This feature was made available in the US earlier this year, but has started to roll out globally starting November 23
Several companies have received I-T notices for either not paying their taxes properly or for underreporting their revenue
Recently launched as a feature on WhatsApp, channels allow users to get updates from people, organisations, and teams that they follow on the messaging platform
Users have the option to either deactivate their profile temporarily or delete permanently
The feature will let users react to Notes using audios, photos and more apart from text responses
The feature was intended to drive engagement on Threads but has faced criticism from users as Threads posts kept popping up on other users' Instagram and Facebook feeds
Opposition MPs have accused the government of spying on them, an allegation that has been denied though it has prompted the government to start an inquiry
Amazon and Meta settled separate UK antitrust investigations by agreeing to stop practices that give them an unfair advantage over merchants and customers using their platforms, the watchdog said Friday. The Competition and Markets Authority said it accepted the commitments from the US tech companies to close the investigations into their online marketplaces. The watchdog had been investigating whether Amazon was harming competition and hurting consumers by giving preference to merchants paying for extras like storage, packaging and delivery. It also looked into how Amazon chooses suppliers for the so-called buy box, which shows customers one-click buy now or add to basket options and the collection and use of data. The CMA said Amazon will no longer be able to use data from third-party sellers to give itself an edge. Sellers can negotiate their own delivery rates with independent delivery services and they'll get a fair shot at the buy box, it said. Amazon welcomed the deal, sayi
US lawsuits can change social-media functioning
European officials widened a ban on Meta's behavioural advertising practices to most of Europe on Wednesday, setting up a broader conflict between the continent's privacy-conscious institutions and an American technology giant. Behavioural advertising, used by Meta's Facebook and Instagram among many other tech companies, involves observing individual behaviour such as browsing habits, mouse clicks and app usage, then using that data to build profiles for targeting ads. The decision by the European Data Protection Board represents a sharp escalation of a tussle that began in Norway, where privacy officials imposed a daily fine of 1 million kroner - roughly $90,000 - on Meta for obtaining that data without adequate consent. Those fines have been piling up since August 14. Meta said it has cooperated with regulators and pointed to its announced plans to give Europeans the opportunity to consent to data collection and, later this month, to offer an ad-free subscription service in Europ
Regulators signed off on the new restrictions just as Meta announced its own plan to offer an ad-free version of the social media sites if users choose to pay a fee
The EU regulations threaten to curb Meta's ability to personalize ads for users without their consent and hurt its major revenue source
The lawsuit follows the release of documents in 2021 that showed that Meta had data showing that Instagram was addictive and worsened body image issues for some teen girls
In a complaint filed in the Oakland, California, federal court on Tuesday, 33 states including California and Illinois said Meta, which also operates Facebook
Experts also underline the importance of platforms maintaining internal capabilities for fact-checking through human reviewers
Social media firms are bringing in more features to shore up engagement across apps in a highly competitive online environment
The letters, signed by 14 leaders of the Indian National Inclusive Developmental Alliance (INDIA), including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who posted these on X, and party leader Rahul Gandhi
It follows Meta's talks to launch a similar plan in the European Union (EU) to conform with its privacy concerns
Social media platforms are worried about losing users which include children, since children may only be able to use these platforms if parents give their consent
This move coincides with news of the government's preparation of the Digital India Bill (DIB) which aims to supersede the Information Technology Act, 2000