Page 12 - Social Media Apps

Lawyers, attorney, money: Inside TikTok's plan to dodge potential US ban

Outside Washington, the video-sharing platform is waging a parallel battle for public opinion

News updates: Microsoft says about 8.5 million of its devices affected by CrowdStrike-related outage

Catch all the news from around the world here

IT ministry asks tech firms to find age verification methods under data law

They have to 'figure out' how they want to implement age-gating requirement, says source

Instagram's new audio feature to let users add up to 20 tracks to a reel

Multi-audio Tracks on Reels will also let users align text, stickers and clips while editing in the app. The feature is available to users in India starting today

Instagram to prioritise short-form content to connect users with friends

Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, said that the platform will prioritise short-form content over long-form videos as connecting people with friends is part of the core identity of the platform

HC orders social media platforms to ban accounts misusing Razorpay's name

The Delhi High Court's order includes measures such as suspension of access to domain names operated by unknown entities involved in these scams

Pakistan PM Sharif to decide fate of social media platforms during Muharram

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would decide the fate of social media platforms such as YouTube, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok during the Muharram festival as the Punjab government sought a ban on them, citing the need to control hate material. Shiite Muslims hold large gatherings during the festival to observe the martyrdom of the grandson of the prophet of Islam. The Muslims generally observe his martyrdom as a symbol of resistance to tyranny, and the Shiite Muslims take out rallies during the first ten days of Muharram which culminate into huge processions on the 9th and 10th of the month. The Sunni Muslims have a historic theological rivalry with the Shiites, and extremist Sunni groups brand them as heretics and target them through bombings, with Pakistan witnessing numerous such attacks in the past. To disrupt communication among the militants, governments in Pakistan traditionally undertake elaborate security measures during Muharram, including suspension of

Pak to ban social media platforms for 6 days to control hate during Ramadan

After successfully blocking X, formerly Twitter, for over four months, the Pakistan government is now set to ban all social media platforms -- YouTube, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok -- for six days from July 13 to 18, citing the need to control "hate material" during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz's cabinet committee on law and order has recommended banning of all social media platforms -- YouTube, X, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, among others --during 6 to 11 Muharram (July 13-18) in Punjab, a province of over 120 million people, to "control hate material, misinformation to avoid sectarian violence", according to a Punjab government notification issued here late Thursday night. The Punjab government of Maryam Nawaz has requested her uncle Shehbaz Sharif's government at the Centre to notify the suspension of all social media platforms on internet for six days (July 13-18). Pakistan Army Chief Gen Asim Munir has already declared soci

No more cooing: India's own Twitter alternative Koo calls it quits

Indian alternative to X (formerly Twitter) has officially shut down, with founders Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka citing financial struggles as the main cause

Meta to end ban on the word 'shaheed' on oversight board's recommendations

The company has been criticized for years over its handling of content involving the West Asia

WhatsApp tests native in-app dialler in beta version for Android: Details

The in-app dialler in WhatsApp will allow users to make calls without saving the contact to address book first. It is currently being tested with select beta users and may roll out to everyone soon

Snapchat announces new safety features with a focus on teenage users

The company on Tuesday introduced the features on the platform with the aim of making it difficult for strangers to contact people randomly

Soon, only premium subscribers will be allowed to live stream on X: Details

The announcement was made via a post by the official (at)Live profile on X. There is no clear timeline announced about when the change will get implemented

Instagram introduces 'Close Friends on Live': What is it and how it works

Announced on June 20, Instagram's close friends on live feature is being rolled out globally. It will give the users an option to limit viewers to their live broadcast

New York guv signs bill to limit 'addictive' social media feeds for kids

New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday signed a bill that would allow parents to block their children from getting social media posts suggested by a platform's algorithm, a move to limit feeds critics argue are addictive. Under the legislation, feeds on apps like TikTok and Instagram would be limited for people under age 18 to posts from accounts they follow, rather than content suggested by an automated algorithm. It would also block platforms from sending minors notifications on suggested posts between midnight and 6 am. Both provisions could be turned off if a minor gets what the bill defines as verifiable parental consent. The law does not take effect immediately. State Attorney General Letitia James is now tasked with crafting rules to determine mechanisms for verifying a user's age and parental consent. After the rules are finalised, social media companies will have 180 days to implement the regulations. We can protect our kids. We can tell the companies that you are not

Why does the American Surgeon General want warning labels on social media?

Banning phones in schools to limited screen times at home: Vivek Murthy is advocating for proactive steps by all to safeguard mental health of the youth on social media platforms

WhatsApp will soon let you share quality media through default setting

Users will no longer have to manually change the resolution of photos and videos to HD quality every time they share it. The feature is available in latest version of WhatsApp

US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy calls for social media warning labels

For a long time, Murthy has been warning that social media can profoundly harm the mental health of youth, particularly adolescent girls

Elon Musk makes likes on posts private on X to boost engagement on platform

Private likes on X arrives after Elon Musk told the engineers working for the platform that he wanted to remove the tweet action buttons and wanted to shift focus to impressions

Elon Musk's X could start hiding likes on public posts from today: Report

Private likes are anticipated to be a default setting from today onwards on X. It will hide likes on others post by default but you will still be able to see likes count on your own post