The government has issued a stern notice to Meta on Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) in paid advertisements on Instagram, sources said on Sunday. The government has issued the notice on Saturday evening. "MeitY has ordered Instagram to disable all ads and content promoting and facilitating access to CSEAM," the source said. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has also demanded a detailed explanation within 7 days.
Meta executives meet IT ministry officials over WhatsApp username issue
"So username is something that you decide. It's the fastest finger first. So anyone who blocks a high-profile person's name could have that username first," he said
The Centre directed WhatsApp to keep the rollout on hold until consultations are completed "to the satisfaction of the Government"
IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has asked MeitY officials to summon Meta over allegations that Instagram carried advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material
Zuckerberg added that a company reorganization that included major job cuts was not as "clean" as it could have been and that executives had miscalculated on the timing of the changes
Meta-owned WhatsApp has come out with a detailed set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the controversial username feature, outlining details on how it plans to address concerns around impersonation, scams and unwanted contact as users begin reserving usernames. The FAQs come amid the Centre's notice to Meta flagging concerns over potential fraud and impersonation risks, and warning against a roll out of the feature till consultations on the issue are completed "to the satisfaction of the government". Put simply, the new feature will allow users to create unique usernames that can be used for connecting on WhatsApp without sharing phone numbers. The FAQs say usernames will be optional, cannot be searched by strangers, and that users can add an additional 'username key' requiring both the username and the key before someone can contact them. WhatsApp said well-known names, including those of public figures, celebrities, government entities and Meta-verified accounts, have been
Businesses say phone numbers will remain central to customer interactions despite WhatsApp's username feature, while cybersecurity experts expect improved privacy and lower spam
The government is reviewing WhatsApp's upcoming username feature over concerns it could enable impersonation, fraud and pose risks to public safety
US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, denied Meta's motion to dismiss claims based on deception, unfair practices and violations of the federal act
The messaging platform will let users reserve unique usernames that can be shared instead of phone numbers, with the feature becoming available later this year
Meta is developing a prediction-market app modelled on Polymarket and Kalshi as Zuckerberg seeks new avenues for growth beyond Facebook and Instagram
The global tech firm announced this week that it will own 20% of Bengaluru-based Cred, which rewards people who pay their credit-card bills on time
Meta Chief Product Officer Chris Cox reached out to Shah directly in the spring, seeking advice on picking the future leader of WhatsApp
Shah has a portfolio of about 298 companies, focusing primarily on sectors such as consumer tech, fintech, SaaS, climate tech, AI and edtech
With Cred founder Kunal Shah set to lead WhatsApp globally, here's a look at the evolution of the app that transformed digital communication and largely replaced SMS across the world
Shah will succeed Will Cathcart, who has led WhatsApp since 2019. Cathcart will move to a newly created division within Meta focused on building next-generation products
Meta acquires a minority stake in Cred through a $900 million investment and appoints founder Kunal Shah as global head of WhatsApp
The investment gives Meta a roughly 20 per cent stake in Cred, which operates an app that rewards customers for paying their credit card bills on time
Meta sees India as a key hub for AI-driven infrastructure growth, with its upcoming Jamnagar data centre reflecting a long-term investment strategy