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For some it's a month of love, for others, it's a month of cringe. For some, it's Valentine's, for others, it's Galentine's. Some are planning Covid-safe romantic dates, others are planning to order in pizza with their poison of choice and admire Regé-Jean Page on the latest Netflix sensation, Bridgerton.

Whatever your plan is for this Valentine's Day, a gift will definitely put a smile on your partner's face. And if you're your own Valentine like some of us, it's time to splurge on yourself! Flowers are passé, put some tech in your cart of love. Here are some suggestions for you or your partner.

Love is in the hair!

<img alt="Dyson Corrale" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d68d3576-2646-4dee-a259-ba77a8a983a9" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/DYSON%20CORRALE.jpg" />

The Dyson Corrale is the pick of the season. It happens to be the only hair straightener with flexing plates to shape and gather hair and applies heat and tension to all the right places. It is an indulgence for Rs 36,900, but your hair will thank you in the long run. If you're gifting it to yourself, rest assured, you'll be styling your hair like a pro for all future dates. The fact that it is cordless means you can multi-task while styling your tresses. So turn down the heat on your hair and turn up the heat elsewhere!

TRACK YOUR STEPS... TO THE FRIDGE 
&nbsp;

<img alt="Apple Watch" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2ff3533c-943c-4899-827f-ee517280654d" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/apple%20watch.JPG" />

I've said it once, I'll say it again. No one has ever been unhappy with an Apple watch (unless they're android loyalists)! But instead of paying an arm and a leg on the top model, in this season of love (and overdue credit card payments), opt for the Apple Watch SE. It comes with the same larger display size as series 6, a fall detection feature, a compass, and noteworthy fitness features. And it is a sliver of a price lesser than the top model and can be yours for Rs 29,900 for the GPS variant.

TREAD ONE

<img alt="Tread One spin cycle" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="6fecbbe4-e7b6-4882-a7c0-36eb5431a698" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Cycle.JPG" />

Disclaimer and warning -- this gift could backfire and lead to fireworks, but not the right kind. Gifting a gym membership, a fitness gadget, or running shoes is often dubbed as a "hint" to shed the lockdown kilos. But it is 2021 and good health and fitness should be more than a Valentine's Day goal! So go for the TREAD ONE, a spin cycle with an HD LCD Screen that integrates various workouts within one product, for all your workout needs. It is the brainchild of an Indian start-up which is another reason to give it a shot. While many of us are outdoor fitness fanatics, some of us are still wary of Covid-19 and would prefer to workout at home, at our convenience. This bike is a big investment though and you can order the same at the price of Rs 59,900.

Sound on, noise off!

<img alt="Sony" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a75526d1-8223-45d9-875d-f6e25ef2c525" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Sony%20WH-1000MX4.JPG" />

If your partner is an audiophile and understands the dynamics of good sound, gift him or her the Sony WH-1000MX4, the company's latest flagship headphones. You will have to put your money where your mouth is with this one since it's priced at Rs 24,990. It comes with improved noise cancellation and 30 hours of playback on a full charge.

Wireless audio for those on the go

<img alt="AKG" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="99a5786b-c8de-445d-8e39-8c1a2a973147" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/samsung%20galaxy%20buds%20pro.JPG" />

For those who love in-ear audio and want to amp up their fitness with some good beats, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro should be on your wishlist. They have active noise cancellation and powerful 2-way speakers with sound by AKG. They're available now for Rs 15,990. The purple colour screams romance so you can't go wrong with these.

A smart speaker to dispel the tension

<img alt="Google Nest Audio" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fd79a425-0262-4e9e-9ccb-96ccf2153424" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/google%20nest%20audio.JPG" />

Here's some unsolicited relationship advice -- in the middle of an argument, start talking to Alexa or Google and tell the assistant to act as a mediator! Ok, that may not help but a smart speaker is a great investment for a couple in the times of working from home and multi-tasking chores. Google's speakers may suit you better than Alexa-enabled devices if you're an Android loyalist. The Google Nest Audio offers great sound and a holistic smart home experience, priced at Rs 7,999.

For work-from-home couples

<img alt="Amazon fire stick" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e9b122ee-a15b-4ad1-8960-b8fc4720a61f" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/amazon%20fire%20stick.JPG" />

Why should a gift be intended only for your partner's happiness? After all, Valentine's Day is a commercial enterprise for two! So gift your relationship the New Amazon Fire TV stick priced at Rs 3,999. It comes with HDR compatibility and supports Dolby Atmos sound. If you're staying at home, working from home, and arguing at home, what better to dispel the tension than some popcorn and binge-watching? You can stick the Fire TV stick into any TV and make it a smart TV.

Read, discuss, debate

<img alt="Amazon Kindle" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ce7a539b-028f-4b19-9cba-5bc58b67842c" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Amazon%20kindle.JPG" />

Every relationship needs intellectual stimulation and gifting yourself or your partner a Kindle is a great option. The Amazon Kindle is a treat for bookworms at Rs 7,999. It comes with adjustable lighting for outdoor, indoor, day, and night reading. For all those couples quarantined at home in need of some "me-time", this one is a life-saver.

A stand for your daily luxury gadgets

<img alt="iPhone stand" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ca7eaf1d-6930-46ba-a412-87807db6cd5f" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/IPHONE%20STAND.jpg" />

If your partner has a habit of dropping their precious iPhones or Apple Watch, opt for this elegant and steady stand for your precious gadgets from Daily Objects. It's called Halo and it can also be used as a charging dock for your devices. It is priced at Rs 1,499. The company also offers an adjustable laptop or tablet stand for your work-from-home hours. This one is compatible with all laptops and tablets up to 16 inches. It is priced well at Rs 2,999.

Stop fighting over chargers!

<img alt="XP 60" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5c4ba637-5486-496e-a33f-201b8ddd1639" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/XP%2060%20CHARGER.png" />

We've all been there, quarreling over chargers and plug points -- a hallmark of every long-term relationship! So ditch the arguments this month and opt for the XP 60 from a company called AMX. It claims to charge anything -- from a 90s MP3 player to yet-to-be-launched gadgets. It is available for Rs 1,799.

In the end, Tech conquers all

There are plenty of more tech options to make your partner happy. There's the newly-launched Playstation 5 starting at Rs 39,990 designed to occupy your partner for hours so you can enjoy your Galentine's Day; the Fujifilm Instax Square SQ1 to capture memories and enjoy the feel of tangible photos in a digital age; smart clocks and displays from Google and Lenovo to make your love nest more organised and ofcourse, styling tools for him and her that promise the world.

All I'll say is, be creative, not wasteful, romantic, not cringy. And if you're broadcasting your love on social media, do a spell-check and grammar check!

Happy Valentine's Day!

For some it's a month of love, for others, it's a month of cringe. For some, it's Valentine's, for others, it's Galentine's. Some are planning Covid-safe romantic dates, others are planning to order in pizza with their poison of choice and admire Regé-Jean Page on the latest Netflix sensation, Bridgerton.

For some it's a month of love, for others, it's a month of cringe. For some, it's Valentine's, for others, it's Galentine's. Some are planning Covid-safe romantic dates, others are planning to order in pizza with their poison of choice and admire Regé-Jean Page on the latest Netflix sensation, Bridgerton. Whatever your plan is for this Valentine's Day, a gift will definitely put a smile on your partner's face. And if you're your own Valentine like some of us, it's time to splurge on yourself! Flowers are passé, put some tech in your cart of love. Here are some suggestions for you or your partner. Love is in the hair! The Dyson Corrale is the pick of the season. It happens to be the only hair straightener with flexing plates to shape and gather hair and applies heat and tension to all the right places. It is an indulgence for Rs 36,900, but your hair will thank you in the long run. If you're gifting it to yourself, rest assured, you'll be styling your hair like a pro for all future dates. The fact that it is cordless means you can multi-task while styling your tresses. So turn down the heat on your hair and turn up the heat elsewhere! TRACK YOUR STEPS... TO THE FRIDGE I've said it once, I'll say it again. No one has ever been unhappy with an Apple watch (unless they're android loyalists)! But instead of paying an arm and a leg on the top model, in this season of love (and overdue credit card payments), opt for the Apple Watch SE. It comes with the same larger display size as series 6, a fall detection feature, a compass, and noteworthy fitness features. And it is a sliver of a price lesser than the top model and can be yours for Rs 29,900 for the GPS variant. TREAD ONE Disclaimer and warning -- this gift could backfire and lead to fireworks, but not the right kind. Gifting a gym membership, a fitness gadget, or running shoes is often dubbed as a "hint" to shed the lockdown kilos. But it is 2021 and good health and fitness should be more than a Valentine's Day goal! So go for the TREAD ONE, a spin cycle with an HD LCD Screen that integrates various workouts within one product, for all your workout needs. It is the brainchild of an Indian start-up which is another reason to give it a shot. While many of us are outdoor fitness fanatics, some of us are still wary of Covid-19 and would prefer to workout at home, at our convenience. This bike is a big investment though and you can order the same at the price of Rs 59,900. Sound on, noise off! If your partner is an audiophile and understands the dynamics of good sound, gift him or her the Sony WH-1000MX4, the company's latest flagship headphones. You will have to put your money where your mouth is with this one since it's priced at Rs 24,990. It comes with improved noise cancellation and 30 hours of playback on a full charge. Wireless audio for those on the go For those who love in-ear audio and want to amp up their fitness with some good beats, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro should be on your wishlist. They have active noise cancellation and powerful 2-way speakers with sound by AKG. They're available now for Rs 15,990. The purple colour screams romance so you can't go wrong with these. A smart speaker to dispel the tension Here's some unsolicited relationship advice -- in the middle of an argument, start talking to Alexa or Google and tell the assistant to act as a mediator! Ok, that may not help but a smart speaker is a great investment for a couple in the times of working from home and multi-tasking chores. Google's speakers may suit you better than Alexa-enabled devices if you're an Android loyalist. The Google Nest Audio offers great sound and a holistic smart home experience, priced at Rs 7,999. For work-from-home couples Why should a gift be intended only for your partner's happiness? After all, Valentine's Day is a commercial enterprise for two! So gift your relationship the New Amazon Fire TV stick priced at Rs 3,999. It comes with HDR compatibility and supports Dolby Atmos sound. If you're staying at home, working from home, and arguing at home, what better to dispel the tension than some popcorn and binge-watching? You can stick the Fire TV stick into any TV and make it a smart TV. Read, discuss, debate Every relationship needs intellectual stimulation and gifting yourself or your partner a Kindle is a great option. The Amazon Kindle is a treat for bookworms at Rs 7,999. It comes with adjustable lighting for outdoor, indoor, day, and night reading. For all those couples quarantined at home in need of some "me-time", this one is a life-saver. A stand for your daily luxury gadgets If your partner has a habit of dropping their precious iPhones or Apple Watch, opt for this elegant and steady stand for your precious gadgets from Daily Objects. It's called Halo and it can also be used as a charging dock for your devices. It is priced at Rs 1,499. The company also offers an adjustable laptop or tablet stand for your work-from-home hours. This one is compatible with all laptops and tablets up to 16 inches. It is priced well at Rs 2,999. Stop fighting over chargers! We've all been there, quarreling over chargers and plug points -- a hallmark of every long-term relationship! So ditch the arguments this month and opt for the XP 60 from a company called AMX. It claims to charge anything -- from a 90s MP3 player to yet-to-be-launched gadgets. It is available for Rs 1,799. In the end, Tech conquers all There are plenty of more tech options to make your partner happy. There's the newly-launched Playstation 5 starting at Rs 39,990 designed to occupy your partner for hours so you can enjoy your Galentine's Day; the Fujifilm Instax Square SQ1 to capture memories and enjoy the feel of tangible photos in a digital age; smart clocks and displays from Google and Lenovo to make your love nest more organised and ofcourse, styling tools for him and her that promise the world. All I'll say is, be creative, not wasteful, romantic, not cringy. And if you're broadcasting your love on social media, do a spell-check and grammar check! Happy Valentine's Day!

Month of love or month of cringe?

Indian social-media app Koo is witnessing a surge in popularity, fuelled by politicians and others flocking to it after US&nbsp;rival&nbsp;Twitter&nbsp;Inc refused to follow a government order to block certain content on its platform.

Twitter&nbsp;has locked horns with New Delhi this month over the order to remove more than 1,100 accounts and posts which the government says are spreading misinformation about farmer protests against new agricultural laws.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/more-than-500-accounts-suspended-by-twitter-on-indian-govts-request-362634/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Indian officials last week demanded that Twitter block hundreds of users that have tweeted on demonstrations against proposed new agriculture laws, saying they were a "grave threat to public order".

India slammed international celebrities on Wednesday for making comments in support of protesting farmers as inaccurate and irresponsible and said vested interest groups were trying to build opinion against the country.

US&nbsp;singer&nbsp;Rihanna, climate change activist Greta Thunberg and US&nbsp;lawyer and activist Meena Harris, the niece of Vice-President Kamala Harris, made comments on social media regarding the farmers protest.

"Before rushing to comment on such matters, we would urge that the facts be ascertained, and a proper understanding of the issues at hand be undertaken," the Indian foreign ministry said.

The Electronics and IT ministry&nbsp;tweeted a link to its profile on rival Indian social network platform&nbsp;Koo. Some local personalities including Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal have opened&nbsp;Koo&nbsp;accounts.

Koo said downloads had surged 10-fold in the past two days to over 3 million. Meanwhile, #kooapp was the top&nbsp;Twitter&nbsp;trend in India on Wednesday with nearly 21,000 posts, followed by #BanTwitter.

What is Koo?

Koo is a&nbsp;Twitter-like microblogging platform which allows users to post multimedia content, including audio clips. A text post is restricted to 400 characters and the service supports six Indian languages, including English.

Like&nbsp;Twitter, Koo's logo is a bird, though yellow in colour. It allows users to use hashtags (#) or the "@" symbol for mentions. The app also allows users to 're-koo', Koo's version of a retweet and chat instead of a direct message.

How did it start?

Koo was founded by Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka, both MBA, or business management, graduates. The duo are also the founders of Vokal, an audio-video knowledge-sharing platform similar to Quora.

The app was launched in March 2020 and won a government award for driving tech innovation. It raised more than $4 million in funding last week from new and existing investors including venture capital firms Accel and 3one4 Capital.

Who is on Koo?

For years,&nbsp;Twitter&nbsp;has been a major public communication tool for the Indian government. But several ministries and high-profile figures, including Bollywood actors, have also gradually begun using Koo in recent months. The technology ministry and trade minister Piyush Goyal joined this month.

Koo is however still dwarfed by&nbsp;Twitter, which had 17.5 million users in India as of last month, its third-highest user base after the United States and Japan, according to German database firm Statista.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is yet to join Koo, spoke about the app last year in his monthly radio address. "It's called Koo," he said. "In this, we can place our opinion and interact in our mother tongue through text, video or audio."

What its founders say?

The sudden increase in Koo's popularity can be compared in some respects to the surge in the use of digital payments apps in India following a ban on high-value currency notes in late 2016, Koo's co-founder Bidawatka said.

"You could say this is something similar, because a certain event happened and lot of people want to move here... There is a surge at an unexpected time and lots of people are talking about us."

Radhakrishna posted a hiring alert for engineers on LinkedIn on Wednesday.

&nbsp;

Indian social-media app Koo is witnessing a surge in popularity, fuelled by politicians and others flocking to it after US rival Twitter Inc refused to follow a government order to block certain content on its platform.

Indian social-media app Koo is witnessing a surge in popularity, fuelled by politicians and others flocking to it after US rival Twitter Inc refused to follow a government order to block certain content on its platform. Twitter has locked horns with New Delhi this month over the order to remove more than 1,100 accounts and posts which the government says are spreading misinformation about farmer protests against new agricultural laws. Indian officials last week demanded that Twitter block hundreds of users that have tweeted on demonstrations against proposed new agriculture laws, saying they were a "grave threat to public order". India slammed international celebrities on Wednesday for making comments in support of protesting farmers as inaccurate and irresponsible and said vested interest groups were trying to build opinion against the country. US singer Rihanna, climate change activist Greta Thunberg and US lawyer and activist Meena Harris, the niece of Vice-President Kamala Harris, made comments on social media regarding the farmers protest. "Before rushing to comment on such matters, we would urge that the facts be ascertained, and a proper understanding of the issues at hand be undertaken," the Indian foreign ministry said. The Electronics and IT ministry tweeted a link to its profile on rival Indian social network platform Koo. Some local personalities including Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal have opened Koo accounts. Koo said downloads had surged 10-fold in the past two days to over 3 million. Meanwhile, #kooapp was the top Twitter trend in India on Wednesday with nearly 21,000 posts, followed by #BanTwitter. What is Koo? Koo is a Twitter-like microblogging platform which allows users to post multimedia content, including audio clips. A text post is restricted to 400 characters and the service supports six Indian languages, including English. Like Twitter, Koo's logo is a bird, though yellow in colour. It allows users to use hashtags (#) or the "@" symbol for mentions. The app also allows users to 're-koo', Koo's version of a retweet and chat instead of a direct message. How did it start? Koo was founded by Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka, both MBA, or business management, graduates. The duo are also the founders of Vokal, an audio-video knowledge-sharing platform similar to Quora. The app was launched in March 2020 and won a government award for driving tech innovation. It raised more than $4 million in funding last week from new and existing investors including venture capital firms Accel and 3one4 Capital. Who is on Koo? For years, Twitter has been a major public communication tool for the Indian government. But several ministries and high-profile figures, including Bollywood actors, have also gradually begun using Koo in recent months. The technology ministry and trade minister Piyush Goyal joined this month. Koo is however still dwarfed by Twitter, which had 17.5 million users in India as of last month, its third-highest user base after the United States and Japan, according to German database firm Statista. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is yet to join Koo, spoke about the app last year in his monthly radio address. "It's called Koo," he said. "In this, we can place our opinion and interact in our mother tongue through text, video or audio." What its founders say? The sudden increase in Koo's popularity can be compared in some respects to the surge in the use of digital payments apps in India following a ban on high-value currency notes in late 2016, Koo's co-founder Bidawatka said. "You could say this is something similar, because a certain event happened and lot of people want to move here... There is a surge at an unexpected time and lots of people are talking about us." Radhakrishna posted a hiring alert for engineers on LinkedIn on Wednesday.

Indian Twitter-like micro-blogging platform Koo witnesses surge in popularity

Mainland China users of the US&nbsp;audio app&nbsp;Clubhouse&nbsp;said they were experiencing internet access disruptions, stoking concerns it had been blocked by China's so-called Great Firewall.

The repression of Muslim Uighurs, the Tiananmen Square crackdown, and S&amp;M hook-ups, nothing was off-limits in the rambunctious, unfiltered chatrooms of Clubhouse before China's censors silenced the conversation.

The&nbsp;Clubhouse&nbsp;app is only available on iOS devices and is unavailable in the local Apple app store in China, but mainland Chinese users had been able to access the app by modifying the location of their app store.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/chinese-users-flocking-to-us-chat-app-clubhouse-to-evade-censors-361942">Chinese users flocking to US chat app Clubhouse to evade censors</a>

For around a week, robust, open discussion on China pinballed across the American audio app, recently lent an air of exclusivity after an endorsement from Elon Musk.

It offered mainland and Chinese-speaking users a rare space to dissect taboos across politics and society, a plurality of voices normally muted inside China by the Communist Party.

Then late on Monday, an error message appeared to Chinese users logging on without a VPN to establish a secure connection, a telltale sign that state censors had got hold of the debate.

Users of China's Twitter-like social media app Weibo began posting&nbsp;screenshots of a message the app displayed when they tried to open it which said a secure connection to the server could not be made.

"Under Xi, the ban was a matter of time," said Lokman Tsui, a communications professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, of the reflex to scrub unregulated social media sharpened under China's President Xi Jinping.

Users took to Clubhouse chatrooms and other social media platforms to lament the block, which closed a brief window for freewheeling exchanges in a country where overseas networks such as Twitter and Facebook have been banned.

Many Western social media apps including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are banned in China, where the local internet is tightly regulated and often censored of content that could undermine the country's ruling Communist Party.

Although Chinese versions of the global platforms have emerged and become part of daily life, Chinese users are aware that content posted on them is monitored and censored.

It is common for social media companies to wipe content considered politically sensitive, including protests and criticism of the government, with users devising measures like screenshots and deliberate typos to skirt censors.

'Living a lie'

On Clubhouse last Saturday, however, more than 1,000 users flocked to a chatroom on the mass incarceration of Uighurs and other Turkic-speaking Muslims in China's western Xinjiang region.

Rights groups believe at least one million people are incarcerated in camps in Xinjiang, but Beijing has said they are vocational training centres aimed at reducing the appeal of Islamic extremism.

At least three people identifying as Uighurs shared personal stories in the Clubhouse chat and several others said they were Han Chinese who had lived in Xinjiang.

A woman said her views changed after living abroad exposed her to more information on Xinjiang.

"I had only been living in a huge lie," she said.

But some struck a more defensive note, with a man countering that "re-education camps" were necessary.

Moderators allowed time for people to talk in the Chinese-language chatroom without interruption, in a conversation that only ended the following afternoon.

On Monday, more than 2,000 users gathered in another chatroom discussing the bloody crackdown on Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, a taboo topic in China.

One said the environment was "dangerous for both sides", referring to civilians and authorities, while another called it outdated to claim that students,&nbsp;who participated in the movement -- were easily "brainwashed".

People from Hong Kong and Taiwan also pitched in on, or moderated, China-related topics.

But the frank exchanges were not limited to big politics.

The night after the Xinjiang chat, in another room, gay men swapped explicit stories of booty calls.

Some talked about engaging in unexpected S&amp;M hook-ups, and others shared anecdotes about taking dates home only to be found out by their parents.

But the door soon slammed shut on the unfettered discussion.

The space for free online discussion has "been drastically reduced" since 2013, the year Xi became president, added Emilie Frenkiel, associate professor at Université Paris Est Créteil, who researches political participation and representation in China.

But she added that the chance for open discourse on sensitive topics with other Chinese-speakers like Taiwanese counterparts "even though very risky, is so rare that... many are still willing to seize it".

A search for "Clubhouse invites", previously for sale on a Chinese online marketplace, no longer turns up results.

Since the ban, Chinese speakers returning to the app discussed ways to circumvent the "Great Firewall", and a chatroom ironically praising a pro-Communist Party editor continues defiantly.

But the wider lament was for the end of a precious space for debate which flickered but was never allowed to flare.

"I came here because it did not have speech censorship," one user said.

Mainland China users of the US audio app Clubhouse said they were experiencing internet access disruptions, stoking concerns it had been blocked by China's so-called Great Firewall.

Mainland China users of the US audio app Clubhouse said they were experiencing internet access disruptions, stoking concerns it had been blocked by China's so-called Great Firewall. The repression of Muslim Uighurs, the Tiananmen Square crackdown, and S&M hook-ups, nothing was off-limits in the rambunctious, unfiltered chatrooms of Clubhouse before China's censors silenced the conversation. The Clubhouse app is only available on iOS devices and is unavailable in the local Apple app store in China, but mainland Chinese users had been able to access the app by modifying the location of their app store. Also read: Chinese users flocking to US chat app Clubhouse to evade censors For around a week, robust, open discussion on China pinballed across the American audio app, recently lent an air of exclusivity after an endorsement from Elon Musk. It offered mainland and Chinese-speaking users a rare space to dissect taboos across politics and society, a plurality of voices normally muted inside China by the Communist Party. Then late on Monday, an error message appeared to Chinese users logging on without a VPN to establish a secure connection, a telltale sign that state censors had got hold of the debate. Users of China's Twitter-like social media app Weibo began posting screenshots of a message the app displayed when they tried to open it which said a secure connection to the server could not be made. "Under Xi, the ban was a matter of time," said Lokman Tsui, a communications professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, of the reflex to scrub unregulated social media sharpened under China's President Xi Jinping. Users took to Clubhouse chatrooms and other social media platforms to lament the block, which closed a brief window for freewheeling exchanges in a country where overseas networks such as Twitter and Facebook have been banned. Many Western social media apps including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are banned in China, where the local internet is tightly regulated and often censored of content that could undermine the country's ruling Communist Party. Although Chinese versions of the global platforms have emerged and become part of daily life, Chinese users are aware that content posted on them is monitored and censored. It is common for social media companies to wipe content considered politically sensitive, including protests and criticism of the government, with users devising measures like screenshots and deliberate typos to skirt censors. 'Living a lie' On Clubhouse last Saturday, however, more than 1,000 users flocked to a chatroom on the mass incarceration of Uighurs and other Turkic-speaking Muslims in China's western Xinjiang region. Rights groups believe at least one million people are incarcerated in camps in Xinjiang, but Beijing has said they are vocational training centres aimed at reducing the appeal of Islamic extremism. At least three people identifying as Uighurs shared personal stories in the Clubhouse chat and several others said they were Han Chinese who had lived in Xinjiang. A woman said her views changed after living abroad exposed her to more information on Xinjiang. "I had only been living in a huge lie," she said. But some struck a more defensive note, with a man countering that "re-education camps" were necessary. Moderators allowed time for people to talk in the Chinese-language chatroom without interruption, in a conversation that only ended the following afternoon. On Monday, more than 2,000 users gathered in another chatroom discussing the bloody crackdown on Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, a taboo topic in China. One said the environment was "dangerous for both sides", referring to civilians and authorities, while another called it outdated to claim that students, who participated in the movement -- were easily "brainwashed". People from Hong Kong and Taiwan also pitched in on, or moderated, China-related topics. But the frank exchanges were not limited to big politics. The night after the Xinjiang chat, in another room, gay men swapped explicit stories of booty calls. Some talked about engaging in unexpected S&M hook-ups, and others shared anecdotes about taking dates home only to be found out by their parents. But the door soon slammed shut on the unfettered discussion. The space for free online discussion has "been drastically reduced" since 2013, the year Xi became president, added Emilie Frenkiel, associate professor at Université Paris Est Créteil, who researches political participation and representation in China. But she added that the chance for open discourse on sensitive topics with other Chinese-speakers like Taiwanese counterparts "even though very risky, is so rare that... many are still willing to seize it". A search for "Clubhouse invites", previously for sale on a Chinese online marketplace, no longer turns up results. Since the ban, Chinese speakers returning to the app discussed ways to circumvent the "Great Firewall", and a chatroom ironically praising a pro-Communist Party editor continues defiantly. But the wider lament was for the end of a precious space for debate which flickered but was never allowed to flare. "I came here because it did not have speech censorship," one user said.

'Party over': Chinese users of Clubhouse app say experiencing internet access disruptions

Google is phasing out user-tracking "cookies" which allow the web giant to deliver personalised ads.

The downside of employing these cookies has been that they have raised the hackles of privacy defenders. The US internet giant has been hammered by critics over user privacy, and is keenly aware of trends for legislation protecting people's data rights.

Google, only last month, unveiled the results of tests showing an alternative to the longstanding tracking practice, claiming it could improve online privacy while still enabling advertisers to serve up relevant messages.

"This approach effectively hides individuals 'in the crowd' and uses on-device processing to keep a person’s web history private on the browser," Google product manager Chetna Bindra explained in unveiling the system called Federated Learning of Cohorts&nbsp;(FLoC).

She added, "Results indicate that when it comes to generating interest-based audiences,&nbsp;FLoC can provide an effective replacement signal for third-party cookies."

Google plans to begin testing the FLoC approach with advertisers later this year with its Chrome browser.

Talking of privacy issues, some kinds of cookies -- which are text files stored when a user visits a website -- are a convenience for logins and browsing at frequently visited sites.

Anyone who has pulled up a registration page online only to have their name and address automatically entered where required has cookies to thank.&nbsp;But other kinds of cookies, especially the third-party ones, are seen by some as nefarious.

Safari and Firefox browsers have already done away with third-party cookies, but they are still used at the world's most popular browser - Chrome.

And Chrome accounted for 63 per cent of the global browser market last year, according to StatCounter.

Google is phasing out user-tracking "cookies" which allow the web giant to deliver personalised ads. The downside of employing these cookies has been that they have raised the hackles of privacy defenders.

Google is phasing out user-tracking "cookies" which allow the web giant to deliver personalised ads. The downside of employing these cookies has been that they have raised the hackles of privacy defenders. The US internet giant has been hammered by critics over user privacy, and is keenly aware of trends for legislation protecting people's data rights. Google, only last month, unveiled the results of tests showing an alternative to the longstanding tracking practice, claiming it could improve online privacy while still enabling advertisers to serve up relevant messages. "This approach effectively hides individuals 'in the crowd' and uses on-device processing to keep a person’s web history private on the browser," Google product manager Chetna Bindra explained in unveiling the system called Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC). She added, "Results indicate that when it comes to generating interest-based audiences, FLoC can provide an effective replacement signal for third-party cookies." Google plans to begin testing the FLoC approach with advertisers later this year with its Chrome browser. Talking of privacy issues, some kinds of cookies -- which are text files stored when a user visits a website -- are a convenience for logins and browsing at frequently visited sites. Anyone who has pulled up a registration page online only to have their name and address automatically entered where required has cookies to thank. But other kinds of cookies, especially the third-party ones, are seen by some as nefarious. Safari and Firefox browsers have already done away with third-party cookies, but they are still used at the world's most popular browser - Chrome. And Chrome accounted for 63 per cent of the global browser market last year, according to StatCounter.

Google phases out user-tracking 'cookies'

Private social audio app&nbsp;Clubhouse&nbsp;is attracting masses of new users from mainland China, where the US&nbsp;app remains uncensored by authorities despite flourishing discussions on rights, national identity and other sensitive topics.

Clubhouse&nbsp;built a following among venture capitalists and startup founders gossiping in its audio-only chatrooms following its launch last March as the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world.

Western social media apps including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are banned in China, where the local internet is tightly censored to weed out content that could undermine the ruling communist party.

The&nbsp;Clubhouse&nbsp;app, launched in early 2020, saw explosive growth in user numbers earlier this month after Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev held a surprise discussion on the platform.

Its chat rooms are only accessible via invites from current members, and as of Sunday, invites to the platform were selling for between 50-400 yuan ($7.73 - $69.59) on popular Chinese e-commerce sites.

Reuters directly observed several Chinese-language 'club' conversations where thousands of users listened to wide-ranging audio discussions covering topics including Xinjiang detention camps, Taiwan independence and Hong Kong's National Security Law.

China's cyber authorities have become increasingly strict in recent years, widening the scope of apps, media outlets and social media sites banned in the country.

While&nbsp;Clubhouse&nbsp;remains uncensored, it is only available on iOS devices and is unavailable in the local Apple app store, both major barriers for its widespread use in China.

Mainland Chinese users can access the app by modifying the location of their app store.

It's unclear why the app remains unblocked in China, though some foreign social sites with small Chinese followings manage to operate under the radar of censors, including 8kun, a central hub for QAnon followers.

In one club chat centred on Hong Kong politics, activists, journalists and artists discussed former US&nbsp;president Trump and his support base in the former colony.

Another popular Chinese language club on the site as of Saturday involved a rare open exchange between netizens in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong over heightened political tensions in the region.

The discussion became a hot topic on China's own Twitter-like social media site Weibo on Saturday.

"I don't know how long this environment can last", said one user in a popular Weibo post that was liked over 65,000 times. "But I will definitely remember this moment in Internet history."

Private social audio app Clubhouse is attracting masses of new users from mainland China, where the US app remains uncensored by authorities despite flourishing discussions on rights, national identity and other sensitive topics.

Private social audio app Clubhouse is attracting masses of new users from mainland China, where the US app remains uncensored by authorities despite flourishing discussions on rights, national identity and other sensitive topics. Clubhouse built a following among venture capitalists and startup founders gossiping in its audio-only chatrooms following its launch last March as the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world. Western social media apps including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are banned in China, where the local internet is tightly censored to weed out content that could undermine the ruling communist party. The Clubhouse app, launched in early 2020, saw explosive growth in user numbers earlier this month after Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev held a surprise discussion on the platform. Its chat rooms are only accessible via invites from current members, and as of Sunday, invites to the platform were selling for between 50-400 yuan ($7.73 - $69.59) on popular Chinese e-commerce sites. Reuters directly observed several Chinese-language 'club' conversations where thousands of users listened to wide-ranging audio discussions covering topics including Xinjiang detention camps, Taiwan independence and Hong Kong's National Security Law. China's cyber authorities have become increasingly strict in recent years, widening the scope of apps, media outlets and social media sites banned in the country. While Clubhouse remains uncensored, it is only available on iOS devices and is unavailable in the local Apple app store, both major barriers for its widespread use in China. Mainland Chinese users can access the app by modifying the location of their app store. It's unclear why the app remains unblocked in China, though some foreign social sites with small Chinese followings manage to operate under the radar of censors, including 8kun, a central hub for QAnon followers. In one club chat centred on Hong Kong politics, activists, journalists and artists discussed former US president Trump and his support base in the former colony. Another popular Chinese language club on the site as of Saturday involved a rare open exchange between netizens in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong over heightened political tensions in the region. The discussion became a hot topic on China's own Twitter-like social media site Weibo on Saturday. "I don't know how long this environment can last", said one user in a popular Weibo post that was liked over 65,000 times. "But I will definitely remember this moment in Internet history."

Chinese users flocking to US chat app Clubhouse to evade censors

If anything is invite-only, it naturally gets people crazy as everyone wants to feel exclusive. So this strategy is often used to attract customers. But apparently, Clubhouse isn't one of those apps that aim to gain quick fame. Clubhouse features likes of Elon Musk in its list of users and it is creating quite a buzz.

Clubhouse is the latest craze that may strike bigger markets. It's a social-networking app that is based on audio chat. Users can listen in on interviews, interactions and discussions between interesting people. The conversation rooms are like a conference call but with some people talking and discussing while most others listening in. When the conversation ends, the room is closed.

Clubhouse hit headlines when Tesla CEO Elon Musk used it to hold&nbsp;a conversation with Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev recently. Number of those wanting to listen to the interaction was so high that the conversation room maxed out.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/jack-dorsey-likes-tweet-asking-for-emoji-to-complement-farmersprotest-361405">Jack Dorsey likes Tweet asking for emoji to complement #FarmersProtest</a>

The starpower of Elon Musk and Robinhood CEO helped Clubhouse create an unprecedented buzz. As per theconversation [dot] com, Clubhouse app had 2 million users by February 1.

How to get Clubhouse invite?

The app is currently invite-only. Am existing user has to send you an invite in order for you to create account on the app. But before you rush to hunt for a Clubhouse user to get you an invite, know that each user has only two invites which he can use to invite people.

The app is currently valued at USD 1 billion. The makers have given a hint that they would launch the app in wider market, but no date or timeframe has been given as of now.

If anything is invite-only, it naturally gets people crazy as everyone wants to feel exclusive. So this strategy is often used to attract customers. But apparently, Clubhouse isn't one of those apps that aim to gain quick fame.

If anything is invite-only, it naturally gets people crazy as everyone wants to feel exclusive. So this strategy is often used to attract customers. But apparently, Clubhouse isn't one of those apps that aim to gain quick fame. Clubhouse features likes of Elon Musk in its list of users and it is creating quite a buzz. Clubhouse is the latest craze that may strike bigger markets. It's a social-networking app that is based on audio chat. Users can listen in on interviews, interactions and discussions between interesting people. The conversation rooms are like a conference call but with some people talking and discussing while most others listening in. When the conversation ends, the room is closed. Clubhouse hit headlines when Tesla CEO Elon Musk used it to hold a conversation with Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev recently. Number of those wanting to listen to the interaction was so high that the conversation room maxed out. Also Read | Jack Dorsey likes Tweet asking for emoji to complement #FarmersProtest The starpower of Elon Musk and Robinhood CEO helped Clubhouse create an unprecedented buzz. As per theconversation [dot] com, Clubhouse app had 2 million users by February 1. How to get Clubhouse invite? The app is currently invite-only. Am existing user has to send you an invite in order for you to create account on the app. But before you rush to hunt for a Clubhouse user to get you an invite, know that each user has only two invites which he can use to invite people. The app is currently valued at USD 1 billion. The makers have given a hint that they would launch the app in wider market, but no date or timeframe has been given as of now.

Clubhouse: The invite-only chat app that Elon Musk uses

In order to help the micro-blogging platform with data processing and analytics based on machine learning tools, Google has signed a multi-year deal with Twitter.&nbsp;

In 2018, Twitter decided to work with Google Cloud to move cold data storage and its flexible compute Hadoop clusters to Google Cloud Platform (GCP), to enable the company enhance the experience and productivity of its engineering teams working with its data platform.&nbsp;

In a statement, Twitter CTO Parag Agrawal on Thursday said, "Our initial partnership with Google Cloud has been successful and enabled us to enhance the productivity of our engineering teams."&nbsp;

"Building on this relationship and Google's technologies will allow us to learn more from our data, move faster and serve more relevant content to the people who use our service every day," he added.&nbsp;

The Hadoop compute system is the core of Twitter's data platform, and Twitter runs multiple large Hadoop clusters that are among the biggest in the world.&nbsp;

The migration will enable faster capacity provisioning, increased flexibility, access to a broader ecosystem of tools and services, improvements to security and enhanced disaster recovery capabilities.&nbsp;

In an earlier statement, Agrawal said, "Architecturally, we will also be able to separate compute and storage for this class of Hadoop workloads, which has a number of long-term scaling and operational benefits."&nbsp;

Google Cloud Platform's data solutions and trusted infrastructure will provide Twitter with the technical flexibility and consistency that its platform requires.&nbsp;

In order to help the micro-blogging platform with data processing and analytics based on machine learning tools, Google has signed a multi-year deal with Twitter.

In order to help the micro-blogging platform with data processing and analytics based on machine learning tools, Google has signed a multi-year deal with Twitter. In 2018, Twitter decided to work with Google Cloud to move cold data storage and its flexible compute Hadoop clusters to Google Cloud Platform (GCP), to enable the company enhance the experience and productivity of its engineering teams working with its data platform. In a statement, Twitter CTO Parag Agrawal on Thursday said, "Our initial partnership with Google Cloud has been successful and enabled us to enhance the productivity of our engineering teams." "Building on this relationship and Google's technologies will allow us to learn more from our data, move faster and serve more relevant content to the people who use our service every day," he added. The Hadoop compute system is the core of Twitter's data platform, and Twitter runs multiple large Hadoop clusters that are among the biggest in the world. The migration will enable faster capacity provisioning, increased flexibility, access to a broader ecosystem of tools and services, improvements to security and enhanced disaster recovery capabilities. In an earlier statement, Agrawal said, "Architecturally, we will also be able to separate compute and storage for this class of Hadoop workloads, which has a number of long-term scaling and operational benefits." Google Cloud Platform's data solutions and trusted infrastructure will provide Twitter with the technical flexibility and consistency that its platform requires.

Google Cloud signs mega deal with Twitter

The Chief Executive of Twitter, Jack Dorsey on Thursday "liked" a Tweet asking for an emoji for the hashtag #FarmersProtests, akin to what Twitter usually does with trending global events.

The company has custom emojis that are automatically registered in a Tweet after mentioning a hashtag. These include #BlackLivesMatter and #EndSars.

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Now is as a good time as ever for <a href="https://twitter.com/Twitter?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Twitter</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/jack?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jack</a> to add a Twitter emoji to the massive <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FarmersProtests?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FarmersProtests</a> in India -- like they did for historic international protests like <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackLivesMatter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlackLivesMatter</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EndSars?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EndSars</a>.
— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) <a href="https://twitter.com/KarenAttiah/status/1357001222327304192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Currently, farmers are protesting across North India against agricultural reforms put forward by the central government.

Global superstar Rihanna caused a stir on social media when she Tweeted out in support of the protests, asking "why aren’t we talking about this?! #FarmersProtest".

Climate activist Greta Thunberg also Tweeted in support of the protests, which drew flak from prominent figures in India.

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I still <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StandWithFarmers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StandWithFarmers</a> and support their peaceful protest. 
No amount of hate, threats or violations of human rights will ever change that. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FarmersProtest?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FarmersProtest</a>
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) <a href="https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg/status/1357282507616645122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The government has referred to these statements as interference in India's internal matters. 
 
Dorsey liked a Tweet which said the following - &nbsp;"Now is as a good time as ever for @Twitter and @Jack to add a Twitter emoji to the massive #FarmersProtests in India - as they did for historic international protests like #BlackLivesMatter and #EndSars".

Protesters have been asking the government to withdraw the three farm laws for months. According to farmers, the reforms would hamper their earnings and also jeopardise the&nbsp;minimum price guarantee.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/no-amount-of-hate-threats-will-greta-thunberg-after-delhi-police-books-creators-of-her-toolkit-361400" hreflang="en">'No amount of hate, threats will..': Greta Thunberg after Delhi Police books creators of her 'toolkit'</a>

The government suggested halting the laws for one-and-a-half-years and then revisiting them - a move that has been rejected by the protesters.

Even on Thursday, Thunberg put out another tweet in support of the farmers, saying - "I still #StandWithFarmers and support their peaceful protest. 
No amount of hate, threats or violations of human rights will ever change that. #FarmersProtest".

The External Affairs Ministry had said on Wednesday that protests by farmer unions against new farm laws must be seen in the context of India`s democratic ethos and polity, and the efforts of the government and the concerned farmer groups to resolve the impasse.&nbsp;

It had said that the temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible.&nbsp;

"Before rushing to comment on such matters, we would urge that the facts be ascertained, and a proper understanding of the issues at hand be undertaken," the ministry said.

The Chief Executive of Twitter, Jack Dorsey on Thursday "liked" a Tweet asking for an emoji for the hashtag #FarmersProtests, akin to what Twitter usually does with trending global events.

The Chief Executive of Twitter, Jack Dorsey on Thursday "liked" a Tweet asking for an emoji for the hashtag #FarmersProtests, akin to what Twitter usually does with trending global events. The company has custom emojis that are automatically registered in a Tweet after mentioning a hashtag. These include #BlackLivesMatter and #EndSars. Now is as a good time as ever for @Twitter and @Jack to add a Twitter emoji to the massive #FarmersProtests in India -- like they did for historic international protests like #BlackLivesMatter and #EndSars. — Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) February 3, 2021 × Currently, farmers are protesting across North India against agricultural reforms put forward by the central government. Global superstar Rihanna caused a stir on social media when she Tweeted out in support of the protests, asking "why aren’t we talking about this?! #FarmersProtest". Climate activist Greta Thunberg also Tweeted in support of the protests, which drew flak from prominent figures in India. I still #StandWithFarmers and support their peaceful protest. No amount of hate, threats or violations of human rights will ever change that. #FarmersProtest — Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) February 4, 2021 × The government has referred to these statements as interference in India's internal matters. Dorsey liked a Tweet which said the following - "Now is as a good time as ever for @Twitter and @Jack to add a Twitter emoji to the massive #FarmersProtests in India - as they did for historic international protests like #BlackLivesMatter and #EndSars". Protesters have been asking the government to withdraw the three farm laws for months. According to farmers, the reforms would hamper their earnings and also jeopardise the minimum price guarantee. Also read: 'No amount of hate, threats will..': Greta Thunberg after Delhi Police books creators of her 'toolkit' The government suggested halting the laws for one-and-a-half-years and then revisiting them - a move that has been rejected by the protesters. Even on Thursday, Thunberg put out another tweet in support of the farmers, saying - "I still #StandWithFarmers and support their peaceful protest. No amount of hate, threats or violations of human rights will ever change that. #FarmersProtest". The External Affairs Ministry had said on Wednesday that protests by farmer unions against new farm laws must be seen in the context of India`s democratic ethos and polity, and the efforts of the government and the concerned farmer groups to resolve the impasse. It had said that the temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible. "Before rushing to comment on such matters, we would urge that the facts be ascertained, and a proper understanding of the issues at hand be undertaken," the ministry said.

Jack Dorsey likes Tweet asking for emoji to complement #FarmersProtest

An offline&nbsp;messaging app called Bridgefy was downloaded more than 600,000 times in a few hours in Myanmar after the country's military seized power on Monday and temporarily disrupted internet traffic.

Bridgefy, which a&nbsp;Mexico-based startup,&nbsp;gained popularity during Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests in 2020, tweeted that it hoped people in Myanmar would find its app "useful during tough times."

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We're grateful to share that the Bridgefy App was downloaded more than 600,000 times in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Myanmar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Myanmar</a> today, in just a few hours. Hopefully, people will find it helpful during tough times. Please stay safe!
— Bridgefy (@bridgefy) <a href="https://twitter.com/bridgefy/status/1356383496999219202?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Myanmar&nbsp;was plunged back into direct military rule when soldiers detained Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian leaders in a series of dawn raids on Monday, ending the country's brief experiment with democracy.

Suu Kyi, who has not been seen in public since the coup, won a huge landslide with her National League for Democracy (NLD) last November but the military -- whose favoured parties received a drubbing declared the polls were fraudulent.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/myanmar-army-chief-military-ouster-was-was-inevitable-360972/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Army chief Min Aung Hlaing appointed himself head of a new cabinet stacked with former and current generals, justifying his coup on Tuesday as the "inevitable" result of civilian leaders failure to heed the army's fraud warnings.

The military declared a one-year state of emergency and said it would hold new elections once their allegations of voter irregularities were addressed and investigated.

The move stunned&nbsp;Myanmar, a country left impoverished by decades of junta misrule before it began taking steps towards a more democratic and civilian-led government ten years ago.

After the country's democratically elected leaders were arrested, phone and internet connections were disrupted in the main city Yangon and the capital Naypyitaw and some other parts of the country.

Communications had been restored by late Monday but, in social media posts&nbsp;activists in Myanmar encouraged the download of Bridgefy as a solution to possible further shutdowns.

Bridgefy, whose backers include Twitter co-founder Biz Stone and which has also been used at anti-government rallies in Thailand, is one of several apps based on Bluetooth that use mesh networks to allow users to communicate without internet connections.

They have gained popularity globally, especially in countries which have a history of imposing restrictions on social media platforms and internet providers - though security experts say they can be penetrated, exposing users to surveillance risks.

A similar app, Firechat,&nbsp;uses wireless mesh networking to enable smartphones to connect via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi&nbsp;without an internet connection by connecting peer-to-peer. It has been used in protests in Iran and Iraq.

An offline messaging app called Bridgefy was downloaded more than 600,000 times in a few hours in Myanmar after the country's military seized power on Monday and temporarily disrupted internet traffic.

An offline messaging app called Bridgefy was downloaded more than 600,000 times in a few hours in Myanmar after the country's military seized power on Monday and temporarily disrupted internet traffic. Bridgefy, which a Mexico-based startup, gained popularity during Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests in 2020, tweeted that it hoped people in Myanmar would find its app "useful during tough times." We're grateful to share that the Bridgefy App was downloaded more than 600,000 times in #Myanmar today, in just a few hours. Hopefully, people will find it helpful during tough times. Please stay safe! — Bridgefy (@bridgefy) February 1, 2021 × Myanmar was plunged back into direct military rule when soldiers detained Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian leaders in a series of dawn raids on Monday, ending the country's brief experiment with democracy. Suu Kyi, who has not been seen in public since the coup, won a huge landslide with her National League for Democracy (NLD) last November but the military -- whose favoured parties received a drubbing declared the polls were fraudulent. Army chief Min Aung Hlaing appointed himself head of a new cabinet stacked with former and current generals, justifying his coup on Tuesday as the "inevitable" result of civilian leaders failure to heed the army's fraud warnings. The military declared a one-year state of emergency and said it would hold new elections once their allegations of voter irregularities were addressed and investigated. The move stunned Myanmar, a country left impoverished by decades of junta misrule before it began taking steps towards a more democratic and civilian-led government ten years ago. After the country's democratically elected leaders were arrested, phone and internet connections were disrupted in the main city Yangon and the capital Naypyitaw and some other parts of the country. Communications had been restored by late Monday but, in social media posts activists in Myanmar encouraged the download of Bridgefy as a solution to possible further shutdowns. Bridgefy, whose backers include Twitter co-founder Biz Stone and which has also been used at anti-government rallies in Thailand, is one of several apps based on Bluetooth that use mesh networks to allow users to communicate without internet connections. They have gained popularity globally, especially in countries which have a history of imposing restrictions on social media platforms and internet providers - though security experts say they can be penetrated, exposing users to surveillance risks. A similar app, Firechat, uses wireless mesh networking to enable smartphones to connect via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi without an internet connection by connecting peer-to-peer. It has been used in protests in Iran and Iraq.

Bridgefy: 600,000 people download offline message app in hours after Myanmar coup

Tesla chief Elon Musk grilled&nbsp;Vladimir&nbsp;Tenev,&nbsp;co-founder of online stock broker app Robinhood, which is under fire for blocking retail investors from purchasing GameStop stock.

Musk asked on private social audio app&nbsp;Clubhouse&nbsp;"Do you want to hear the real story from Vlad [from] Robinhood about what happened on the Street with GameStop?"

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/gamestop-prompts-surge-in-hyper-rally-after-elon-musks-tweet-359791">GameStop prompts surge in hyper-rally after Elon Musk's tweet</a>

On the wide-ranging chat, Musk discussed memes, Mars, his companies, and vaccines, among other topics.&nbsp;

Clubhouse&nbsp;built a following among venture capitalists and startup founders gossiping in its audio-only chatrooms following its launch last March as the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world. It provides&nbsp;an alternative forum to Twitter.

GameStop stock surged some 400 per cent&nbsp;in the past week after retail investors banded together to buy shares in the US&nbsp;video game retailer, sending hedge funds scrambling to cover losing bets.

Musk questioned&nbsp;Tenev saying&nbsp;"What happened last week? Why couldn't people buy the GameStop shares? The people demand answers, and they want to know the truth."

Tenev&nbsp;said the market rumour was untrue that Citadel Securities - the market-making arm of billionaire hedge-fund manager Ken Griffin - had pressured Robinhood into blocking retail investors.

"That's just false,"&nbsp;Tenev&nbsp;said, adding that Robinhood temporarily halted trading to meet regulatory capital requirements.

The Menlo Park, California-based company was founded in 2013 by Baiju Bhatt and&nbsp;Tenev, aiming to democratize finance. Its platform allows users to make unlimited commission-free trades in stocks, exchange-traded funds, options and cryptocurrencies.

Musk last week tweeted "Gamestonk!!," which many in the market interpreted as an apparent show of support for small investors. "Stonks" is a tongue-in-cheek term for stocks widely used on social media.

Tesla chief Elon Musk grilled Vladimir Tenev, co-founder of online stock broker app Robinhood, which is under fire for blocking retail investors from purchasing GameStop stock.

Tesla chief Elon Musk grilled Vladimir Tenev, co-founder of online stock broker app Robinhood, which is under fire for blocking retail investors from purchasing GameStop stock. Musk asked on private social audio app Clubhouse "Do you want to hear the real story from Vlad [from] Robinhood about what happened on the Street with GameStop?" Also read: GameStop prompts surge in hyper-rally after Elon Musk's tweet On the wide-ranging chat, Musk discussed memes, Mars, his companies, and vaccines, among other topics. Clubhouse built a following among venture capitalists and startup founders gossiping in its audio-only chatrooms following its launch last March as the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world. It provides an alternative forum to Twitter. GameStop stock surged some 400 per cent in the past week after retail investors banded together to buy shares in the US video game retailer, sending hedge funds scrambling to cover losing bets. Musk questioned Tenev saying "What happened last week? Why couldn't people buy the GameStop shares? The people demand answers, and they want to know the truth." Tenev said the market rumour was untrue that Citadel Securities - the market-making arm of billionaire hedge-fund manager Ken Griffin - had pressured Robinhood into blocking retail investors. "That's just false," Tenev said, adding that Robinhood temporarily halted trading to meet regulatory capital requirements. The Menlo Park, California-based company was founded in 2013 by Baiju Bhatt and Tenev, aiming to democratize finance. Its platform allows users to make unlimited commission-free trades in stocks, exchange-traded funds, options and cryptocurrencies. Musk last week tweeted "Gamestonk!!," which many in the market interpreted as an apparent show of support for small investors. "Stonks" is a tongue-in-cheek term for stocks widely used on social media.

Tesla's Elon Musk grills Robinhood CEO Vladimir Tenev over GameStop trading freeze

Alphabet Inc's Google will spend $3.8 million, including $2.6 million in back pay, to settle allegations that it underpaid women and unfairly passed over women and Asians for job openings, the US&nbsp;Department of Labour said on Monday.

The allegations stemmed from a routine compliance audit several years ago required by Google's status as a supplier of technology to the federal government.

Google said it was pleased to have resolved the matter.

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs had found "preliminary indicators" that Google from 2014 to 2017 at times underpaid 2,783 women in its software engineering group in Mountain View, California, and the Seattle area.

Investigators also found hiring rate differences that disadvantaged women and Asian candidates during the year ended Aug. 31, 2017, for software engineering roles in San Francisco, Sunnyvale, California, and Kirkland, Washington.

The settlement includes $2.6 million in back pay to 5,500 employees and job candidates and calls on Google to review hiring and salary practices.

Google also will set aside $1.25 million for pay adjustments for engineers in Mountain View, Kirkland, Seattle and New York over the next five years, according to the settlement. Any unused funds will be spent on diversity efforts at Google.

The company already conducts annual pay audits, but like other big tech companies, it remains under public scrutiny for a workforce that does not reflect the country's makeup in terms of race and gender.

The company said in a statement, "We believe everyone should be paid based upon the work they do, not who they are, and invest heavily to make our hiring and compensation processes fair and unbiased."

Alphabet Inc's Google will spend $3.8 million, including $2.6 million in back pay, to settle allegations that it underpaid women and unfairly passed over women and Asians for job openings, the US Department of Labour said on Monday.

Alphabet Inc's Google will spend $3.8 million, including $2.6 million in back pay, to settle allegations that it underpaid women and unfairly passed over women and Asians for job openings, the US Department of Labour said on Monday. The allegations stemmed from a routine compliance audit several years ago required by Google's status as a supplier of technology to the federal government. Google said it was pleased to have resolved the matter. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs had found "preliminary indicators" that Google from 2014 to 2017 at times underpaid 2,783 women in its software engineering group in Mountain View, California, and the Seattle area. Investigators also found hiring rate differences that disadvantaged women and Asian candidates during the year ended Aug. 31, 2017, for software engineering roles in San Francisco, Sunnyvale, California, and Kirkland, Washington. The settlement includes $2.6 million in back pay to 5,500 employees and job candidates and calls on Google to review hiring and salary practices. Google also will set aside $1.25 million for pay adjustments for engineers in Mountain View, Kirkland, Seattle and New York over the next five years, according to the settlement. Any unused funds will be spent on diversity efforts at Google. The company already conducts annual pay audits, but like other big tech companies, it remains under public scrutiny for a workforce that does not reflect the country's makeup in terms of race and gender. The company said in a statement, "We believe everyone should be paid based upon the work they do, not who they are, and invest heavily to make our hiring and compensation processes fair and unbiased."

Google to spend $3.8 million to settle accusations of hiring, pay biases

Wikipedia on Tuesday unveiled a "universal code of conduct" aimed at stemming abuse, misinformation and manipulation on the global online encyclopedia.

The new code was released by the &nbsp;Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that administers Wikipedia, expanding on its existing policies to create a set of community standards to combat "negative behavior," according to a statement.

The new policy aims to thwart efforts to distort and manipulate content on Wikipedia, the largest online encyclopedia which is managed largely by volunteers using "crowdsourced" information.

“Our new universal code of conduct was developed for the new internet era, on the premise that we want our contributor communities to be positive, safe and healthy environments for everyone involved,” said Katherine Maher, chief executive of the foundation.

"This code will be a binding document for anyone that participates in our projects providing a consistent enforcement process for dealing with harassment, abuse of power and deliberate attempts to manipulate facts."

The 1,600-word code was developed with input from some 1,500 Wikipedia volunteers representing five continents and 30 languages, and includes clear definitions of harassment and unacceptable behavior.

The code includes language aimed at preventing the abuse of power and influence to intimidate others, and the deliberate introduction of false or inaccurate content.

The move comes after Wikipedia celebrated its 20th anniversary on January 15, having become among the world's top 15 websites with an estimated 1.7 billion visitors per month.

The move comes amid heightened pressure on internet platforms to stem manipulation and disinformation campaigns which may be used for political ends or to promote discord or violence.

Wikipedia on Tuesday unveiled a "universal code of conduct" aimed at stemming abuse, misinformation and manipulation on the global online encyclopedia. The new code was released by the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that administers Wikipedia, expanding on its existing policies to create a set of community standards to combat "negative behavior," according to a statement.

Wikipedia on Tuesday unveiled a "universal code of conduct" aimed at stemming abuse, misinformation and manipulation on the global online encyclopedia. The new code was released by the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that administers Wikipedia, expanding on its existing policies to create a set of community standards to combat "negative behavior," according to a statement. The new policy aims to thwart efforts to distort and manipulate content on Wikipedia, the largest online encyclopedia which is managed largely by volunteers using "crowdsourced" information. “Our new universal code of conduct was developed for the new internet era, on the premise that we want our contributor communities to be positive, safe and healthy environments for everyone involved,” said Katherine Maher, chief executive of the foundation. "This code will be a binding document for anyone that participates in our projects providing a consistent enforcement process for dealing with harassment, abuse of power and deliberate attempts to manipulate facts." The 1,600-word code was developed with input from some 1,500 Wikipedia volunteers representing five continents and 30 languages, and includes clear definitions of harassment and unacceptable behavior. The code includes language aimed at preventing the abuse of power and influence to intimidate others, and the deliberate introduction of false or inaccurate content. The move comes after Wikipedia celebrated its 20th anniversary on January 15, having become among the world's top 15 websites with an estimated 1.7 billion visitors per month. The move comes amid heightened pressure on internet platforms to stem manipulation and disinformation campaigns which may be used for political ends or to promote discord or violence.

Wikipedia unveils 'code of conduct' to stem misinformation

Software giant Microsoft Corp is confident its search product Bing can fill the gap in Australia if&nbsp;Google&nbsp;pulls its search over required payments to media outlets, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday.

Australia has introduced laws that would force internet giant&nbsp;Google&nbsp;and social media heavyweight Facebook Inc to negotiate payments to domestic media outlets whose content links drive traffic to their platforms.

However, the Big Tech firms have called the laws unworkable and said last month they would withdraw key services from Australia if the regulations went ahead. Those services include&nbsp;Google's search engine, which has 94 per cent&nbsp;of the country's search market, according to industry data.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has since spoken with Morrison about the new rules, the tech company told Reuters, and on Monday, Morrison said the software company was ready to grow the presence of its search tool Bing, the distant No. 2 player.

"I can tell you, Microsoft's pretty confident, when I spoke to Satya," Morrison told reporters in Canberra, without giving further detail of the conversation.

"We just want the rules in the digital world to be the same that exist in the real world, in the physical world," Morrison added.

A Microsoft spokeswoman confirmed the discussion took place but declined to comment, because the company was not directly involved in the laws.

"We recognise the importance of a vibrant media sector and public interest journalism in a democracy and we recognise the challenges the media sector has faced over many years through changing business models and consumer preferences," the spokeswoman said.

Google&nbsp;declined to comment.

A day earlier, Australian treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had requested a meeting over the law, and that they had talked, but that he would not back down on the change.

At a Senate hearing into the laws, Department of Treasury deputy secretary of markets Meghan Quinn said the Australian government would have limited ability to intervene if&nbsp;Google's departure hurt businesses which rely on its search function.

"The (media bargaining) code doesn't prevent the wholesale withdrawal of services, and there's difficulty in any of the legislative mechanisms we've got for someone to (be forced to) provide a service," Quinn said.

Software giant Microsoft Corp is confident its search product Bing can fill the gap in Australia if Google pulls its search over required payments to media outlets, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday.

Software giant Microsoft Corp is confident its search product Bing can fill the gap in Australia if Google pulls its search over required payments to media outlets, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday. Australia has introduced laws that would force internet giant Google and social media heavyweight Facebook Inc to negotiate payments to domestic media outlets whose content links drive traffic to their platforms. However, the Big Tech firms have called the laws unworkable and said last month they would withdraw key services from Australia if the regulations went ahead. Those services include Google's search engine, which has 94 per cent of the country's search market, according to industry data. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has since spoken with Morrison about the new rules, the tech company told Reuters, and on Monday, Morrison said the software company was ready to grow the presence of its search tool Bing, the distant No. 2 player. "I can tell you, Microsoft's pretty confident, when I spoke to Satya," Morrison told reporters in Canberra, without giving further detail of the conversation. "We just want the rules in the digital world to be the same that exist in the real world, in the physical world," Morrison added. A Microsoft spokeswoman confirmed the discussion took place but declined to comment, because the company was not directly involved in the laws. "We recognise the importance of a vibrant media sector and public interest journalism in a democracy and we recognise the challenges the media sector has faced over many years through changing business models and consumer preferences," the spokeswoman said. Google declined to comment. A day earlier, Australian treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had requested a meeting over the law, and that they had talked, but that he would not back down on the change. At a Senate hearing into the laws, Department of Treasury deputy secretary of markets Meghan Quinn said the Australian government would have limited ability to intervene if Google's departure hurt businesses which rely on its search function. "The (media bargaining) code doesn't prevent the wholesale withdrawal of services, and there's difficulty in any of the legislative mechanisms we've got for someone to (be forced to) provide a service," Quinn said.

As Google eyes Australia exit, Microsoft talks Bing with Prime Minister Scott Morrison

The animosity between Apple and Facebook goes way back. These companies don't really compete with each other they are two mammoth technology companies and that's where their similarities end.

Almost all of Facebook's revenue comes from advertising while Apple makes most of its money by selling gadgets. Both companies pose no direct threat to each other but it seems they just cannot stand each other.

The fight began as early as 2010 when Steve Jobs the founder of Apple had a piece of advice for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Jobs while answering a question on user privacy, said: "Privacy means people know what they're signing up for, in plain English and repeatedly."

While he did not name Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg was sitting in the audience when Steve Jobs uttered those words.

Four years after that event, Zuckerberg was the subject of a cover story in the Time magazine when the Facebook founder chose the opportunity to respond to Apple. He called Apple's take on privacy "a ridiculous concept".

"What, you think because you're paying Apple that you're somehow in alignment with them. If you were in alignment with them, then they'd make their products a lot cheaper," he said.

Apple and Facebook have been fighting over users. They are competing for the attention and loyalty of users.

It seems Facebook is paranoid about the influence that Apple wields over its users.

In 2019, &nbsp;Apple blocked Facebook from running its internal IoS Apps. It was a nightmare for 35,000 Facebook employees. They couldn't even perform the most basic tasks at work and their calendars didn't work.

They couldn't check the company's shuttle service schedule. The reason behind the crackdown was Facebook which had launched a research app that allegedly allowed it to snoop on the online activity of users.

Apple refused to allow Facebook to run this app on its platform. Ultimately, the app was taken down. The message was clear: Facebook will not get a free pass from Apple. CEO Tim Cook has often used his public appearances to send an indirect message to Facebook.

Perhaps, it has made Mark Zuckerberg realise where the true power in the tech industry lies. Facebook makes the apps that run the world's biggest social network but Apple controls the distribution of apps.

While Android dominates the mobile computing market, Apple's IoS is second and Apple products are often seen in the hands of the wealthy and the influential.

It has a loyal customer base that remains in the Apple ecosystem. The clash between Apple and Facebook is cultural and personal. 
&nbsp; 
However, now both these companies increasingly look like monopolies fighting each other to influence the future of the tech industry and dictate the rules that users must follow to keep using their innovations.

The animosity between Apple and Facebook goes way back. These companies don't really compete with each other they are two mammoth technology companies and that's where their similarities end.

The animosity between Apple and Facebook goes way back. These companies don't really compete with each other they are two mammoth technology companies and that's where their similarities end. Almost all of Facebook's revenue comes from advertising while Apple makes most of its money by selling gadgets. Both companies pose no direct threat to each other but it seems they just cannot stand each other. The fight began as early as 2010 when Steve Jobs the founder of Apple had a piece of advice for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Jobs while answering a question on user privacy, said: "Privacy means people know what they're signing up for, in plain English and repeatedly." While he did not name Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg was sitting in the audience when Steve Jobs uttered those words. Four years after that event, Zuckerberg was the subject of a cover story in the Time magazine when the Facebook founder chose the opportunity to respond to Apple. He called Apple's take on privacy "a ridiculous concept". "What, you think because you're paying Apple that you're somehow in alignment with them. If you were in alignment with them, then they'd make their products a lot cheaper," he said. Apple and Facebook have been fighting over users. They are competing for the attention and loyalty of users. It seems Facebook is paranoid about the influence that Apple wields over its users. In 2019, Apple blocked Facebook from running its internal IoS Apps. It was a nightmare for 35,000 Facebook employees. They couldn't even perform the most basic tasks at work and their calendars didn't work. They couldn't check the company's shuttle service schedule. The reason behind the crackdown was Facebook which had launched a research app that allegedly allowed it to snoop on the online activity of users. Apple refused to allow Facebook to run this app on its platform. Ultimately, the app was taken down. The message was clear: Facebook will not get a free pass from Apple. CEO Tim Cook has often used his public appearances to send an indirect message to Facebook. Perhaps, it has made Mark Zuckerberg realise where the true power in the tech industry lies. Facebook makes the apps that run the world's biggest social network but Apple controls the distribution of apps. While Android dominates the mobile computing market, Apple's IoS is second and Apple products are often seen in the hands of the wealthy and the influential. It has a loyal customer base that remains in the Apple ecosystem. The clash between Apple and Facebook is cultural and personal. However, now both these companies increasingly look like monopolies fighting each other to influence the future of the tech industry and dictate the rules that users must follow to keep using their innovations.

When Steve Jobs took a dig at Zuckerberg's Facebook over privacy issue

The two of the biggest tech companies in the world Apple and Facebook are at each other's throats and on the verge of a legal face-off over user privacy.

However, privacy is just the ostensible reason - the real one is money.

The result of the great tech war will dictate the future not just of these companies, but also of technology and how we use it because the world is dependent on their gadgets and apps.

Apple and Facebook are fighting each other to dictate how the user will use their services. It is not a new battle. It's been brewing beneath the surface for almost a decade now.

It is now that it has come to a head. The issue escalated on Thursday after Apple announced key changes to its software. It will upgrade its devices like the iPhone and the iPad.

The upgrades could arrive in spring and it will add new features that will tell users which app is gathering what data on you, in other words, the Apple upgrades will expose the apps that snoop on you.

On its website, Apple has illustrated how these new features will work. If an app is tracking your contact info, your location, your financial details, your purchases, your browsing history--- what you search you will get to know about it. Apple will tell you which app is tracking you and how. It will break down the information for you which should be good news for all users.

It's not good news for Facebook because now, users will know what Facebook is tracking and now, Facebook will need your permission before collecting your data which is bad enough for Facebook, however, what's worse is that Apple is making an example of it.

Apple is using Facebook in illustrations to show how the new features would look to describe how its devices can stop data theft. A user will get a prompt their screen telling them that Facebook or any other app wants to track the activity on other websites and apps. A user will get two options - allow the tracking, or deny it.

It means that Apple has declared a war on Facebook's data gathering. However, Apple is not doing to service users, in fact, it is only helping itself making a virtue out of a business plan.

Apple's CEO Tim Cook spoke about it. He, however, did not mention Facebook but criticised the business practices that Facebook has pioneered over the years.

"If a business is built on misleading users, on data exploitation, on choices that are no choices at all, then it does not deserve our praise. It deserves reform. We should not look away from the bigger picture. At a moment of rampant disinformation and conspiracy theories juiced by algorithms, we can no longer turn a blind eye to a theory of technology that says all engagement is good engagement, the longer, the better, and all with the goal of collecting as much data as possible," Tim Cook said.

Apple however is not doing public service, it is fighting a corporate battle and Facebook is fighting back whoever wins, will dictate terms to users. Last month, Facebook ran attack ads in three American newspapers. Facebook plastered its criticism of Apple on front pages and now, it wants to drag Apple to court.

Facebook is mulling a lawsuit. According to a report, Facebook has brought in outside legal counsel. The lawsuit could be about the app store. Facebook wants to sue Apple over what it calls "anti-competitive actions". It accuses Apple of giving preferential treatment to Apple's apps. It says Apple is restricting outside developers like Facebook but before the matter reaches court, Facebook has begun fighting Apple on the internet.

The social media giant has built a website which names Apple. There are testimonies from small business owners. They are voicing their concerns over the changes Apple is about to make to its software.

Mark Zuckerberg has entered the battlefield himself. He was recently on a conference call with Wall Street analysts. He went that's Apple's messaging app which is available only in the Apple ecosystem - only those who have iPhones and iPads can connect on i-message not Android users.

On Wednesday, Zuckerberg said in a conference call with Wall Street analysts that he viewed Apple as one of Facebook’s “biggest competitors.” He cited i-message, Apple’s iPhone-specific texting service, as an existential threat to Facebook’s social networking services.

He added that Apple had “every incentive to use their dominant platform position” to interfere with Facebook and other apps. Apple regularly treats its own apps more favourably in the app store, he said.

He may have a point, unfortunately, he doesn't have the sympathies of users and lawmakers because of his policies.

Facebook and Apple are two of America's most valuable companies - one is a social network, the other makes consumer electronics.&nbsp;They are not direct competitors but clearly, they are now sworn enemies.

The two of the biggest tech companies in the world Apple and Facebook are at each other's throats and on the verge of a legal face-off over user privacy. However, privacy is just the ostensible reason - the real one is money.

The two of the biggest tech companies in the world Apple and Facebook are at each other's throats and on the verge of a legal face-off over user privacy. However, privacy is just the ostensible reason - the real one is money. The result of the great tech war will dictate the future not just of these companies, but also of technology and how we use it because the world is dependent on their gadgets and apps. Apple and Facebook are fighting each other to dictate how the user will use their services. It is not a new battle. It's been brewing beneath the surface for almost a decade now. It is now that it has come to a head. The issue escalated on Thursday after Apple announced key changes to its software. It will upgrade its devices like the iPhone and the iPad. The upgrades could arrive in spring and it will add new features that will tell users which app is gathering what data on you, in other words, the Apple upgrades will expose the apps that snoop on you. On its website, Apple has illustrated how these new features will work. If an app is tracking your contact info, your location, your financial details, your purchases, your browsing history--- what you search you will get to know about it. Apple will tell you which app is tracking you and how. It will break down the information for you which should be good news for all users. It's not good news for Facebook because now, users will know what Facebook is tracking and now, Facebook will need your permission before collecting your data which is bad enough for Facebook, however, what's worse is that Apple is making an example of it. Apple is using Facebook in illustrations to show how the new features would look to describe how its devices can stop data theft. A user will get a prompt their screen telling them that Facebook or any other app wants to track the activity on other websites and apps. A user will get two options - allow the tracking, or deny it. It means that Apple has declared a war on Facebook's data gathering. However, Apple is not doing to service users, in fact, it is only helping itself making a virtue out of a business plan. Apple's CEO Tim Cook spoke about it. He, however, did not mention Facebook but criticised the business practices that Facebook has pioneered over the years. "If a business is built on misleading users, on data exploitation, on choices that are no choices at all, then it does not deserve our praise. It deserves reform. We should not look away from the bigger picture. At a moment of rampant disinformation and conspiracy theories juiced by algorithms, we can no longer turn a blind eye to a theory of technology that says all engagement is good engagement, the longer, the better, and all with the goal of collecting as much data as possible," Tim Cook said. Apple however is not doing public service, it is fighting a corporate battle and Facebook is fighting back whoever wins, will dictate terms to users. Last month, Facebook ran attack ads in three American newspapers. Facebook plastered its criticism of Apple on front pages and now, it wants to drag Apple to court. Facebook is mulling a lawsuit. According to a report, Facebook has brought in outside legal counsel. The lawsuit could be about the app store. Facebook wants to sue Apple over what it calls "anti-competitive actions". It accuses Apple of giving preferential treatment to Apple's apps. It says Apple is restricting outside developers like Facebook but before the matter reaches court, Facebook has begun fighting Apple on the internet. The social media giant has built a website which names Apple. There are testimonies from small business owners. They are voicing their concerns over the changes Apple is about to make to its software. Mark Zuckerberg has entered the battlefield himself. He was recently on a conference call with Wall Street analysts. He went that's Apple's messaging app which is available only in the Apple ecosystem - only those who have iPhones and iPads can connect on i-message not Android users. On Wednesday, Zuckerberg said in a conference call with Wall Street analysts that he viewed Apple as one of Facebook’s “biggest competitors.” He cited i-message, Apple’s iPhone-specific texting service, as an existential threat to Facebook’s social networking services. He added that Apple had “every incentive to use their dominant platform position” to interfere with Facebook and other apps. Apple regularly treats its own apps more favourably in the app store, he said. He may have a point, unfortunately, he doesn't have the sympathies of users and lawmakers because of his policies. Facebook and Apple are two of America's most valuable companies - one is a social network, the other makes consumer electronics. They are not direct competitors but clearly, they are now sworn enemies.

Apple, Facebook in face-off over user privacy

Facing an onslaught of demands on its cash amid a stock market frenzy, Robinhood, the online trading app, said Thursday that it was raising an infusion of more than $1 billion from its existing investors.

Robinhood, one of the largest online brokerages, has grappled with an extraordinarily high volume of trading this week as individual investors have piled into stocks like GameStop. That activity has put a strain on Robinhood, which has to pay customers who are owed money from trades while posting additional cash to its clearing facility to insulate its trading partners from potential losses.

On Thursday, Robinhood was forced to stop customers from buying a number of stocks like GameStop that were heavily traded this week. To continue operating, it drew on a line of credit from six banks amounting to between $500 million and $600 million to meet higher margin, or lending, requirements from its central clearing facility for stock trades, known as the Depository Trust &amp;amp; Clearing Corp.

Robinhood still needed more cash quickly to ensure that it didn’t have to place further limits on customer trading, said two people briefed on the situation who insisted on remaining anonymous because the negotiations were confidential.

Robinhood, which is privately held, contacted several of its investors, including venture capital firms Sequoia Capital and Ribbit Capital, who came together Thursday night to offer the emergency funding, five people involved in the negotiations said.

“This is a strong sign of confidence from investors that will help us continue to further serve our customers,” Josh Drobnyk, a Robinhood spokesman, said in an email. Sequoia and Ribbit declined to comment.

Investors who provide new financing to Robinhood will receive additional equity in the company. The investors will get that equity at a discounted valuation tied to the price of Robinhood shares when the company goes public, said two of the people. Robinhood plans to hold an initial public offering this year, two people briefed on the plans said.

Robinhood’s emergency fundraising is the latest sign of how trading in the stock market has been upended this week.

An online army of investors, who have been on a mission to challenge the dominance of Wall Street, rapidly bid up the price of stocks like GameStop, entrapping the big-money hedge funds that had bet against the stocks. Some of these individual investors have reaped huge profits, while at least one major hedge fund had to be bailed out after facing huge losses.

Robinhood, which is based in Silicon Valley, has been key to empowering the online investors. Adoption of the app has soared in the pandemic as the stock market surged and people took up day trading in the void of other pastimes. The company has drawn in millions of young investors who have never traded before by offering no-fee trading and an app that critics have said makes buying stocks feel like an online game.

Without fees, Robinhood makes money by passing its customer trades along to bigger brokerage firms, like Citadel, who pay Robinhood for the chance to fulfill its customer stock orders.

In May, Robinhood said it had 13 million users. This week, it became the most-downloaded free app in Apple’s App Store, according to Apptopia, a data provider.

Critics have accused the company of encouraging people to gamble on stock market movements and risk big losses. Brokerages including T. Rowe Price, Schwab and Fidelity have imitated Robinhood by lowering their trading fees to zero. Many of them were also hit by the crush of trading this week.

Robinhood has had no trouble raising money over the last year, drawing $1.3 billion in venture capital backing and boosting its valuation to nearly $12 billion. Its other investors include venture capital firm DST Capital, New Enterprise Associates, Index Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz.

Yet the company has faced many issues, including fines from regulators for misleading customers. Last March, it raised more money after its app went down and left customers stranded and nursing big losses, leading to a still ongoing lawsuit.

In recent weeks, many online investors have used Robinhood to make bets that pushed up the price of GameStop, AMC Entertainment and other stocks that had been widely shorted — or bet against — by hedge funds. That changed Thursday after the company curbed customer trading in the most popular stocks.

“As a brokerage firm, we have many financial requirements,” Robinhood said in a blog post Thursday. “Some of these requirements fluctuate based on volatility in the markets and can be substantial in the current environment.”

In protest, hundreds of thousands of users joined a campaign to give Robinhood’s app the lowest one-star review and drive the company’s rating down. Some investors also sued Robinhood for the losses they sustained after the company cut off trading in certain stocks, and several lawmakers urged regulators to exercise more scrutiny of the company.

Facing an onslaught of demands on its cash amid a stock market frenzy, Robinhood, the online trading app, said Thursday that it was raising an infusion of more than $1 billion from its existing investors.

Facing an onslaught of demands on its cash amid a stock market frenzy, Robinhood, the online trading app, said Thursday that it was raising an infusion of more than $1 billion from its existing investors. Robinhood, one of the largest online brokerages, has grappled with an extraordinarily high volume of trading this week as individual investors have piled into stocks like GameStop. That activity has put a strain on Robinhood, which has to pay customers who are owed money from trades while posting additional cash to its clearing facility to insulate its trading partners from potential losses. On Thursday, Robinhood was forced to stop customers from buying a number of stocks like GameStop that were heavily traded this week. To continue operating, it drew on a line of credit from six banks amounting to between $500 million and $600 million to meet higher margin, or lending, requirements from its central clearing facility for stock trades, known as the Depository Trust &amp; Clearing Corp. Robinhood still needed more cash quickly to ensure that it didn’t have to place further limits on customer trading, said two people briefed on the situation who insisted on remaining anonymous because the negotiations were confidential. Robinhood, which is privately held, contacted several of its investors, including venture capital firms Sequoia Capital and Ribbit Capital, who came together Thursday night to offer the emergency funding, five people involved in the negotiations said. “This is a strong sign of confidence from investors that will help us continue to further serve our customers,” Josh Drobnyk, a Robinhood spokesman, said in an email. Sequoia and Ribbit declined to comment. Investors who provide new financing to Robinhood will receive additional equity in the company. The investors will get that equity at a discounted valuation tied to the price of Robinhood shares when the company goes public, said two of the people. Robinhood plans to hold an initial public offering this year, two people briefed on the plans said. Robinhood’s emergency fundraising is the latest sign of how trading in the stock market has been upended this week. An online army of investors, who have been on a mission to challenge the dominance of Wall Street, rapidly bid up the price of stocks like GameStop, entrapping the big-money hedge funds that had bet against the stocks. Some of these individual investors have reaped huge profits, while at least one major hedge fund had to be bailed out after facing huge losses. Robinhood, which is based in Silicon Valley, has been key to empowering the online investors. Adoption of the app has soared in the pandemic as the stock market surged and people took up day trading in the void of other pastimes. The company has drawn in millions of young investors who have never traded before by offering no-fee trading and an app that critics have said makes buying stocks feel like an online game. Without fees, Robinhood makes money by passing its customer trades along to bigger brokerage firms, like Citadel, who pay Robinhood for the chance to fulfill its customer stock orders. In May, Robinhood said it had 13 million users. This week, it became the most-downloaded free app in Apple’s App Store, according to Apptopia, a data provider. Critics have accused the company of encouraging people to gamble on stock market movements and risk big losses. Brokerages including T. Rowe Price, Schwab and Fidelity have imitated Robinhood by lowering their trading fees to zero. Many of them were also hit by the crush of trading this week. Robinhood has had no trouble raising money over the last year, drawing $1.3 billion in venture capital backing and boosting its valuation to nearly $12 billion. Its other investors include venture capital firm DST Capital, New Enterprise Associates, Index Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz. Yet the company has faced many issues, including fines from regulators for misleading customers. Last March, it raised more money after its app went down and left customers stranded and nursing big losses, leading to a still ongoing lawsuit. In recent weeks, many online investors have used Robinhood to make bets that pushed up the price of GameStop, AMC Entertainment and other stocks that had been widely shorted — or bet against — by hedge funds. That changed Thursday after the company curbed customer trading in the most popular stocks. “As a brokerage firm, we have many financial requirements,” Robinhood said in a blog post Thursday. “Some of these requirements fluctuate based on volatility in the markets and can be substantial in the current environment.” In protest, hundreds of thousands of users joined a campaign to give Robinhood’s app the lowest one-star review and drive the company’s rating down. Some investors also sued Robinhood for the losses they sustained after the company cut off trading in certain stocks, and several lawmakers urged regulators to exercise more scrutiny of the company.

Robinhood, in need of cash, raises $1 billion from its investors

An epic battle is unfolding on Wall Street, with a cast of characters clashing over the fate of GameStop&nbsp;skyrocketing for a fourth straight day, thanks in part to&nbsp;Elon&nbsp;Musk.

Tesla founder Elon Musk, who has waged his own battle with short sellers before seeing spectacular gains for the electric carmaker, appeared to encourage the movement by tweeting a link to the Reddit forum along with the cryptic comment&nbsp;"Gamestonk!!"&nbsp;

"Stonks" is a tongue-in-cheek term for stocks widely used on social media.

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Gamestonk!! <a href="https://t.co/RZtkDzAewJ">https://t.co/RZtkDzAewJ</a>
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Herds of amateur investors on Reddit have long been supporters of Tesla and other hyper-volatile stocks, and their influence appears to be growing.

'Short squeeze'

The WallStreetBets followers have been on a GameStop buying spree, which not only pushes up the shares but puts pressure on short sellers to make purchases to "cover" their bets to avoid steeper losses.

This is known on Wall Street as a "short squeeze" and can result in a dizzying rally by forcing short-sellers into becoming buyers.

As a result, GameStop surged 18 per cent on Monday, another 115 per cent Tuesday and had leapt 135 per cent Wednesday. That followed a stunning 50 per cent jump on Friday.

Short sellers, while reviled by some market players, are nonetheless seen as playing an important role in the markets by providing liquidity and driving down overpriced shares.&nbsp;

But at least one GameStop short-seller said he walked away from the stock after what he claimed was harassment and threats by an "angry mob."

As well as GameStop, BlackBerry, also favoured on Wallstreetbets, advanced 4.9&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;and is up 185&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;this year. An earlier tweet by&nbsp;Musk&nbsp;sent Etsy up almost 9% before it reversed its gains.

The surge in recent days - GameStop has increased more than seven-fold to $147.98 from $19 since January&nbsp;12 - has spurred concerns over bubbles in stocks that hedge funds and other speculative players had bet would fall in value.

Trading in GameStop stock was halted for volatility nine times on Monday and five times on Tuesday.

Why have GameStop shares been so volatile?

GameStop, a well-known retail chain whose business model of selling games on discs appears to have been overtaken by a move to the internet, has been the target of "short-sellers," often big hedge funds that bet on a decline by selling borrowed shares in the hope of repaying at a lower price.

But a group of amateur investors, organizing via the online platform Reddit, has fought the trend. A group calling itself WallStreetBets, with some three million members who exchange tips and boast about beating "the system," is credited with pushing up GameStop shares and roiling the Wall Street establishment.

Some analysts have described the situation as a "nerds vs Wall Street" battle.

Jaime Rogozinski, the founder of WallStreetBets, said the movement "is able to do what Occupy Wall Street was never able to do but on a completely different angle."

"Occupy Wall Street was fed up with this saying 'It's a game we can't play, you're forgetting the little guy.' Now the little guy figured out a different way around it," he said.

The WallStreetBets forum had restricted access to those outside its 3.6 million subscribers for a few hours Wednesday evening but was again visible to the public by 0115 GMT early Thursday.

Should regulators intervene?

The extreme volatility has raised concerns about manipulation, which could lead to an investigation by stock market regulators, and has even drawn attention from the White House.

"Our economic team including (Treasury) Secretary (Janet) Yellen and others are monitoring the situation," said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

"It's a good reminder, though, that the stock market isn't the only measure of the health of our economy."

Late Wednesday, the Securities and Exchange Commission said it was monitoring the activity.

"We are aware of and actively monitoring the ongoing market volatility in the options and equities markets and... we are working with our fellow regulators to assess the situation and review the activities of regulated entities, financial intermediaries, and other market participants," an SEC statement said.

Jacob Frenkel, a former enforcement lawyer with the SEC, said the situation warrants regulatory review.

One option would be "a trading pause for 10 days to ensure that all investors would have access to accurate and timely information," Frenkel said.

Senator Elizabeth Warren also called for scrutiny.

"For years, the same hedge funds, private equity firms, and&nbsp;wealthy investors dismayed by the GameStop trades have treated the stock market like their own personal casino&nbsp;while everyone else pays the price," she said in a statement.&nbsp;

"It's long past time for the SEC and other financial regulators to wake up and do their jobs."

An epic battle is unfolding on Wall Street, with a cast of characters clashing over the fate of GameStop skyrocketing for a fourth straight day, thanks in part to Elon Musk.

An epic battle is unfolding on Wall Street, with a cast of characters clashing over the fate of GameStop skyrocketing for a fourth straight day, thanks in part to Elon Musk. Tesla founder Elon Musk, who has waged his own battle with short sellers before seeing spectacular gains for the electric carmaker, appeared to encourage the movement by tweeting a link to the Reddit forum along with the cryptic comment "Gamestonk!!" "Stonks" is a tongue-in-cheek term for stocks widely used on social media. Gamestonk!! https://t.co/RZtkDzAewJ — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 26, 2021 × Herds of amateur investors on Reddit have long been supporters of Tesla and other hyper-volatile stocks, and their influence appears to be growing. 'Short squeeze' The WallStreetBets followers have been on a GameStop buying spree, which not only pushes up the shares but puts pressure on short sellers to make purchases to "cover" their bets to avoid steeper losses. This is known on Wall Street as a "short squeeze" and can result in a dizzying rally by forcing short-sellers into becoming buyers. As a result, GameStop surged 18 per cent on Monday, another 115 per cent Tuesday and had leapt 135 per cent Wednesday. That followed a stunning 50 per cent jump on Friday. Short sellers, while reviled by some market players, are nonetheless seen as playing an important role in the markets by providing liquidity and driving down overpriced shares. But at least one GameStop short-seller said he walked away from the stock after what he claimed was harassment and threats by an "angry mob." As well as GameStop, BlackBerry, also favoured on Wallstreetbets, advanced 4.9 per cent and is up 185 per cent this year. An earlier tweet by Musk sent Etsy up almost 9% before it reversed its gains. The surge in recent days - GameStop has increased more than seven-fold to $147.98 from $19 since January 12 - has spurred concerns over bubbles in stocks that hedge funds and other speculative players had bet would fall in value. Trading in GameStop stock was halted for volatility nine times on Monday and five times on Tuesday. Why have GameStop shares been so volatile? GameStop, a well-known retail chain whose business model of selling games on discs appears to have been overtaken by a move to the internet, has been the target of "short-sellers," often big hedge funds that bet on a decline by selling borrowed shares in the hope of repaying at a lower price. But a group of amateur investors, organizing via the online platform Reddit, has fought the trend. A group calling itself WallStreetBets, with some three million members who exchange tips and boast about beating "the system," is credited with pushing up GameStop shares and roiling the Wall Street establishment. Some analysts have described the situation as a "nerds vs Wall Street" battle. Jaime Rogozinski, the founder of WallStreetBets, said the movement "is able to do what Occupy Wall Street was never able to do but on a completely different angle." "Occupy Wall Street was fed up with this saying 'It's a game we can't play, you're forgetting the little guy.' Now the little guy figured out a different way around it," he said. The WallStreetBets forum had restricted access to those outside its 3.6 million subscribers for a few hours Wednesday evening but was again visible to the public by 0115 GMT early Thursday. Should regulators intervene? The extreme volatility has raised concerns about manipulation, which could lead to an investigation by stock market regulators, and has even drawn attention from the White House. "Our economic team including (Treasury) Secretary (Janet) Yellen and others are monitoring the situation," said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki. "It's a good reminder, though, that the stock market isn't the only measure of the health of our economy." Late Wednesday, the Securities and Exchange Commission said it was monitoring the activity. "We are aware of and actively monitoring the ongoing market volatility in the options and equities markets and... we are working with our fellow regulators to assess the situation and review the activities of regulated entities, financial intermediaries, and other market participants," an SEC statement said. Jacob Frenkel, a former enforcement lawyer with the SEC, said the situation warrants regulatory review. One option would be "a trading pause for 10 days to ensure that all investors would have access to accurate and timely information," Frenkel said. Senator Elizabeth Warren also called for scrutiny. "For years, the same hedge funds, private equity firms, and wealthy investors dismayed by the GameStop trades have treated the stock market like their own personal casino while everyone else pays the price," she said in a statement. "It's long past time for the SEC and other financial regulators to wake up and do their jobs."

GameStop prompts surge in hyper-rally after Elon Musk's tweet

The dating app Bumble has announced that it will be banning users who use the platform to repeatedly body-shame other people.

Bumble said he has updated the content moderator guidelines to provide specific guidance on body shaming. Users who use a language that falls into this category in their profile or app chat feature will first be warned of inappropriate behaviour. If there are recurring incidents or particularly harmful comments, Bumble will remove them altogether from the app.

Body-shaming on this platform constitutes both sending people messages critical of their body or health or writing that a certain body type is unacceptable or undesirable in your bio.

The dating app, which has been immensely popular with millennials and competes with other apps such as Match Group’s Tinder, said it had 42 million monthly active users as of the third quarter of 2020, and 2.4 million paying users in the nine months ended September.

(With inputs from agencies)

The dating app Bumble has announced that it will be banning users who use the platform to repeatedly body-shame other people. Bumble said he has updated the content moderator guidelines to provide specific guidance on body shaming.

The dating app Bumble has announced that it will be banning users who use the platform to repeatedly body-shame other people. Bumble said he has updated the content moderator guidelines to provide specific guidance on body shaming. Users who use a language that falls into this category in their profile or app chat feature will first be warned of inappropriate behaviour. If there are recurring incidents or particularly harmful comments, Bumble will remove them altogether from the app. Body-shaming on this platform constitutes both sending people messages critical of their body or health or writing that a certain body type is unacceptable or undesirable in your bio. The dating app, which has been immensely popular with millennials and competes with other apps such as Match Group’s Tinder, said it had 42 million monthly active users as of the third quarter of 2020, and 2.4 million paying users in the nine months ended September. (With inputs from agencies)

Dating app Bumble to remove body-shamers off the platform

YouTube Shorts launched in September 2020 and after around five months, it's now receiving 3.5 billion daily views.

The 60-second vertical format shares similarities with TikTok videos and other popular types of short-form content.

The first official figure for YouTube Shorts was disclosed by YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki in a blog post detailing the company’s plans for 2021.

"So far, videos in our new Shorts player - which helps people around the world watch short videos on YouTube - are receiving an impressive 3.5 billion daily views!" she said.

"We're looking forward to expanding Shorts to more markets this year."

YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, unveiled Shorts in mid-September, describing the videos as "a new way to express yourself in 15 seconds or less."

(With inputs from agencies)

YouTube Shorts launched in September 2020 and after around five months, it's now receiving 3.5 billion daily views. The 60-second vertical format shares similarities with TikTok videos and other popular types of short-form content.

YouTube Shorts launched in September 2020 and after around five months, it's now receiving 3.5 billion daily views. The 60-second vertical format shares similarities with TikTok videos and other popular types of short-form content. The first official figure for YouTube Shorts was disclosed by YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki in a blog post detailing the company’s plans for 2021. "So far, videos in our new Shorts player - which helps people around the world watch short videos on YouTube - are receiving an impressive 3.5 billion daily views!" she said. "We're looking forward to expanding Shorts to more markets this year." YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, unveiled Shorts in mid-September, describing the videos as "a new way to express yourself in 15 seconds or less." (With inputs from agencies)

YouTube Shorts getting 3.5 billion daily views in India

Twitter recently launched "Birdwatch", a community-based programme aimed at battling misinformation.

As part of this move, people can now identify information in Tweets which they believe could be misleading, and then offer notes that provide context.

In the pilot phase of this project, notes may be accessed on a separate website - Birdwatch. 
 
Envisaged as a forum, participants may rate how helpful notes added by other contributors are.

Twitter claims that so far, Birdwatch is being kept separate from Twitter.

"These notes are being intentionally kept separate from Twitter for now, while we build Birdwatch and gain confidence that it produces context people find helpful and appropriate," Twitter said in a statement on Monday.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/twitter-suspends-account-linked-to-khameneis-website-clarifies-its-fake-and-not-his-358646" hreflang="en">Twitter suspends account linked to Khamenei's website, clarifies it's fake and not his</a>

To kick off the Birdwatch programme, 1,000 users in the US will participate.

"Eventually we aim to make notes visible directly on Tweets for the global Twitter audience when there is consensus from a broad and diverse set of contributors," Twitter said.

"We believe this approach has the potential to respond quickly when misleading information spreads, adding context that people trust and find valuable'', Twitter added.

All data on Birdwatch will be available publicly, and will also be downloadable.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/elon-musk-offers-100-million-to-develop-a-technology-on-twitter-358446" hreflang="en">Elon Musk offers $100 million to develop a technology on Twitter</a>

So far, Twitter has undertaken 100 interviews across users to understand how much support Birdwatch has.

"As we develop algorithms that power Birdwatch such as reputation and consensus systems we aim to publish that code publicly in the Birdwatch Guide," the company claimed. 
&nbsp;

Twitter recently launched "Birdwatch", a community-based programme aimed at battling misinformation. As part of this move, people can now identify information in Tweets which they believe could be misleading, and then offer notes that provide context.

Twitter recently launched "Birdwatch", a community-based programme aimed at battling misinformation. As part of this move, people can now identify information in Tweets which they believe could be misleading, and then offer notes that provide context. In the pilot phase of this project, notes may be accessed on a separate website - Birdwatch. Envisaged as a forum, participants may rate how helpful notes added by other contributors are. Twitter claims that so far, Birdwatch is being kept separate from Twitter. "These notes are being intentionally kept separate from Twitter for now, while we build Birdwatch and gain confidence that it produces context people find helpful and appropriate," Twitter said in a statement on Monday. Also read: Twitter suspends account linked to Khamenei's website, clarifies it's fake and not his To kick off the Birdwatch programme, 1,000 users in the US will participate. "Eventually we aim to make notes visible directly on Tweets for the global Twitter audience when there is consensus from a broad and diverse set of contributors," Twitter said. "We believe this approach has the potential to respond quickly when misleading information spreads, adding context that people trust and find valuable'', Twitter added. All data on Birdwatch will be available publicly, and will also be downloadable. Also read: Elon Musk offers $100 million to develop a technology on Twitter So far, Twitter has undertaken 100 interviews across users to understand how much support Birdwatch has. "As we develop algorithms that power Birdwatch such as reputation and consensus systems we aim to publish that code publicly in the Birdwatch Guide," the company claimed.

Twitter launches 'Birdwatch' - a forum to battle misinformation

A few weeks ago, WhatsApp announced that it would update its terms of service. The updated terms required users to agree to share their data with Facebook.&nbsp;

This notification forced millions of WhatsApp users to adopt alternative services such as Signal and Telegram.

India is the largest user base of WhatsApp, a Facebook company and yet there is a mass movement in India right now to migrate from WhatsApp to Telegram, sparked by concerns of privacy.&nbsp;

Not just Telegram but another encrypted messaging app Signal has seen a surge in new sign ins after Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk vouched for it.

WhatsApp's new Terms of Service and privacy policy will come into effect on February 8.

Millions of people are outraged by the latest change in WhatsApp Terms, which now say users must feed all their private data to Facebook's ad engine.

To recall, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in October said that the company is working hard to merge Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp so that they can start to function a little bit more like one connected interoperable system.

In a bid to allow cross-messaging among its family of apps, Facebook has reportedly started merging Instagram and Messenger chats. The social network has already integrated Messenger rooms with WhatsApp on the Web.

(With inputs from agencies)

A few weeks ago, WhatsApp announced that it would update its terms of service. The updated terms required users to agree to share their data with Facebook. This notification forced millions of WhatsApp users to adopt alternative services such as Signal and Telegram.

A few weeks ago, WhatsApp announced that it would update its terms of service. The updated terms required users to agree to share their data with Facebook. This notification forced millions of WhatsApp users to adopt alternative services such as Signal and Telegram. India is the largest user base of WhatsApp, a Facebook company and yet there is a mass movement in India right now to migrate from WhatsApp to Telegram, sparked by concerns of privacy. Not just Telegram but another encrypted messaging app Signal has seen a surge in new sign ins after Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk vouched for it. WhatsApp's new Terms of Service and privacy policy will come into effect on February 8. Millions of people are outraged by the latest change in WhatsApp Terms, which now say users must feed all their private data to Facebook's ad engine. To recall, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in October said that the company is working hard to merge Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp so that they can start to function a little bit more like one connected interoperable system. In a bid to allow cross-messaging among its family of apps, Facebook has reportedly started merging Instagram and Messenger chats. The social network has already integrated Messenger rooms with WhatsApp on the Web. (With inputs from agencies)

Millions of users move away from WhatsApp after terms of service update

Italy's data privacy watchdog ordered TikTok on Friday to block accounts of users in Italy whose age could not be confirmed by the service after a 10-year-old girl died.

The regulator claimed that TikTok had committed to banning registration for kids below 13, but noted that it was not difficult to break this rule.

Owing to this, the Chinese company is required to ban unverified users at least till February 15 when more details of the ban will be revealed. 
 
TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance did not respond to the move. 
 
A 10-year-old girl died of asphyxiation in Palermo, Sicily after using the app. According to her parents, she was participating in "Blackout Challenge", whereby users put a belt around their necks and hold their breath while recording themselves on the phone.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/russia-to-launch-own-tiktok-developed-with-putins-alleged-daughter-351869" hreflang="en">Russia to launch own TikTok developed with Putin's alleged daughter</a>

Prosecutors are currently investigating the incident, taking into account whether someone invited the kid to participate in the challenge. 
 
"The watchdog decided to intervene as a matter of urgency following the terrible case of the 10-year-old girl from Palermo," the authority said.

It also banned the app from "further processing user data for which there is no absolute certainty of age and, consequently, of compliance with the provisions related to the age requirement".

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/entertainment/lifestyle/news-stolen-500-year-old-leonardo-da-vinci-painting-recovered-in-italy-358275" hreflang="en">Stolen 500-year-old Leonardo Da Vinci painting recovered in Italy</a>

As part of this move, unverified users will no longer be able to upload videos, or interact with people on the platform.

In addition, the watchdog added how it had raised concerns of violations in December, which included allegations of the firm's inability to protect minors.

Italy's data privacy watchdog ordered TikTok on Friday to block accounts of users in Italy whose age could not be confirmed by the service after a 10-year-old girl died.

Italy's data privacy watchdog ordered TikTok on Friday to block accounts of users in Italy whose age could not be confirmed by the service after a 10-year-old girl died. The regulator claimed that TikTok had committed to banning registration for kids below 13, but noted that it was not difficult to break this rule. Owing to this, the Chinese company is required to ban unverified users at least till February 15 when more details of the ban will be revealed. TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance did not respond to the move. A 10-year-old girl died of asphyxiation in Palermo, Sicily after using the app. According to her parents, she was participating in "Blackout Challenge", whereby users put a belt around their necks and hold their breath while recording themselves on the phone. Also read: Russia to launch own TikTok developed with Putin's alleged daughter Prosecutors are currently investigating the incident, taking into account whether someone invited the kid to participate in the challenge. "The watchdog decided to intervene as a matter of urgency following the terrible case of the 10-year-old girl from Palermo," the authority said. It also banned the app from "further processing user data for which there is no absolute certainty of age and, consequently, of compliance with the provisions related to the age requirement". Also read: Stolen 500-year-old Leonardo Da Vinci painting recovered in Italy As part of this move, unverified users will no longer be able to upload videos, or interact with people on the platform. In addition, the watchdog added how it had raised concerns of violations in December, which included allegations of the firm's inability to protect minors.

After death of 10-year-old, Italy orders TikTok to ban unverified users

Nothing is free in this world and tech giants are learning it the hard way.

Google will now have to pay news publishers for carrying their content online in France.

This agreement comes at a time when countries around the world are mulling similar measures.

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/after-google-apple-and-amazon-suspend-parler-social-networking-app-for-threats-of-violence-355686">After Google, Apple and Amazon suspend Parler social networking app for 'threats of violence'</a>

This report explains why India should also make tech giants pay for news.&nbsp;

<h2>First for Europe</h2>

In a first for Europe, Google will now pay news publishers for posting their content online.

The deal comes after months of bargaining after the European Union revamped its copyright rules.

At the heart of these changes is a simple fact: tech giants take content for free and make profits.

This money is not shared with news websites or content creators.

The rise of the internet has led to a decline in circulation with the result being a massive drop in revenues for news organisations worldwide.

<h2>Money, money, and more money!</h2>

While the profits of the tech giants have skyrocketed, Google has made more than four billion dollars from the news industry in 2018.

Combined with Facebook, both tech giants ferry more than 80 per cent of the external traffic to different websites.&nbsp;

This iron grip of big tech on what users read, watch or listen to gives these companies enormous powers.&nbsp;

Developed economies around the world are realising the need for a level playing field.&nbsp;

Besides Europe, Australia too wants tech giants to pay for news.

Last year in December, the Australian government tabled its own law.

The proposed law forces Google and Facebook to negotiate a fair payment with news organisations for using their content.

The tech giants have been fighting this legislation tooth and nail.

While Google says the law will fundamentally damage google search, Facebook insists that it might block news on its platform.

<h2>America tries to rescue</h2>

The American political establishment has jumped in to rescue these tech companies.

Just before Donald Trump left the White House, his office asked Australia to scrap the proposed law.

But the Australian government has refused to relent.

<h2>India needs to take note</h2>

The new laws were only a matter of time.

Already, Facebook has been asked to pay news publishers tens of millions of dollars in the UK

With Google now being forced to pay for news in France, the day isn't far when other tech companies start getting invoices from publishers.

India needs to track these trends and follow suit.

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu has already called for revenue sharing between social media companies and the traditional media.

The Indian government must step in to break the monopoly of big tech.

Nothing is free in this world and tech giants are learning it the hard way. Google will now have to pay news publishers for carrying their content online in France.

Nothing is free in this world and tech giants are learning it the hard way. Google will now have to pay news publishers for carrying their content online in France. This agreement comes at a time when countries around the world are mulling similar measures. Also read | After Google, Apple and Amazon suspend Parler social networking app for 'threats of violence' This report explains why India should also make tech giants pay for news. First for Europe In a first for Europe, Google will now pay news publishers for posting their content online. The deal comes after months of bargaining after the European Union revamped its copyright rules. At the heart of these changes is a simple fact: tech giants take content for free and make profits. This money is not shared with news websites or content creators. The rise of the internet has led to a decline in circulation with the result being a massive drop in revenues for news organisations worldwide. Money, money, and more money! While the profits of the tech giants have skyrocketed, Google has made more than four billion dollars from the news industry in 2018. Combined with Facebook, both tech giants ferry more than 80 per cent of the external traffic to different websites. This iron grip of big tech on what users read, watch or listen to gives these companies enormous powers. Developed economies around the world are realising the need for a level playing field. Besides Europe, Australia too wants tech giants to pay for news. Last year in December, the Australian government tabled its own law. The proposed law forces Google and Facebook to negotiate a fair payment with news organisations for using their content. The tech giants have been fighting this legislation tooth and nail. While Google says the law will fundamentally damage google search, Facebook insists that it might block news on its platform. America tries to rescue The American political establishment has jumped in to rescue these tech companies. Just before Donald Trump left the White House, his office asked Australia to scrap the proposed law. But the Australian government has refused to relent. India needs to take note The new laws were only a matter of time. Already, Facebook has been asked to pay news publishers tens of millions of dollars in the UK With Google now being forced to pay for news in France, the day isn't far when other tech companies start getting invoices from publishers. India needs to track these trends and follow suit. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu has already called for revenue sharing between social media companies and the traditional media. The Indian government must step in to break the monopoly of big tech.

As France tightens grip on Google, why should India take notes?

Popular gaming app <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/pubg-mobile">PUBG Mobile's Season 17 </a>global edition will have Royal Pass. The Royal Pass was included on January 19 and 1.2 updates will also have new features like Runic Powers, Power Armors, a themed event with the Runic powers and new weapons. &nbsp;

The game's official handle on Instagram has said that the update is available for downloads, but Indian gamers will not be able to install as the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/pubg">app </a>is banned in the country.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/when-will-pubg-mobile-india-be-launched-heres-what-we-know-so-far-351394">When will PUBG Mobile India be launched? Here's what we know so far</a>

In this season, users can also choose between Resplendent Dawn and Deadly Sickle at rank 50.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/indian-govt-confirms-that-pubg-mobile-not-given-approval-350504">Indian govt confirms that PUBG Mobile not given approval</a>

They will require to rank up till the 100th position for getting the Guardian Armor Set which comes along with a new UZI and M16A4 skin.&nbsp;

Along with these features, there will also be an RP Activity Pack event in the latest season.

Buying this pack will boost your RP and get extra crate coupons.&nbsp;

The Honor building in Metro Royale and FAMAS rifle (only in Livik) will also appear in the game.&nbsp;

For the unversed, PUBG Mobile is the official spin-off to the survival game PlayerUnknown's Battleground.

In several fronts, the mobile version of PUBG has overshadowed the original version, especially in terms of revenue and was the highest-grossing mobile game in 2020.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Popular gaming app PUBG Mobile's Season 17 global edition will have Royal Pass. The Royal Pass was included on January 19 and 1.2 updates will also have new features like Runic Powers, Power Armors, a themed event with the Runic powers and new weapons.

Popular gaming app PUBG Mobile's Season 17 global edition will have Royal Pass. The Royal Pass was included on January 19 and 1.2 updates will also have new features like Runic Powers, Power Armors, a themed event with the Runic powers and new weapons. The game's official handle on Instagram has said that the update is available for downloads, but Indian gamers will not be able to install as the app is banned in the country. Also read | When will PUBG Mobile India be launched? Here's what we know so far In this season, users can also choose between Resplendent Dawn and Deadly Sickle at rank 50. Also read | Indian govt confirms that PUBG Mobile not given approval They will require to rank up till the 100th position for getting the Guardian Armor Set which comes along with a new UZI and M16A4 skin. Along with these features, there will also be an RP Activity Pack event in the latest season. Buying this pack will boost your RP and get extra crate coupons. The Honor building in Metro Royale and FAMAS rifle (only in Livik) will also appear in the game. For the unversed, PUBG Mobile is the official spin-off to the survival game PlayerUnknown's Battleground. In several fronts, the mobile version of PUBG has overshadowed the original version, especially in terms of revenue and was the highest-grossing mobile game in 2020.

With Runic Powers, latest weapons, PUBG Mobile's Season 17 launched: Check out the latest additions

With Donald Trump ending his presidency, and with Joe Biden taking over the White House, a lot of changes are anticipated - including in the how the administration's Twitter presence functions.

The official handles of US administration including president (@POTUS), first lady (@FLOTUS), and vice president (@VP) will be transferred to the incoming officials, with Twitter being in charge of this transfer. After Biden is sworn in later today, Donald Trump, Melania Trump, and Mike Pence will lose access to their accounts respectively which host tens of millions of followers.

What is Twitter doing?

In a statement, Twitter confirmed that it is "actively working with the US government to support the archival and transition of Twitter accounts across administrations". 
 
The statement added that on January 20, Twitter will help in the transfer process - "As president-elect Biden is sworn in on January 20, 2021, Twitter will facilitate the transfer of institutional White House Twitter accounts," the statement said.

In Pics:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/joe-bidens-presidential-inauguration-whats-changed-whats-new-and-whats-missing-358033" hreflang="en">Joe Biden's presidential inauguration: What's changed, what's new, and what's missing!</a>

In addition, the transfer of power will happen in real-time - in sync with the inauguration's pace in DC.&nbsp;

"People on Twitter will be able to watch the transition of power take place in real-time as accounts for the White House, President, Vice President, First Lady and White House Press Secretary inherit their new institutional usernames", the statement added.

In addition, people who follow @PresElectBiden will now officially become followers of @POTUS, and @SenKamalaHarris' followers will become @VP's followers.

Will old followers be retained? 
 
But, the followers from the current account will not be retained. For instance - if anyone is following @POTUS at the moment, but not @PresElectBiden, they will be removed a follower of @POTUS.

Followers will get a notification about the change in leadership and then will have the option of following the new representatives.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-president-elect-joe-biden-will-take-these-decisions-on-very-first-day-in-office-358003" hreflang="en">In Pics | President-elect Joe Biden will take these decisions on very first day in office</a>

This is in stark opposition to the previous transitional phase, whereby Donald Trump retained the followers of @POTUS after taking over presidential duties from Barack Obama. 
 
Besides this, a new account has been created for Doug Emhoff, who will the first Second Gentleman of the United States, it's called @SecondGentleman.

All tweets by Donald Trump on @POTUS handle will archived as @POTUS45.

"Tweets and account history will remain publicly available and the account usernames will be updated to reflect their archived status," Twitter said.

"Once this archival process is completed, Twitter will transfer the institutional accounts to the Biden administration to assume ownership", Twitter's statement added.

With Donald Trump ending his presidency, and with Joe Biden taking over the White House, a lot of changes are anticipated - including in the how the administration's Twitter presence functions.

With Donald Trump ending his presidency, and with Joe Biden taking over the White House, a lot of changes are anticipated - including in the how the administration's Twitter presence functions. The official handles of US administration including president (@POTUS), first lady (@FLOTUS), and vice president (@VP) will be transferred to the incoming officials, with Twitter being in charge of this transfer. After Biden is sworn in later today, Donald Trump, Melania Trump, and Mike Pence will lose access to their accounts respectively which host tens of millions of followers. What is Twitter doing? In a statement, Twitter confirmed that it is "actively working with the US government to support the archival and transition of Twitter accounts across administrations". The statement added that on January 20, Twitter will help in the transfer process - "As president-elect Biden is sworn in on January 20, 2021, Twitter will facilitate the transfer of institutional White House Twitter accounts," the statement said. In Pics: Joe Biden's presidential inauguration: What's changed, what's new, and what's missing! In addition, the transfer of power will happen in real-time - in sync with the inauguration's pace in DC. "People on Twitter will be able to watch the transition of power take place in real-time as accounts for the White House, President, Vice President, First Lady and White House Press Secretary inherit their new institutional usernames", the statement added. In addition, people who follow @PresElectBiden will now officially become followers of @POTUS, and @SenKamalaHarris' followers will become @VP's followers. Will old followers be retained? But, the followers from the current account will not be retained. For instance - if anyone is following @POTUS at the moment, but not @PresElectBiden, they will be removed a follower of @POTUS. Followers will get a notification about the change in leadership and then will have the option of following the new representatives. In Pics | President-elect Joe Biden will take these decisions on very first day in office This is in stark opposition to the previous transitional phase, whereby Donald Trump retained the followers of @POTUS after taking over presidential duties from Barack Obama. Besides this, a new account has been created for Doug Emhoff, who will the first Second Gentleman of the United States, it's called @SecondGentleman. All tweets by Donald Trump on @POTUS handle will archived as @POTUS45. "Tweets and account history will remain publicly available and the account usernames will be updated to reflect their archived status," Twitter said. "Once this archival process is completed, Twitter will transfer the institutional accounts to the Biden administration to assume ownership", Twitter's statement added.

After Trump's exit, what will happen to US government's official Twitter accounts?

A hacking group from China is suspected of attacking the airline industry over the last few years to obtain data of passengers. Reportedly, this was done to track the movement of people of interest to China. Zdnet reported that the hackers have been attacking the data under the name of Chimera.

Additionally, the group operates for the Chinese state. Initially, the activities of the group were reported in a Black Hat presentation from CyCraft in 2020.

In its initial findings, they found that a series of coordinated attacks took place against Taiwan's superconductor industry.

Last week, NCC Group published a new report claiming that intrusions into its data are broader than previously thought. Its subsidiary Fox-IT also reported the same. Even in this case, the airline industry was targetted.

"NCC Group and Fox-IT observed this threat actor during various incident response engagements performed between October 2019 until April 2020," Zdnet quotes the companies as saying.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/us-intel-agencies-say-russia-likely-behind-hacking-of-govt-agencies-354752" hreflang="en">US intel agencies say Russia likely behind hacking of govt agencies</a> 
 
Both the companies said that these attacks were targetting airline and semiconductor companies across different parts of the world, and not just in Asia. 
 
In many cases, hackers hid inside networks for over three years before they were discovered.

Reportedly, the attack on semiconductor industry aimed to steal intellectual property, while in the case of the airline industry, the goal was different.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/european-medicines-agency-hacking-pfizer-biontech-confirm-vaccine-documents-unlawfully-accessed-348845" hreflang="en">European Medicines Agency hacking: Pfizer-BioNTech confirm vaccine documents 'unlawfully accessed'</a>

The companies claimed that the hackers were targeting victims to obtain Passenger Name Records or what is commonly known as PNR. 
 
The report by NCC and Fox-IT mentions how Chimera operates, saying that it begins by collecting login credentials that became part of the public domain after other companies suffered data breaches. 
 
Once the data was accessed and collected, the information was uploaded to OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive, for traffic flowing into these services is barely inspected.

A hacking group from China is suspected of attacking the airline industry over the last few years to obtain data of passengers. Reportedly, this was done to track the movement of people of interest to China.

A hacking group from China is suspected of attacking the airline industry over the last few years to obtain data of passengers. Reportedly, this was done to track the movement of people of interest to China. Zdnet reported that the hackers have been attacking the data under the name of Chimera. Additionally, the group operates for the Chinese state. Initially, the activities of the group were reported in a Black Hat presentation from CyCraft in 2020. In its initial findings, they found that a series of coordinated attacks took place against Taiwan's superconductor industry. Last week, NCC Group published a new report claiming that intrusions into its data are broader than previously thought. Its subsidiary Fox-IT also reported the same. Even in this case, the airline industry was targetted. "NCC Group and Fox-IT observed this threat actor during various incident response engagements performed between October 2019 until April 2020," Zdnet quotes the companies as saying. Also read: US intel agencies say Russia likely behind hacking of govt agencies Both the companies said that these attacks were targetting airline and semiconductor companies across different parts of the world, and not just in Asia. In many cases, hackers hid inside networks for over three years before they were discovered. Reportedly, the attack on semiconductor industry aimed to steal intellectual property, while in the case of the airline industry, the goal was different. Also read: European Medicines Agency hacking: Pfizer-BioNTech confirm vaccine documents 'unlawfully accessed' The companies claimed that the hackers were targeting victims to obtain Passenger Name Records or what is commonly known as PNR. The report by NCC and Fox-IT mentions how Chimera operates, saying that it begins by collecting login credentials that became part of the public domain after other companies suffered data breaches. Once the data was accessed and collected, the information was uploaded to OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive, for traffic flowing into these services is barely inspected.

A Chinese hacker group is stealing global airline passenger data

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