Page 15 - Social Media Apps

Musk-led X changes course, gives away blue ticks to popular users for free

Musk pledged last week to start handing out the free features to people who had more than 2,500 verified followers

Elon Musk's X appoints new head of safety to oversee content rules

The company promoted an internal employee, Kylie McRoberts, to take on the high-profile job

Click here: Everything about X trend highlighting image 'Alt Text' feature

Below is an explainer on a recent trend on X (formerly Twitter) where users are posting images with instructions to "Click Here" pointing to the "ALT" text box

Chinese TikTok sellers complain of strict rules on selling in US mkt

TikTok, used by about 170 mn Americans, has been seeking to strike the right balance between pursuing rapid growth and managing regulatory risks

Florida's DeSantis signs US' most restrictive social media bans for minors

Florida will have one of the US' most restrictive social media bans for minors -- if it withstands expected legal challenges -- under a bill signed by Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday. The bill will ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for 14- and 15-year-olds. It was slightly watered down from a proposal DeSantis vetoed earlier this month, a week before the annual legislative session ended. The new law was Republican Speaker Paul Renner's top legislative priority. It takes effect January 1. "A child in their brain development doesn't have the ability to know that they're being sucked into these addictive technologies and to see the harm and step away from it, and because of that we have to step in for them," Renner said at the bill-signing ceremony held at a Jacksonville school. The bill DeSantis vetoed would have banned minors under 16 from popular social media platforms regardless of parental consent. But before the ve

WhatsApp tests 60-second video status feature in public beta: Details here

Currently, WhatsApp lets users post 30-second video status on their profiles. Instagram, however, allows users to post 60-second videos on stories

Snap Inc bets on India's young population to spur growth for Snapchat

In India, Snapchat boasts of a 200 million strong user base. A recent YouGov survey revealed that in Bengaluru, 85 per cent of Snapchatters use the app daily

From apps to influencers, EC working to increase participation in K'taka

Encouraging the public to use various apps to putting QR codes on voter slips to locate polling booths, the Election Commission is coming out with several initiatives to increase turnout in the coming Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka leveraging technology, EC officials said on Tuesday. Voter Helpline, 'Know Your Candidate' and updating details about number of voters in queue and kind of parking facilities available at polling booths and an elaborate booth election management plan are among the other measures being taken. The EC is also collaborating with social media influencers to encourage people to cast their ballot. Celebrities like head coach of Indian cricket team Rahul Dravid, Jnanpith awardee Dr Chandrashekhara Kambar and Paralympian Girish Gowda are the State election icons. The general elections in Karnataka will be held in two phases on April 26 and May 7 for its 28 constituencies. Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena told PTI that out of the 58,834 polling booths,

Post to the past: Instagram tests in beta backdated post scheduling feature

Currently available to select users, the post to the past feature on Instagram is accompanied by a calendar icon that suggests scheduling option for backdated posts

US TikTok creators warn of economic hit if app banned, call it vital space

Alex Pearlman shut the door on dreams of a standup comedy career almost a decade ago, pivoting from the stage to an office cubicle where he worked a customer service job. Then he started posting random jokes and commentary about pop culture and politics on TikTok. Just over 2.5 million followers later, he quit his nine-to-five and recently booked his first nationwide tour. Pearlman is among the many TikTok creators across the U.S. outraged over a bipartisan bill passed by the House of Representatives on Wednesday that would lead to a nationwide ban of the popular video app if its China-based owner, ByteDance, doesn't sell its stake. The bill still needs to go through the Senate, where its prospects are unclear. Content creators say a ban would hurt countless people and businesses that rely on TikTok for a significant portion of their income, while also arguing TikTok has become an unrivaled platform for dialogue and community. Pearlman, who lives outside Philadelphia, said TikTok h

Facing possible ban from US govt, TikTok turns to its creators to fight it

Many of the creators have met with lawmakers and posted videos about their opposition to the bill with the hashtag #KeepTikTok, often with the irreverent humour the app is known for

Downloading now: More fights over app store policies could be coming

Rise of India's mobile economy has everyone scrambling for a piece

US' proposed ban on TikTok 'not fair', says China's foreign ministry

legislators have raised fears that TikTok's US user data could be passed on to China's government

US lawmakers cite India as they vote on bill to regulate TikTok ownership

US lawmakers on Wednesday cited the bold move by India to ban TikTok four years ago as they voted in support of legislation about the Chinese app. In a major bipartisan move, the House of Representatives passed by 352 to 65 votes the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act co-authored by Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat, and Congressman Mike Gallaghe from the Republican party. The bill, which seeks to control the ownership of foreign apps like TikTok in the US, now heads to the Senate for it to be sent to the White House for the President to sign it into law. Several lawmakers referred to the decision taken by India in 2020 to ban the app. In 2020, India banned 59 Chinese-created apps, including TikTok, emphasising their priority to defend India's national security, said the office of Congressman Greg Murphy in a statement. Lack of transparency from TikTok executives and their unwillingness to protect user privacy and ...

X could soon receive payment licenses in New York, California: Elon Musk

Since acquiring the company formerly known as Twitter in 2022, the billionaire has sought to turn it into an 'everything app' like Tencent's dominant WeChat app in China

X planning to remove likes and reposts from content, says Elon Musk

Elon Musk talked about decluttering the content on X, formerly Twitter

Elon Musk's X wins lawsuit against music publishers over copyright

Sony Music, Universal Music and other members of the National Music Publishers' Association trade group had sued X last June, seeking more than $250 million of damages

Banks led by Morgan Stanley discuss refinancing $12.5 bn debt with Musk

Fidelity, which received a stake in X after helping Musk complete his $44 billion purchase, has marked down the value of its position by 72% since the takeover

Ex-Twitter execs including Agrawal sue Musk for $128 mn in severance pay

As soon as he took over Twitter, Musk fired several other top-ranking executives in addition to Agrawal: Vijaya Gadde, who was the company's top legal and policy official

Pakistan to take up resolution seeking permanent ban on social media sites

Amidst serious concerns over the continued disruption of the social media platform X in Pakistan for over a fortnight now, a member of the Senate has demanded a permanent ban on all social media due to its negative impact on the younger generation. Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi, who was recently expelled by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) after he moved a resolution seeking the delaying of the February 8 polls, in the resolution called for a complete ban on all social media platforms, deeming them detrimental to the future of the young generation, Dawn News reported. The resolution is listed on the agenda of the Senate session for Monday. Senator Tangi, who is set to retire on March 11, said: Social media platforms are adversely affecting the young generation in the country [and] being used for promotion of norms against our religion and culture, creating hatred among people on the grounds of language and religion." The resolution notes with concern the use of such platforms agains