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Telegram launches Instagram-like 'stories' feature for premium users

Telegram users can share images and videos, add links and captions, as well as tag people and comment on other people's 'stories'

Threads see dip in engagement: Here's what brands, creators think of future

When Meta launched Threads, it was billed as a 'Twitter-killer' as 100 million signed up within days of launch. But just like other rivals to Twitter, Threads seems to be losing traction. New data apps tracking firm Sensor Tower indicates the hype has died down and Threads has seen a 20 per cent decrease in active users and a 50 per cent reduction in time spent on the app, from 20 minutes to 10 minutes. Twitter had seen about a 5 per cent decrease in traffic right after Threads' launch earlier this month. Threads isn't the only Twitter alternative to gain and lose traction. Mastodon saw millions of signups immediately after Elon Musk bought Twitter in a USD 44-billion deal. But since late last year, Mastodon has failed to keep users' interest. Bluesky, backed by Twitter's co-founder Jack Dorsey, has also piqued some interest but hasn't really caught up. Twitter has built its reputation around live breaking news, making it the go-to platform for millions during events -- political

OpenAI's head of trust and safety Dave Willner quits. Here is why

After stints at Airbnb and Facebook, Willner took over his role at OpenAI in February last year

Instagram announces AR effects, trending, recommendations in Templates

Facebook parent Meta's photo sharing app Instagram today announced improvements to reel templates that include text, transitions and AR effects in the reels editor, and revamp of the templates browser. In a reel shared by Instagram Head Adam Mosseri, the company said, In addition to the number of clips and music, we are adding text, transitions and AR effects and you can edit those as you see fit. Instagram is also completely revamping the templates browser, which allows users to see trending templates as well as personalised recommendations, and templates or audio that creators have saved. Speaking on the rationale of these improvements, Mosseri said Templates 2.0 might inspire users to make something. We believe that anyone can be creative, and creativity isn't limited to artistic masterpieces or professionals...sometimes you need just a little bit of inspiration, that's where templates can come in, he added. Instagram reels allow users to post videos under 15 minutes. It follow

Meta opens AI chatbot tech 'LLaMA' for commercial use via Microsoft

Facebook parent company Meta Platforms has built an artificial intelligence system that rivals the likes of ChatGPT and Google's Bard but it's taking a different approach: releasing it for free. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Tuesday that the company is partnering with Microsoft to introduce the next generation of its AI large language model and making the technology, known as LLaMA 2, free for research and commercial use. Much like tech peers Google and Microsoft, the social media company has long had a big research team of computer scientists devoted to advancing AI technology. But it's been overshadowed as the release of ChatGPT sparked a rush to profit off of generative AI tools that can create new prose, images and other media. Meta has also tried to distinguish itself by being more open than some of its Big Tech rivals about offering a peek at the data and code it uses to build AI systems. It has argued that such openness makes it easier for outside researchers to help identify

Meta announces new video tab for Facebook; brings improvement to uploads

Users will now have the option to browse vertically through a "personalised feed" of videos with a separate reels section

Meta faces $100K daily fine from Norway regulator over privacy concerns

Meta will face a hefty fine over advertising practices that violate user privacy, Norway's data protection authority said Monday, unless the Facebook and Instagram owner takes action to comply with the law. Norwegian regulator Datatilsynet says that behavioral advertising a common marketing model that profiles users by collection information like their physical locations, among other data without consent is illegal. Because of this, Datatilsynet imposing a temporary ban of such practices on Facebook and Instagram. During the ban, which starts August 4, Meta risks a fine of up to 1 million Norwegian kroner (nearly USD 100,000) each day. The ban will last for three months, or until Meta can show that it complies with the law, Datatilsynet said. This decision does not ban Facebook or Instagram in Norway," Tobias Judin, the Norwegian Data Protection Authority's international department head, stated in a release. "The purpose is rather to ensure that people in Norway can use these ...

Meta Platforms Inc to fight EU charges over Facebook marketplace abuse

EU watchdogs alleged that Meta imposed unfair trading terms that enable it to use data on competing online classified ad services for its Marketplace platform

Twitter silently does away with the requirement to log in to see tweets

The micro-blogging platform prevented users from checking out a tweet if they were not logged in and prompted them to log in for the same

Threads: Meta's "Twitter killer" app puts Elon Musk under pressure

Users, on the whole, may care little about that. What they will care about, though, is a lack of control over what they see in their Threads feed

Threads: 30 million join Meta's Twitter rival, says Mark Zuckerberg

Text-based app seeks to rival Twitter, will be an extension of Instagram

Before cage match, Zuckerberg’s Twitter rival Threads to enter the ring

Meta is turning Instagram's comment section into a standalone app where users can create and join threads on various topics. Watch the video to know more >

Mark Zuckerberg posts first tweet in 11 years in Threads jibe at Musk

Meta's Instagram officially unveiled Threads, considered most potent threat yet to struggling social media service Musk owns. Hours later, Zuckerberg tweeted photo of identical Spider-Men facing off

Meta loses EU court fight over German antitrust crackdown on data

The EU's Court of Justice ruled that Germany's Federal Cartel Office didn't overstep its powers in 2019 when it ordered Facebook to overhaul how it tracks its users' internet browsing

Facebook action on quarter of individual grievances, Insta on 40% in May

Social media giant Meta's Facebook took action against only around 27 per cent of complaints it received from users and Instagram against less than half of total grievances raised by users in May 2023, according to the company's latest India Monthly Report. Individual grievances on Facebook more than doubled to 16,995 and jumped over 68 per cent on Instagram in May compared to April data. As per the category-wise information disclosed by Meta, Facebook "actioned on" less than one-tenth grievances of users where they claimed that the content is showing them in partial nudity or in a sexual act. In the case of Instagram, the platform acted on half of the total users' reports it received for violation of its policy on "content showing me in nudity/partial nudity or in a sexual act". Meta transparency report shows the other categories of report, on which Facebook action rate was less than a quarter of percentage, included grievances raised by users for "bullying or harassment" (less th

I-T dept issues notices to 15 social media influencers over low tax payment

The social media influencers came under the radar of the I-T department after posting their travel to exotic locations and luxury shopping on social media platforms

Meta launches $250K mixed reality fund for 5 Indian startups, details here

As a part of the programme, a group of up to five Indian engineers and new companies will get a monetary grant, alongside exclusive mentoring and direction from the Meta Reality Labs specialists

Meta launches parental supervision tools to tackle impact on mental health

Instagram and Facebook's parent company Meta is adding some new parental supervision tools and privacy features to its platforms as social media companies face increasing scrutiny over their effects on teen mental health. But many of the features require minors and their parents to opt in, raising questions about how effective the measures are. Instagram, for instance, will now send a notice to teens after they have blocked someone, encouraging them to let their parents supervise their account. The idea is to grab kids' attention when they might be more open to parental guidance. If a teen opts in, the system will let parents set time limits, see who their kid follows or is followed by, and allows them to track how much time the minor spends on Instagram. It does not let parents see message content. Instagram launched parental supervision tools last year to help families navigate the platform and find resources and guidance. A sticking point in the process is that kids need to si

After Google and Facebook, Twitter agrees to follow EU laws on fake news

One commissioner recently warned Twitter that an unruly operation akin to the wild west would not be tolerated

Malaysia to take legal action against Meta over harmful content on Facebook

Malaysia's government said Friday it will take legal action against Facebook's parent company, Meta Platforms, for failing to remove undesirable and harmful content from its social media platform. The Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission said Facebook has recently been plagued by a a significant volume of undesirable content relating to sensitive issues on race, religion and royalty as well as defamation, impersonation, online gambling and scam advertisements. The commission said repeated efforts to reach out to Meta to remove harmful content were of no avail. Meta's response, which has been sluggish and unsatisfactory, has not met the urgency of the matter and has led to increasing public concern and scrutiny, it said in a statement. As there is no sufficient cooperation from Meta, MCMC has no option but to take definitive steps or legal action against Meta as a measure to ensure that people are secure and protected in the physical sphere. The commission said it will