An Indian-American entrepreneur hired a woman to slap him every time he logs on to the social media platform, Facebook.<o:p></o:p>

Maneesh Sethi is the founder of a wearable device brand Pavlok and did not want to waste time on Facebook. To control his urges and make sure he utilises his time, he had put out an advertisement on Craigslist in 2012 in which he had offered to pay $8 for an hour to someone who could stop him from spending his time on Facebook.<o:p></o:p>

"When I am wasting time, you’ll have to yell at me or if need be, slap me," the advertisement had read.

<o:p>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/this-country-has-made-it-illegal-for-bosses-to-call-employees-after-office-hours-428679">This country has made it illegal for bosses to call employees after office hours</a></o:p>

That advertisement has resurfaced on the internet again and SpaceX owner, Elon Musk, reacted to it with two fire emojis. After Musk commented on the advertisement, the popularity of the post skyrocketed and even reached back to Sethi.<o:p></o:p>

He could not believe that Musk had commented on his advertisement and replied to Tesla owner's tweet saying, "I'm the guy in this picture. Is @elonmusk giving me two emojis the highest I'll ever reach? Is this my icarus flying too close to the sun moment? Was that implied by the fire symbols elon posted? Time will tell."

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Since 2012, Sethi has given due credit to Kara, the woman hired to slap him, for improving his productivity rate. "My average productivity runs around 35-40% on most days. When Kara sat next to me, my productivity skyrocketed to 98%," he had explained in a blog post.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Inspired by his own struggle, Sethi also came up with the idea of a wearable device that helps increase productivity. Sethi explained that the device "delivers an electric zap and positive sensations to reward good habits and break bad ones".<o:p></o:p>

An Indian-American entrepreneur hired a woman to slap him every time he logs on to the social media platform, Facebook. Maneesh Sethi is the founder of a wearable device brand Pavlok and did not want to waste time on Facebook.

An Indian-American entrepreneur hired a woman to slap him every time he logs on to the social media platform, Facebook. Maneesh Sethi is the founder of a wearable device brand Pavlok and did not want to waste time on Facebook. To control his urges and make sure he utilises his time, he had put out an advertisement on Craigslist in 2012 in which he had offered to pay $8 for an hour to someone who could stop him from spending his time on Facebook. "When I am wasting time, you’ll have to yell at me or if need be, slap me," the advertisement had read. Also read | This country has made it illegal for bosses to call employees after office hours That advertisement has resurfaced on the internet again and SpaceX owner, Elon Musk, reacted to it with two fire emojis. After Musk commented on the advertisement, the popularity of the post skyrocketed and even reached back to Sethi. He could not believe that Musk had commented on his advertisement and replied to Tesla owner's tweet saying, "I'm the guy in this picture. Is @elonmusk giving me two emojis the highest I'll ever reach? Is this my icarus flying too close to the sun moment? Was that implied by the fire symbols elon posted? Time will tell." 🔥🔥 — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 10, 2021 × Since 2012, Sethi has given due credit to Kara, the woman hired to slap him, for improving his productivity rate. "My average productivity runs around 35-40% on most days. When Kara sat next to me, my productivity skyrocketed to 98%," he had explained in a blog post. Inspired by his own struggle, Sethi also came up with the idea of a wearable device that helps increase productivity. Sethi explained that the device "delivers an electric zap and positive sensations to reward good habits and break bad ones".

Indian-American hired woman to slap him for using Facebook; Elon Musk approves

Supermodel Bella Hadid might be one of the most beautiful women in the world but that does not save her from anxiety and stress as she recently opened up about social media being a lie.&nbsp;

In an Instagram post, Bella opened up about her mental health struggles as she shared photos of herself in tears. She paired these pictures with a video of Willow Smith talking about how she doesn’t feel she is “good enough” at times. Bella wrote, "Willow Smith, I love you and your words. It made me feel a little less alone and that's why I'd like to post this.”

Bella Hadid spoke of feelings of insecurity and confusion that we all tend to experience from time to time. She said, "People forget that everyone is basically feeling the same way: lost, confused, not really sure why they're here.”

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<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWDznHVlWa8/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Bella 🦋 (@bellahadid)</a>
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The supermodel had earlier also spoken about battling severe anxiety and depression since a teenager.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-paul-rudd-named-as-peoples-sexiest-man-alive-of-2021-428161" hreflang="en">Paul Rudd named as PEOPLE's 'Sexiest Man Alive'</a>

Contrary to what think that her life would be rosy courtesy all the runway looks she serves us in style, Bella said, "Social media is not real. For anyone struggling , please remember that."

To prove her point, her crying selfies accompanied a message: &nbsp;"This is pretty much my everyday, every night. For a few years now. Sometimes all you've gotta hear is that you're not alone. So from me to you, you're not alone. I love you, I see you, and I hear you."

<h5><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/alec-baldwin-shooting-accident-whats-the-latest-426206" hreflang="en">Alec Baldwin shooting accident: What's the latest?</a></h5>

<img alt="bella" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ff854fc6-85e1-4f96-8b9b-be7ebd4920bc" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/New-297.jpg" />

She then urged everyone struggling with mental health to remember that mental illness and chemical imbalance are not "linear". She said, “It is almost like a flowing rollercoaster of obstacles... it has its ups and downs , and side to sides. But I want you to know, there is always light at the end of the tunnel , and the rollercoaster always comes to a complete stop at some point.”

<h2><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-study-claims-pandemic-stress-affects-womens-periods-and-sex-lives-428091" hreflang="en">Study claims pandemic stress affects women's periods and sex lives</a></h2>

"If you work hard enough on yourself, spending time alone to understand your traumas, triggers, joys, and routine, you will always be able to understand or learn more about your own pain and how to handle it. Which is all that you can ask of yourself," she said.&nbsp;

Supermodel Bella Hadid might be one of the most beautiful women in the world but that does not save her from anxiety and stress as she recently opened up about social media being a lie.

Supermodel Bella Hadid might be one of the most beautiful women in the world but that does not save her from anxiety and stress as she recently opened up about social media being a lie. In an Instagram post, Bella opened up about her mental health struggles as she shared photos of herself in tears. She paired these pictures with a video of Willow Smith talking about how she doesn’t feel she is “good enough” at times. Bella wrote, "Willow Smith, I love you and your words. It made me feel a little less alone and that's why I'd like to post this.” Bella Hadid spoke of feelings of insecurity and confusion that we all tend to experience from time to time. She said, "People forget that everyone is basically feeling the same way: lost, confused, not really sure why they're here.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bella 🦋 (@bellahadid) × The supermodel had earlier also spoken about battling severe anxiety and depression since a teenager. Also read: Paul Rudd named as PEOPLE's 'Sexiest Man Alive' Contrary to what think that her life would be rosy courtesy all the runway looks she serves us in style, Bella said, "Social media is not real. For anyone struggling , please remember that." To prove her point, her crying selfies accompanied a message: "This is pretty much my everyday, every night. For a few years now. Sometimes all you've gotta hear is that you're not alone. So from me to you, you're not alone. I love you, I see you, and I hear you." Alec Baldwin shooting accident: What's the latest? She then urged everyone struggling with mental health to remember that mental illness and chemical imbalance are not "linear". She said, “It is almost like a flowing rollercoaster of obstacles... it has its ups and downs , and side to sides. But I want you to know, there is always light at the end of the tunnel , and the rollercoaster always comes to a complete stop at some point.” Study claims pandemic stress affects women's periods and sex lives "If you work hard enough on yourself, spending time alone to understand your traumas, triggers, joys, and routine, you will always be able to understand or learn more about your own pain and how to handle it. Which is all that you can ask of yourself," she said.

'Social media is not real,' writes supermodel Bella Hadid alongside crying selfies

Facebook has announced that it is deleting about 1 billion face prints, it uses as a part of a facial recognition system, citing concerns over technology.

Facebook shuts down automatic face recognition, says 'concerns outweigh benefits'

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

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

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

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

Senator Kyrsten Sinema seems to be in limelight nowadays for various reasons. After becoming a roadblock to US President Joe Biden's economic and social agenda, Sinema has caused a stir by donning a denim vest while presiding over the US Senate on Tuesday. &nbsp;

A video of the Democrat leader from Arizona in the vest in Senate went viral. She is already known for her splashy style and colorful wigs. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-announces-support-for-bolsonaro-as-brazil-senate-backs-criminal-charges-424309">Trump announces support for Bolsonaro as Brazil Senate backs criminal charges</a>

The clip was shared by Jeremy Art, a senior social media specialist with C-SPAN. It garnered around 700,000 views within three hours with numerous comments. &nbsp;

Karen Tumulty, who is an editor and columnist with the Washington Post, also pointed out that there used to be a sign for scribes forbidding denim from being worn inside the chambers.

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There used to be a sign in the Senate Press Gallery admonishing journalists they were not allowed to wear denim into the chamber. Hill reporters: is it still there? <a href="https://t.co/1K1CF17nao">https://t.co/1K1CF17nao</a>
— Karen Tumulty (@ktumulty) <a href="https://twitter.com/ktumulty/status/1453115590386896897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
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In her tweet, Tumulty asked, "Is it still there?" &nbsp;&nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/isis-k-could-have-the-capability-to-attack-the-us-within-6-12-months-pentagon-424310" hreflang="en">ISIS-K could have the capability to attack the US within 6-12 months: Pentagon</a>

There is still a sign forbidding purses, overcoats, hats, bags and denim from being worn inside the Senate chambers, confirmed Washington Post reporter Paul Kane. &nbsp;

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A fascinating fashion choice here <a href="https://t.co/lwhPmpYBnF">https://t.co/lwhPmpYBnF</a>
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) <a href="https://twitter.com/MollyJongFast/status/1453110442029682695?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
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In a post, Molly Jong-Fast, an editor with the Daily Beast, said, "A fascinating fashion choice here." &nbsp;

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The Senate parliamentarian has ruled that the opening riff of "Bad to the Bone" must play whenever Sinema presides <a href="https://t.co/hdcajouJCi">https://t.co/hdcajouJCi</a>
— David Weigel (@daveweigel) <a href="https://twitter.com/daveweigel/status/1453110473688113156?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Washington Post’s David Weigel said, "The Senate parliamentarian has ruled that the opening riff of 'Bad to the Bone' must play whenever Sinema presides." &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Senator Kyrsten Sinema seems to be in limelight nowadays for various reasons. After becoming a roadblock to US President Joe Biden's economic and social agenda, Sinema has caused a stir by donning a denim vest while presiding over the US Senate on Tuesday.

Senator Kyrsten Sinema seems to be in limelight nowadays for various reasons. After becoming a roadblock to US President Joe Biden's economic and social agenda, Sinema has caused a stir by donning a denim vest while presiding over the US Senate on Tuesday. A video of the Democrat leader from Arizona in the vest in Senate went viral. She is already known for her splashy style and colorful wigs. Also Read: Trump announces support for Bolsonaro as Brazil Senate backs criminal charges The clip was shared by Jeremy Art, a senior social media specialist with C-SPAN. It garnered around 700,000 views within three hours with numerous comments. Karen Tumulty, who is an editor and columnist with the Washington Post, also pointed out that there used to be a sign for scribes forbidding denim from being worn inside the chambers. There used to be a sign in the Senate Press Gallery admonishing journalists they were not allowed to wear denim into the chamber. Hill reporters: is it still there? https://t.co/1K1CF17nao — Karen Tumulty (@ktumulty) October 26, 2021 × In her tweet, Tumulty asked, "Is it still there?" Also Read | ISIS-K could have the capability to attack the US within 6-12 months: Pentagon There is still a sign forbidding purses, overcoats, hats, bags and denim from being worn inside the Senate chambers, confirmed Washington Post reporter Paul Kane. A fascinating fashion choice here https://t.co/lwhPmpYBnF — Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) October 26, 2021 × In a post, Molly Jong-Fast, an editor with the Daily Beast, said, "A fascinating fashion choice here." The Senate parliamentarian has ruled that the opening riff of "Bad to the Bone" must play whenever Sinema presides https://t.co/hdcajouJCi — David Weigel (@daveweigel) October 26, 2021 × Washington Post’s David Weigel said, "The Senate parliamentarian has ruled that the opening riff of 'Bad to the Bone' must play whenever Sinema presides." (With inputs from agencies)

Donning denim vest in Senate, US lawmaker Kyrsten Sinema causes stir on social media

On Tuesday, former President Trump claimed that his proposed new social media company Truth Social is a philanthropic endeavour to offer a voice to his fans who have been "silenced by Big Tech," rather than a big-bucks money-making scheme.&nbsp;

"We have fallen far down the 'slippery slope' of censorship in our country, and the topics that Americans are increasingly forbidden to debate are among the most important issues of our day," Trump said in a lengthy statement.

"We are inviting people of all political stripes, and all different viewpoints, to come and participate once again in the great American debate," he said.&nbsp;

"That's what our country is supposed to be about," the statement read. 
 
Watch | Gravitas: Here's why Donald Trump could win the 2024 Presidential Race

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-heres-why-donald-trump-could-win-the-2024-presidential-race-420803/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The ex-president, who was banned from Twitter after a mob of his supporters invaded the Capitol last year, fueled by false claims about last year's election, to stop the Electoral College vote certification, framed his effort as an attack on Big Tech and what he claimed was its censorship.&nbsp;

Trump said that he was the "only person in America with the megaphone, the money, the expertise, and the drive" to develop the platform, and that 'Truth Social' was a critical step toward restoring democracy.

Trump is still the de facto Republican Party leader and is considering a candidacy for the White House in 2024.

However, the efforts taken by social media firms to ban him from their platforms after January 6 have greatly harmed his capacity to influence news cycles and engage with millions.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

On Tuesday, former President Trump claimed that his proposed new social media company Truth Social is a philanthropic endeavour to offer a voice to his fans who have been "silenced by Big Tech," rather than a big-bucks money-making scheme.

On Tuesday, former President Trump claimed that his proposed new social media company Truth Social is a philanthropic endeavour to offer a voice to his fans who have been "silenced by Big Tech," rather than a big-bucks money-making scheme. "We have fallen far down the 'slippery slope' of censorship in our country, and the topics that Americans are increasingly forbidden to debate are among the most important issues of our day," Trump said in a lengthy statement. "We are inviting people of all political stripes, and all different viewpoints, to come and participate once again in the great American debate," he said. "That's what our country is supposed to be about," the statement read. Watch | Gravitas: Here's why Donald Trump could win the 2024 Presidential Race The ex-president, who was banned from Twitter after a mob of his supporters invaded the Capitol last year, fueled by false claims about last year's election, to stop the Electoral College vote certification, framed his effort as an attack on Big Tech and what he claimed was its censorship. Trump said that he was the "only person in America with the megaphone, the money, the expertise, and the drive" to develop the platform, and that 'Truth Social' was a critical step toward restoring democracy. Trump is still the de facto Republican Party leader and is considering a candidacy for the White House in 2024. However, the efforts taken by social media firms to ban him from their platforms after January 6 have greatly harmed his capacity to influence news cycles and engage with millions. (With inputs from agencies)

Truth Social: Trump wants to 'SAVE' US with new social media company

Richard Errington clicked to stream a science fiction film from his home in Britain last month when YouTube carded him.

The site said Errington, who is older than 50, needed to prove that he was old enough to watch “Space Is the Place,” a 1974 movie starring jazz musician Sun Ra. He had three options: Enter his credit card information, upload a photo identification such as a passport, or skip the video.

“I decided that it wasn’t worth the stress,” he said.

In response to mounting pressure from activists, parents and regulators who believe tech companies haven’t done enough to protect children online, businesses and governments around the globe are placing major parts of the internet behind stricter digital age checks.

People in Japan must provide a document proving their age to use the dating app Tinder. The popular game Roblox requires players to upload a form of government identification — and a selfie to prove the ID belongs to them — if they want access to a voice chat feature. Laws in Germany and France require pornography websites to check visitors’ ages.

The changes, which have picked up speed over the past two years, could upend one of the internet’s central traits: the ability to remain anonymous. Since the days of dial-up modems and AOL chat rooms, people could traverse huge swaths of the web without divulging any personal details. Many people created an online persona entirely separate from their offline one.

But the experience of consuming content and communicating online is increasingly less like an anonymous public square and more like going to the bank, with measures to prove that you are who you say you are. This month, lawmakers in Washington, which has lagged other world capitals in regulating tech companies, called for new rules to protect young people after a former Facebook employee said the company knew its products harmed some teenagers. They repeated those calls Tuesday in a hearing with executives from YouTube, TikTok and the parent company of Snapchat.

Critics of the age checks say that in the name of keeping people safe, they could endanger user privacy, dampen free expression and hurt communities that benefit from anonymity online. Authoritarian governments have used protecting children as an argument for limiting online speech: China barred websites this summer from ranking celebrities by popularity as part of a larger crackdown on what it says are the pernicious effects of celebrity culture on young people.

“Are we going to start seeing more age verification? Of course,” said Hany Farid, a professor of engineering and computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, who has called for more child safety measures. “Because there is more pressure, there’s more awareness now on how these technologies are harming kids.”

But, Farid said, regulators and companies need to proceed with caution. “We don’t want the solution to be more harmful than the problem,” he said.

Many websites have long required visitors to submit their birth date to see content meant only for adults. But visitors could usually do so without showing any evidence of their age.

That is no longer enough for some regulators. New child protection guidelines in Britain say some websites need to take additional steps to verify their users’ ages when the services collect sensitive user data.

An update to the European Union’s rules for video and audio services requires sites to protect minors, which may include checking users’ ages. In response to the change, Google said last year that it would ask some users of YouTube, which it owns, for their identification documents or credit card details before they could watch adults-only videos. A spokesperson for Google pointed to an August blog post where the company said it was “looking at ways to develop consistent product experiences and user controls for kids and teens globally” as regulators applied new rules in different countries.

Facebook is exploring similar options. The company said in July that it was developing programs to look for signs that users were lying about their age, such as spotting when someone who claims to be 21 gets messages about her quinceañera. But when “we do feel we need more information, we’re developing a menu of options for someone to prove their age,” Pavni Diwanji, Facebook’s vice president of youth products, said in the post. Facebook later said one option would involve providing identification documents.

Many of the new age verification efforts require users to submit government-issued identification or credit card information. But other companies are using, or considering, other options, such as software that scans a user’s face to approximate the person’s age.

Critics of the checks worry that the requirement will force users to give sensitive information to websites with limited resources to prevent hacks. Outside companies that offer age checks would be vulnerable, too.

“Either way, that’s still a treasure trove of data that’s exploitable,” said Daly Barnett, a staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an online privacy and free speech advocacy group.

Many companies, and governments, say they are putting measures in place to address privacy concerns, such as limits on how long data is stored. The British privacy regulator overseeing the new child protection code said this month that websites should deploy the most aggressive age checks — such as requiring government identification — only when the potential risk to a child was equally significant.

(BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM.)

While sorting out which age-check method to use, Roblox, the game company, showed prototypes to 10 teenage players, said Chris Aston Chen, a senior product manager at the company.

One possible method required players to get on a video call, while another checked government databases. Chen said the players gravitated toward using government IDs, an option they trusted and thought was convenient. (Roblox’s chief product officer is a board member of The New York Times Co.)

The technology will also make it easier for Roblox to keep out players it has barred because of inappropriate conduct in the voice chat feature. If those players log back in using a new account but try to verify their age using the same government document, they’ll be locked out.

“I do imagine that over the next few years that there will be an increased level of comfort and expectation, almost, to provide some sort of personal verification on a platform for the greater good,” Chen said.

Some services are resisting the checks. Twitter allows users to disclose their birth date but does not require it. If users want to view adult content, they must click through a warning but don’t have to prove they are 18 or older.

“At the heart of Twitter is the belief that there’s a huge value to the public conversation of people being able to speak pseudonymously to the world,” said Nick Pickles, a senior director of global public policy strategy at Twitter, “and also not requiring a significant amount of personal information to be provided before you can use online services.”

The shift might be troublesome for some people, critics said. Posts related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are more likely to be mistakenly marked as “adult” content even if they are not overtly sexual, for example, said Barnett.

Automatic facial analysis is also often less accurate for female faces or people with darker skin. And critics worry that strict age checks could make life more difficult for people such as sex workers and political dissidents who rely on anonymity online.

Perhaps no part of the web has more new age-check requirements than pornography sites, which are often at the leading edge of technology trends. In addition to Germany and France, governments including Poland, the Philippines and Canada have considered proposals that would require pornography sites to check ages.

“The internet was created by adults, for adults,” said Julie Inman Grant, who runs Australia’s Office of the eSafety Commissioner and has been developing age-check guidelines. “And I think one of the key challenges for us is to come up with a system that proves a child is a child sitting behind a keyboard.”

It is unclear how internet users will respond to the increasingly common age checks.

For months, YouTube explained to frustrated users on Twitter that it was demanding government IDs because of new regulations.

“I pay for youtube music, yet it wants me to upload a copy of my ID so it can verify my age before it will let me play ‘in bloom’ by Nirvana,” one user tweeted. The user noted that he had first bought the track on cassette “when I was about 12, almost 30 years ago.”

“This is a rule applied to video sharing platforms in certain countries,” YouTube’s customer support account responded.

Errington said YouTube had asked him for a credit card when he tried to watch “Space Is the Place.” He doesn’t have one. And he said he felt uncomfortable uploading a photo ID.

“I wasn’t prepared to give out this information,” he said. “So the Sun Ra video remains a mystery.”

Richard Errington clicked to stream a science fiction film from his home in Britain last month when YouTube carded him. The site said Errington, who is older than 50, needed to prove that he was old enough to watch “Space Is the Place,” a 1974 movie starring jazz musician Sun Ra.

Richard Errington clicked to stream a science fiction film from his home in Britain last month when YouTube carded him. The site said Errington, who is older than 50, needed to prove that he was old enough to watch “Space Is the Place,” a 1974 movie starring jazz musician Sun Ra. He had three options: Enter his credit card information, upload a photo identification such as a passport, or skip the video. “I decided that it wasn’t worth the stress,” he said. In response to mounting pressure from activists, parents and regulators who believe tech companies haven’t done enough to protect children online, businesses and governments around the globe are placing major parts of the internet behind stricter digital age checks. People in Japan must provide a document proving their age to use the dating app Tinder. The popular game Roblox requires players to upload a form of government identification — and a selfie to prove the ID belongs to them — if they want access to a voice chat feature. Laws in Germany and France require pornography websites to check visitors’ ages. The changes, which have picked up speed over the past two years, could upend one of the internet’s central traits: the ability to remain anonymous. Since the days of dial-up modems and AOL chat rooms, people could traverse huge swaths of the web without divulging any personal details. Many people created an online persona entirely separate from their offline one. But the experience of consuming content and communicating online is increasingly less like an anonymous public square and more like going to the bank, with measures to prove that you are who you say you are. This month, lawmakers in Washington, which has lagged other world capitals in regulating tech companies, called for new rules to protect young people after a former Facebook employee said the company knew its products harmed some teenagers. They repeated those calls Tuesday in a hearing with executives from YouTube, TikTok and the parent company of Snapchat. Critics of the age checks say that in the name of keeping people safe, they could endanger user privacy, dampen free expression and hurt communities that benefit from anonymity online. Authoritarian governments have used protecting children as an argument for limiting online speech: China barred websites this summer from ranking celebrities by popularity as part of a larger crackdown on what it says are the pernicious effects of celebrity culture on young people. “Are we going to start seeing more age verification? Of course,” said Hany Farid, a professor of engineering and computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, who has called for more child safety measures. “Because there is more pressure, there’s more awareness now on how these technologies are harming kids.” But, Farid said, regulators and companies need to proceed with caution. “We don’t want the solution to be more harmful than the problem,” he said. Many websites have long required visitors to submit their birth date to see content meant only for adults. But visitors could usually do so without showing any evidence of their age. That is no longer enough for some regulators. New child protection guidelines in Britain say some websites need to take additional steps to verify their users’ ages when the services collect sensitive user data. An update to the European Union’s rules for video and audio services requires sites to protect minors, which may include checking users’ ages. In response to the change, Google said last year that it would ask some users of YouTube, which it owns, for their identification documents or credit card details before they could watch adults-only videos. A spokesperson for Google pointed to an August blog post where the company said it was “looking at ways to develop consistent product experiences and user controls for kids and teens globally” as regulators applied new rules in different countries. Facebook is exploring similar options. The company said in July that it was developing programs to look for signs that users were lying about their age, such as spotting when someone who claims to be 21 gets messages about her quinceañera. But when “we do feel we need more information, we’re developing a menu of options for someone to prove their age,” Pavni Diwanji, Facebook’s vice president of youth products, said in the post. Facebook later said one option would involve providing identification documents. Many of the new age verification efforts require users to submit government-issued identification or credit card information. But other companies are using, or considering, other options, such as software that scans a user’s face to approximate the person’s age. Critics of the checks worry that the requirement will force users to give sensitive information to websites with limited resources to prevent hacks. Outside companies that offer age checks would be vulnerable, too. “Either way, that’s still a treasure trove of data that’s exploitable,” said Daly Barnett, a staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an online privacy and free speech advocacy group. Many companies, and governments, say they are putting measures in place to address privacy concerns, such as limits on how long data is stored. The British privacy regulator overseeing the new child protection code said this month that websites should deploy the most aggressive age checks — such as requiring government identification — only when the potential risk to a child was equally significant. (BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM.) While sorting out which age-check method to use, Roblox, the game company, showed prototypes to 10 teenage players, said Chris Aston Chen, a senior product manager at the company. One possible method required players to get on a video call, while another checked government databases. Chen said the players gravitated toward using government IDs, an option they trusted and thought was convenient. (Roblox’s chief product officer is a board member of The New York Times Co.) The technology will also make it easier for Roblox to keep out players it has barred because of inappropriate conduct in the voice chat feature. If those players log back in using a new account but try to verify their age using the same government document, they’ll be locked out. “I do imagine that over the next few years that there will be an increased level of comfort and expectation, almost, to provide some sort of personal verification on a platform for the greater good,” Chen said. Some services are resisting the checks. Twitter allows users to disclose their birth date but does not require it. If users want to view adult content, they must click through a warning but don’t have to prove they are 18 or older. “At the heart of Twitter is the belief that there’s a huge value to the public conversation of people being able to speak pseudonymously to the world,” said Nick Pickles, a senior director of global public policy strategy at Twitter, “and also not requiring a significant amount of personal information to be provided before you can use online services.” The shift might be troublesome for some people, critics said. Posts related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are more likely to be mistakenly marked as “adult” content even if they are not overtly sexual, for example, said Barnett. Automatic facial analysis is also often less accurate for female faces or people with darker skin. And critics worry that strict age checks could make life more difficult for people such as sex workers and political dissidents who rely on anonymity online. Perhaps no part of the web has more new age-check requirements than pornography sites, which are often at the leading edge of technology trends. In addition to Germany and France, governments including Poland, the Philippines and Canada have considered proposals that would require pornography sites to check ages. “The internet was created by adults, for adults,” said Julie Inman Grant, who runs Australia’s Office of the eSafety Commissioner and has been developing age-check guidelines. “And I think one of the key challenges for us is to come up with a system that proves a child is a child sitting behind a keyboard.” It is unclear how internet users will respond to the increasingly common age checks. For months, YouTube explained to frustrated users on Twitter that it was demanding government IDs because of new regulations. “I pay for youtube music, yet it wants me to upload a copy of my ID so it can verify my age before it will let me play ‘in bloom’ by Nirvana,” one user tweeted. The user noted that he had first bought the track on cassette “when I was about 12, almost 30 years ago.” “This is a rule applied to video sharing platforms in certain countries,” YouTube’s customer support account responded. Errington said YouTube had asked him for a credit card when he tried to watch “Space Is the Place.” He doesn’t have one. And he said he felt uncomfortable uploading a photo ID. “I wasn’t prepared to give out this information,” he said. “So the Sun Ra video remains a mystery.”

Anonymity no more? Age checks come to the web

US Senators put executives from YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat on the defensive, questioning them about how they are ensuring young users’ safety on their platforms.

US lawmakers questions YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok on kids’ online safety

Shares of the blank-check acquisition company that plans to publicly list former US&nbsp;President Donald Trump's new social media venture fell on Monday after an eye-watering rally last week, as a short-seller said it was betting against the company.

Digital World Acquisition (DWAC.O), a Miami-based special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), fell 10.98 per cent, its first declining session since announcing Wednesday it would merge with Trump's media company to create a social media app called TRUTH Social. read more

The stock surged following the announcement and remains up over 700 per cent&nbsp;since the deal was unveiled.

Also Read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/the-world-has-found-a-way-to-do-this-the-us-lags-on-paid-leave-423985">&nbsp;The world ‘has found a way to do this’: The US lags on paid leave</a>

Earlier on Monday, short seller Iceberg Research tweeted it was betting against the company’s shares.

“We are short $DWAC. Now that initial excitement has passed, we see only risks for investors in near future. Based on Trump's track record, at current price, renegotiation is likely to keep more of the merged company for him,” Iceberg Research tweeted.

Iceberg, which publishes a blog with its research on Wordpress, gained attention in 2015 for highlighting what it called aggressive accounting practices at Hong Kong-based commodities trader Noble Group. Noble denied the allegations but subsequently saw its profits collapse and was forced to sell most of its assets.

The company said earlier this year that it was short popular meme stock AMC Entertainment Holdings (AMC.N).&nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-warns-climate-poses-emerging-threat-to-financial-system-422957">US warns climate poses ‘emerging threat’ to financial system</a>

Digital World Acquisition's recent surge is reminiscent of the meme stock frenzy earlier in 2021, when an army of retail investors on Reddit fueled hyper-rallies in GameStop Corp (GME.N), AMC Entertainment Holdings and other stocks.

Twitter (TWTR.N), Facebook (FB.O) and other social media platforms banned Trump from their services after hundreds of his supporters rioted at the U.S. Capitol on January&nbsp;6.

TRUTH Social is set for a beta launch next month and full rollout in the first quarter of 2022.

SPACs allow private companies to publicly list their shares while sidestepping traditional initial public offerings.

Shares of the blank-check acquisition company that plans to publicly list former US President Donald Trump's new social media venture fell on Monday after an eye-watering rally last week, as a short-seller said it was betting against the company.

Shares of the blank-check acquisition company that plans to publicly list former US President Donald Trump's new social media venture fell on Monday after an eye-watering rally last week, as a short-seller said it was betting against the company. Digital World Acquisition (DWAC.O), a Miami-based special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), fell 10.98 per cent, its first declining session since announcing Wednesday it would merge with Trump's media company to create a social media app called TRUTH Social. read more The stock surged following the announcement and remains up over 700 per cent since the deal was unveiled. Also Read | The world ‘has found a way to do this’: The US lags on paid leave Earlier on Monday, short seller Iceberg Research tweeted it was betting against the company’s shares. “We are short $DWAC. Now that initial excitement has passed, we see only risks for investors in near future. Based on Trump's track record, at current price, renegotiation is likely to keep more of the merged company for him,” Iceberg Research tweeted. Iceberg, which publishes a blog with its research on Wordpress, gained attention in 2015 for highlighting what it called aggressive accounting practices at Hong Kong-based commodities trader Noble Group. Noble denied the allegations but subsequently saw its profits collapse and was forced to sell most of its assets. The company said earlier this year that it was short popular meme stock AMC Entertainment Holdings (AMC.N). Also Read | US warns climate poses ‘emerging threat’ to financial system Digital World Acquisition's recent surge is reminiscent of the meme stock frenzy earlier in 2021, when an army of retail investors on Reddit fueled hyper-rallies in GameStop Corp (GME.N), AMC Entertainment Holdings and other stocks. Twitter (TWTR.N), Facebook (FB.O) and other social media platforms banned Trump from their services after hundreds of his supporters rioted at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. TRUTH Social is set for a beta launch next month and full rollout in the first quarter of 2022. SPACs allow private companies to publicly list their shares while sidestepping traditional initial public offerings.

Shares of SPAC, the firm linked to Trump social media venture, down as short seller targets it

Frances Haugen first met Jeff Horwitz, a tech-industry reporter for The Wall Street Journal, in early December on a hiking trail near the Chabot Space &amp; Science Center in Oakland, California.

She liked that he seemed thoughtful, and she liked that he had written about Facebook’s role in transmitting violent Hindu nationalism in India, a particular interest of hers. She also got the impression that he would support her as a person, rather than as a mere source who could supply him with the inside information she had picked up during her nearly two years as a product manager at Facebook.

"I auditioned Jeff for a while," Haugen told me in a phone interview from her home in Puerto Rico, "and one of the reasons I went with him is that he was less sensationalistic than other choices I could have made."

She became one of the greatest sources of the century, turning over the tens of thousands of pages of internal documents she had collected. Starting Sept. 13, the Journal justified her confidence with a meticulous rollout that included 11 major articles by Horwitz and other reporters cleverly packaged under a catchy rubric, The Facebook Files.

Key revelations included how Facebook executives handled politicised lies, including Donald Trump’s claims of election fraud. Often, the company chose to let misinformation spread widely, to keep more people logging on. The series also noted the lengths that Facebook went to in its desperation to hang on to its audience as young people drifted away from its platforms.

The Journal also produced a podcast episode introducing Haugen as poised, incisive and intensely moral, a depiction that Horwitz told me he agrees with after much reporting, but which also amounted to white-glove treatment of a treasured source.

So there was an uncomfortable moment Oct. 7, when a communications firm working with Haugen invited Horwitz and two of his editors to a Zoom call with a group that would grow to include journalists from 17 other U.S. media outlets.

On the call, Haugen offered to share redacted versions of the trove of Facebook documents under an embargo to be set by the group. The firm, founded by former Barack Obama aide Bill Burton, would help manage the process. After she made her pitch, Horwitz and his colleagues found themselves in a strange position: The source who had provided them with the stuff of so many exclusive scoops now seemed to be going rogue.

"This is a little awkward," Jason Dean, an editor at the Journal, said on the call, according to three participants.

The Journal team left before the call was over. Since then, journalists at The Atlantic, The Associated Press, CNN, NBC News, Fox Business and other outlets, including The New York Times, have been poring over the first tranche of Haugen’s documents, along with a parallel group in Europe, with a plan to publish their findings Monday (although stories began trickling out Friday night).

We live in a time of megaleaks, enabled by the same digital technology that allows us to surveil one another and document our lives as never before. These leaks have given the leakers and their brokers a new kind of power over the news media, raising tricky questions about how their revelations should enter the public sphere. There are questions, in particular, on the balance of power between the sources of vital information and the reporters who benefit from them.

Some leaks, including U.S. military and State Department files, emerged on WikiLeaks or nameless servers in the form of massive data dumps; others, including Edward Snowden’s National Security Agency files and The Intercept’s revelations of America’s drone wars, came about after journalists had gained sources’ trusts.

Reports on the Panama Papers, based on the leaking of more than 11 million documents, and other examinations of global tax evasion that followed it were brokered through the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which managed a collaboration among hundreds of journalists around the world. They read the documents, as well as one another’s stories, on a secure server before coordinating the rollout of their articles on social media.

In some cases, the leaker or hacker seems to be the one who controls how and when information is released. That’s how it went in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, when a Kremlin-directed cyberattack on the Democratic National Committee led to the devastatingly timed publication of the committee’s private documents on WikiLeaks.

In other instances, a key source may yield to a unified group of journalists — at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists or elsewhere — who add layers of reporting and analysis to the raw material.

"You can’t afford to have the source dictate the story," Gerard Ryle, director of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, said in an interview.

Haugen chose a middle path, one that appears to have captured the best of both arrangements, from her perspective, while also foiling Facebook’s attempts to contain the story.

First, she handed her documents to the Journal for a boutique rollout. Then she opened the journalistic equivalent of an outlet store, allowing reporters on two continents to root through everything the Journal had left behind in search of overlooked informational gems. Her intention was to broaden the circle, she said. She added that she plans to share the documents with academic writers and publications from parts of the world where she sees the greatest peril, including India and parts of the Middle East.

"The reason I wanted to do this project is because I think the global South is in danger," she said.

With this model, Haugen and her advisers have created a new kind of journalistic network, one that has stirred mixed feelings among the journalists involved. In the past two weeks, they have gathered on the messaging app Slack to coordinate their plans — and the name of their Slack group, chosen by Adrienne LaFrance, executive editor of The Atlantic, suggests their ambivalence: "Apparently We’re a Consortium Now."

Inside the Slack group, whose messages were shared with me by a participant, members have reflected on the strangeness of working, however tangentially, with competitors. (I didn’t speak to any Times participants about the Slack messages.)

"This is the weirdest thing I have ever been part of, reporting-wise," wrote Alex Heath, a tech reporter for The Verge.

In an interview, Brian Carovillano, head of investigations for The Associated Press, said, "It’s remarkable to see these news organizations, large and small, set aside some of their competitive impulses and work together to report out a story that is unquestionably in the public interest."

The Slack group has also discussed news outlets that are not part of the consortium, including The Information. (In an article published Friday about Haugen’s media strategy, The Information reported that it had asked to join the group, "but was told by one participant that it was not accepting new members.") The Guardian, which won a Pulitzer Prize in public service in 2014 for its reports on secret surveillance by the National Security Agency — a series made possible by Snowden’s leaks — was another publication that got left out.

Haugen told the participants that she felt the Journal could have published more articles on the documents she provided, especially on Facebook’s effect on nations where English is not the main language.

The polished rollout, including Haugen’s Oct. 3 appearance on "60 Minutes" and congressional testimony days later, has led to dark hints from Facebook and its allies that there is something a little too good to be true about her. The Journal’s right-wing editorial page accused her of seeking to censor political speech, writing that it was "notable that her appearance seems to have been midwifed by Bill Burton, a prominent Democratic communications executive." A Facebook executive tweeted preemptively to suggest that the embargo could amount to an "orchestrated ‘gotcha’ campaign."

I haven’t found anything to suggest that there is more, or less, than meets the eye to Haugen, a high school debater who had worked at Google and Pinterest before joining Facebook in 2019.

"There is zero evidence whatsoever in my mind of any other entity being involved," Horwitz told me.

Lawrence Lessig, the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, who volunteered as her lawyer, said he had brought in Burton, the former Obama aide, in September, after the Journal’s reporting was underway.

Haugen, in our phone interview, also resolved a minor mystery: whether she’s quietly relying on the financial support of Pierre Omidyar, an eBay co-founder whose groups started working with her in October, as Politico first reported.

The reality, she said, is that she has her own financial resources, and has accepted help from nonprofit groups backed by Omidyar only for travel and similar expenses.

"For the foreseeable future, I’m fine, because I did buy crypto at the right time," she told me.

She noted that she had moved to Puerto Rico to cope with a health condition — but also to join her "crypto friends" on the island, whose capital-gains tax exemptions have made it a hub for that novel financial system.

(Burton said he was initially working without pay but is now being paid by donors, including the nonprofit groups backed by Omidyar.)

When I began reporting this column, I thought the central question would be whether Haugen’s tactics had allowed her to control the story, and whether journalistic collaboration had bled into groupthink. But although a glance at Twitter shows that journalists on any beat can slip into a herd mentality, there’s little evidence that this leak, with its trove of documentary detail, had deepened that tendency.

Competitive pressures have remained close to the surface. The Journal would have preferred other outlets stick with its "Facebook Files" branding, but the Times’ Mike Isaac wrote in the Slack group that using that phrase would be "free advertising for the Journal series," prompting Casey Newton of the newsletter Platformer to suggest going with "The Leftovers." Most outlets settled on "The Facebook Papers."

By Friday night — Black Friday at the information mall, so to speak — the Slack group was falling apart. Another Times reporter, Ryan Mac, had dropped in late that afternoon with a "heads-up": The Times would be publishing an article on Facebook’s conduct in the run-up to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol based — he assured his rivals — on "documents we got before the formation of the consortium."

It seemed to many others to be within the letter of their agreement, but also an attempt by the Times to get ahead of competitors who hadn’t obtained the documents separately.

"My thought is, if you are a reporter who had these docs, maybe it would have been cooler to not be part of the consortium, rather than run down the clock," NBC News' Brandy Zadrozny fumed in the Slack group.

After NBC News responded to the Times’ move by breaking the embargo with its own Facebook article, Zadrozny apologised to her rival reporters in a Slack message: "My editor says if the nytimes doesn’t have to abide by the rules then we are out. I’m really sorry. This sucks. And now it’s a media story."

A Times spokesperson, Danielle Rhoades Ha, said the publication is playing by the"consortium’s ground rules," under which "documents obtained by outlets prior to the consortium’s creation are not subject to the embargo time."

Haugen, for her part, has watched the Journal’s rollout and its rivals’ subsequent scramble to catch up with equanimity. "Now that I’ve met so many journalists, and I’ve seen how hard Jeff works, I feel more grateful for the media than when I started," she said.

Frances Haugen first met Jeff Horwitz, a tech-industry reporter for The Wall Street Journal, in early December on a hiking trail near the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, California.

Frances Haugen first met Jeff Horwitz, a tech-industry reporter for The Wall Street Journal, in early December on a hiking trail near the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, California. She liked that he seemed thoughtful, and she liked that he had written about Facebook’s role in transmitting violent Hindu nationalism in India, a particular interest of hers. She also got the impression that he would support her as a person, rather than as a mere source who could supply him with the inside information she had picked up during her nearly two years as a product manager at Facebook. "I auditioned Jeff for a while," Haugen told me in a phone interview from her home in Puerto Rico, "and one of the reasons I went with him is that he was less sensationalistic than other choices I could have made." She became one of the greatest sources of the century, turning over the tens of thousands of pages of internal documents she had collected. Starting Sept. 13, the Journal justified her confidence with a meticulous rollout that included 11 major articles by Horwitz and other reporters cleverly packaged under a catchy rubric, The Facebook Files. Key revelations included how Facebook executives handled politicised lies, including Donald Trump’s claims of election fraud. Often, the company chose to let misinformation spread widely, to keep more people logging on. The series also noted the lengths that Facebook went to in its desperation to hang on to its audience as young people drifted away from its platforms. The Journal also produced a podcast episode introducing Haugen as poised, incisive and intensely moral, a depiction that Horwitz told me he agrees with after much reporting, but which also amounted to white-glove treatment of a treasured source. So there was an uncomfortable moment Oct. 7, when a communications firm working with Haugen invited Horwitz and two of his editors to a Zoom call with a group that would grow to include journalists from 17 other U.S. media outlets. On the call, Haugen offered to share redacted versions of the trove of Facebook documents under an embargo to be set by the group. The firm, founded by former Barack Obama aide Bill Burton, would help manage the process. After she made her pitch, Horwitz and his colleagues found themselves in a strange position: The source who had provided them with the stuff of so many exclusive scoops now seemed to be going rogue. "This is a little awkward," Jason Dean, an editor at the Journal, said on the call, according to three participants. The Journal team left before the call was over. Since then, journalists at The Atlantic, The Associated Press, CNN, NBC News, Fox Business and other outlets, including The New York Times, have been poring over the first tranche of Haugen’s documents, along with a parallel group in Europe, with a plan to publish their findings Monday (although stories began trickling out Friday night). We live in a time of megaleaks, enabled by the same digital technology that allows us to surveil one another and document our lives as never before. These leaks have given the leakers and their brokers a new kind of power over the news media, raising tricky questions about how their revelations should enter the public sphere. There are questions, in particular, on the balance of power between the sources of vital information and the reporters who benefit from them. Some leaks, including U.S. military and State Department files, emerged on WikiLeaks or nameless servers in the form of massive data dumps; others, including Edward Snowden’s National Security Agency files and The Intercept’s revelations of America’s drone wars, came about after journalists had gained sources’ trusts. Reports on the Panama Papers, based on the leaking of more than 11 million documents, and other examinations of global tax evasion that followed it were brokered through the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which managed a collaboration among hundreds of journalists around the world. They read the documents, as well as one another’s stories, on a secure server before coordinating the rollout of their articles on social media. In some cases, the leaker or hacker seems to be the one who controls how and when information is released. That’s how it went in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, when a Kremlin-directed cyberattack on the Democratic National Committee led to the devastatingly timed publication of the committee’s private documents on WikiLeaks. In other instances, a key source may yield to a unified group of journalists — at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists or elsewhere — who add layers of reporting and analysis to the raw material. "You can’t afford to have the source dictate the story," Gerard Ryle, director of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, said in an interview. Haugen chose a middle path, one that appears to have captured the best of both arrangements, from her perspective, while also foiling Facebook’s attempts to contain the story. First, she handed her documents to the Journal for a boutique rollout. Then she opened the journalistic equivalent of an outlet store, allowing reporters on two continents to root through everything the Journal had left behind in search of overlooked informational gems. Her intention was to broaden the circle, she said. She added that she plans to share the documents with academic writers and publications from parts of the world where she sees the greatest peril, including India and parts of the Middle East. "The reason I wanted to do this project is because I think the global South is in danger," she said. With this model, Haugen and her advisers have created a new kind of journalistic network, one that has stirred mixed feelings among the journalists involved. In the past two weeks, they have gathered on the messaging app Slack to coordinate their plans — and the name of their Slack group, chosen by Adrienne LaFrance, executive editor of The Atlantic, suggests their ambivalence: "Apparently We’re a Consortium Now." Inside the Slack group, whose messages were shared with me by a participant, members have reflected on the strangeness of working, however tangentially, with competitors. (I didn’t speak to any Times participants about the Slack messages.) "This is the weirdest thing I have ever been part of, reporting-wise," wrote Alex Heath, a tech reporter for The Verge. In an interview, Brian Carovillano, head of investigations for The Associated Press, said, "It’s remarkable to see these news organizations, large and small, set aside some of their competitive impulses and work together to report out a story that is unquestionably in the public interest." The Slack group has also discussed news outlets that are not part of the consortium, including The Information. (In an article published Friday about Haugen’s media strategy, The Information reported that it had asked to join the group, "but was told by one participant that it was not accepting new members.") The Guardian, which won a Pulitzer Prize in public service in 2014 for its reports on secret surveillance by the National Security Agency — a series made possible by Snowden’s leaks — was another publication that got left out. Haugen told the participants that she felt the Journal could have published more articles on the documents she provided, especially on Facebook’s effect on nations where English is not the main language. The polished rollout, including Haugen’s Oct. 3 appearance on "60 Minutes" and congressional testimony days later, has led to dark hints from Facebook and its allies that there is something a little too good to be true about her. The Journal’s right-wing editorial page accused her of seeking to censor political speech, writing that it was "notable that her appearance seems to have been midwifed by Bill Burton, a prominent Democratic communications executive." A Facebook executive tweeted preemptively to suggest that the embargo could amount to an "orchestrated ‘gotcha’ campaign." I haven’t found anything to suggest that there is more, or less, than meets the eye to Haugen, a high school debater who had worked at Google and Pinterest before joining Facebook in 2019. "There is zero evidence whatsoever in my mind of any other entity being involved," Horwitz told me. Lawrence Lessig, the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, who volunteered as her lawyer, said he had brought in Burton, the former Obama aide, in September, after the Journal’s reporting was underway. Haugen, in our phone interview, also resolved a minor mystery: whether she’s quietly relying on the financial support of Pierre Omidyar, an eBay co-founder whose groups started working with her in October, as Politico first reported. The reality, she said, is that she has her own financial resources, and has accepted help from nonprofit groups backed by Omidyar only for travel and similar expenses. "For the foreseeable future, I’m fine, because I did buy crypto at the right time," she told me. She noted that she had moved to Puerto Rico to cope with a health condition — but also to join her "crypto friends" on the island, whose capital-gains tax exemptions have made it a hub for that novel financial system. (Burton said he was initially working without pay but is now being paid by donors, including the nonprofit groups backed by Omidyar.) When I began reporting this column, I thought the central question would be whether Haugen’s tactics had allowed her to control the story, and whether journalistic collaboration had bled into groupthink. But although a glance at Twitter shows that journalists on any beat can slip into a herd mentality, there’s little evidence that this leak, with its trove of documentary detail, had deepened that tendency. Competitive pressures have remained close to the surface. The Journal would have preferred other outlets stick with its "Facebook Files" branding, but the Times’ Mike Isaac wrote in the Slack group that using that phrase would be "free advertising for the Journal series," prompting Casey Newton of the newsletter Platformer to suggest going with "The Leftovers." Most outlets settled on "The Facebook Papers." By Friday night — Black Friday at the information mall, so to speak — the Slack group was falling apart. Another Times reporter, Ryan Mac, had dropped in late that afternoon with a "heads-up": The Times would be publishing an article on Facebook’s conduct in the run-up to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol based — he assured his rivals — on "documents we got before the formation of the consortium." It seemed to many others to be within the letter of their agreement, but also an attempt by the Times to get ahead of competitors who hadn’t obtained the documents separately. "My thought is, if you are a reporter who had these docs, maybe it would have been cooler to not be part of the consortium, rather than run down the clock," NBC News' Brandy Zadrozny fumed in the Slack group. After NBC News responded to the Times’ move by breaking the embargo with its own Facebook article, Zadrozny apologised to her rival reporters in a Slack message: "My editor says if the nytimes doesn’t have to abide by the rules then we are out. I’m really sorry. This sucks. And now it’s a media story." A Times spokesperson, Danielle Rhoades Ha, said the publication is playing by the"consortium’s ground rules," under which "documents obtained by outlets prior to the consortium’s creation are not subject to the embargo time." Haugen, for her part, has watched the Journal’s rollout and its rivals’ subsequent scramble to catch up with equanimity. "Now that I’ve met so many journalists, and I’ve seen how hard Jeff works, I feel more grateful for the media than when I started," she said.

Inside the big Facebook leak

After 58 years apart, an English woman from Lincolnshire has been reunited with her father.

Julie Lund, 59, asked for aid in locating him on a local Facebook group and was "blown away" by the response.

She was reunited with her father, Brian Rothery, who had resided a little over an hour away in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, for the previous four days.

"It was like a miracle, and I'm not a believer in miracles," Brian added, to which Julie replied, "We got one."&nbsp;

Facebook is a worldwide community of millions of people, but it also brings together smaller, local groups that have a common interest in the locations they live and work.&nbsp;

These social media groups and organisations frequently assist people in locating long-lost friends and family members.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

After 58 years apart, an English woman from Lincolnshire has been reunited with her father. Julie Lund, 59, asked for aid in locating him on a local Facebook group and was "blown away" by the response.

After 58 years apart, an English woman from Lincolnshire has been reunited with her father. Julie Lund, 59, asked for aid in locating him on a local Facebook group and was "blown away" by the response. She was reunited with her father, Brian Rothery, who had resided a little over an hour away in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, for the previous four days. "It was like a miracle, and I'm not a believer in miracles," Brian added, to which Julie replied, "We got one." Facebook is a worldwide community of millions of people, but it also brings together smaller, local groups that have a common interest in the locations they live and work. These social media groups and organisations frequently assist people in locating long-lost friends and family members. (With inputs from agencies)

Woman finds her dad on Facebook after 58 years

Donald Trump is launching his own Social Media Platform to fight the monopoly of the 'Liberal Media Consortium' & the 'Tyranny of Big Tech'. The platform will promote 'non woke' content. Palki Sharma gets you a report.

Gravitas: Donald Trump to launch own Social Media Platform

Russia to fine U.S. tech giant Google a percentage of its annual Russian turnover for repeatedly failing to delete content deemed illegal, Moscow's strongest effort yet to rein in foreign tech firms.

Russia to fine tech giant Google over repeatedly failing to delete 'illegal' content

New social media rules announced by the Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Technology on Thursday will empower the telecom regulator to block any website or platform on the directives of court and federal government or under any law, reported local media. &nbsp;

As per the new rules titled the 'Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules, 2021', the social media companies have to register with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) within three months. They will also have to establish offices in the country "as and when feasible", as per a Dawn report. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/in-pakistan-where-inflation-is-at-an-all-time-high-a-cup-of-tea-costs-rs-40-420964" hreflang="en">In Pakistan, where inflation is at an all-time high, a cup of tea costs Rs 40&nbsp;</a>

In the rules, it is the responsibility of not just the social media companies but also the service providers, to deploy mechanisms to ensure immediate blocking of live streaming of content relating to hate speech, pornography, terrorism and anti-national security matter on receiving intimation from PTA with the help of Online Information Systems, said the report. &nbsp;

"PTA can give 48 hours to the service provider, social media company, significant social media company or user to comply with the directives of PTA for removing or blocking access to the content," said the report.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/no-rift-between-pakistan-pm-and-army-chief-over-isi-says-minister-420761" hreflang="en">No rift between Pakistan PM and army chief over ISI, says minister</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;

In emergency cases, the body can give only 12 hours to the relevant user or social media company to remove or block access to online content. But the body will also have to specify reasons for the "emergency" in writing. &nbsp;

As per the new rules, social media companies could be fined by up to Rs 500 million for different violations. These companies will also have to appoint an authorised compliance officer and grievance officer based in Pakistan, the rules said. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

New social media rules announced by the Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Technology on Thursday will empower the telecom regulator to block any website or platform on the directives of court and federal government or under any law, reported local media.

New social media rules announced by the Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Technology on Thursday will empower the telecom regulator to block any website or platform on the directives of court and federal government or under any law, reported local media. As per the new rules titled the 'Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules, 2021', the social media companies have to register with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) within three months. They will also have to establish offices in the country "as and when feasible", as per a Dawn report. Also Read: In Pakistan, where inflation is at an all-time high, a cup of tea costs Rs 40 In the rules, it is the responsibility of not just the social media companies but also the service providers, to deploy mechanisms to ensure immediate blocking of live streaming of content relating to hate speech, pornography, terrorism and anti-national security matter on receiving intimation from PTA with the help of Online Information Systems, said the report. "PTA can give 48 hours to the service provider, social media company, significant social media company or user to comply with the directives of PTA for removing or blocking access to the content," said the report. Also Read: No rift between Pakistan PM and army chief over ISI, says minister In emergency cases, the body can give only 12 hours to the relevant user or social media company to remove or block access to online content. But the body will also have to specify reasons for the "emergency" in writing. As per the new rules, social media companies could be fined by up to Rs 500 million for different violations. These companies will also have to appoint an authorised compliance officer and grievance officer based in Pakistan, the rules said. (With inputs from agencies)

With hefty fine, new social media rules give more teeth to Pakistan govt

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has broken his silence on whistleblower Frances Haugen's allegations and has launched a passionate defence on his company and platforms.

Mark Zuckerberg breaks silence on Haugen's allegations, says claims do not make sense

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mark Zuckerberg loses $7 billion in hours as Facebook plunges

Idlis on ice cream sticks have divided the internet. Some called it practical, while others dismissed it as blasphemy. Is it insulting to experiment with cuisine? Or is social media losing its appetite for tolerance? Palki Sharma tells you.

Gravitas: 'Idli popsicles' divide social media

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

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

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

CNN pulls out of Facebook in Australia, citing defamation risk

A music company paid $74,000 for the non-fungible token (NFT) of the Side Eyeing Chloe meme, which shows a two-year-old girl. 3F Music, a Dubai-based music production firm, purchased it.&nbsp;

In 2013, a young girl became famous after a meme depicting her negative side-eyeing reaction to her mother's announcement of a vacation to Disneyland went viral on social media.&nbsp;

Since then, Chloe Clem, now 10, was known by all as ‘side-eyeing Chloe’. However, her mother Katie has now decided to tap into her popularity by auctioning the meme as a non-fungible token (NFT) for thousands of dollars. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fake-banksy-nft-sold-for-ps244k-through-artists-website-410517">Also read | Fake Banksy NFT sold for £244k through artist's website</a>

Clem has remained a social media star with over 500,000 Instagram followers and has even reportedly featured in a Google advertisement in Brazil.

In September 2013, &nbsp;Katie uploaded a video featuring her two daughters reacting to the Disneyland surprise.

NFTs are often purchased and sold in exchange for cryptocurrencies. Buyers do not own the copyright on the image that the digital certificate depicts, despite having the certificate.&nbsp;

These transaction records are permanent, have been validated several times, and can not be erased or changed because NFTs are enabled by blockchain.

Each non-fungible token has a distinct identity.As a result, no two digital entities are permitted to share a token.

In March, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey sold his first-ever tweet to a Malaysian businessman for $2.9 million.

A woman who appeared in the film ‘Disaster Girl' sold it for $500,000 in April of this year.Another image, dubbed the "Overly Attached Girlfriend Meme," sold for $411,000.&nbsp;

NFT transactions, on the other hand, have their own repercussions.

There have recently been environmental concerns regarding the long-term viability of NFTs, as they demand enormous amounts of energy to mine coins, process transactions, and maintain the blockchain.

(With inputs from agencies)

A music company paid $74,000 for the non-fungible token (NFT) of the Side Eyeing Chloe meme, which shows a two-year-old girl. 3F Music, a Dubai-based music production firm, purchased it.

A music company paid $74,000 for the non-fungible token (NFT) of the Side Eyeing Chloe meme, which shows a two-year-old girl. 3F Music, a Dubai-based music production firm, purchased it. In 2013, a young girl became famous after a meme depicting her negative side-eyeing reaction to her mother's announcement of a vacation to Disneyland went viral on social media. Since then, Chloe Clem, now 10, was known by all as ‘side-eyeing Chloe’. However, her mother Katie has now decided to tap into her popularity by auctioning the meme as a non-fungible token (NFT) for thousands of dollars. Also read | Fake Banksy NFT sold for £244k through artist's website Clem has remained a social media star with over 500,000 Instagram followers and has even reportedly featured in a Google advertisement in Brazil. In September 2013, Katie uploaded a video featuring her two daughters reacting to the Disneyland surprise. NFTs are often purchased and sold in exchange for cryptocurrencies. Buyers do not own the copyright on the image that the digital certificate depicts, despite having the certificate. These transaction records are permanent, have been validated several times, and can not be erased or changed because NFTs are enabled by blockchain. Each non-fungible token has a distinct identity.As a result, no two digital entities are permitted to share a token. In March, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey sold his first-ever tweet to a Malaysian businessman for $2.9 million. A woman who appeared in the film ‘Disaster Girl' sold it for $500,000 in April of this year.Another image, dubbed the "Overly Attached Girlfriend Meme," sold for $411,000. NFT transactions, on the other hand, have their own repercussions. There have recently been environmental concerns regarding the long-term viability of NFTs, as they demand enormous amounts of energy to mine coins, process transactions, and maintain the blockchain. (With inputs from agencies)

NFT of ‘side-eyeing Chloe’ meme’s original image sells for a whopping amount

In 2013, a young girl rose to prominence when a meme of her side-eyeing (read disapproving) reaction to her mother announcing a trip to Disneyland made headwinds in the social media platform.

Since then, Chloe Clem, now 10, was known by all as ‘side-eyeing Chloe’. However, her mother Katie has now decided to tap into her popularity by auctioning the meme as a non-fungible token (NFT) for thousands of dollars.

Clem has remained a social media star with over 500,000 Instagram followers and has even reportedly featured in a Google advertisement in Brazil.

In September 2013,&nbsp; Katie uploaded a video&nbsp;featuring her two daughters reacting to the Disneyland surprise.

While Clem’s sister expressed joy, Clem, at that time 2, had disappointment riddled all over her face.

The unimpressed look shown by Clem became an instant rage, and its meme is still popular today.

Now the Utah-based family has decided to auction off the image as an NFT. The bidding would start at 5 Ethereum - a cryptocurrency worth approximately $15,000.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-clothing-brand-faces-heat-over-inappropriate-messages-anti-india-depictions-printed-on-kids-shirts-415605">Chinese clothing brand faces heat over inappropriate messages, anti-India depictions printed on kids' shirts</a>

NFTs are transaction records captured on the blockchain- the web version of a physical ledger. It allows people to trade the ownership of digital entities such as memes, media, tweets, arts, articles in ‘token’ form.

As NFTs are supported by blockchain, these transaction records are permanent, verified multiple times and cannot be erased or changed.

Each non-fungible token is uniquely identifiable. So, no two digital entities can have the same token.

Recently, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey sold his first-ever tweet for about $2.9 million to a Malaysia-based businessman in March.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/canary-islands-miracle-home-defies-odds-to-escape-lava-flows-415603">Canary Islands 'miracle home' defies odds to escape lava flows</a>

In April this year, a woman who was featured in the ‘Disaster Girl’ sold it for $500,000. Another image known as the ‘Overly Attached Girlfriend Meme’ fetched a price of $411,000.

<img alt="Chloe Clem, now 10, is known by all as ‘side-eyeing Chloe’. " data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5474f6e1-49d3-4f22-af49-1914b8c75264" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/chloe%201.jpg" />

Clem’s mother Katie said after learning about the NFT market, selling the meme was a “no brainer”.

“It’s a cool opportunity, especially if there's a Chloe fan out there who loves this meme they'll be able to own it. Even Chloe has said 'that's pretty cool' - it's a typical 10-year-old thing to say,” BBC quoted Katie as saying.

However, NFT transactions also come at a cost. Recently, there have been environmental concerns about the sustainable use of NFTs, as vast amounts of energy are required to mine cryptocurrencies, process transactions and maintain the blockchain.

(With inputs from agencies)

In 2013, a young girl rose to prominence when a meme of her side-eyeing (read disapproving) reaction to her mother announcing a trip to Disneyland made headwinds in the social media platform.

In 2013, a young girl rose to prominence when a meme of her side-eyeing (read disapproving) reaction to her mother announcing a trip to Disneyland made headwinds in the social media platform. Since then, Chloe Clem, now 10, was known by all as ‘side-eyeing Chloe’. However, her mother Katie has now decided to tap into her popularity by auctioning the meme as a non-fungible token (NFT) for thousands of dollars. Clem has remained a social media star with over 500,000 Instagram followers and has even reportedly featured in a Google advertisement in Brazil. In September 2013, Katie uploaded a video featuring her two daughters reacting to the Disneyland surprise. While Clem’s sister expressed joy, Clem, at that time 2, had disappointment riddled all over her face. The unimpressed look shown by Clem became an instant rage, and its meme is still popular today. Now the Utah-based family has decided to auction off the image as an NFT. The bidding would start at 5 Ethereum - a cryptocurrency worth approximately $15,000. Also read | Chinese clothing brand faces heat over inappropriate messages, anti-India depictions printed on kids' shirts NFTs are transaction records captured on the blockchain- the web version of a physical ledger. It allows people to trade the ownership of digital entities such as memes, media, tweets, arts, articles in ‘token’ form. As NFTs are supported by blockchain, these transaction records are permanent, verified multiple times and cannot be erased or changed. Each non-fungible token is uniquely identifiable. So, no two digital entities can have the same token. Recently, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey sold his first-ever tweet for about $2.9 million to a Malaysia-based businessman in March. Also read | Canary Islands 'miracle home' defies odds to escape lava flows In April this year, a woman who was featured in the ‘Disaster Girl’ sold it for $500,000. Another image known as the ‘Overly Attached Girlfriend Meme’ fetched a price of $411,000. Clem’s mother Katie said after learning about the NFT market, selling the meme was a “no brainer”. “It’s a cool opportunity, especially if there's a Chloe fan out there who loves this meme they'll be able to own it. Even Chloe has said 'that's pretty cool' - it's a typical 10-year-old thing to say,” BBC quoted Katie as saying. However, NFT transactions also come at a cost. Recently, there have been environmental concerns about the sustainable use of NFTs, as vast amounts of energy are required to mine cryptocurrencies, process transactions and maintain the blockchain. (With inputs from agencies)

'Side-eyeing Chloe’ to cash in on her popularity by selling her meme as NFT

A popular Chinese clothing line created a stir after it came out with kid-sized T-shirts bearing depictions of Indian people being shot and phrases such as “welcome to hell” and “let me touch you”.

JNBY&nbsp;came under heavy criticism after people shared the photos of the controversial pieces produced by the company on Chinese microblogging website Weibo.

The Hongkong-listed company apologised and took down the clothes from the shelves after a mother’s online complaint went viral.

“Welcome to hell. Excuse me? Who are you welcoming?", the mother wrote on social media platform Weibo.

While another user wondered whether the company was promoting any inappropriate behaviour.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/france-says-uks-boris-johnson-offered-to-re-establish-cooperation-415593">France says UK's Boris Johnson offered to 're-establish cooperation'</a>

“’Let me touch you?’ Is the designer promoting paedophilia?”

Whereas a black coat allegedly had an image of a person being shot by arrows, along with the words: "The whole place is full of Indians. I will take this gun and blow them to pieces.”

JNBY apologised on Thursday, saying that it received complaints involving products with “inappropriate patterns” on its children's apparel line.

"We have immediately pulled all the related product series from our shelves, revoked relevant publicity material, and set up a specialised group to investigate internally,” the brand said in a statement on Weibo.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/evergrande-investors-in-dark-as-no-news-on-interest-payment-emerges-415591">Evergrande investors in dark as no news on interest payment emerges</a>

JNBY, a popular designer label founded in 1994 and headquartered in Hangzhou, added that it had also opened channels for refunds and apologised to buyers.

It reported net profits of around 624 million yuan ($96.6 million) for the most recent financial year.

Many users were unmoved by JNBY's expression of remorse.

"This is not a problem that can be solved with an apology," one argued.

A parent wrote that older family members who didn't speak English had bought the clothing for their child without understanding the meanings.

(With inputs from agencies)

A popular Chinese clothing line created a stir after it came out with kid-sized T-shirts bearing depictions of Indian people being shot and phrases such as “welcome to hell” and “let me touch you”.

A popular Chinese clothing line created a stir after it came out with kid-sized T-shirts bearing depictions of Indian people being shot and phrases such as “welcome to hell” and “let me touch you”. JNBY came under heavy criticism after people shared the photos of the controversial pieces produced by the company on Chinese microblogging website Weibo. The Hongkong-listed company apologised and took down the clothes from the shelves after a mother’s online complaint went viral. “Welcome to hell. Excuse me? Who are you welcoming?", the mother wrote on social media platform Weibo. While another user wondered whether the company was promoting any inappropriate behaviour. Also read | France says UK's Boris Johnson offered to 're-establish cooperation' “’Let me touch you?’ Is the designer promoting paedophilia?” Whereas a black coat allegedly had an image of a person being shot by arrows, along with the words: "The whole place is full of Indians. I will take this gun and blow them to pieces.” JNBY apologised on Thursday, saying that it received complaints involving products with “inappropriate patterns” on its children's apparel line. "We have immediately pulled all the related product series from our shelves, revoked relevant publicity material, and set up a specialised group to investigate internally,” the brand said in a statement on Weibo. Also read | Evergrande investors in dark as no news on interest payment emerges JNBY, a popular designer label founded in 1994 and headquartered in Hangzhou, added that it had also opened channels for refunds and apologised to buyers. It reported net profits of around 624 million yuan ($96.6 million) for the most recent financial year. Many users were unmoved by JNBY's expression of remorse. "This is not a problem that can be solved with an apology," one argued. A parent wrote that older family members who didn't speak English had bought the clothing for their child without understanding the meanings. (With inputs from agencies)

Chinese clothing brand faces heat over inappropriate messages, anti-India depictions printed on kids' shirts

On Saturday, after a 3-mile hike through the Presidio, I stood in a throng of tourists looking at the Golden Gate Bridge. As the crowd snapped photos of the landmark, I decided to join in.

But instead of reaching into my pocket for my iPhone, I tapped the side of my Ray-Ban sunglasses until I heard the click of a shutter. Later, I downloaded the photos that my sunglasses had just taken to my phone.

The process was instant, simple, unobtrusive — and it was powered by Facebook, which has teamed up with Ray-Ban. Their new line of eyewear, called Ray-Ban Stories and unveiled Thursday, can take photos, record video, answer phone calls and play music and podcasts.

It all made me feel that I was being dragged into some inevitable future dreamed up by people much more techie than me, one in which the seams between the real world and the technology that supports it had all but vanished.

For years, Silicon Valley has chased a vision similar to that of a William Gibson novel, where sensors and cameras are woven into the everyday lives and clothes of billions of people. Yet the tech companies that have pursued these ideas have often failed to achieve them, as people have shunned wearable computers — especially on their faces.

Remember Google Glass, the smart glasses that Google co-founder Sergey Brin introduced while jumping out of an airplane? That project foundered, with bars in San Francisco at one point barring Glass-wearers — also pejoratively known as "Glassholes" — from entry. Later came Snap’s Spectacles, smart glasses that focused more on fashion and the novelty of recording 10-second video clips. That product, too, never really broke through.

Now Facebook is aiming to usher in an era when people grow more comfortable sharing their lives digitally, beginning with what is in front of their faces.

"We asked ourselves, how do we build a product that helps people actually be in the moment they’re in?" Andrew Bosworth, head of Facebook Reality Labs, said in an interview. "Isn’t that better than having to take out your phone and hold it in front of your face every time you want to capture a moment?"

Bosworth rejected claims that Facebook was picking up where others had left off. "This product has not been tried before because we’ve never had a design like this before," he said, adding that Facebook and Ray-Ban were focused more on the fashion of eyewear than the tech inside the frames.

"Eyewear is a very specific category that changes the way you look," said Rocco Basilico, chief wearables officer at Luxottica, which owns Ray-Ban and wants to expand into the wearables market. "We started this product from the design, and we refused to compromise on that design."

Let’s be real for a second. The new glasses, which start at $299 and come in more than 20 styles, face hurdles apart from Silicon Valley’s stop-start history with smart glasses. Facebook has long been under scrutiny for how it treats people’s personal data. Using the glasses to surreptitiously film people is bound to cause concerns, not to mention what Facebook might do with the videos that people collect.

I asked if Facebook’s brand baggage was why its name was not in the title of the glasses. The company said that was not the case.

"Facebook is not naive to the fact that other smart glasses have failed in the past," said Jeremy Greenberg, policy counsel for the Future of Privacy Forum, a privacy nonprofit partly financed by Facebook. But, he added, "the public’s expectations of privacy have changed since the days of previous smart glasses releases."

With all of that in mind, I took the new Facebook Ray-Bans out for a spin for a few days over the past week.

On close inspection, I found the frames house two cameras, two micro speakers, three microphones and a Snapdragon computer processor chip. They also come with a charging case that plugs into any computer via USB-C cable. On a full charge, the glasses can be used for roughly six hours.

The spectacles require a Facebook account. They are also paired with a smartphone app, Facebook View. After recording videos — the glasses can record up to 35 30-second videos or take 500 photos — people can upload their content wirelessly to the app, where the photos are encrypted. From Facebook View, people can share the content to their social networks or messaging apps as well as save photos directly to their phone’s on-device storage outside the Facebook app.

To preempt privacy concerns, a small indicator light flickers on when the glasses are recording, notifying people that they are being photographed or filmed. As you set up the Facebook View app, it also displays prompts asking users to "respect others around you" and asking whether it "feels appropriate" to take a photograph or video in the moment. The app even invites people to "do a little demo" to show others that they are being recorded.

Still, users may have other hesitations, as I did. The spectacles have an audio activation feature, called Facebook Assistant, which can be turned on to take hands-free photos and videos by saying, "Hey, Facebook."

For me, that was a sticking point. What do the people around me think when they hear me utter, "Hey, Facebook, take a photo"? Can I still look cool doing that? Can anyone?

What’s more, to help Facebook improve the assistant, people are asked to allow the device to store transcripts of their voice interactions, which will later be reviewed by a mix of humans and machine-learning algorithms. I did not love that and imagine others will not be too keen, either, no matter how benign their voice interactions might be.

Many of these privacy concerns are beside the point for technologists who see wearables as inexorable for society. For Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the ultimate goal is to eventually release a pair of smart glasses that fully augment reality, which puts a kind of virtual overlay onto the world in front of people.

That idea is yet another step on the road to the metaverse, Zuckerberg’s term for how parts of the virtual and actual world will eventually meld together and share different parts of each other. Perhaps one day I might use a pair of Facebook AR glasses to order a digital hat for myself, which other people who are wearing AR glasses might be able to see.

For a few moments on my hike Saturday, I could just make out that vision of the future that Facebook executives were so excited about.

Clambering down the many trails in the Presidio presented me with dazzling views, which I was able to shoot using only my voice while still having one hand gripping my dog’s leash and the other holding my backpack. Capturing the cityscape was as easy as issuing a voice command while my phone stayed in my pocket.

Even better, I just looked like a normal dude wearing sunglasses, not someone wearing a wacky face computer.

One added bonus was that no one (except my dog) could hear me say, "Hey, Facebook," while I was alone on the trails. But in the city surrounded by people, I confess I might stick to tapping the side of my frames to take photos.

On Saturday, after a 3-mile hike through the Presidio, I stood in a throng of tourists looking at the Golden Gate Bridge. As the crowd snapped photos of the landmark, I decided to join in.

On Saturday, after a 3-mile hike through the Presidio, I stood in a throng of tourists looking at the Golden Gate Bridge. As the crowd snapped photos of the landmark, I decided to join in. But instead of reaching into my pocket for my iPhone, I tapped the side of my Ray-Ban sunglasses until I heard the click of a shutter. Later, I downloaded the photos that my sunglasses had just taken to my phone. The process was instant, simple, unobtrusive — and it was powered by Facebook, which has teamed up with Ray-Ban. Their new line of eyewear, called Ray-Ban Stories and unveiled Thursday, can take photos, record video, answer phone calls and play music and podcasts. It all made me feel that I was being dragged into some inevitable future dreamed up by people much more techie than me, one in which the seams between the real world and the technology that supports it had all but vanished. For years, Silicon Valley has chased a vision similar to that of a William Gibson novel, where sensors and cameras are woven into the everyday lives and clothes of billions of people. Yet the tech companies that have pursued these ideas have often failed to achieve them, as people have shunned wearable computers — especially on their faces. Remember Google Glass, the smart glasses that Google co-founder Sergey Brin introduced while jumping out of an airplane? That project foundered, with bars in San Francisco at one point barring Glass-wearers — also pejoratively known as "Glassholes" — from entry. Later came Snap’s Spectacles, smart glasses that focused more on fashion and the novelty of recording 10-second video clips. That product, too, never really broke through. Now Facebook is aiming to usher in an era when people grow more comfortable sharing their lives digitally, beginning with what is in front of their faces. "We asked ourselves, how do we build a product that helps people actually be in the moment they’re in?" Andrew Bosworth, head of Facebook Reality Labs, said in an interview. "Isn’t that better than having to take out your phone and hold it in front of your face every time you want to capture a moment?" Bosworth rejected claims that Facebook was picking up where others had left off. "This product has not been tried before because we’ve never had a design like this before," he said, adding that Facebook and Ray-Ban were focused more on the fashion of eyewear than the tech inside the frames. "Eyewear is a very specific category that changes the way you look," said Rocco Basilico, chief wearables officer at Luxottica, which owns Ray-Ban and wants to expand into the wearables market. "We started this product from the design, and we refused to compromise on that design." Let’s be real for a second. The new glasses, which start at $299 and come in more than 20 styles, face hurdles apart from Silicon Valley’s stop-start history with smart glasses. Facebook has long been under scrutiny for how it treats people’s personal data. Using the glasses to surreptitiously film people is bound to cause concerns, not to mention what Facebook might do with the videos that people collect. I asked if Facebook’s brand baggage was why its name was not in the title of the glasses. The company said that was not the case. "Facebook is not naive to the fact that other smart glasses have failed in the past," said Jeremy Greenberg, policy counsel for the Future of Privacy Forum, a privacy nonprofit partly financed by Facebook. But, he added, "the public’s expectations of privacy have changed since the days of previous smart glasses releases." With all of that in mind, I took the new Facebook Ray-Bans out for a spin for a few days over the past week. On close inspection, I found the frames house two cameras, two micro speakers, three microphones and a Snapdragon computer processor chip. They also come with a charging case that plugs into any computer via USB-C cable. On a full charge, the glasses can be used for roughly six hours. The spectacles require a Facebook account. They are also paired with a smartphone app, Facebook View. After recording videos — the glasses can record up to 35 30-second videos or take 500 photos — people can upload their content wirelessly to the app, where the photos are encrypted. From Facebook View, people can share the content to their social networks or messaging apps as well as save photos directly to their phone’s on-device storage outside the Facebook app. To preempt privacy concerns, a small indicator light flickers on when the glasses are recording, notifying people that they are being photographed or filmed. As you set up the Facebook View app, it also displays prompts asking users to "respect others around you" and asking whether it "feels appropriate" to take a photograph or video in the moment. The app even invites people to "do a little demo" to show others that they are being recorded. Still, users may have other hesitations, as I did. The spectacles have an audio activation feature, called Facebook Assistant, which can be turned on to take hands-free photos and videos by saying, "Hey, Facebook." For me, that was a sticking point. What do the people around me think when they hear me utter, "Hey, Facebook, take a photo"? Can I still look cool doing that? Can anyone? What’s more, to help Facebook improve the assistant, people are asked to allow the device to store transcripts of their voice interactions, which will later be reviewed by a mix of humans and machine-learning algorithms. I did not love that and imagine others will not be too keen, either, no matter how benign their voice interactions might be. Many of these privacy concerns are beside the point for technologists who see wearables as inexorable for society. For Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the ultimate goal is to eventually release a pair of smart glasses that fully augment reality, which puts a kind of virtual overlay onto the world in front of people. That idea is yet another step on the road to the metaverse, Zuckerberg’s term for how parts of the virtual and actual world will eventually meld together and share different parts of each other. Perhaps one day I might use a pair of Facebook AR glasses to order a digital hat for myself, which other people who are wearing AR glasses might be able to see. For a few moments on my hike Saturday, I could just make out that vision of the future that Facebook executives were so excited about. Clambering down the many trails in the Presidio presented me with dazzling views, which I was able to shoot using only my voice while still having one hand gripping my dog’s leash and the other holding my backpack. Capturing the cityscape was as easy as issuing a voice command while my phone stayed in my pocket. Even better, I just looked like a normal dude wearing sunglasses, not someone wearing a wacky face computer. One added bonus was that no one (except my dog) could hear me say, "Hey, Facebook," while I was alone on the trails. But in the city surrounded by people, I confess I might stick to tapping the side of my frames to take photos.

Smart glasses made google look dumb. Now Facebook is giving them a try.

Millions of 'good morning' messages from Indians on WhatApp is clogging the internet. Experts blame older Indians and their obsession with forwarding messages. Palki Sharma decodes the 'forwarding pandemic'

Gravitas: Indians say Good Morning, internet clogged

Social media giant Facebook has found that its Instagram app is harmful to a number of teenagers on multiple occasions.&nbsp;

According to internal Facebook documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal, Facebook has been studying how its Instagram photo-sharing app affects the mental health of its millions of young users for the last three years, and the firm's researchers have repeatedly found that Instagram is toxic to a sizable percentage of them, particularly teenage girls.&nbsp;

"We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls," said one slide from a 2019 presentation by researchers that was posted to Facebook’s internal message board and viewed by the WSJ.

According to one internal Facebook presentation, among teens who reported suicidal thoughts, 13% of British users and 6% of American users blamed Instagram.

According to Facebook, 14% of boys in the United States said Instagram made them feel bad about themselves.&nbsp;

"Thirty-two percent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse," the researchers reportedly wrote.&nbsp;

While Facebook concluded that a large percentage of teenagers are not negatively impacted by Instagram, the Journal reports that the features identified as the most harmful are part of the social media company's core makeup.

According to the report, researchers warned that Instagram's Explore page, which serves users curated posts from a variety of accounts, can lead users to potentially harmful content.

The app also has a culture of only posting the best pictures and moments, and it is a highly addictive product.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Social media giant Facebook has found that its Instagram app is harmful to a number of teenagers on multiple occasions. According to internal Facebook documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal, Facebook has been studying how its Instagram photo-sharing app affects the mental health of its millions of young users for the last three years, and the firm's researchers have repeatedly found that Instagram is toxic to a sizable percentage of them, particularly teenage girls.

Social media giant Facebook has found that its Instagram app is harmful to a number of teenagers on multiple occasions. According to internal Facebook documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal, Facebook has been studying how its Instagram photo-sharing app affects the mental health of its millions of young users for the last three years, and the firm's researchers have repeatedly found that Instagram is toxic to a sizable percentage of them, particularly teenage girls. "We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls," said one slide from a 2019 presentation by researchers that was posted to Facebook’s internal message board and viewed by the WSJ. According to one internal Facebook presentation, among teens who reported suicidal thoughts, 13% of British users and 6% of American users blamed Instagram. According to Facebook, 14% of boys in the United States said Instagram made them feel bad about themselves. "Thirty-two percent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse," the researchers reportedly wrote. While Facebook concluded that a large percentage of teenagers are not negatively impacted by Instagram, the Journal reports that the features identified as the most harmful are part of the social media company's core makeup. According to the report, researchers warned that Instagram's Explore page, which serves users curated posts from a variety of accounts, can lead users to potentially harmful content. The app also has a culture of only posting the best pictures and moments, and it is a highly addictive product. (With inputs from agencies)

Facebook documents show how toxic Instagram is for teens: Reports

A free online course in Russia teaches the over 50s to master Instagram and Facebook.

Free online course in Russia teaches 50+ to master social media

Texas has made it illegal for social media platforms to ban users "based on their political viewpoints". Prominent Republican politicians have accused Facebook, Twitter and others of censoring conservative views.

Texas has made it illegal for social media platforms to ban users "based on their political viewpoints". Prominent Republican politicians have accused Facebook, Twitter and others of censoring conservative views. Former US President Donald Trump was banned from Facebook and Twitter after a group of his supporters attacked the Capitol in January. The social networks have all denied stifling conservative views. However, these platforms do enforce these terms of service which prohibit content such as incitement to violence and coordinated disinformation. "Social media websites have become our modern-day public square," Texas Governor Greg Abbott was quoted by BBC. He said this after he signed the bill into law on Thursday. "They are a place for healthy public debate where information should be able to flow freely. Also read | 'Clearly unconstitutional': US Justice Department sues Texas over restrictive abortion law "But there is a dangerous movement by social media companies to silence conservative viewpoints and ideas." Meanwhile, the US Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the state as it claimed the abortion law in Texas ''clearly unconstitutional." "This kind of scheme to nullify the Constitution of the United States is one that all Americans, whatever their politics or party, should fear," US attorney general Merrick Garland told the reporters. Earlier, US President Joe Biden had slammed the Texas abortion law and said it creates an ''almost un-American'' vigilante system. While Vice President Kamala Harris had said ''the right of women to make decisions about their own bodies is not negotiable." Despite massive protest, the US Supreme Court had refused to block the near-total ban on abortion, setting the stage for an intervention by the Justice Department. The harshest abortion law in the US, called the ''Texas Heartbeat Act'' took effect on September 1. Under the law, abortion is banned once the heartbeat of a child is detected, usually near six weeks of pregnancy. It faced massive backlash as it makes no exceptions for rape or incest. People in Texas are allowed to sue the doctors who perform the procedure as well as report drivers who drop clients to abortion clinics.

Texas now passes social media 'de-platforming' law

In August, Taliban militants entered Kabul as they claimed victory in the 20 year-long war.&nbsp;

After the Taliban announced their new government to rule Afghanistan, changes are being noticed in their new form of governance. One of the most prominent changes being, the use of social media.&nbsp;

The Taliban launched a comprehensive social media campaign immediately after they stepped up their military offensive against Afghan national security forces.

There was a network of social media accounts that highlighted the alleged failures of the Kabul government and focussed on Taliban's achievements.

There were tweets that used hashtags like &nbsp;#kabulregimecrimesm which was attached to tweets accusing the Afghan government of war crimes, #westandwithTaliban, which was used as an attempt to drive grassroots support, and #ﻧَﺼْﺮٌ_ﻣٌِﻦَ_اللهِ_ﻭَﻓَﺘْﺢٌ_ﻗَﺮِﻳﺐٌ, which referred to help from God and victory is near.

In a video, which surfaced on the internet, a Taliban official can be seen reassuring female health workers that they could keep their jobs.&nbsp;In another such video, militants told Sikhs, a minority religious group, that they were free and protected.&nbsp; 
Taliban, this time, used social media as a tool to tame the opposition and convey their messages to the citizens.

Also read |&nbsp;

As a response to this, Afghanistan's then-Vice President Amrullah Saleh warned his forces and the public not to fall for such 'false claims' of Taliban victories on social media. He also called on people to avoid sharing details of military operations that could compromise the country's security.&nbsp;

However, this is not the only change.&nbsp;

Taliban has allowed women to attend schools and universities but with some new regulations.&nbsp;

All the women attending private colleges and schools will have to cover most of their faces. Also, girls are also not allowed to sit in same classes as boys and if they do, they have to sit behind a curtain, segregated from men.&nbsp;

Only female teachers can teach women and girls have to compulsorily leave the premises five minutes prior so that they do not interact with any men.

Earlier, when the Taliban first came to power in Afghanistan in 1996, they banned the internet and confiscated television sets, cameras, and videotapes.&nbsp;

In 2005, the official website of the Islamic Emirates of Taliban, 'Al-Emarah', was launched and now publishes content in five languages - English, Arabic, Pashto, Dari, and Urdu.&nbsp;

The audio, video and written content are overseen by the cultural commission of Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan (IEA), which is headed by their spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid.

Even after all the fighting and development, there are just 8.6 million internet users in Afghanistan, and the absence of network coverage and affordable data remains a massive challenge.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

In August, Taliban militants entered Kabul as they claimed victory in the 20 year-long war. After the Taliban announced their new government to rule Afghanistan, changes are being noticed in their new form of governance.

In August, Taliban militants entered Kabul as they claimed victory in the 20 year-long war. After the Taliban announced their new government to rule Afghanistan, changes are being noticed in their new form of governance. One of the most prominent changes being, the use of social media. The Taliban launched a comprehensive social media campaign immediately after they stepped up their military offensive against Afghan national security forces. There was a network of social media accounts that highlighted the alleged failures of the Kabul government and focussed on Taliban's achievements. There were tweets that used hashtags like #kabulregimecrimesm which was attached to tweets accusing the Afghan government of war crimes, #westandwithTaliban, which was used as an attempt to drive grassroots support, and #ﻧَﺼْﺮٌ_ﻣٌِﻦَ_اللهِ_ﻭَﻓَﺘْﺢٌ_ﻗَﺮِﻳﺐٌ, which referred to help from God and victory is near. In a video, which surfaced on the internet, a Taliban official can be seen reassuring female health workers that they could keep their jobs. In another such video, militants told Sikhs, a minority religious group, that they were free and protected. Taliban, this time, used social media as a tool to tame the opposition and convey their messages to the citizens. Also read | As a response to this, Afghanistan's then-Vice President Amrullah Saleh warned his forces and the public not to fall for such 'false claims' of Taliban victories on social media. He also called on people to avoid sharing details of military operations that could compromise the country's security. However, this is not the only change. Taliban has allowed women to attend schools and universities but with some new regulations. All the women attending private colleges and schools will have to cover most of their faces. Also, girls are also not allowed to sit in same classes as boys and if they do, they have to sit behind a curtain, segregated from men. Only female teachers can teach women and girls have to compulsorily leave the premises five minutes prior so that they do not interact with any men. Earlier, when the Taliban first came to power in Afghanistan in 1996, they banned the internet and confiscated television sets, cameras, and videotapes. In 2005, the official website of the Islamic Emirates of Taliban, 'Al-Emarah', was launched and now publishes content in five languages - English, Arabic, Pashto, Dari, and Urdu. The audio, video and written content are overseen by the cultural commission of Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan (IEA), which is headed by their spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid. Even after all the fighting and development, there are just 8.6 million internet users in Afghanistan, and the absence of network coverage and affordable data remains a massive challenge.

Taliban uses social media as a key tool in their new form of governance, here is all you need to know

In a landmark judgement, the Australia's top court has ruled that the country’s news outlets can be held liable for defamatory comments posted by readers on their social media posts. &nbsp;

The ruling can have wide implications as Australian news firms and others will have to relook at the ways to use social media. &nbsp;

The decision has come in a case where a former teenage prisoner sued media companies over comments posted on Facebook below articles about his mistreatment in detention. &nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;New technology recreates old bells so they can ring once again

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In the case, Nine Entertainment and News Corp Australia could face damages. &nbsp;

According to the experts, the ruling could have consequences for anyone with a large online following and not just news publishers. It could also influence defamation cases globally. &nbsp;

The cruel treatment of 17-year-old Dylan Voller, who was in youth detention, was exposed in a TV report in 2016. &nbsp;

The shocking photos of him being shackled to a chair in a spit hood had sparked outcry. The revelation had led to a public inquiry into the mistreatment of inmates in the Northern Territory's juvenile detention system. &nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/google-maps-student-finds-mysterious-hole-to-the-centre-of-the-earth-411645" hreflang="en">Google Maps: Student finds mysterious 'Hole to the centre of the earth'</a>

There was an extensive media coverage, which included articles shared on Facebook by publishers. &nbsp;

Many users had also made comments on Facebook posts about Voller, who was later released from detention in early 2017. &nbsp;

In that year later, he sued the Sydney Morning Herald, which is now owned by Nine Entertainment, and News Corp's The Australian and Sky News Australia for allowing comments, which he said were defamatory. &nbsp;

Voller's legal team has called it a "historic step" while media outlets expressed alarm over the scope of the new precedent.&nbsp;

In a landmark judgement, the Australia's top court has ruled that the country’s news outlets can be held liable for defamatory comments posted by readers on their social media posts.

In a landmark judgement, the Australia's top court has ruled that the country’s news outlets can be held liable for defamatory comments posted by readers on their social media posts. The ruling can have wide implications as Australian news firms and others will have to relook at the ways to use social media. The decision has come in a case where a former teenage prisoner sued media companies over comments posted on Facebook below articles about his mistreatment in detention. Watch: New technology recreates old bells so they can ring once again × In the case, Nine Entertainment and News Corp Australia could face damages. According to the experts, the ruling could have consequences for anyone with a large online following and not just news publishers. It could also influence defamation cases globally. The cruel treatment of 17-year-old Dylan Voller, who was in youth detention, was exposed in a TV report in 2016. The shocking photos of him being shackled to a chair in a spit hood had sparked outcry. The revelation had led to a public inquiry into the mistreatment of inmates in the Northern Territory's juvenile detention system. Also Read | Google Maps: Student finds mysterious 'Hole to the centre of the earth' There was an extensive media coverage, which included articles shared on Facebook by publishers. Many users had also made comments on Facebook posts about Voller, who was later released from detention in early 2017. In that year later, he sued the Sydney Morning Herald, which is now owned by Nine Entertainment, and News Corp's The Australian and Sky News Australia for allowing comments, which he said were defamatory. Voller's legal team has called it a "historic step" while media outlets expressed alarm over the scope of the new precedent.

Court rules Australian news outlets can be sued for comments on social media posts

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

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

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

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

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro issued a decree on Monday changing the rules of moderation of content on social media. The critics say that the decree may hinder fight against disinformation. The decree comes into effect immediately but it has to be ratified by the Congress if it is to be a law.

Bolsonaro himself has had his content removed from social media platforms over alleged&nbsp;disinformation about Covid-19. The far-right leader has maintained that suspension or removal of accounts and content that various platforms have subjected him and some of his supporters to is "censorship".

The new provision establishes a series of hypotheses for which there would be "just cause" to remove content or suspend users -- such as committing crimes or inciting violence -- and imposes new rules for platforms to do so.

"This provisional measure significantly hinders our ability to limit abuse on our platforms," a Facebook spokesperson told AFP. "We agree with legal experts and specialists who view the measure as a violation of constitutional rights."

Alessandro Molon, an opposition politician and rapporteur of Brazil's bill of rights for the internet (MCI), said he was preparing legal action to overturn the presidential decree.

"Its objective is not to protect freedom of expression, the MCI already does that," Molon said. "What (Bolsonaro) wants is to prevent the disinformation and hate speech that he and his supporters disseminate from continuing to be removed from the platforms."

Bolsonaro announced the decree on the eve of Brazilian Independence Day. His supporters are expected to take to streets throughout the country.

Tensions are running high, as anti-Bolsonaro protests have been planned in the same cities, and clashes between the groups could occur.

With polls putting Bolsonaro on track to lose badly to leftist ex-leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in next year's presidential elections, the ex-army captain is hoping to use the rally to energize his supporters.

(With inputs from agencies)

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro issued a decree on Monday changing the rules of moderation of content on social media. The critics say that the decree may hinder fight against disinformation.

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro issued a decree on Monday changing the rules of moderation of content on social media. The critics say that the decree may hinder fight against disinformation. The decree comes into effect immediately but it has to be ratified by the Congress if it is to be a law. Bolsonaro himself has had his content removed from social media platforms over alleged disinformation about Covid-19. The far-right leader has maintained that suspension or removal of accounts and content that various platforms have subjected him and some of his supporters to is "censorship". The new provision establishes a series of hypotheses for which there would be "just cause" to remove content or suspend users -- such as committing crimes or inciting violence -- and imposes new rules for platforms to do so. "This provisional measure significantly hinders our ability to limit abuse on our platforms," a Facebook spokesperson told AFP. "We agree with legal experts and specialists who view the measure as a violation of constitutional rights." Alessandro Molon, an opposition politician and rapporteur of Brazil's bill of rights for the internet (MCI), said he was preparing legal action to overturn the presidential decree. "Its objective is not to protect freedom of expression, the MCI already does that," Molon said. "What (Bolsonaro) wants is to prevent the disinformation and hate speech that he and his supporters disseminate from continuing to be removed from the platforms." Bolsonaro announced the decree on the eve of Brazilian Independence Day. His supporters are expected to take to streets throughout the country. Tensions are running high, as anti-Bolsonaro protests have been planned in the same cities, and clashes between the groups could occur. With polls putting Bolsonaro on track to lose badly to leftist ex-leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in next year's presidential elections, the ex-army captain is hoping to use the rally to energize his supporters. (With inputs from agencies)

Brazil: Bolsonaro issues decree modifying social media moderation rules

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