Social Media

Pakistani handler expanding network in India via social media: UP police

Two men arrested in Bijnor for allegedly being in touch with a Pakistan-linked handler based in Saudi Arabia told police that the Pakistani handler was expanding his network in India via social media. Circle Officer Najibabad, Anjani Kumar Chaturvedi, said on Saturday that police arrested Uvaid Malik and Jalal Haider in Bijnor following a tip-off regarding their alleged links with Aqib, a native of Sathla village in Meerut's Mawana area who is currently staying in West Asia. According to police, Aqib earlier come into the spotlight after a video surfaced on Instagram on November 23, purportedly showing him displaying an AK-47 rifle and explosives. During interrogation, the arrested men allegedly told police that Aqib used to incite youngsters against Hindus and encourage anti-national activities, disseminating radical and inflammatory ideas on Instagram, the officer said. Police said both the arrested men came in contact with Aqib and Maizul (who is based in South Africa) three yea

X may lose safe harbour cover on inaction over Rana Ayyub posts: Centre

Centre tells Delhi High Court that X may lose safe harbour protection for failing to act on Rana Ayyub posts, citing non-compliance with IT Rules and due diligence norms

Meta says content norms for teenagers further tightened on Instagram

Instagram rolls out stricter age-based content controls in India, limiting teen exposure and boosting parental oversight amid growing calls for social media regulation

How Iran's info war machine operates, shaping global narratives online

Iran has used overt and covert global networks alongside unwitting participants to spread its message through social media, state-affiliated news organisations and American influencers

Andhra Pradesh plans law to regulate children's social media access

State plans draft law to restrict social media access for children under 13 and introduce age-based controls, verification tools, and digital literacy initiatives

A debate unscrolled: India weighs social media curbs for children

The question of whether or not to ban or regulate social media for children and teenagers has no easy answers

Over half of ADHD, autism content online may be misleading: Study

Research reveals many viral posts oversimplify symptoms, which can confuse viewers and lead to misguided self-diagnosis

Neuroscience explains why teens are so vulnerable to social media platforms

Landmark verdict intensifies calls for regulation amid concerns over addiction, depression and online harms among teenagers

The 'sorted' trap: Why looking perfect online is quietly exhausting us

Behind the pressure to appear perfect online lies a quiet burnout, as experts unpack how curated identities fuel anxiety, self-doubt and a growing disconnect from real life

Draft IT regulations may widen govt oversight on social media content

The Centre has proposed allowing the I&B Ministry to issue takedown notices directly to individual users, expanding scrutiny of social media content under draft changes to IT Rules, 2021

Govt proposes to bring independent news creators under MIB purview

Proposed IT Rules amendment seeks to bring independent news and current affairs creators on platforms like YouTube and X under MIB oversight

US visa rules from March 30: Social media checks expanded beyond H-1B visas

US asks visa applicants, including H-1B and student categories, to make social media profiles public as part of expanded screening from March 30

Platforms have almost doubled-tripled deepfake takedowns: Vaishnaw

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday highlighted rising concerns over AI-generated deepfakes, and noted that social media platforms, too, have scaled up efforts on deepfake takedowns. The minister termed deepfakes as a new menace and a threat to society. "A lot of content has started coming in the nature of deepfakes. Because of whatever changes have happened in the AI world, a huge quantity of deepfakes have started coming in the social media... the entire world, and the social media platforms themselves have significantly ramped up their efforts at removing the deepfakes," Vaishnaw, who is the minister for IT as well as Information and Broadcasting, told reporters. The platforms themselves have almost doubled or tripled their own takedowns of deepfake content, he added. "It's a new menace, new threat, which is coming for the society," he said, adding that countering it effectively is very important for society, for every individual, and institution.

Best of BS Opinion: Iran conflict gives India a chance for energy reform

From the US-Iran conflict's global fallout to social media accountability, India's energy challenges and corporate law reforms, today's BS Opinion offers a wide-ranging policy perspective

Restricting social harm: US verdicts expose social media's design flaws

Regulation must engage with the architecture of platforms rather than rely solely on blunt prohibitions

Datanomics: Emigration to unemployment, a lot on the table for Nepal's PM

High unemployment, migration surge and heavy remittance reliance pose key economic challenges for Nepal's new PM Balendra Shah

How Meta, YouTube were found 'negligent' in social media addiction lawsuit

A Los Angeles jury ruled that Meta and YouTube were negligent in designing addictive platforms that harmed a young user, marking a landmark decision amid social media addiction concerns

Meta, Google risk Big Tobacco-like fallout after addiction trial verdict

Unless the verdict is overturned on appeal, the companies may need to change how their products work, a move that could jeopardise the valuable advertising businesses

Govt may cut content takedown compliance timeline to 1 hour from 3 hours

The government is considering reducing the content takedown timeline to one hour from three, subject to stakeholder consultations and implementation feedback from intermediaries

Threat to fair trial: SC expresses concern over cops posting videos online

The Supreme Court has expressed its concern over the trend of people instantly uploading videos shot on mobile phone on social media and said that such activities pose a serious threat to a fair trial. The remark was made by a bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi on Friday. The bench was hearing a PIL that alleged that police upload videos and photographs of the accused on social media and create a bias in people's minds. The PIL argued that the court, in another case, had already asked the states to frame guidelines for media briefing by the police, and it would cover social media posts as well. The bench suggested the petitioner Hemendra Patel to await the outcome of those guidelines, and agreed with senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for Patel, that every person nowadays with a mobile phone has become media. The senior counsel flagged the recent trend of police posting the images of accused persons being ...