Social Media Apps

WhatsApp explores 'Status' privacy shortcut: What is it, how it works, more

WhatsApp is testing a shortcut to access privacy settings related to its Status feature that will let users check who an update was shared with and whether it can be reshared after posting

Soon, you can customise WhatsApp profile with Facebook-like cover photo

Reportedly, WhatsApp is testing a new feature that may soon allow iOS users to add cover photos to their profiles, offering more profile customisation beyond just a profile picture

Instagram denies data leak following password reset email complaints

Instagram said accounts are safe after many users received unexpected password reset emails, following reports that raised concerns about a possible data leak

Vivek Ramaswamy steps away from social media amid Ohio race: Here's why

Vivek Ramaswamy argued that social media creates a distorted picture of reality that also affects modern governance

Elon Musk warns Grok users creating illegal content will face consequences

Microblogging site X owner Elon Musk on Saturday said people using the platform's AI services Grok to make illegal content will face the same consequences as those uploading illegal content. The statement from Musk comes a day after Ministry of Electronics and IT directed X to immediately remove all vulgar, obscene and unlawful content, especially generated by AI app Grok, or face action under the law. "Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content," Musk said on X in response to a post on "inappropriate images". The post said, "Some people are saying Grok is creating inappropriate images. But that's like blaming a pen for writing something bad. A pen doesn't decide what gets written. The person holding it does. Grok works the same way. What you get depends a lot on what you put in. Think about it!." Meity has directed X to take action against offending content, users and accounts. The ministry has directed the US-bas

France may follow Australia in banning social media for children under 15

The proposal follows a French parliamentary investigation that found platforms were deliberately exposing minors to harmful content, prompting calls for stricter online safeguards

User-generated content has no direct impact on brand engagement: Study

User-generated social media content quality does not show a direct influence on engagement for brands, a new study by the Goa Institute of Management (GIM) has pointed out. The study conducted in collaboration with the Goa University, Taleigao, has addressed a key gap in marketing literature by examining how social media content quality and source credibility from brands and firms and users translate into brand equity and online engagement. The research published in the prestigious "Journal of Promotion Management", provides insights on "which type of content, Firm-Generated Content (FGC) or User-Generated Content (UGC), actually drives brand engagement and builds brand equity". According to officials, various research on related topics has been conducted in the past but has provided contradictory findings, making it unclear for real-world scenarios whether social media investment generates measurable brand outcomes or not. "The study attempts to bring clarity to this ongoing debat

Bring law to regulate internet use by children: Madurai HC tells Centre

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has observed that the Centre could consider framing a legislation to regulate the use of internet by kids, similar to a law in Australia. Until such a legislation is in place, the state and national commission for protection of child rights could draft an action plan to create awareness among children on child rights and safe use of the internet, the court said. The framework suggested by the court aims at restricting children below 16 years from having social media accounts, amidst apprehensions over the minors' exposure to harmful online content. A division bench comprising Justices G Jayachandran and K K Ramakrishnan made the remarks recently after counsel K P S Palanivel Rajan, representing the petitioner S Vijayakumar, cited a new Australian law which banned social media usage by children under 16, and said India could consider introducing similar legislation. Vijayakumar had filed the public interest litigation praying for a directio

Snapchat rolls out 'Quick Cut' to speed up video creation from Memories

Snapchat launches Quick Cut, a new tool that turns Memories into beat-synced videos in seconds, making video creation directly within the app

Meta moves to single age-check system as global child safety rules tighten

Meta aims to roll out one age-check system for Facebook and Instagram as global child safety laws grow and pressure on tech firms increases

Instagram comes to big-screen, will let you binge Reels on Amazon fire TV

Instagram for TV supports up to five accounts, personalised feeds and channel-based Reels, turning short videos into big-screen viewing experience at home

Threads expands communities to 200+ topics, tests badges for active users

Meta's Threads expands its communities feature to over 200 topics and tests flairs and badges to encourage more focused discussions and reward active members on the platform

Why big tech bosses are keeping their kids off social media platforms

From YouTube CEO Neal Mohan to Bill Gates, top tech leaders are limiting their children's screen time as studies link social media to teen anxiety and governments move towards age bans

Gavaskar personality rights: HC tells social platforms to act within 7 days

The Delhi High Court on Friday directed social media intermediaries to act within seven days on former cricketer and commentator Sunil Gavaskar's plea seeking protection of his personality rights. Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora asked Gavaskar's counsel to first approach the social media intermediaries with his grievances. The high court directed the social media intermediaries to treat Gavaskar's suit as a complaint under the Information and Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 and take the necessary steps within seven days. The court said in case the social media intermediaries have any reservations to any weblink given by Gavaskar, they should inform him. It directed the plaintiff to provide within 24 hours the URLs in respect of which take down is sought to the social media intermediaries. Gavaskar approached the high court seeking to prevent the unauthorised use of his name, images, persona and likeness by social media platforms

Pak govt may ban social media platforms if they don't 'cooperate': Minister

A Pakistan minister has warned that the government may consider banning social media platforms if they do not cooperate with authorities. Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik made these remarks on Thursday, according to a Dawn report. The social media platform X, which around 4.5 million people in Pakistan use, was blocked in February 2024, around 10 days after the general elections. Speaking on Dawn News programme, Barrister Malik, responding to a question about a possible ban on incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan's X account, said investigations are ongoing. He added that while the government has contacted X, the platform has shown the least cooperation compared to other social media networks. Criticising X, the minister said the platform should not operate with double standards. Posts related to Palestine are removed, and accounts blocked, within 24 hours. Here, we are talking about a matter of terrorism, he said. He further noted that the government h

Reddit challenges Australia's law banning under-16s from social media

Global online forum Reddit on Friday filed a court challenge to Australia's world-first law that bans Australian children younger than 16 from holding accounts on the world's most popular social media platforms. California-based Reddit Inc's suit filed in the High Court follows a case filed last month by Sydney-based rights group Digital Freedom Project. Both suits claim the law is unconstitutional because it infringes on Australia's implied freedom of political communication. "We believe there are more effective ways for the Australian government to accomplish our shared goal of protecting youth, and the SMMA (Social Media Minimum Age) law carries some serious privacy and political expression issues for everyone on the internet," Reddit said in a statement. "While we agree with the importance of protecting people under 16, this law has the unfortunate effect of forcing intrusive and potentially insecure verification processes on adults as well as minors, isolating teens from the .

Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets users personalise Reels feed

Instagram has added a new 'Your Algorithm' tool that lets users review their top interests, adjust topics they want more or less of and personalise their Reels feed in real time

Australia enforces world-first ban on social media access for teens

Meanwhile chat app Discord Inc., which isn't subject to the ban, said Tuesday it is enhancing safety features for users in Australia

By banning social media, we're giving children a childhood: Australian PM

Highlighting the challenges faced by both parents and children from the impact of social media, Albanese said it was a step towards peace of mind for parents, children

Australia rolls out world's 1st teen social media ban amid safety concerns

The law, passed last year, mandates services such as ByteDance Ltd.'s TikTok and Meta Platforms Inc.'s Instagram keep under-16s off their platforms or face fines