken Facebook as the most downloaded social media app in the world, the media reported. According to Nikkei Asia, a global survey of downloads in 2020 showed TikTok on top of the list of social media providers for the first time since the study was first conducted in 2018. Also read | 'Source of income for poor': Pakistan court questions telecom authority over banning of TikTok The report said that TikTok's parent company ByteDance launched the international version of the short-video platform in 2017, and has since overtaken Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger, all of which are Facebook-owned, in downloads, even in the US. The app's popularity grew during the pandemic when it became the leading download in Europe, South America and the US, the report said on Monday. Chat and communications platform Discord has benefited from people's need to isolate during the pandemic. It is popular among gamers for chatting when online and has been funded by Sony Group. Also read | TikTok tests disappearing videos feature, but with a twist At the start of 2021, WhatsApp announced that it would share messaging data with Facebook relating to interactions between users and companies. Although WhatsApp promised to protect information about communications between friends and family, some users moved over to other apps. Bucking that trend, Telegram, a messaging app originally developed in Russia but now based in Germany, moved up to seventh. The report mentioned that Telegram has also been driven up by the COVID-19 pandemic. China's Likee, a TikTok competitor, that many companies use for marketing has ranked eighth in the latest global download league.

TikTok overtakes Facebook as most world's most downloaded app

Apple&nbsp;Inc on Thursday said it will implement a system that checks photos on iPhones in the United States before they are uploaded to its iCloud storage services to ensure the upload does not match known images of child sexual abuse.

Detection of child abuse image uploads sufficient to guard against false positives will trigger a human review of and report of the user to law enforcement,&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;said. It said the system is designed to reduce false positives to one in one trillion.

Apple's new system seeks to address requests from law enforcement to help stem child sexual abuse while also respecting privacy and security practices that are a core tenet of the company's brand. But some privacy advocates said the system could open the door to monitoring of political speech or other content on iPhones.

Most other major technology providers - including Alphabet Inc's Google, Facebook Inc and Microsoft Corp - are already checking images against a database of known child sexual abuse imagery.

"With so many people using&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;products, these new safety measures have lifesaving potential for children who are being enticed online and whose horrific images are being circulated in child sexual abuse material," John Clark, chief executive of the National Center for Missing &amp; Exploited Children, said in a statement. "The reality is that privacy and child protection can co-exist."

Here is how&nbsp;Apple's system works. Law enforcement officials maintain a database of known child sexual abuse images and translate those images into "hashes" - numerical codes that positively identify the image but cannot be used to reconstruct them.

Apple&nbsp;has implemented that database using a technology called "NeuralHash", designed to also catch edited images similar to the originals. That database will be stored on iPhones.

When a user uploads an image to&nbsp;Apple's iCloud storage service, the iPhone will create a hash of the image to be uploaded and compare it against the database.

Photos stored only on the phone are not checked,&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;said, and human review before reporting an account to law enforcement is meant to ensure any matches are genuine before suspending an account.

Apple&nbsp;said users who feel their account was improperly suspended can appeal to have it reinstated.

The Financial Times earlier reported some aspects of the program.

One feature that sets&nbsp;Apple's system apart is that it checks photos stored on phones before they are uploaded, rather than checking the photos after they arrive on the company's servers.

On Twitter, some privacy and security experts expressed concerns the system could eventually be expanded to scan phones more generally for prohibited content or political speech.

Apple&nbsp;has "sent a very clear signal. In their (very influential) opinion, it is safe to build systems that scan users’ phones for prohibited content," Matthew Green, a security researcher at Johns Hopkins University, warned.

"This will break the dam — governments will demand it from everyone."

Other privacy researchers such as India McKinney and Erica Portnoy of the Electronic Frontier Foundation wrote in a blog post that it may be impossible for outside researchers to double check whether&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;keeps its promises to check only a small set of on-device content.

The move is "a shocking about-face for users who have relied on the company’s leadership in privacy and security," the pair wrote.

"At the end of the day, even a thoroughly documented, carefully thought-out, and narrowly-scoped backdoor is still a backdoor," McKinney and Portnoy wrote.

Apple Inc on Thursday said it will implement a system that checks photos on iPhones in the United States before they are uploaded to its iCloud storage services to ensure the upload does not match known images of child sexual abuse.

Apple Inc on Thursday said it will implement a system that checks photos on iPhones in the United States before they are uploaded to its iCloud storage services to ensure the upload does not match known images of child sexual abuse. Detection of child abuse image uploads sufficient to guard against false positives will trigger a human review of and report of the user to law enforcement, Apple said. It said the system is designed to reduce false positives to one in one trillion. Apple's new system seeks to address requests from law enforcement to help stem child sexual abuse while also respecting privacy and security practices that are a core tenet of the company's brand. But some privacy advocates said the system could open the door to monitoring of political speech or other content on iPhones. Most other major technology providers - including Alphabet Inc's Google, Facebook Inc and Microsoft Corp - are already checking images against a database of known child sexual abuse imagery. "With so many people using Apple products, these new safety measures have lifesaving potential for children who are being enticed online and whose horrific images are being circulated in child sexual abuse material," John Clark, chief executive of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, said in a statement. "The reality is that privacy and child protection can co-exist." Here is how Apple's system works. Law enforcement officials maintain a database of known child sexual abuse images and translate those images into "hashes" - numerical codes that positively identify the image but cannot be used to reconstruct them. Apple has implemented that database using a technology called "NeuralHash", designed to also catch edited images similar to the originals. That database will be stored on iPhones. When a user uploads an image to Apple's iCloud storage service, the iPhone will create a hash of the image to be uploaded and compare it against the database. Photos stored only on the phone are not checked, Apple said, and human review before reporting an account to law enforcement is meant to ensure any matches are genuine before suspending an account. Apple said users who feel their account was improperly suspended can appeal to have it reinstated. The Financial Times earlier reported some aspects of the program. One feature that sets Apple's system apart is that it checks photos stored on phones before they are uploaded, rather than checking the photos after they arrive on the company's servers. On Twitter, some privacy and security experts expressed concerns the system could eventually be expanded to scan phones more generally for prohibited content or political speech. Apple has "sent a very clear signal. In their (very influential) opinion, it is safe to build systems that scan users’ phones for prohibited content," Matthew Green, a security researcher at Johns Hopkins University, warned. "This will break the dam — governments will demand it from everyone." Other privacy researchers such as India McKinney and Erica Portnoy of the Electronic Frontier Foundation wrote in a blog post that it may be impossible for outside researchers to double check whether Apple keeps its promises to check only a small set of on-device content. The move is "a shocking about-face for users who have relied on the company’s leadership in privacy and security," the pair wrote. "At the end of the day, even a thoroughly documented, carefully thought-out, and narrowly-scoped backdoor is still a backdoor," McKinney and Portnoy wrote.

Apple to check iCloud photo uploads for child abuse images

Advertisers on the internet are always attempting to sell you something, and in the case of shoes or leather products, and home appliances that something is quite obvious.

Sometimes, though, the motivation behind a sponsored article is less clear.

According to a recent study, big oil companies are intentionally using Facebook to bombard consumers with a continuous stream of messages aimed at delaying the end of fossil fuel consumption.

According to a research released Thursday by InfluenceMap, pro-fossil fuel advertising was watched more than 431 million times on Facebook's US platforms in 2020 alone.&nbsp;

ExxonMobil and other fossil-fuel firms have increased their advertising on the social networking site in order to shape the political discussion regarding measures to combat global warming, according to the study.&nbsp;

According to the study, the fossil-fuel sector has shifted away from open denial of the climate issue and is instead promoting oil and gas as part of the answer via social media.

The investigation also revealed Facebook's role in promoting the spread of misleading claims about global warming by failing to consistently enforce its own regulations to prevent erroneous advertising, according to the report.&nbsp;

"The oil and gas industry is using a more sophisticated playbook to undermine climate action, which involves the use of more subtle and nuanced messaging tactics," the report found.

The revelation comes as Facebook continues to face criticism for its involvement in the dissemination of disinformation, particularly election-related falsehoods in 2020.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Advertisers on the internet are always attempting to sell you something, and in the case of shoes or leather products, and home appliances that something is quite obvious.

Advertisers on the internet are always attempting to sell you something, and in the case of shoes or leather products, and home appliances that something is quite obvious. Sometimes, though, the motivation behind a sponsored article is less clear. According to a recent study, big oil companies are intentionally using Facebook to bombard consumers with a continuous stream of messages aimed at delaying the end of fossil fuel consumption. According to a research released Thursday by InfluenceMap, pro-fossil fuel advertising was watched more than 431 million times on Facebook's US platforms in 2020 alone. ExxonMobil and other fossil-fuel firms have increased their advertising on the social networking site in order to shape the political discussion regarding measures to combat global warming, according to the study. According to the study, the fossil-fuel sector has shifted away from open denial of the climate issue and is instead promoting oil and gas as part of the answer via social media. The investigation also revealed Facebook's role in promoting the spread of misleading claims about global warming by failing to consistently enforce its own regulations to prevent erroneous advertising, according to the report. "The oil and gas industry is using a more sophisticated playbook to undermine climate action, which involves the use of more subtle and nuanced messaging tactics," the report found. The revelation comes as Facebook continues to face criticism for its involvement in the dissemination of disinformation, particularly election-related falsehoods in 2020. (With inputs from agencies)

Pro-fossil fuel Facebook ads: Oil industry spent millions to control the climate change conversation

Facebook sparked a fresh controversy after it&nbsp;cut off some academic researchers for "scraping" data from the platform for investigating&nbsp;the misinformation spread through political ads on the social network.

The California tech giant&nbsp;says the New York University researchers violated its terms of service and were involved in unauthorised data collection from its massive network.

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The academics, however, say the company is attempting to exert control on research that paints it in a negative light.

The NYU researchers with the Ad Observatory Project had for several years been looking into Facebook’s Ad Library, where searches can be done on advertisements running across Facebook’s products.

Facebook&nbsp;product management director Mike Clark said the accounts from the project were disabled "to stop unauthorised scraping and protect people's privacy in line with our privacy program."

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/next-great-leap-in-evolution-of-internet-why-is-facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-betting-on-metaverse-401150" hreflang="en">'Next great leap in evolution of internet': Why is Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg betting on metaverse?</a>

The access was used to “uncover systemic flaws in the Facebook Ad Library, to identify misinformation in political ads, including many sowing distrust in our election system, and to study Facebook’s apparent amplification of partisan misinformation,” said Laura Edelson, the lead researcher behind NYU Cybersecurity for Democracy.

The NYU project had been at loggerheads for months with&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;over the program, which used a browser tool to collect data on ads spreading political hoaxes, violence, and COVID-19 misinformation.

"Research cannot be the justification for compromising people's privacy," Clark said in a blog post, arguing that the researchers were collecting user names, ads, and links to user profiles even for people who did not install the browser tool or consent to the collection.

But the&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;move prompted an angry response from researchers and free-speech activists who argued the social network is blocking independent access to its internal tools.

"By suspending our accounts,&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;has tried to shut down all this work.&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;has also effectively cut off access to more than two dozen other researchers and journalists who get access to&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;data through our project, including our work measuring vaccine misinformation," Edelson added.

Facebook says it makes information on political ads available through its Ad Library and provides “privacy-protected data sets” to researchers through other means.

The row marked the latest clash for&nbsp;Facebook, which has sought to clamp down on third parties with access to private user data while at the same seeking to enable outside researchers to study its inner workings.&nbsp;

Facebook&nbsp;claims it took the action in compliance with a 2019 settlement with US regulators on user privacy in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal in which data was scraped for political ad targeting.

But critics said&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;needs more transparency.

"We can't allow&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;to decide what the public gets to know about&nbsp;Facebook. Independent research that respects user privacy is absolutely crucial right now," said Alex Abdo of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.

"It's essential to figuring out how disinformation spreads on the platform, how advertisers exploit&nbsp;Facebook's micro-targeting tools, and how&nbsp;Facebook's system of amplification may be pushing us further apart."

Matt Bailey of the writers' free expression group PEN America said the action "is part of a larger pattern of&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;seeking to undercut or silence anyone analyzing the platforms' practices from the outside.

(With inputs from agencies)

Facebook sparked a fresh controversy after it cut off some academic researchers for "scraping" data from the platform for investigating the misinformation spread through political ads on the social network.

Facebook sparked a fresh controversy after it cut off some academic researchers for "scraping" data from the platform for investigating the misinformation spread through political ads on the social network. The California tech giant says the New York University researchers violated its terms of service and were involved in unauthorised data collection from its massive network. The academics, however, say the company is attempting to exert control on research that paints it in a negative light. The NYU researchers with the Ad Observatory Project had for several years been looking into Facebook’s Ad Library, where searches can be done on advertisements running across Facebook’s products. Facebook product management director Mike Clark said the accounts from the project were disabled "to stop unauthorised scraping and protect people's privacy in line with our privacy program." Also read| 'Next great leap in evolution of internet': Why is Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg betting on metaverse? The access was used to “uncover systemic flaws in the Facebook Ad Library, to identify misinformation in political ads, including many sowing distrust in our election system, and to study Facebook’s apparent amplification of partisan misinformation,” said Laura Edelson, the lead researcher behind NYU Cybersecurity for Democracy. The NYU project had been at loggerheads for months with Facebook over the program, which used a browser tool to collect data on ads spreading political hoaxes, violence, and COVID-19 misinformation. "Research cannot be the justification for compromising people's privacy," Clark said in a blog post, arguing that the researchers were collecting user names, ads, and links to user profiles even for people who did not install the browser tool or consent to the collection. But the Facebook move prompted an angry response from researchers and free-speech activists who argued the social network is blocking independent access to its internal tools. "By suspending our accounts, Facebook has tried to shut down all this work. Facebook has also effectively cut off access to more than two dozen other researchers and journalists who get access to Facebook data through our project, including our work measuring vaccine misinformation," Edelson added. Facebook says it makes information on political ads available through its Ad Library and provides “privacy-protected data sets” to researchers through other means. The row marked the latest clash for Facebook, which has sought to clamp down on third parties with access to private user data while at the same seeking to enable outside researchers to study its inner workings. Facebook claims it took the action in compliance with a 2019 settlement with US regulators on user privacy in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal in which data was scraped for political ad targeting. But critics said Facebook needs more transparency. "We can't allow Facebook to decide what the public gets to know about Facebook. Independent research that respects user privacy is absolutely crucial right now," said Alex Abdo of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. "It's essential to figuring out how disinformation spreads on the platform, how advertisers exploit Facebook's micro-targeting tools, and how Facebook's system of amplification may be pushing us further apart." Matt Bailey of the writers' free expression group PEN America said the action "is part of a larger pattern of Facebook seeking to undercut or silence anyone analyzing the platforms' practices from the outside. (With inputs from agencies)

Facebook sparks fresh controversy by cutting off research on political ads

Facebook-owned messaging service&nbsp;WhatsApp&nbsp;has announced the launch of&nbsp;disappearing photos and videos on its platform starting this week, as it looks to better compete with Snap Inc's photo messaging app&nbsp;Snapchat.

In a blog post,&nbsp;Facebook said the&nbsp;feature, called 'View Once', will let photos and videos disappear from the chat after they have been seen.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-tech-titans-are-making-billions-during-the-pandemic-402687/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

After the media has been viewed, the message will appear as “opened” to avoid any confusion about what was happening in the chat at the time.&nbsp;

Since its launch in 2009 as a smartphone messaging app,&nbsp;WhatsApp&nbsp;has amassed more than two billion users around the world and was acquired by Facebook.

Snapchat, known for its Stories feature that lets users post updates that disappear after 24 hours, has grown in popularity last year as pandemic-induced curbs kept users at home. The company has also been adding new features on its messaging app to attract more users.

Users prefer WhatsApp over Snapchat because it is available on a personal computer, does not have advertisements, can be personalised, and supports more languages.

However,&nbsp;WhatsApp had received backlash after it forced&nbsp;users to accept new terms of sharing data with&nbsp;Facebook.

As a result of the&nbsp;flap over its&nbsp;privacy policy,&nbsp;described by Facebook as a misunderstanding about efforts to bring businesses onto the platform,&nbsp;it had to retreat and delay it.

The update was supposed to allow additional sharing of information from&nbsp;WhatsApp&nbsp;with Facebook and its other applications such as Instagram and Messenger, such as contacts and profile data, but not the content of messages which remain encrypted.

It was among the latest episodes highlighting concerns over the tech giant's privacy and data protection policies.

(With inputs from agencies)

Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp has announced the launch of disappearing photos and videos on its platform starting this week, as it looks to better compete with Snap Inc's photo messaging app Snapchat.

Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp has announced the launch of disappearing photos and videos on its platform starting this week, as it looks to better compete with Snap Inc's photo messaging app Snapchat. In a blog post, Facebook said the feature, called 'View Once', will let photos and videos disappear from the chat after they have been seen. After the media has been viewed, the message will appear as “opened” to avoid any confusion about what was happening in the chat at the time. Since its launch in 2009 as a smartphone messaging app, WhatsApp has amassed more than two billion users around the world and was acquired by Facebook. Snapchat, known for its Stories feature that lets users post updates that disappear after 24 hours, has grown in popularity last year as pandemic-induced curbs kept users at home. The company has also been adding new features on its messaging app to attract more users. Users prefer WhatsApp over Snapchat because it is available on a personal computer, does not have advertisements, can be personalised, and supports more languages. However, WhatsApp had received backlash after it forced users to accept new terms of sharing data with Facebook. As a result of the flap over its privacy policy, described by Facebook as a misunderstanding about efforts to bring businesses onto the platform, it had to retreat and delay it. The update was supposed to allow additional sharing of information from WhatsApp with Facebook and its other applications such as Instagram and Messenger, such as contacts and profile data, but not the content of messages which remain encrypted. It was among the latest episodes highlighting concerns over the tech giant's privacy and data protection policies. (With inputs from agencies)

WhatsApp is doing a Snapchat: Facebook-owned messaging service rolls out option for disappearing photos, videos

Facebook said on Tuesday that it will stop advertisers from targetting users under 18 years based on their activity on other sites. There was a slew of announcements about young users from the social media giant.

The new decision means that advertisers will soon be able to send targetted ads to under 18s only by age, gender or location on Facebook, Facebook Messenger and Instagram.

In a blog post, Instagram said it was making the change because it agreed with youth advocates that young people might not be equipped to make decisions about targeting.

A Facebook spokesman said there would be no changes to the user data the company collects.

The company said that Instagram users under 16 years will be defaulted into having a private account when they join the platform. This will be in an effort to stop unwanted contact from adults.

They will still be given the option, however, to switch to a public account and current users can keep their account public.

Facebook's approach to younger users has been in the spotlight after US&nbsp;lawmakers and attorneys general slammed its leaked plans to launch a version of Instagram for children under 13. Earlier this year, a group of more than 40 state attorneys general wrote to CEO Mark Zuckerberg asking him to ditch the idea.

The company said on Tuesday it was working on an "Instagram experience for tweens." It has said the idea of a youth-focused app is to provide parents greater transparency and controls on what younger children who want to access Instagram are doing.

Several major social media companies have also rolled out versions of their apps for younger audiences, from Facebook's Messenger Kids to Alphabet Inc-owned YouTube Kids.

Proponents argue that children are already on a platform and so a family-friendly version provides a safer environment, but critics say Facebook should not be trying to hook young kids on its services due to risks to their development, mental health and privacy.

Age verification of children is an issue on many social media sites, which prohibit kids under 13 but often fail to identify and remove underage users. In a separate blog on Tuesday, Facebook's head of youth products, Pavni Diwanji, said it was using artificial intelligence to improve this verification and remove underage accounts.

(With inputs from agencies)

Facebook said on Tuesday that it will stop advertisers from targetting users under 18 years based on their activity on other sites. There was a slew of announcements about young users from the social media giant.

Facebook said on Tuesday that it will stop advertisers from targetting users under 18 years based on their activity on other sites. There was a slew of announcements about young users from the social media giant. The new decision means that advertisers will soon be able to send targetted ads to under 18s only by age, gender or location on Facebook, Facebook Messenger and Instagram. In a blog post, Instagram said it was making the change because it agreed with youth advocates that young people might not be equipped to make decisions about targeting. A Facebook spokesman said there would be no changes to the user data the company collects. The company said that Instagram users under 16 years will be defaulted into having a private account when they join the platform. This will be in an effort to stop unwanted contact from adults. They will still be given the option, however, to switch to a public account and current users can keep their account public. Facebook's approach to younger users has been in the spotlight after US lawmakers and attorneys general slammed its leaked plans to launch a version of Instagram for children under 13. Earlier this year, a group of more than 40 state attorneys general wrote to CEO Mark Zuckerberg asking him to ditch the idea. The company said on Tuesday it was working on an "Instagram experience for tweens." It has said the idea of a youth-focused app is to provide parents greater transparency and controls on what younger children who want to access Instagram are doing. Several major social media companies have also rolled out versions of their apps for younger audiences, from Facebook's Messenger Kids to Alphabet Inc-owned YouTube Kids. Proponents argue that children are already on a platform and so a family-friendly version provides a safer environment, but critics say Facebook should not be trying to hook young kids on its services due to risks to their development, mental health and privacy. Age verification of children is an issue on many social media sites, which prohibit kids under 13 but often fail to identify and remove underage users. In a separate blog on Tuesday, Facebook's head of youth products, Pavni Diwanji, said it was using artificial intelligence to improve this verification and remove underage accounts. (With inputs from agencies)

Facebook to restrict ad targetting of users under 18

Imagine a world where you could sit on the same couch as a friend who lives thousands of miles away, or conjure up a virtual version of your workplace while at the beach.

Welcome to the&nbsp;metaverse: a vision of the future that sounds fantastical, but which tech titans like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg are betting on as the next great leap in the evolution of the internet.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-joe-biden-lashes-out-at-facebook-over-vaccine-misinformation-399119/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The&nbsp;metaverse&nbsp;is, in fact, the stuff of science-fiction: the term was coined by Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel "Snow Crash", in which people don virtual reality headsets to interact inside a game-like digital world.&nbsp;

The book has long enjoyed cult status among Silicon Valley entrepreneurs,&nbsp;but in recent months the&nbsp;metaverse&nbsp;has become one of the tech sector's hottest buzzwords, with companies pouring millions of dollars into its development.&nbsp;

Facebook fuelled the excitement further Monday by announcing the creation of a new team to work on Zuckerberg's vision of the&nbsp;metaverse.

Facebook, the world's largest social network, has invested heavily in virtual reality and augmented reality, developing hardware such as its Oculus VR headsets and working on AR glasses and wristband technologies.

It has also bought a bevy of VR gaming studios, including BigBox VR. It has about 10,000 employees working on virtual reality, The Information reported in March.

Zuckerberg has said he thinks it makes sense to invest deeply to shape what he bets will be the next big computing platform.

"I believe the&nbsp;metaverse&nbsp;will be the successor to the mobile internet, and creating this product group is the next step in our journey to help build it," he said on his Monday Facebook post.

He told The Verge: "If we do this well, I think over the next five years or so ... we will effectively transition from people seeing us as primarily being a social media company to being a&nbsp;metaverse&nbsp;company."

As with many tech buzzwords, the definition of the&nbsp;metaverse&nbsp;depends on whom you ask. But broadly, it involves blending the physical world with the digital one.&nbsp;

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.

But&nbsp;metaverse&nbsp;enthusiasts are dreaming of a future in which the idea could be extended much further, allowing us to be transported to digital settings that feel real, such as a nightclub or a mountaintop.&nbsp;

As workers have grown weary of video conferences during the pandemic, Zuckerberg is particularly excited about the idea that co-workers could be brought together in a virtual room that feels like they are face-to-face.

Games in which players enter immersive digital worlds offer a glimpse into what the&nbsp;metaverse&nbsp;could eventually look like, blurring virtual entertainment with the real-world economy.

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.&nbsp;

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.

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&nbsp;metaverse".&nbsp;

And on Roblox, a gaming platform popular with children, a digital version of a Gucci bag sold in May for more than $4,100,&nbsp;more than the physical version would have cost.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Imagine a world where you could sit on the same couch as a friend who lives thousands of miles away, or conjure up a virtual version of your workplace while at the beach.

Imagine a world where you could sit on the same couch as a friend who lives thousands of miles away, or conjure up a virtual version of your workplace while at the beach. Welcome to the metaverse: a vision of the future that sounds fantastical, but which tech titans like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg are betting on as the next great leap in the evolution of the internet. The metaverse is, in fact, the stuff of science-fiction: the term was coined by Neal Stephenson 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, but in recent months the metaverse has become one of the tech sector's hottest buzzwords, with companies pouring millions of dollars into its development. Facebook fuelled the excitement further Monday by announcing the creation of a new team to work on Zuckerberg's vision of the metaverse. Facebook, the world's largest social network, has invested heavily in virtual reality and augmented reality, developing hardware such as its Oculus VR headsets and working on AR glasses and wristband technologies. It has also bought a bevy of VR gaming studios, including BigBox VR. It has about 10,000 employees working on virtual reality, The Information reported in March. Zuckerberg has said he thinks it makes sense to invest deeply to shape what he bets will be the next big computing platform. "I believe the metaverse will be the successor to the mobile internet, and creating this product group is the next step in our journey to help build it," he said on his Monday Facebook post. He told The Verge: "If we do this well, I think over the next five years or so ... we will effectively transition from people seeing us as primarily being a social media company to being a metaverse company." As with many tech buzzwords, the definition of the metaverse depends on whom you ask. But broadly, it involves blending the physical world with the digital one. 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. But metaverse enthusiasts are dreaming of a future in which the idea could be extended much further, allowing us to be transported to digital settings that feel real, such as a nightclub or a mountaintop. As workers have grown weary of video conferences during the pandemic, Zuckerberg is particularly excited about the idea that co-workers could be brought together in a virtual room that feels like they are face-to-face. 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. 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. 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 more than $4,100, more than the physical version would have cost. (With inputs from agencies)

'Next great leap in evolution of internet': Why is Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg betting on metaverse?

Social media giant Facebook will pay&nbsp;the creators of popular posts, from fashionistas to comedians and video gamers, $1 billion&nbsp;through 2022.

It is the strongest signal yet that Facebook now recognises the strategic importance of the "creator economy".&nbsp;&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-joe-biden-lashes-out-at-facebook-over-vaccine-misinformation-399119/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat have waged an increasingly fierce battle to attract figures with big followings that can in turn attract serious advertising revenues.&nbsp;

Last November, photo and video app Snapchat began paying $1 million a day to top creators, although the payments have since tapered off. Popular YouTubers have been receiving a slice of the site's billions in ad revenues since 2007.&nbsp;

Facebook has been comparatively slow on the uptake. While the site began paying popular video-makers in 2017, most vloggers have found YouTube to be far more lucrative.&nbsp;

Facebook-owned Instagram has meanwhile launched the careers of many a food blogger and fashion influencer, but the app only began sharing its advertising income directly with them last year.

Traditionally, the bulk of Insta-celebrities' earnings has come through product endorsement deals negotiated directly with brands.&nbsp;

Late to the influencer party

Joe Gagliese, co-founder of international influencer agency Viral Nation, said it was not surprising that Facebook's efforts had lagged behind competitors'.

Founded in 2004, Facebook had already built a hugely lucrative advertising business by the time the phenomenon of full-time internet celebrities emerged at the end of the decade. Courting influencers wasn't crucial to its "primary business", Gagliese said.&nbsp;

But as creators have headed elsewhere, their predominantly young followings have followed, contributing to a sense that Facebook, in the eyes of Gen Z, has become an irredeemably uncool website where their parents hang out.&nbsp;

Facebook's user base is indeed ageing. The proportion of over-65s has shot up roughly a quarter over the past year, almost double the average, according to the Digital 2021 report from media companies We Are Social and Hootsuite.&nbsp;

In the meantime, Chinese-owned TikTok was the world's most downloaded app in the first half of 2021.

It has largely replaced Facebook as the driver of international social media crazes,&nbsp;not least during the pandemic, as bored millions have turned to its dance videos and cooking trends for light relief.&nbsp;

In this context, Facebook's $1 billion gambit is being seen partly as an attempt to regain cultural relevance and stem the youth exodus.&nbsp;

"The only way for these platforms to keep their relevance with younger generations is to understand what resonates with them and keep up with the pace of innovation," said Claudia Cameron, head of marketing and insights at Amsterdam-based influencer agency IMA.

"Creators are a very important part of this equation, as they set the tone for what's cool."

A drop in the ocean?&nbsp;

While young users from Iran to Brazil have been flocking elsewhere, industry insiders say it is far too early to regard Facebook as doomed.&nbsp;

"You can't underestimate them, because they are so powerful when it comes to the tech," said Gagliese.&nbsp;

Facebook's vast income,&nbsp;it raked in $84.2 billion in advertising revenues last year, more than the GDP of some countries,&nbsp;gives it huge funds with which to innovate.&nbsp;

It is also, despite its relative loss of street cred, still growing, with 2.8 billion monthly users worldwide.&nbsp;

Gagliese suggested Facebook should be spending far more on its efforts to lure internet stars from other platforms.&nbsp;

"Unless Facebook leans in really hard,&nbsp;I'm talking, 'way more than a billion dollars' hard,&nbsp;it's going to be very hard for them to attract all these new creators," he said.&nbsp;

Facebook has yet to outline detailed plans for the $1 billion, but Cameron pointed out that a large chunk will likely be distributed via Instagram, which still enjoys a "cool" factor.

That would be good news for TikTok comedian Mwas, who also has a sizeable following there.&nbsp;

"I'm taking a wait-and-see approach," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

Social media giant Facebook will pay the creators of popular posts, from fashionistas to comedians and video gamers, $1 billion through 2022. It is the strongest signal yet that Facebook now recognises the strategic importance of the "creator economy".

Social media giant Facebook will pay the creators of popular posts, from fashionistas to comedians and video gamers, $1 billion through 2022. It is the strongest signal yet that Facebook now recognises the strategic importance of the "creator economy". YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat have waged an increasingly fierce battle to attract figures with big followings that can in turn attract serious advertising revenues. Last November, photo and video app Snapchat began paying $1 million a day to top creators, although the payments have since tapered off. Popular YouTubers have been receiving a slice of the site's billions in ad revenues since 2007. Facebook has been comparatively slow on the uptake. While the site began paying popular video-makers in 2017, most vloggers have found YouTube to be far more lucrative. Facebook-owned Instagram has meanwhile launched the careers of many a food blogger and fashion influencer, but the app only began sharing its advertising income directly with them last year. Traditionally, the bulk of Insta-celebrities' earnings has come through product endorsement deals negotiated directly with brands. Late to the influencer party Joe Gagliese, co-founder of international influencer agency Viral Nation, said it was not surprising that Facebook's efforts had lagged behind competitors'. Founded in 2004, Facebook had already built a hugely lucrative advertising business by the time the phenomenon of full-time internet celebrities emerged at the end of the decade. Courting influencers wasn't crucial to its "primary business", Gagliese said. But as creators have headed elsewhere, their predominantly young followings have followed, contributing to a sense that Facebook, in the eyes of Gen Z, has become an irredeemably uncool website where their parents hang out. Facebook's user base is indeed ageing. The proportion of over-65s has shot up roughly a quarter over the past year, almost double the average, according to the Digital 2021 report from media companies We Are Social and Hootsuite. In the meantime, Chinese-owned TikTok was the world's most downloaded app in the first half of 2021. It has largely replaced Facebook as the driver of international social media crazes, not least during the pandemic, as bored millions have turned to its dance videos and cooking trends for light relief. In this context, Facebook's $1 billion gambit is being seen partly as an attempt to regain cultural relevance and stem the youth exodus. "The only way for these platforms to keep their relevance with younger generations is to understand what resonates with them and keep up with the pace of innovation," said Claudia Cameron, head of marketing and insights at Amsterdam-based influencer agency IMA. "Creators are a very important part of this equation, as they set the tone for what's cool." A drop in the ocean? While young users from Iran to Brazil have been flocking elsewhere, industry insiders say it is far too early to regard Facebook as doomed. "You can't underestimate them, because they are so powerful when it comes to the tech," said Gagliese. Facebook's vast income, it raked in $84.2 billion in advertising revenues last year, more than the GDP of some countries, gives it huge funds with which to innovate. It is also, despite its relative loss of street cred, still growing, with 2.8 billion monthly users worldwide. Gagliese suggested Facebook should be spending far more on its efforts to lure internet stars from other platforms. "Unless Facebook leans in really hard, I'm talking, 'way more than a billion dollars' hard, it's going to be very hard for them to attract all these new creators," he said. Facebook has yet to outline detailed plans for the $1 billion, but Cameron pointed out that a large chunk will likely be distributed via Instagram, which still enjoys a "cool" factor. That would be good news for TikTok comedian Mwas, who also has a sizeable following there. "I'm taking a wait-and-see approach," he said. (With inputs from agencies)

What is Facebook's $1 billion gamble to regain lost users?

Facebook said on Thursday that it disrupted Iran-based spying operation that targetted aerospace and defence workers in the US and Europe.&nbsp;

As per head of cyber espionage investigations Mike Dvilyanski, fake accounts posing as company job recruiters or employees were used to dupe targets.

"This effort was highly targeted," Dvilyanski said in a telephone briefing.

"It is hard for us to know how successful this campaign was, but it had all the hallmarks of a well-resourced operation."

A company named Mahak Rayan Afraz tech company in Tehran made some of the malicious code used in the cyber spying campaign. The company has ties to Islamic Revolutionary Guard corps, according to Dvilyanski

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-not-ready-for-nuclear-talks-until-president-elect-ebrahim-raisi-takes-over-398123">Iran not ready for nuclear talks until President-elect Ebrahim Raisi takes over</a>

Facebook took down 200 accounts it said where used to dupe defense or aerospace industry workers into connecting outside the social network, say by email or at bogus job websites.

The group referred to as "Tortoiseshell" had focused its activities in the Middle East until last year, when it took aim primarily at the United States, according to Dvilyanski.

"This group used various malicious tactics to identify its targets and infect their devices with malware to enable espionage," said Facebook director of threat disruption David Agranovich.

"Our platform was one of the elements of the much broader cross-platform cyber-espionage operation, and its activity on Facebook manifested primarily in social engineering and driving people off-platform."

Malware slipped onto devices of victims was designed to glean information including log-in credentials to email or social media, according to Dvilyanski.

Facebook said it appeared fewer than 200 users may have fallen for the ruse, and that those people have been notified of the deception.

Facebook also blocked some of the booby-trapped website links from being shared at the social network, according to executives.

The US tech giant added that it shared findings with internet industry peers and law enforcement.

"We were only part of this campaign, and we are taking action on our platform," Dvilyanski said.

(With inputs from agencies)

Facebook said on Thursday that it disrupted Iran-based spying operation that targetted aerospace and defence workers in the US and Europe. As per head of cyber espionage investigations Mike Dvilyanski, fake accounts posing as company job recruiters or employees were used to dupe targets.

Facebook said on Thursday that it disrupted Iran-based spying operation that targetted aerospace and defence workers in the US and Europe. As per head of cyber espionage investigations Mike Dvilyanski, fake accounts posing as company job recruiters or employees were used to dupe targets. "This effort was highly targeted," Dvilyanski said in a telephone briefing. "It is hard for us to know how successful this campaign was, but it had all the hallmarks of a well-resourced operation." A company named Mahak Rayan Afraz tech company in Tehran made some of the malicious code used in the cyber spying campaign. The company has ties to Islamic Revolutionary Guard corps, according to Dvilyanski Also Read | Iran not ready for nuclear talks until President-elect Ebrahim Raisi takes over Facebook took down 200 accounts it said where used to dupe defense or aerospace industry workers into connecting outside the social network, say by email or at bogus job websites. The group referred to as "Tortoiseshell" had focused its activities in the Middle East until last year, when it took aim primarily at the United States, according to Dvilyanski. "This group used various malicious tactics to identify its targets and infect their devices with malware to enable espionage," said Facebook director of threat disruption David Agranovich. "Our platform was one of the elements of the much broader cross-platform cyber-espionage operation, and its activity on Facebook manifested primarily in social engineering and driving people off-platform." Malware slipped onto devices of victims was designed to glean information including log-in credentials to email or social media, according to Dvilyanski. Facebook said it appeared fewer than 200 users may have fallen for the ruse, and that those people have been notified of the deception. Facebook also blocked some of the booby-trapped website links from being shared at the social network, according to executives. The US tech giant added that it shared findings with internet industry peers and law enforcement. "We were only part of this campaign, and we are taking action on our platform," Dvilyanski said. (With inputs from agencies)

Iran-based spies targetted US, European defence workers, says Facebook

US tech giant Facebook said it has blocked 200 accounts operated by hackers in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israels-defence-forces-ask-for-budget-increase-to-prepare-potential-attack-against-irans-nuclear-programme-report-398278">Iran </a>linked to espionage operations which targeted western military, defence and aerospace personnel while using its platform

The social networking site said Iranian hackers known as Tortoiseshell used various malicious tactics to identify their targets and infect their devices with malware to enable espionage.

Watch:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/idf-seeks-hikes-in-defence-budget-to-attack-irans-nuclear-program-398212/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"This activity had the hallmarks of a well-resourced and persistent operation," Facebook said, adding, "Tortoiseshell deployed sophisticated fake online personas to contact its targets, build trust and trick them into clicking on malicious links."

The hackers used "fictitious personas" across multiple social media platforms to make them appear more credible, it said. The accounts posed as recruiters and employees of defence and aerospace companies.

The group created "tailored domains" to target aerospace and defence industries, Facebook revealed. They also spoofed domains of major email providers and mimicked URL-shortening services to conceal the final destination of the links.

The group used custom malware tools including full-featured remote-access trojans, device and network reconnaissance tools and keystroke loggers, it said.

Facebook said parts of malware was developed by Mahak Rayan Afraz (MRA), an IT company in Tehran with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Some personnel also claimed to work for hospitality, medicine, journalism, NGOs and airlines and leveraged various collaboration and messaging platforms to move conversations off-platform and send malware to their targets.&nbsp;

The hackers sometimes engaged their targets for months, Facebook said.

Facebook said the hackers targeted&nbsp;military personnel and companies in the defense and aerospace industries primarily in the US, and to a lesser extent in the UK and Europe.

(With inputs from Agencies)

 
&nbsp;

US tech giant Facebook said it has blocked 200 accounts operated by hackers in Iran linked to espionage operations which targeted western military, defence and aerospace personnel while using its platform The social networking site said Iranian hackers known as Tortoiseshell used various malicious tactics to identify their targets and infect their devices with malware to enable espionage.

US tech giant Facebook said it has blocked 200 accounts operated by hackers in Iran linked to espionage operations which targeted western military, defence and aerospace personnel while using its platform The social networking site said Iranian hackers known as Tortoiseshell used various malicious tactics to identify their targets and infect their devices with malware to enable espionage. Watch: "This activity had the hallmarks of a well-resourced and persistent operation," Facebook said, adding, "Tortoiseshell deployed sophisticated fake online personas to contact its targets, build trust and trick them into clicking on malicious links." The hackers used "fictitious personas" across multiple social media platforms to make them appear more credible, it said. The accounts posed as recruiters and employees of defence and aerospace companies. The group created "tailored domains" to target aerospace and defence industries, Facebook revealed. They also spoofed domains of major email providers and mimicked URL-shortening services to conceal the final destination of the links. The group used custom malware tools including full-featured remote-access trojans, device and network reconnaissance tools and keystroke loggers, it said. Facebook said parts of malware was developed by Mahak Rayan Afraz (MRA), an IT company in Tehran with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Some personnel also claimed to work for hospitality, medicine, journalism, NGOs and airlines and leveraged various collaboration and messaging platforms to move conversations off-platform and send malware to their targets. The hackers sometimes engaged their targets for months, Facebook said. Facebook said the hackers targeted military personnel and companies in the defense and aerospace industries primarily in the US, and to a lesser extent in the UK and Europe. (With inputs from Agencies)

Iranian hackers used site to target military personnel in US, UK and Europe, says Facebook

Social audio app&nbsp;Clubhouse&nbsp;launched a direct messaging feature&nbsp;called 'Backchannel' to allow one-to-one and group text chats.

The feature is designed to help moderators chat among themselves during an active room; let people connect after an event; and broadly, foster text conversations that otherwise would have to take place in a separate app.

Its competitors, notably Twitter Spaces and Facebook Live Audio Rooms, both allow people to text chat while also running or participating in an audio conversation, so Backchannel brings Clubhouse more up to par and ensures users keep their conversations, and more of their social life, on the app.

The invite-only app, which saw explosive early growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, is now competing against a raft of tech companies from Facebook and Twitter to Spotify pushing out similar audio chat services.

Clubhouse&nbsp;said it had added more than 8 million new users since launching on Android in late May. It said the ability to direct message was one of its most requested features.

Launched last year, the San Francisco-based platform is looking to establish itself as the standard-bearer for digital audio and has already inspired copycat products from Facebook and Twitter.

Taking advantage of the pandemic and celebrity appearances such as Tesla boss Elon Musk,&nbsp;Clubhouse&nbsp;has popularized long conversations, whether they be chats between friends or celebrity interviews.

(With inputs from agencies)

Social audio app Clubhouse launched a direct messaging feature called 'Backchannel' to allow one-to-one and group text chats. The feature is designed to help moderators chat among themselves during an active room; let people connect after an event; and broadly, foster text conversations that otherwise would have to take place in a separate app.

Social audio app Clubhouse launched a direct messaging feature called 'Backchannel' to allow one-to-one and group text chats. The feature is designed to help moderators chat among themselves during an active room; let people connect after an event; and broadly, foster text conversations that otherwise would have to take place in a separate app. Its competitors, notably Twitter Spaces and Facebook Live Audio Rooms, both allow people to text chat while also running or participating in an audio conversation, so Backchannel brings Clubhouse more up to par and ensures users keep their conversations, and more of their social life, on the app. The invite-only app, which saw explosive early growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, is now competing against a raft of tech companies from Facebook and Twitter to Spotify pushing out similar audio chat services. Clubhouse said it had added more than 8 million new users since launching on Android in late May. It said the ability to direct message was one of its most requested features. Launched last year, the San Francisco-based platform is looking to establish itself as the standard-bearer for digital audio and has already inspired copycat products from Facebook and Twitter. Taking advantage of the pandemic and celebrity appearances such as Tesla boss Elon Musk, Clubhouse has popularized long conversations, whether they be chats between friends or celebrity interviews. (With inputs from agencies)

Invite-only app Clubhouse launches direct messages feature 'Backchannel'

Social media giant Facebook Inc's video-calling device Portal is getting a 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'&nbsp;crossover that will allow users to dress up as characters from the play using AR (augmented reality) technology.

The AR masks that transform users into a character and match their&nbsp;skin tone via&nbsp;real-time skin sampling&nbsp;before converting it into a seamless integration, as per 'The Verge'.

The feature is powered by Facebook's Spark AR technology and works with Portal-to-Portal video calls for users in the United States and Britain.

Anyone can use the new feature by tapping 'Curtain Call'&nbsp;in the effects tray on Portal. You can then select one of three locations from the menu to visit: Hogwarts Great Hall, the Ministry of Magic, or the Edge of the Forbidden Forest.

When the lights come up, each person on the call will embody a character from the show with a unique spell, which is assigned randomly. Simply nod your head or tap the screen to cast it and watch as your friends marvel at the magic.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg had launched the first mainstream augmented reality platform at Facebook F8 called the Camera Effects Platform, which allows developers and artists to start building frames and interactive effects for Facebook’s camera.

Facebook&nbsp;is developing a wristband that would be able to control its augmented reality (AR) glasses that are expected to be launched this year.

Michael Abrash, who heads Facebook Reality Labs Research, said fully interactive display and audio capabilities could not yet be crammed into lightweight devices like glasses, which he estimated should be around 70 grams (2.5 oz) to be viable.

Those capabilities include the ability for people to jointly see and interact with persistent shared virtual objects, like a virtual whiteboard on which they could collaborate, he said.

Many in the industry believe the glasses will eventually replace the functionality of mobile phones altogether, making their development a hotly contested race among tech giants like Apple, Amazon and Alphabet’s Google.

Snap Inc’s “Spectacles,” initially released in 2016, began incorporating AR elements in its third generation product last year.

Abrash said smart glasses would need to rely on devices like phones for the forseeable future due to constraints like battery life and the heat generated by processing.

But with “true AR glasses,” he said, other devices would become “an accessory to the glasses, because the glasses are how you see and interact with the world.”

(With inputs from agencies)

Social media giant Facebook Inc's video-calling device Portal is getting a 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' crossover that will allow users to dress up as characters from the play using AR (augmented reality) technology.

Social media giant Facebook Inc's video-calling device Portal is getting a 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' crossover that will allow users to dress up as characters from the play using AR (augmented reality) technology. The AR masks that transform users into a character and match their skin tone via real-time skin sampling before converting it into a seamless integration, as per 'The Verge'. The feature is powered by Facebook's Spark AR technology and works with Portal-to-Portal video calls for users in the United States and Britain. Anyone can use the new feature by tapping 'Curtain Call' in the effects tray on Portal. You can then select one of three locations from the menu to visit: Hogwarts Great Hall, the Ministry of Magic, or the Edge of the Forbidden Forest. When the lights come up, each person on the call will embody a character from the show with a unique spell, which is assigned randomly. Simply nod your head or tap the screen to cast it and watch as your friends marvel at the magic. CEO Mark Zuckerberg had launched the first mainstream augmented reality platform at Facebook F8 called the Camera Effects Platform, which allows developers and artists to start building frames and interactive effects for Facebook’s camera. Facebook is developing a wristband that would be able to control its augmented reality (AR) glasses that are expected to be launched this year. Michael Abrash, who heads Facebook Reality Labs Research, said fully interactive display and audio capabilities could not yet be crammed into lightweight devices like glasses, which he estimated should be around 70 grams (2.5 oz) to be viable. Those capabilities include the ability for people to jointly see and interact with persistent shared virtual objects, like a virtual whiteboard on which they could collaborate, he said. Many in the industry believe the glasses will eventually replace the functionality of mobile phones altogether, making their development a hotly contested race among tech giants like Apple, Amazon and Alphabet’s Google. Snap Inc’s “Spectacles,” initially released in 2016, began incorporating AR elements in its third generation product last year. Abrash said smart glasses would need to rely on devices like phones for the forseeable future due to constraints like battery life and the heat generated by processing. But with “true AR glasses,” he said, other devices would become “an accessory to the glasses, because the glasses are how you see and interact with the world.” (With inputs from agencies)

Facebook’s new AR feature for Portal lets users dress up as Harry Potter characters

Facebook&nbsp;is leading the fast-growing&nbsp;market&nbsp;of "social&nbsp;commerce" that is expected to be worth some $36 billion in the United States this year, a research firm said Wednesday.

A report by&nbsp;market&nbsp;tracker eMarketer estimated some 56 million US residents would be making at least one purchase on&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;this year, giving the&nbsp;social&nbsp;media giant a 22.3 per cent share.

Another 32 million people will have bought something on&nbsp;Facebook-owned Instagram, giving it a 12.9 per cent share, according to eMarketer's forecast of&nbsp;social&nbsp;commerce.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-hits-1-trillion-value-after-judge-rejects-antitrust-complaints-394581">Facebook hits $1 trillion value after judge rejects antitrust complaints</a>

The number three player is Pinterest, with a forecasted 13.9 million buyers, or 5.6 per cent of the&nbsp;market, the report said.

According to eMarketer, US&nbsp;social&nbsp;commerce&nbsp;sales will rise by 35.8 per cent to $36.62 billion this year, a slip deceleration from the pandemic-fueled 39 per cent growth pace in 2020.

Overall, some 90 million Americans will be using&nbsp;social&nbsp;commerce, which could reach around five per cent of US retail sales by 2024, according to the group.

The report is based on direct sales of products or services or through links to retailers from&nbsp;social&nbsp;platforms, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/facebook">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/instagram">Instagram</a>, Pinterest, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/tiktok">TikTok</a>, WeChat and others.

It excludes travel and event tickets, tips and gifts, money transfers, gambling and food services.

Despite the strong growth, the United States lags behind China, which has been a leader in&nbsp;social&nbsp;commerce&nbsp;and is expected to have some 424 million people making purchases on its platforms such as WeChat this year.

"US marketers can look to China as a roadmap for&nbsp;social&nbsp;commerce's development, as many of the trends that will drive its growth, like livestream shopping, originated in China," said eMarketer senior analyst Jasmine Enberg.&nbsp;

"Keep in mind, however, that it's not an apples-to-apples comparison," she added.

"The&nbsp;social&nbsp;and e-commerce&nbsp;landscapes in the US are far more fragmented than those in China, and consumer behavior and attitudes toward digital shopping,&nbsp;social&nbsp;media consumption, online privacy and payments are different as well."

Facebook is leading the fast-growing market of "social commerce" that is expected to be worth some $36 billion in the United States this year, a research firm said Wednesday.

Facebook is leading the fast-growing market of "social commerce" that is expected to be worth some $36 billion in the United States this year, a research firm said Wednesday. A report by market tracker eMarketer estimated some 56 million US residents would be making at least one purchase on Facebook this year, giving the social media giant a 22.3 per cent share. Another 32 million people will have bought something on Facebook-owned Instagram, giving it a 12.9 per cent share, according to eMarketer's forecast of social commerce. Also read | Facebook hits $1 trillion value after judge rejects antitrust complaints The number three player is Pinterest, with a forecasted 13.9 million buyers, or 5.6 per cent of the market, the report said. According to eMarketer, US social commerce sales will rise by 35.8 per cent to $36.62 billion this year, a slip deceleration from the pandemic-fueled 39 per cent growth pace in 2020. Overall, some 90 million Americans will be using social commerce, which could reach around five per cent of US retail sales by 2024, according to the group. The report is based on direct sales of products or services or through links to retailers from social platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, WeChat and others. It excludes travel and event tickets, tips and gifts, money transfers, gambling and food services. Despite the strong growth, the United States lags behind China, which has been a leader in social commerce and is expected to have some 424 million people making purchases on its platforms such as WeChat this year. "US marketers can look to China as a roadmap for social commerce's development, as many of the trends that will drive its growth, like livestream shopping, originated in China," said eMarketer senior analyst Jasmine Enberg. "Keep in mind, however, that it's not an apples-to-apples comparison," she added. "The social and e-commerce landscapes in the US are far more fragmented than those in China, and consumer behavior and attitudes toward digital shopping, social media consumption, online privacy and payments are different as well."

Facebook leads surging 'social commerce' market: Survey

Social media giant Facebook has introduced an option of getting alerts or warnings and a support system to combat extremism on its platform.

It comes as the social networking platform is facing&nbsp;pressure from lawmakers and civil rights groups to fight extremism on its platforms.

Screenshots shared on Twitter showed a notice asking "Are you concerned that someone you know is becoming an extremist?" and another that alerted users "you may have been exposed to harmful extremist content recently." Both included links to "get support."

Facebook&nbsp;said the small test, which is only on its main platform, was running in the United States as a pilot for a global approach to prevent radicalisation on the site.

"This test is part of our larger work to assess ways to provide resources and support to people on&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;who may have engaged with or were exposed to extremist content, or may know someone who is at risk," said a&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;spokesperson in an emailed statement. "We are partnering with NGOs and academic experts in this space and hope to have more to share in the future."

It said the efforts were part of its commitment to the Christchurch Call to Action, a campaign involving major tech platforms to counter violent extremist content online that was launched following a 2019 attack in New Zealand that was live-streamed on&nbsp;Facebook.

Facebook&nbsp;said in the test it was identifying both users who may have been exposed to rule-breaking extremist content and users who had previously been the subject of&nbsp;Facebook's enforcement.&nbsp;

The company, which has tightened its rules against violent and hate groups in recent years, said it does remove some content and accounts that violate its rules pro-actively before the material is seen by users, but that other content may be viewed before it is enforced against.

The social media site was criticised in its involvement in&nbsp;the January&nbsp;6 Capitol riot when groups supporting former President Donald Trump tried to stop the US&nbsp;Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory in the November election.

(With inputs from agencies)

Social media giant Facebook has introduced an option of getting alerts or warnings and a support system to combat extremism on its platform. It comes as the social networking platform is facing pressure from lawmakers and civil rights groups to fight extremism on its platforms.

Social media giant Facebook has introduced an option of getting alerts or warnings and a support system to combat extremism on its platform. It comes as the social networking platform is facing pressure from lawmakers and civil rights groups to fight extremism on its platforms. Screenshots shared on Twitter showed a notice asking "Are you concerned that someone you know is becoming an extremist?" and another that alerted users "you may have been exposed to harmful extremist content recently." Both included links to "get support." Facebook said the small test, which is only on its main platform, was running in the United States as a pilot for a global approach to prevent radicalisation on the site. "This test is part of our larger work to assess ways to provide resources and support to people on Facebook who may have engaged with or were exposed to extremist content, or may know someone who is at risk," said a Facebook spokesperson in an emailed statement. "We are partnering with NGOs and academic experts in this space and hope to have more to share in the future." It said the efforts were part of its commitment to the Christchurch Call to Action, a campaign involving major tech platforms to counter violent extremist content online that was launched following a 2019 attack in New Zealand that was live-streamed on Facebook. Facebook said in the test it was identifying both users who may have been exposed to rule-breaking extremist content and users who had previously been the subject of Facebook's enforcement. The company, which has tightened its rules against violent and hate groups in recent years, said it does remove some content and accounts that violate its rules pro-actively before the material is seen by users, but that other content may be viewed before it is enforced against. The social media site was criticised in its involvement in the January 6 Capitol riot when groups supporting former President Donald Trump tried to stop the US Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory in the November election. (With inputs from agencies)

Facebook introduces alerts, support option to combat extremism on its platform

Led by World Wide Web Foundation (WWWF), social media giants <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/google">Google</a>, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/facebook">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/twitter">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/tiktok">TikTok</a> have taken a pledge to tackle gender-based online violence. &nbsp;

This announcement was made&nbsp;during the Paris summit of the UN Women’s forum on gender equality.&nbsp;

According to a study by the Economist Intelligence Unit about one-third of the women have faced abuse online. The frequency of abuse faced by younger women rises further to about half or 50 per cent.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/58-girls-young-women-face-online-harassment-abuse-says-global-survey-333020">58% girls, young women face online harassment, abuse, says global survey</a>&nbsp;

The&nbsp;four media giants have pledged to tackle&nbsp;abuse by focusing on two areas.&nbsp;First in&nbsp;curation, or a woman’s lack of control over who can reply to, comment on, or engage with their posts. For this companies have broached the idea of providing wider privacy settings, like giving users the ability to block someone from replying to their post, without blocking their profile, or limiting the other person’s access to their posts.&nbsp;

The second area of concern deals with reporting or flagging abuse. Here these companies have committed to giving users access to not merely flag content but also the ability to track and manage reports of their raised concerns. Another proposal is the ability to flag content based on the context and/or language used, which may change how content is perceived.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/towards-a-gender-equal-world-a-mission-for-all-345415">Towards a gender-equal world: A mission for all</a>

To simplify the user experience, these companies have also committed to the use of simple and accessible language, aligning with additional guidance for users looking to report abuse, so that any case doesn’t go unheard due to its inability to tick a few boxes of the networks’ internal systems. &nbsp;

Azmina Dhrodia, senior policy manager at WWWF said&nbsp;that the social giants have the power to curb the threats and abuse women have been facing for far too long.&nbsp;

Calling it a huge threat to “progress made on gender equality”, Dhrodia says that now these tech companies have a chance to work together and improve the online experience of hundreds and millions of girls and women online.&nbsp;

Led by World Wide Web Foundation (WWWF), social media giants Google, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok have taken a pledge to tackle gender-based online violence. This announcement was made during the Paris summit of the UN Women’s forum on gender equality.

Led by World Wide Web Foundation (WWWF), social media giants Google, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok have taken a pledge to tackle gender-based online violence. This announcement was made during the Paris summit of the UN Women’s forum on gender equality. According to a study by the Economist Intelligence Unit about one-third of the women have faced abuse online. The frequency of abuse faced by younger women rises further to about half or 50 per cent. Also read | 58% girls, young women face online harassment, abuse, says global survey The four media giants have pledged to tackle abuse by focusing on two areas. First in curation, or a woman’s lack of control over who can reply to, comment on, or engage with their posts. For this companies have broached the idea of providing wider privacy settings, like giving users the ability to block someone from replying to their post, without blocking their profile, or limiting the other person’s access to their posts. The second area of concern deals with reporting or flagging abuse. Here these companies have committed to giving users access to not merely flag content but also the ability to track and manage reports of their raised concerns. Another proposal is the ability to flag content based on the context and/or language used, which may change how content is perceived. Also read | Towards a gender-equal world: A mission for all To simplify the user experience, these companies have also committed to the use of simple and accessible language, aligning with additional guidance for users looking to report abuse, so that any case doesn’t go unheard due to its inability to tick a few boxes of the networks’ internal systems. Azmina Dhrodia, senior policy manager at WWWF said that the social giants have the power to curb the threats and abuse women have been facing for far too long. Calling it a huge threat to “progress made on gender equality”, Dhrodia says that now these tech companies have a chance to work together and improve the online experience of hundreds and millions of girls and women online.

Facebook, Google, TikTok & Twitter vow to stop online gender abuse

Australia's competition watchdog said on Thursday it issued draft proposals to authorise regional newspaper industry group, Country Press Australia, to negotiate with Google and Facebook for payments for news content on their platforms.

Country Press Australia (CPA) is seeking authorisation to allow its members to hammer out a payments deal with Google and Facebook for use of news content on the tech platforms, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said.

CPA represents 81 news publishers that publish about 160 regional newspapers across the country.

"Allowing the publishers of 160 newspapers to collectively negotiate with Google and Facebook should help address some of the considerable bargaining power imbalance that exists between the digital giants and these local news outlets," ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said in a statement.

The proposed authorisation, which would expire after 10 years, follows an interim authorisation granted by the ACCC to CPA in April to commence the negotiations.

Earlier this year, Australia passed a law that mandated the US&nbsp;tech giants to pay media companies for news content on their platforms.

Australia's competition watchdog said on Thursday it issued draft proposals to authorise regional newspaper industry group, Country Press Australia, to negotiate with Google and Facebook for payments for news content on their platforms.

Australia's competition watchdog said on Thursday it issued draft proposals to authorise regional newspaper industry group, Country Press Australia, to negotiate with Google and Facebook for payments for news content on their platforms. Country Press Australia (CPA) is seeking authorisation to allow its members to hammer out a payments deal with Google and Facebook for use of news content on the tech platforms, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said. CPA represents 81 news publishers that publish about 160 regional newspapers across the country. "Allowing the publishers of 160 newspapers to collectively negotiate with Google and Facebook should help address some of the considerable bargaining power imbalance that exists between the digital giants and these local news outlets," ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said in a statement. The proposed authorisation, which would expire after 10 years, follows an interim authorisation granted by the ACCC to CPA in April to commence the negotiations. Earlier this year, Australia passed a law that mandated the US tech giants to pay media companies for news content on their platforms.

Australian regulator may authorise media group talks with Google, Facebook

Facebook India and Google India have been asked to appear before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology on June 29.

Media reports citing sources said the committee will hear from the companies about protecting citizens' rights and preventing the misuse of social or online news media platforms, with a special focus on women's security in the digital domain.&nbsp;

This comes 10 days after the officials of Twitter appeared before the panel to discuss India’s new IT rules and how to stop the misuse of the platform.

Earlier on June 18, the Committee had called Twitter to appear before the panel to give representation on how to prevent misuse of social media and online news.

On June 20, India`s permanent mission at the United Nations had clarified that India`s new IT rules are "designed to empower ordinary users of social media" and that they were finalised after the government held broad consultations with civil society and other stakeholders in 2018.

The Central government has framed the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (`new IT Rules`) and notified the same on February 25, 2021. The Rules have come into effect from May 26, 2021.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Facebook India and Google India have been asked to appear before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology on June 29. Media reports citing sources said the committee will hear from the companies about protecting citizens' rights and preventing the misuse of social or online news media platforms, with a special focus on women's security in the digital domain.

Facebook India and Google India have been asked to appear before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology on June 29. Media reports citing sources said the committee will hear from the companies about protecting citizens' rights and preventing the misuse of social or online news media platforms, with a special focus on women's security in the digital domain. This comes 10 days after the officials of Twitter appeared before the panel to discuss India’s new IT rules and how to stop the misuse of the platform. Earlier on June 18, the Committee had called Twitter to appear before the panel to give representation on how to prevent misuse of social media and online news. On June 20, India`s permanent mission at the United Nations had clarified that India`s new IT rules are "designed to empower ordinary users of social media" and that they were finalised after the government held broad consultations with civil society and other stakeholders in 2018. The Central government has framed the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (`new IT Rules`) and notified the same on February 25, 2021. The Rules have come into effect from May 26, 2021. (With inputs from agencies)

Misuse of social media: Parliamentary committee summons Google, Facebook on June 29

Australia's competition watchdog is looking into a claim that Facebook Inc refused a publisher's request to negotiate a licensing deal, the regulator told Reuters, setting the stage for the first test of the world's toughest online content law.

The Conversation, which publishes current affairs commentary by academics, said it asked Facebook to begin talks as required under new&nbsp;Australian legislation that requires the social media firm and Alphabet Inc's Google to negotiate content-supply deals with media outlets.

Facebook declined without giving a reason, The Conversation said, even though the publisher was among the first in&nbsp;Australia&nbsp;to secure a similar deal with Google in the lead-up to the law in 2020.

The knockback could present the first test of a controversial mechanism unique to&nbsp;Australia's effort to claw back advertising dollars from Google and Facebook: if they refuse to negotiate licence fees with publishers, a government-appointed arbitrator may step in.

In a statement responding to Reuters questions, Facebook's head of news partnerships for&nbsp;Australia, Andrew Hunter, said the company was "focused on concluding commercial deals with a range of&nbsp;Australian publishers".

Hunter did not answer specific questions concerning The Conversation, but said Facebook was planning a separate initiative "to support regional, rural and digital&nbsp;Australian newsrooms and public-interest journalism in the coming months", without giving details.

"If Google's done a deal with them, I can't see how Facebook should argue that they shouldn't," Rod Sims, the chair of the&nbsp;Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), said in an interview.

"The question of designation might need to come into play," he noted, using the term for assigning an arbitrator.

Under the law, the decision to designate a Big Tech firm for intervention was made by the treasurer, which is advised by the ACCC, noted Sims, but "an absolute 'no' for an organisation that should be getting a deal is something we'll look into."

The Conversation was "exactly what we had in mind with the Code", he said, although the situation had some way to play out before any further action would be taken.

Governments around the world are introducing laws to make the tech giants compensate media companies for the links that drive readers - and advertising revenue - to their platforms. But&nbsp;Australia&nbsp;is the only country where the government may set the fees if negotiations fail, a factor that drove Facebook to block newsfeeds in the country just before it was passed.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who earlier this year negotiated with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg over the laws, was not immediately available for comment.

"SCRATCHING OUR HEADS"

Since the law took effect, a handful of the country's biggest media players, from News Corp to the&nbsp;Australian Broadcasting Corp, have struck deals with the tech giants.

But some small and independent publishers whose content helps draw four-fifths of&nbsp;Australia's 25 million population to the Facebook site said the law had created a two-tier industry where rival titles that were owned by large parent companies secured deals while others missed out.

Nelson Yap, publisher of&nbsp;Australian Property Journal, which is on a government register of media businesses covered by the law, said he was in early discussions with Google but had emailed Facebook twice with no response.

He said he read Facebook's public statements about talking to publishers and "I'm sitting here going, with whom? Not with us. Despite reaching out, we haven't heard anything. We're all scratching our heads, trying to work out what to do next."

A Facebook spokesperson did not answer a question about any contacts with the Property Journal. Country Press&nbsp;Australia, a regional newspaper industry group, said it was holding constructive talks with Facebook on behalf about 140 publishers.

The Conversation editor Misha Ketchell said that "obviously we are disappointed that we haven't been able to engage in negotiations with Facebook so far, but we remain optimistic that we will be able to reach an agreement".

The ACCC's Sims said the deal pipeline had "gone quieter than I would have envisaged" but urged smaller publishers to be patient.

"On the one hand I'm concerned that people aren't getting a response to the emails, on the other hand I have seen it before and then things change and deals get done," he said.

Australia's competition watchdog is looking into a claim that Facebook Inc refused a publisher's request to negotiate a licensing deal, the regulator told Reuters, setting the stage for the first test of the world's toughest online content law.

Australia's competition watchdog is looking into a claim that Facebook Inc refused a publisher's request to negotiate a licensing deal, the regulator told Reuters, setting the stage for the first test of the world's toughest online content law. The Conversation, which publishes current affairs commentary by academics, said it asked Facebook to begin talks as required under new Australian legislation that requires the social media firm and Alphabet Inc's Google to negotiate content-supply deals with media outlets. Facebook declined without giving a reason, The Conversation said, even though the publisher was among the first in Australia to secure a similar deal with Google in the lead-up to the law in 2020. The knockback could present the first test of a controversial mechanism unique to Australia's effort to claw back advertising dollars from Google and Facebook: if they refuse to negotiate licence fees with publishers, a government-appointed arbitrator may step in. In a statement responding to Reuters questions, Facebook's head of news partnerships for Australia, Andrew Hunter, said the company was "focused on concluding commercial deals with a range of Australian publishers". Hunter did not answer specific questions concerning The Conversation, but said Facebook was planning a separate initiative "to support regional, rural and digital Australian newsrooms and public-interest journalism in the coming months", without giving details. "If Google's done a deal with them, I can't see how Facebook should argue that they shouldn't," Rod Sims, the chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), said in an interview. "The question of designation might need to come into play," he noted, using the term for assigning an arbitrator. Under the law, the decision to designate a Big Tech firm for intervention was made by the treasurer, which is advised by the ACCC, noted Sims, but "an absolute 'no' for an organisation that should be getting a deal is something we'll look into." The Conversation was "exactly what we had in mind with the Code", he said, although the situation had some way to play out before any further action would be taken. Governments around the world are introducing laws to make the tech giants compensate media companies for the links that drive readers - and advertising revenue - to their platforms. But Australia is the only country where the government may set the fees if negotiations fail, a factor that drove Facebook to block newsfeeds in the country just before it was passed. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who earlier this year negotiated with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg over the laws, was not immediately available for comment. "SCRATCHING OUR HEADS" Since the law took effect, a handful of the country's biggest media players, from News Corp to the Australian Broadcasting Corp, have struck deals with the tech giants. But some small and independent publishers whose content helps draw four-fifths of Australia's 25 million population to the Facebook site said the law had created a two-tier industry where rival titles that were owned by large parent companies secured deals while others missed out. Nelson Yap, publisher of Australian Property Journal, which is on a government register of media businesses covered by the law, said he was in early discussions with Google but had emailed Facebook twice with no response. He said he read Facebook's public statements about talking to publishers and "I'm sitting here going, with whom? Not with us. Despite reaching out, we haven't heard anything. We're all scratching our heads, trying to work out what to do next." A Facebook spokesperson did not answer a question about any contacts with the Property Journal. Country Press Australia, a regional newspaper industry group, said it was holding constructive talks with Facebook on behalf about 140 publishers. The Conversation editor Misha Ketchell said that "obviously we are disappointed that we haven't been able to engage in negotiations with Facebook so far, but we remain optimistic that we will be able to reach an agreement". The ACCC's Sims said the deal pipeline had "gone quieter than I would have envisaged" but urged smaller publishers to be patient. "On the one hand I'm concerned that people aren't getting a response to the emails, on the other hand I have seen it before and then things change and deals get done," he said.

Facebook rejects talks with Australia publisher in test for online law

As Myanmar locals struggle to get their freedom back, the social media platform, Facebook, is reportedly promoting content that incites violence against Myanmar’s coup protesters.

According to a recent investigation carried out by the rights group Global Witness, it was found that Facebook recommends content that violates its own policies. The investigators found out that if someone likes the Myanmar military’s fan page, which has no recent posts related to violence, Facebook starts suggesting violent content.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-says-to-boost-military-ties-with-myanmar-as-junta-leader-visits-393334" hreflang="en">Russia says to boost military ties with Myanmar as junta leader visits</a>

Some of the posts that came up quite a lot were posters of people with the caption ‘wanted’. Investigators found an image of a young woman with the caption ‘wanted’ and the poster also offered a bounty of $10 million to find her 'dead or alive'. She is believed to be a participant of the group that burned down a factory after the military crackdown.

"This girl is the one who committed arson in Hlaing Tharyar. Her account has been deactivated.&nbsp;But she cannot run," some of the captions read.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/myanmars-suu-kyi-back-in-junta-court-on-sedition-charges-393182" hreflang="en">Myanmar's Suu Kyi back in junta court on sedition charges</a>

It was also observed that several posts being promoted by Facebook’s suggestion algorithm include content that glorifies the Myanmar military and its violent actions, promotes misinformation and fake or incorrect data.

Facebook claims the staff is closely monitoring the issue and has taken action on content, pages, or groups that are breaking the rules set up by the social media platform.

As Myanmar locals struggle to get their freedom back, the social media platform, Facebook, is reportedly promoting content that incites violence against Myanmar’s coup protesters.

As Myanmar locals struggle to get their freedom back, the social media platform, Facebook, is reportedly promoting content that incites violence against Myanmar’s coup protesters. According to a recent investigation carried out by the rights group Global Witness, it was found that Facebook recommends content that violates its own policies. The investigators found out that if someone likes the Myanmar military’s fan page, which has no recent posts related to violence, Facebook starts suggesting violent content. Also read | Russia says to boost military ties with Myanmar as junta leader visits Some of the posts that came up quite a lot were posters of people with the caption ‘wanted’. Investigators found an image of a young woman with the caption ‘wanted’ and the poster also offered a bounty of $10 million to find her 'dead or alive'. She is believed to be a participant of the group that burned down a factory after the military crackdown. "This girl is the one who committed arson in Hlaing Tharyar. Her account has been deactivated. But she cannot run," some of the captions read. Also read | Myanmar's Suu Kyi back in junta court on sedition charges It was also observed that several posts being promoted by Facebook’s suggestion algorithm include content that glorifies the Myanmar military and its violent actions, promotes misinformation and fake or incorrect data. Facebook claims the staff is closely monitoring the issue and has taken action on content, pages, or groups that are breaking the rules set up by the social media platform.

Myanmar: Facebook promotes violent content against coup protestors, study reveals

To stay up-to-date with the rising demand of the audio-based audience in recent months, the social media platform, Facebook, has launched a new feature of ‘live audio rooms’.

Proving as a direct rival to the popular audio-only exclusive mobile app, Clubhouse, Facebook has started rolling out audio-based features in the US.

Also read |&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-launches-ads-for-instagram-reels-392258" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-launches-ads-for-instagram-reels-392258&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiynfqW_ajxAhW0zDgGHcCRBHYQFjAGegQIBxAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw23H6D18XunoCLTED4Tbcmw" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-launches-ads-for-instagram-reels-392258" target="_blank">Facebook&nbsp;launches ads for Instagram Reels</a>

These live audio rooms will be led by influencers and celebrities in which other participants can listen to the ongoing conversations of their choice and sometimes also participate.

The new feature will "enable you to discover, listen in on and join live conversations with public figures, experts and others about topics you're interested in," said Fidji Simo, head of the Facebook app, in a blog post.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-develops-new-method-to-reverse-engineer-deepfakes-and-track-their-source-392216">Facebook develops new method to reverse-engineer deepfakes and track their source</a>

Unlike Clubhouse, Facebook’s new feature will put a cap of 50 on the number of participants allowed in an audio room. "Public figures can invite friends, followers, verified public figures, or any listeners in the room to be a speaker. The host can invite speakers in advance or during the conversation.&nbsp;There can be up to 50 speakers, and there's no limit to the number of listeners," Simo added.

To stay up-to-date with the rising demand of the audio-based audience in recent months, the social media platform, Facebook, has launched a new feature of ‘live audio rooms’.

To stay up-to-date with the rising demand of the audio-based audience in recent months, the social media platform, Facebook, has launched a new feature of ‘live audio rooms’. Proving as a direct rival to the popular audio-only exclusive mobile app, Clubhouse, Facebook has started rolling out audio-based features in the US. Also read | Facebook launches ads for Instagram Reels These live audio rooms will be led by influencers and celebrities in which other participants can listen to the ongoing conversations of their choice and sometimes also participate. The new feature will "enable you to discover, listen in on and join live conversations with public figures, experts and others about topics you're interested in," said Fidji Simo, head of the Facebook app, in a blog post. Also read | Facebook develops new method to reverse-engineer deepfakes and track their source Unlike Clubhouse, Facebook’s new feature will put a cap of 50 on the number of participants allowed in an audio room. "Public figures can invite friends, followers, verified public figures, or any listeners in the room to be a speaker. The host can invite speakers in advance or during the conversation. There can be up to 50 speakers, and there's no limit to the number of listeners," Simo added.

Listen up! Facebook launches new 'live audio' rooms in US to take on Clubhouse

Facebook is launching ads globally on Instagram Reels, it said on Thursday.

Facebook began testing Instagram Reels ads in India, Brazil, Germany and Australia in April. The tests ran with brands like BMW, Louis Vuitton, Netflix and Uber.&nbsp;

Facebook is aiming to monetise&nbsp;its short-form video feature.

"We see Reels as a great way for people to discover new content on Instagram, and so ads are a natural fit," said Instagram's Chief Operating Officer Justin Osofsky. "Brands of all sizes can take advantage of this new creative format in an environment where people are already being entertained."

The company said that Reels ads, which will loop and can be up to 30 seconds long, will appear between individual Reels.

(With inputs from agencies)

Facebook is launching ads globally on Instagram Reels, it said on Thursday. Facebook began testing Instagram Reels ads in India, Brazil, Germany and Australia in April.

Facebook is launching ads globally on Instagram Reels, it said on Thursday. Facebook began testing Instagram Reels ads in India, Brazil, Germany and Australia in April. The tests ran with brands like BMW, Louis Vuitton, Netflix and Uber. Facebook is aiming to monetise its short-form video feature. "We see Reels as a great way for people to discover new content on Instagram, and so ads are a natural fit," said Instagram's Chief Operating Officer Justin Osofsky. "Brands of all sizes can take advantage of this new creative format in an environment where people are already being entertained." The company said that Reels ads, which will loop and can be up to 30 seconds long, will appear between individual Reels. (With inputs from agencies)

Facebook launches ads for Instagram Reels

Social media plaform&nbsp;Facebook has developed a&nbsp;new method to reverse-engineer deepfakes and track their source.

Deepfakes are photos, videos or audio clips altered using artificial intelligence to appear authentic, which experts have warned can mislead or be completely false.

Facebook research scientists Tal Hassner and Xi Yin said their team worked with Michigan State University to create software that reverse engineers deepfake images to figure out how they were made and where they originated.

"Our method will facilitate deepfake detection and tracing in real-world settings, where the deepfake image itself is often the only information detectors have to work with," the scientists said in a blog post.

"This work will give researchers and practitioners tools to better investigate incidents of coordinated disinformation using deepfakes, as well as open up new directions for future research," they added.

Facebook's new software runs deepfakes through a network to search for imperfections left during the manufacturing process, which the scientists say alter an image's digital "fingerprint."

"In digital photography, fingerprints are used to identify the digital camera used to produce an image," the scientists said.&nbsp;

"Similar to device fingerprints, image fingerprints are unique patterns left on images... that can equally be used to identify the generative model that the image came from."

"Our research pushes the boundaries of understanding in deepfake detection," they said.

Microsoft late last year unveiled software that can help spot deepfake photos or videos, adding to an arsenal of programs designed to fight the hard-to-detect images ahead of the US presidential election.

The company's Video Authenticator software analyzes an image or each frame of a video, looking for evidence of manipulation that could be invisible to the naked eye.

(With inputs from agencies)

Social media plaform Facebook has developed a new method to reverse-engineer deepfakes and track their source. Deepfakes are photos, videos or audio clips altered using artificial intelligence to appear authentic, which experts have warned can mislead or be completely false.

Social media plaform Facebook has developed a new method to reverse-engineer deepfakes and track their source. Deepfakes are photos, videos or audio clips altered using artificial intelligence to appear authentic, which experts have warned can mislead or be completely false. Facebook research scientists Tal Hassner and Xi Yin said their team worked with Michigan State University to create software that reverse engineers deepfake images to figure out how they were made and where they originated. "Our method will facilitate deepfake detection and tracing in real-world settings, where the deepfake image itself is often the only information detectors have to work with," the scientists said in a blog post. "This work will give researchers and practitioners tools to better investigate incidents of coordinated disinformation using deepfakes, as well as open up new directions for future research," they added. Facebook's new software runs deepfakes through a network to search for imperfections left during the manufacturing process, which the scientists say alter an image's digital "fingerprint." "In digital photography, fingerprints are used to identify the digital camera used to produce an image," the scientists said. "Similar to device fingerprints, image fingerprints are unique patterns left on images... that can equally be used to identify the generative model that the image came from." "Our research pushes the boundaries of understanding in deepfake detection," they said. Microsoft late last year unveiled software that can help spot deepfake photos or videos, adding to an arsenal of programs designed to fight the hard-to-detect images ahead of the US presidential election. The company's Video Authenticator software analyzes an image or each frame of a video, looking for evidence of manipulation that could be invisible to the naked eye. (With inputs from agencies)

Facebook develops new method to reverse-engineer deepfakes and track their source

Facebook on Saturday welcomed progress made by G7 group of countries on a minimum tax rate. The social media giant accepted that the decision can mean that it would have to pay more taxes and in different places, its head of global affairs Nick Clegg said on Saturday.

"Facebook has long called for reform of the global tax rules and we welcome the important progress made at the G7," Clegg said on Twitter. "Today's agreement is a significant first step towards certainty for businesses and strengthening public confidence in the global tax system.

"We want the international tax reform process to succeed and recognize this could mean Facebook paying more tax, and in different places."

On Saturday,&nbsp;the G7 group of nations agreed to keep 15 per cent as the minimum rate for corporate tax. It is being understood that the decision has been taken with an eye on multinationals, especially tech companies.

The proposal, will now go to the expanded group of 20 countries at their finance meeting in July.

(With inputs from agencies)

Facebook on Saturday welcomed progress made by G7 group of countries on a minimum tax rate. The social media giant accepted that the decision can mean that it would have to pay more taxes and in different places, its head of global affairs Nick Clegg said on Saturday.

Facebook on Saturday welcomed progress made by G7 group of countries on a minimum tax rate. The social media giant accepted that the decision can mean that it would have to pay more taxes and in different places, its head of global affairs Nick Clegg said on Saturday. "Facebook has long called for reform of the global tax rules and we welcome the important progress made at the G7," Clegg said on Twitter. "Today's agreement is a significant first step towards certainty for businesses and strengthening public confidence in the global tax system. "We want the international tax reform process to succeed and recognize this could mean Facebook paying more tax, and in different places." On Saturday, the G7 group of nations agreed to keep 15 per cent as the minimum rate for corporate tax. It is being understood that the decision has been taken with an eye on multinationals, especially tech companies. The proposal, will now go to the expanded group of 20 countries at their finance meeting in July. (With inputs from agencies)

Facebook says it could pay more corporate tax after G7 decision

Google on Wednesday clarified that its search engine is not classified to be part of the new IT intermediary guidelines 2021, urging the Delhi High Court to set aside an order that puts Google Search as part of the new IT rules. 
 
The single judge order on April 20 came in a case where a woman`s images were uploaded on a pornographic website and despite court orders, the objectionable content could not be removed in entirety from the internet.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/whatsapp-goes-to-court-over-indian-governments-new-it-rules-387479">WhatsApp goes to court over Indian government's new IT rules</a> 
 
A Google spokesperson told IANS that Search engines are a reflection of the content and information that is available on the internet. 
 
"While we maintain a consistent policy over removal of objectionable content from search results, the Delhi High Court order has cast certain obligations that would wrongly classify Google search as a social media intermediary," a Google spokesperson told IANS.

"We`ve filed an appeal against this part of the order and look forward to explaining the steps we take to remove objectionable content from Google search results," the company spokesperson added.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indias-new-it-rules-set-to-come-into-effect-will-us-big-tech-comply-387359">India's new IT rules set to come into effect, will US big tech comply?</a>

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh has issued notice to the Union government, Delhi government, Facebook, the pornographic site and Internet Service Providers Association of India, seeking their responses to Google`s plea by July 25. 
 
The Google spokesperson said that the "direction also requires proactively identifying and globally disabling access to any content which may be similar to the offending content, that may appear on any other websites/online platforms, or in any other context".

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/seven-social-media-platforms-comply-with-some-it-rules-twitter-drags-feet-388125">Seven social media platforms comply with some IT rules; Twitter drags feet</a> 
 
The new rules notified in the gazette of India on February 25 under the Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules, 2021, came into effect from May 26. 
 
While Facebook, WhatsApp, Google, Telegram, LinkedIn etc have either fully or partially complied with the new IT rules, Twitter has reiterated to comply with the new IT intermediary guidelines in India as the Delhi High Court issued notice on a plea against the non-compliance by Twitter India and Twitter Inc.

Google on Wednesday clarified that its search engine is not classified to be part of the new IT intermediary guidelines 2021, urging the Delhi High Court to set aside an order that puts Google Search as part of the new IT rules.

Google on Wednesday clarified that its search engine is not classified to be part of the new IT intermediary guidelines 2021, urging the Delhi High Court to set aside an order that puts Google Search as part of the new IT rules. The single judge order on April 20 came in a case where a woman`s images were uploaded on a pornographic website and despite court orders, the objectionable content could not be removed in entirety from the internet. Also Read | WhatsApp goes to court over Indian government's new IT rules A Google spokesperson told IANS that Search engines are a reflection of the content and information that is available on the internet. "While we maintain a consistent policy over removal of objectionable content from search results, the Delhi High Court order has cast certain obligations that would wrongly classify Google search as a social media intermediary," a Google spokesperson told IANS. "We`ve filed an appeal against this part of the order and look forward to explaining the steps we take to remove objectionable content from Google search results," the company spokesperson added. Also Read | India's new IT rules set to come into effect, will US big tech comply? A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh has issued notice to the Union government, Delhi government, Facebook, the pornographic site and Internet Service Providers Association of India, seeking their responses to Google`s plea by July 25. The Google spokesperson said that the "direction also requires proactively identifying and globally disabling access to any content which may be similar to the offending content, that may appear on any other websites/online platforms, or in any other context". Also Read | Seven social media platforms comply with some IT rules; Twitter drags feet The new rules notified in the gazette of India on February 25 under the Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules, 2021, came into effect from May 26. While Facebook, WhatsApp, Google, Telegram, LinkedIn etc have either fully or partially complied with the new IT rules, Twitter has reiterated to comply with the new IT intermediary guidelines in India as the Delhi High Court issued notice on a plea against the non-compliance by Twitter India and Twitter Inc.

Google says its search engine not classified as part of new IT rules in India

Seven&nbsp;social media platforms have complied with some of the rules under the new IT rules that came into effect earlier this week.&nbsp;

Koo, Sharechat, Telegram, LinkedIn, Google, Facebook, WhatsApp&nbsp;have shared the list of&nbsp;their Chief Compliance Officer, Nodal Contact Person, and Grievance Officer as envisaged under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 with India's&nbsp;Information Technology(IT)&nbsp;ministry. IT ministry is the main nodal ministry that deals with the matter.&nbsp;

The rules were notified in February and three-month time period was given to social media platforms to implement them. Other key issues like traceability remain, that is the first origin of any message, the details of which have to be shared with the authorities under the new rules.

Whatsapp has gone to the Delhi High Court over that rule, saying that it will mean a breach of the fundamental right to privacy and violates its end-to-end encryption. The Indian government has dismissed that saying no fundamental right is absolute and the rules are "reasonable restrictions"&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Twitter is yet to follow the rule and told the Indian government that it is nominating a lawyer as its&nbsp;Nodal Contact Person and Grievance Officer. According to the rules, the officers should be&nbsp;employees of the company and residents in India. Interestingly, Twitter sent the communication to the Indian govt late last night, a day which saw the Indian govt slamming twitter over non-implementation of new IT rules.&nbsp;

The Indian govt statement said, "Twitter needs to stop beating around the bush and comply with the laws of the land" and reminded it that". The statement added, "&nbsp;Law making and policy formulations is the sole prerogative of the sovereign and Twitter is just a social media platform and it has no locus in dictating what India’s legal policy framework should be."

Also, Twitter is yet to send out the&nbsp;details of the Chief Compliance Officer to the government as mentioned in the IT rules.&nbsp;

Seven social media platforms have complied with some of the rules under the new IT rules that came into effect earlier this week. Koo, Sharechat, Telegram, LinkedIn, Google, Facebook, WhatsApp have shared the list of their Chief Compliance Officer, Nodal Contact Person, and Grievance Officer as envisaged under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 with India's Information Technology(IT) ministry.

Seven social media platforms have complied with some of the rules under the new IT rules that came into effect earlier this week. Koo, Sharechat, Telegram, LinkedIn, Google, Facebook, WhatsApp have shared the list of their Chief Compliance Officer, Nodal Contact Person, and Grievance Officer as envisaged under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 with India's Information Technology(IT) ministry. IT ministry is the main nodal ministry that deals with the matter. The rules were notified in February and three-month time period was given to social media platforms to implement them. Other key issues like traceability remain, that is the first origin of any message, the details of which have to be shared with the authorities under the new rules. Whatsapp has gone to the Delhi High Court over that rule, saying that it will mean a breach of the fundamental right to privacy and violates its end-to-end encryption. The Indian government has dismissed that saying no fundamental right is absolute and the rules are "reasonable restrictions" Meanwhile, Twitter is yet to follow the rule and told the Indian government that it is nominating a lawyer as its Nodal Contact Person and Grievance Officer. According to the rules, the officers should be employees of the company and residents in India. Interestingly, Twitter sent the communication to the Indian govt late last night, a day which saw the Indian govt slamming twitter over non-implementation of new IT rules. The Indian govt statement said, "Twitter needs to stop beating around the bush and comply with the laws of the land" and reminded it that". The statement added, " Law making and policy formulations is the sole prerogative of the sovereign and Twitter is just a social media platform and it has no locus in dictating what India’s legal policy framework should be." Also, Twitter is yet to send out the details of the Chief Compliance Officer to the government as mentioned in the IT rules.

Seven social media platforms comply with some IT rules; Twitter drags feet

In light of the ongoing investigation into the origin of the deadly coronavirus, social media giant <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/facebook">Facebook</a> has decided to lift the ban on posts that claim COVID-19 was man-made and/or a result of a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-lab-leak-row-us-intelligence-has-a-notorious-track-record-says-china-387784">"lab leak".</a>

"Following consultations with leading health organisations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), we are expanding the list of false claims we will remove to include additional debunked claims about the coronavirus and vaccines," Facebook said in a&nbsp; statement.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/optional-feature-to-hide-likes-on-instagram-facebook-is-coming-sooner-than-you-think-387563" hreflang="en">Optional feature to hide likes on Instagram, Facebook is coming sooner than you think</a>

This comes months after Facebook had started to block and ban the posts that claimed COVID-19 was made-made or manufactured in a lab. Such posts were being restricted or removed, and not complying with the guidelines was leading to a complete ban of the erring accounts from the platform itself. Facebook claims this step was earlier aimed at "removing more false claims about COVID-19 and vaccines".

However, things seem to be changing now due to the ongoing investigation into the origins of coronavirus now.

This has come after a US-based newspaper, Wall Street Journal, published an investigative story that claimed the US intelligence believes there is a possibility that this virus was created due to a "lab leak" in China’s Wuhan.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-lawmakers-urge-facebook-to-drop-plans-for-instagram-for-kids-385900" hreflang="en">US lawmakers urge Facebook to drop plans for Instagram for kids</a>

The newspaper claims in November 2019, three people from the Wuhan Institute of Virology had been admitted to a nearby hospital for treatment for flu-like symptoms.

While it has not yet been concluded whether or not coronavirus was a lab leak, Facebook is making sure it fights misinformation against the disease, without imposing a ban on irrelevant information.

Facebook has now tightened its rules against sharing and spreading misinformation related to coronavirus, elections, and more.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/facebook-allow-posts-suggesting-covid-19-lab-origin-as-us-probes-virus-origin-387906">WATCH |</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/facebook-allow-posts-suggesting-covid-19-lab-origin-as-us-probes-virus-origin-387906/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"Whether it's false or misleading content about COVID-19 and vaccines, climate change, elections or other topics, we're making sure fewer people see misinformation on our apps," Facebook said in the statement.

The social media giant has also come up with a way of warning people against following any page that actively indulges in spreading fake news.

Facebook will, now, give a pop-up notice with a warning of the page's sharing history, for the pages that actively share false information.

In light of the ongoing investigation into the origin of the deadly coronavirus, social media giant Facebook has decided to lift the ban on posts that claim COVID-19 was man-made and/or a result of a "lab leak".

In light of the ongoing investigation into the origin of the deadly coronavirus, social media giant Facebook has decided to lift the ban on posts that claim COVID-19 was man-made and/or a result of a "lab leak". "Following consultations with leading health organisations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), we are expanding the list of false claims we will remove to include additional debunked claims about the coronavirus and vaccines," Facebook said in a statement. Also read | Optional feature to hide likes on Instagram, Facebook is coming sooner than you think This comes months after Facebook had started to block and ban the posts that claimed COVID-19 was made-made or manufactured in a lab. Such posts were being restricted or removed, and not complying with the guidelines was leading to a complete ban of the erring accounts from the platform itself. Facebook claims this step was earlier aimed at "removing more false claims about COVID-19 and vaccines". However, things seem to be changing now due to the ongoing investigation into the origins of coronavirus now. This has come after a US-based newspaper, Wall Street Journal, published an investigative story that claimed the US intelligence believes there is a possibility that this virus was created due to a "lab leak" in China’s Wuhan. Also read | US lawmakers urge Facebook to drop plans for Instagram for kids The newspaper claims in November 2019, three people from the Wuhan Institute of Virology had been admitted to a nearby hospital for treatment for flu-like symptoms. While it has not yet been concluded whether or not coronavirus was a lab leak, Facebook is making sure it fights misinformation against the disease, without imposing a ban on irrelevant information. Facebook has now tightened its rules against sharing and spreading misinformation related to coronavirus, elections, and more. WATCH | "Whether it's false or misleading content about COVID-19 and vaccines, climate change, elections or other topics, we're making sure fewer people see misinformation on our apps," Facebook said in the statement. The social media giant has also come up with a way of warning people against following any page that actively indulges in spreading fake news. Facebook will, now, give a pop-up notice with a warning of the page's sharing history, for the pages that actively share false information.

Facebook lifts ban on 'lab leak' posts as US investigates origin of coronavirus

On the day the Indian government's new rules for social media come into effect, it has emerged that WhatsApp has gone to Delhi High Court against them, citing violation of privacy.

The rules, the information technology (intermediary guidelines and digital media ethics code rules), 2021 which were notified on February 25&nbsp;call for new compliances, like traceability of messages to find&nbsp;the first originator of a message.

WhatsApp in its case has highlighted that this means&nbsp;going through messages which will be violative of its end-to-end encryption, which means messages can't be read except between two&nbsp;users or in a group.

In response to a question from WION, a WhatsApp spokesperson said, "Requiring messaging apps to “trace” chats is the equivalent of asking us to keep a fingerprint of every single message sent on WhatsApp, which would break end-to-end encryption and fundamentally undermines people's right to privacy."&nbsp;

"We will also continue to engage with the government of India on practical solutions aimed at keeping people safe, including responding to valid legal requests for the information available to us," the spokesman added.

No social media company&nbsp;barring Indian social media Koo has implemented these rules.

Non-compliance with&nbsp;the&nbsp;rules could attract criminal charges.

A three&nbsp;month period was given to all social media apps and websites to implement these rules.&nbsp;The new compliances require the appointment of chief compliance officers, resident grievance officer, active monitoring of the harmful content, monthly compliance report, disabling access to objectionable information.

Interestingly,&nbsp;the development comes even as WhatsApp has been under fire over its new privacy policy.

Under the policy, certain data like financial transactions done via WhatsApp can be shared with its parent company Facebook.

While there is no breaking of&nbsp;end-to-end encryption under it,&nbsp;in the past users risked losing right over an account if not given consent for the privacy policy. This has been relaxed now to a certain extent.

There have been increased run-ins between the Indian government and social media apps like Twitter over data and recent&nbsp;labelling of tweets by members of ruling BJP as "manipulated media".

Earlier in the week, Delhi Police had gone to the offices of Twitter India to serve them notice over the "toolkit incident" under which the social media giant had labelled the tweets as "manipulated".

On the day the Indian government's new rules for social media come into effect, it has emerged that WhatsApp has gone to Delhi High Court against them, citing violation of privacy.

On the day the Indian government's new rules for social media come into effect, it has emerged that WhatsApp has gone to Delhi High Court against them, citing violation of privacy. The rules, the information technology (intermediary guidelines and digital media ethics code rules), 2021 which were notified on February 25 call for new compliances, like traceability of messages to find the first originator of a message. WhatsApp in its case has highlighted that this means going through messages which will be violative of its end-to-end encryption, which means messages can't be read except between two users or in a group. In response to a question from WION, a WhatsApp spokesperson said, "Requiring messaging apps to “trace” chats is the equivalent of asking us to keep a fingerprint of every single message sent on WhatsApp, which would break end-to-end encryption and fundamentally undermines people's right to privacy." "We will also continue to engage with the government of India on practical solutions aimed at keeping people safe, including responding to valid legal requests for the information available to us," the spokesman added. No social media company barring Indian social media Koo has implemented these rules. Non-compliance with the rules could attract criminal charges. A three month period was given to all social media apps and websites to implement these rules. The new compliances require the appointment of chief compliance officers, resident grievance officer, active monitoring of the harmful content, monthly compliance report, disabling access to objectionable information. Interestingly, the development comes even as WhatsApp has been under fire over its new privacy policy. Under the policy, certain data like financial transactions done via WhatsApp can be shared with its parent company Facebook. While there is no breaking of end-to-end encryption under it, in the past users risked losing right over an account if not given consent for the privacy policy. This has been relaxed now to a certain extent. There have been increased run-ins between the Indian government and social media apps like Twitter over data and recent labelling of tweets by members of ruling BJP as "manipulated media". Earlier in the week, Delhi Police had gone to the offices of Twitter India to serve them notice over the "toolkit incident" under which the social media giant had labelled the tweets as "manipulated".

WhatsApp goes to court over Indian government's new IT rules

US President Joe Biden on Friday (local time) revoked an executive order by former President Donald Trump against social media platforms. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump had issued the order in 2020 to direct US regulators to limit liability protections enjoyed by the social media platforms.

The Center for Democracy and Technology, which had sued to block Trump's May 2020 order, praised Biden's reversal, arguing Trump's order "was an attempt to use threats of retaliation to coerce social media companies into allowing disinformation and hateful speech to go unchecked."

Trump unsuccessfully demanded the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) set new rules to limit protections for social media firms under the 1996 Communications Decency Act. It shields the companies from liability for content posted by their users and allows them to remove lawful but objectionable posts.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/not-orange-donald-trump-appears-on-walls-of-national-portrait-gallery-385208">'Not orange': Donald Trump appears on walls of National Portrait Gallery</a>

Trump's executive order was issued after Twitter tagged his tweets having claims of widespread voter fraud in US Presidential Election 2020. Trump had continued his claims of voter fraud even after US Supreme Court had rejected the assertions.

After Trump's posts following the Jan. 6 Capitol attacks, Twitter and Facebook barred Trump from posting on their sites, and the following day FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said he would not act on Trump's request to limit social media liability protections.

Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Twitter declined comment but referred to its initial statement about Trump's order, which called it "reactionary and politicized."

(With inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden on Friday (local time) revoked an executive order by former President Donald Trump against social media platforms. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

US President Joe Biden on Friday (local time) revoked an executive order by former President Donald Trump against social media platforms. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump had issued the order in 2020 to direct US regulators to limit liability protections enjoyed by the social media platforms. The Center for Democracy and Technology, which had sued to block Trump's May 2020 order, praised Biden's reversal, arguing Trump's order "was an attempt to use threats of retaliation to coerce social media companies into allowing disinformation and hateful speech to go unchecked." Trump unsuccessfully demanded the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) set new rules to limit protections for social media firms under the 1996 Communications Decency Act. It shields the companies from liability for content posted by their users and allows them to remove lawful but objectionable posts. Also Read | 'Not orange': Donald Trump appears on walls of National Portrait Gallery Trump's executive order was issued after Twitter tagged his tweets having claims of widespread voter fraud in US Presidential Election 2020. Trump had continued his claims of voter fraud even after US Supreme Court had rejected the assertions. After Trump's posts following the Jan. 6 Capitol attacks, Twitter and Facebook barred Trump from posting on their sites, and the following day FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said he would not act on Trump's request to limit social media liability protections. Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Twitter declined comment but referred to its initial statement about Trump's order, which called it "reactionary and politicized." (With inputs from agencies)

Joe Biden revokes Trump executive order against social media platforms

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