Social Media Apps

Govt asks social media firms to act on unlawful content linked to protests

The government has advised large social media firms to prioritise action against unlawful content related to ongoing protests based on complaints received from authorised bodies, including law enforcement agencies, sources aware of the development said. The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) is learnt to have issued an advisory to social media platforms on October 8, expressing concern over the online circulation of certain information related to the ongoing protests that is false, misleading, manipulated or presented out of context. The IT Ministry has expressed apprehension that such unlawful content may disturb public order, social tranquility and raise law and order concern as well as may incite violence. "MeitY has advised large social media platforms to identify such unlawful content and prioritise action based on complaints received from authorised government bodies," an official source aware of the development said. The advisory has asked social media platforms to labe

Under-18 social media ban: Centre plans changes to IT intermediary rules

Government tells Supreme Court it will make age restrictions a statutory obligation for platforms after bench pushes for enforceable safeguards

Indirect aggression common in Indian conversations on X during major events

Indirect aggression in Indian conversations on social media platform X is most common during major social, financial, sporting and political events, business school researchers have found after they used machine learning models to examine patterns of aggressive communication, analysing more than 1.31 lakh posts. The study, titled "Indian Aggression Detection through Multiple ML Models from Twitter Data", was conducted by researchers at Goa Institute of Management (GIM) and Goa Business School. The findings have been published in renowned journal "Advances in Consumer Research". The study explored whether machine learning could help to identify different forms of aggression in Indian X posts and how aggressive behaviour varied across emotionally and politically charged events. The researchers classified the posts into three categories -- Overtly Aggressive (OAG), Covertly Aggressive (CAG) and Non-Aggressive (NAG). "The findings indicate that OAG responses among Indians remained ...

Put on record steps to curb online child abuse material: SC to govt

The Supreme Court directed the Centre to disclose measures taken to implement its 2024 ruling on reporting child sexual exploitation and abuse material by intermediaries

How the EU's new age-verification app will keep children safe online

The EU is proposing more than age limits for children online, with a common verification system and rules designed to make platforms safer by default

Delhi HC asks govt about policy to regulate addictive social media designs

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Centre to respond whether it was contemplating a policy to regulate addiction-causing design features on social media platforms like infinite scroll and autoplay. A bench of Justices Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Amit Sharma said it would hear after three weeks a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking constitution of an expert committee to examine engagement-maximising and addiction-causing design features on social media platforms. On being asked by the court whether the Centre was contemplating framing a policy on the issue, additional solicitor general Chetan Sharma said he does not have specific instructions on this. To this, the bench orally said, "you take instructions whether you are contemplating framing of a policy and we will have the matter after three weeks". Sharma also said that the PIL does raises some issues but it will be in the domain of the policy makers to consider and suggested that the petition could give a representati

Terms of engagement

If Meta is forced to abandon the engagement-algorithm for its most committed users, and if other platforms follow suit, the industry will undergo a tectonic shift

Meta's new teen safety rules: What changes on Instagram and Facebook

The new protections will first apply in participating US states and territories, subject to judicial approval. Meta has not announced these measures as a global rollout

Meta's campaign on teen safeguards puts TikTok, YouTube, Snap on back foot

In a public callout to TikTok and YouTube that included a plan to publish open letters in newspapers, Meta said it's seeking to set a 'new industry standard'

US Federal Trade Commission probes YouTube over social media policies

The antitrust and consumer protection agency has been probing YouTube since last year and is in the final stages of preparing a potential lawsuit

Meta settlement opens new front in global fight over social media harm

Meta's up to $18 billion settlement with nearly all US states over social media harm to teenagers has opened a new front in a global government fight to protect children and curb addiction

Instagram automates Reels creation on iPhone with First Draft: How it works

Instagram's new First Draft feature creates a rough Reel from selected clips, trimming footage and removing pauses automatically, with iPhone users able to edit and refine the video before publishing

Meta's teen safety deal facing big hurdle: Knowing who's under 18

In a landmark deal with state attorneys general across the US, Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion and implement design changes

Meta's $18 billion social media settlement: Numbers behind the deal

Of the overall amount, the company has pledged to shell out about $12.7 billion in installments to states over the next 10 years as a starting point

Meta to pay up to $16.7 billion to settle social media addiction cases

The deal requires Meta to put new guardrails on its platforms, including restricting how much time youths can scroll and preventing them from switching off certain safety settings

Australia teens return to TikTok 8 months after under-16 social media ban

Some 26% of children between the ages of 13 and 15 were on TikTok as of last month, just one percentage point below the rate prior to Australia's groundbreaking rules coming into effect

Meta Platforms' trial: Victims' families see pivotal moment for safety

Parents say this trial, in which the attorneys general from four states are seeking billions of dollars in damages for social media harms to children, marks a significant moment.

Audiences and platforms push back on AI slop as AI reshapes creator economy

AI is making content creation faster and cheaper, but the rise of synthetic influencers and mass-produced posts is pushing platforms, creators and brands to focus on originality, disclosure and trust

Govt pressure on CSAM prompts Meta to step up action, sensitivity

The government's hard talk with Meta has led to action and increased sensitivity on the issue of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), IT Ministry sources said on Tuesday, adding that the Centre has been unequivocal that such content is a clear violation and there is no safe harbour when law is violated in this manner. Sources said the government's intent is not about censorship or restricting coverage in any way, but ensuring Indian laws and norms are followed and that social media harms are mitigated. "The message has gone home," they said. During discussions, Meta explained how its algorithms and systems work, ministry sources said, noting that discussions are on and such matters involve "judgment calls, and tweaks". On the WhatsApp username row, sources said the matter is under examination as it doesn't involve just that particular platform, but other messaging apps as well. Sources said concerns over social media harms is not something specific only to India, it is a concern sha

Meta faces landmark US trial over child safety on Facebook, Instagram

Of the thousands of lawsuits Meta faces over child safety on its platforms, none may be more consequential than one going to trial this week in California. US states are seeking extensive financial damages that could, in theory, total as much as USD 1.4 trillion, plus changes to how the company operates Facebook and Instagram. The lawsuit accuses the social media giant of contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features that get children addicted to its platforms. It also claims that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without their parents' consent, in violation of federal law. "Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens. Its motive is profit, and in seeking to maximise its financial gains," the lawsuit says. Dozens of states filed the lawsuit three years ago. The trial set to begin Tuesday in federal court in Oakland, California, features four of