Page 5 - Social Media Apps

Elon Musk's X recovers partially after major outage hits users in US

Reports of disruptions had dropped to around 1,041 by 7:42 p.m. ET, down from a peak of more than 10,000, according to Downdetector

Reddit update lets users share comments as posts, get insights: Details

Reddit is rolling out features to share comments as posts, track comment insights, and auto-save drafts-enhancing engagement and giving users more control and visibility

Sebi warns investors about stock market scams via social media platforms

The market regulator issued the advisory statement in response to the growing number of frauds and scams that lure investors with false promises of outsize returns

Asia tightens curbs on TikTok, Meta even as US continues to struggle

Governments across the Asia-Pacific region are leading the global charge to protect children from online harms, presenting an unprecedented challenge to the social media apps with most of their users

New Zealand eyes social media ban for under-16s; law possible by 2026

New Zealand proposes banning social media for under-16s by 2026 as Education Minister Erica Stanford leads policy review following similar moves by Australia and others

Doomscrolling, fear: India-Pakistan tensions take toll on mental health

Pakistan was nothing but a name for seven-year-old Hazel till earlier this week. Now she grows suspicious with every knock on the door and breaks down at the thought of impending doom. It all started when her school had an awareness session and then she heard things from her friends in the class. Now she wants me to be careful before opening the door. She says Pakistan will attack us' and everyone will die, said Annu Mathew, who is having a difficult time explaining to her daughter that she is in no direct danger in Kerala's Trivandrum. Young Hazel is not the only one. Hundreds of miles away in Delhi, 36-year-old Mahendra Awasthi said he can't sleep. If the child is troubled by conversations around her, the young man finds himself doomscrolling endlessly through social media, unsure of what to believe and what to not. This continues even after Pakistan and India agreed to step off the escalatory ladder of war on Saturday evening and US President Donald Trump said the two countries

Maha Cyber branch removes 5,000 posts for misinformation amid conflict

Maharashtra Cyber has removed 5,000 posts from social media platforms containing fake news and misinformation about the military conflict between India and Pakistan, an official said on Saturday. According to officials, fake news about the army's movements, strategic operations, or retaliatory measures from neighbouring countries was found on social media. The cybercrime detection agency has also issued an advisory on the circulation of fake news and misinformation related to the military conflict, the official said. He said such unverified and misleading content poses a serious risk to national security and may contribute to the escalation of the conflict. Taking serious cognisance of such fake news and misinformation, the agency issued notices to take down and remove such false narratives from social media and communication platforms, he said. The official said the agency has removed around 5,000 social media posts containing fake news and misinformation about the military ...

Meta removes 23K Facebook pages linked to investment scams in India, Brazil

Meta, in March, removed clusters of scam activity totalling over 23,000 Facebook Pages and accounts that primarily targeted people in Brazil and India, the social media giant said on Wednesday. Explaining the modus operandi, Meta said the scammers used deepfakes, among other techniques, falsely depicting popular personal finance content creators, cricket players and business figures in Brazil and India, endorsing scam investment apps and gambling websites. The scammers redirected people to messaging apps for 'investment advice' and, in some cases, to a fake website that mimicked the Google Play store to download scam gambling apps. "In March, Meta removed multiple clusters of scam activity totalling over 23,000 Facebook Pages and accounts that primarily targeted people in Brazil and India," Meta said in a release. Under Meta's ongoing efforts to promote scam awareness, the company shared insights and handy tips to help people identify and safeguard themselves against common investm

Parl panel seeks action plan against 'anti-national' social media platforms

A parliamentary panel has sought details from two key ministries overseeing information flow on the action they have planned against social media platforms and influencers who "seem to be working against national interest", following the Pahalgam terror attack. The parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, headed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey, has noted that some social media influencers and platforms in the country seem to be working against national interest, which is likely to incite violence, sources said. The committee, in a communication to the ministries of Information and Broadcasting and Electronics and Information Technology, has sought details of the "contemplated action to ban such platforms under IT Act, 2000 and Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021". The letter, the sources said, has been sent to the secretaries of the two ministries and they have been asked

TikTok to enter online shopping business in Japan to expand outside US

TikTok is trying to grow its business outside the US, where it is still waiting for a final deal that will allow it to continue operating

Brain rot and screen overload: How your phone may be wrecking your focus

Endless scrolling may feel harmless, but experts warn it can erode attention span, memory, and mental clarity-here's how to recognise and reverse the damage

SC to hear plea on April 28 to ban explicit content on OTT, social media

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea seeking a direction to the Centre to take appropriate steps to prohibit streaming of sexually explicit content on over the top (OTT) and social media platforms. The plea has sought laying down of guidelines constituting a National Content Control Authority to prohibit sexually explicit content on these platforms. According to the top court's cause list of April 28, the petition is slated to come up for hearing before a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih. The plea claimed there were pages or profiles on social media sites that were disseminating pornographic materials without any filter and various OTT platforms were streaming content that also has potential elements of child pornography. "Such sexually deviant material pollute the minds of youth, children and even grown up persons which gives rise to perverted and unnatural sexual tendencies thereby leading to an increase in the crime rate," it said. The p

Instagram 'Edits', AI-powered video editing app, available on iOS, Android

According to Instagram, Edits allows users to create, edit, and share high-quality videos without watermarks on platforms including Facebook and Instagram

Bluesky introduces blue checkmarks for identity verification: How to apply

Bluesky rolls out a verification badge similar to X (formerly Twitter) to confirm legitimate accounts on the platform. It is not a paid feature though

Instagram introduces 'Blend' for reels recommendations in DMs, groups chats

Instagram's new Blend feature lets users share their entire reels feed with each other in group chats and direct messages, showing reels based on recommendations of each member

Meta to replace fact-checking with Community Notes, announces Joel Kaplan

Joel took to X to announce this significant decision, a topic that has been widely debated in recent months. His post stated that there would no longer be any new fact-checkers

SC refuses to entertain plea for social media ban on children under 13

Supreme Court declared the issue of regulating children's access to social media a policy matter

WhatsApp bans over 9.7 mn accounts in India during Feb for safety reasons

WhatsApp on Tuesday said it banned more than 9.7 million accounts in India during February 2025, 1.4 million of which were proactively banned prior to any user reports. Releasing its monthly safety report, the Meta-owned messaging app also shared tips on using the platform responsibly. It listed out ways to do so, including respecting boundaries, avoiding spamming with bulk and auto messages, and using broadcast lists responsibly. "According to the report for the month of February 2025, WhatsApp banned over 9.7 million accounts in India for violating its Terms of Service. More than 1.4 million of these accounts were proactively banned prior to any user reports," WhatsApp said. A WhatsApp spokesperson further said the platform has consistently invested in Artificial Intelligence and other technology, data scientists and experts, and processes, to keep users safe on the platform. "In accordance with the IT Rules 2021, our latest published report outlines user complaints received, ...

Centre slams 'X' for calling 'Sahyog' a censorship tool, defends IT Act

The Centre has strongly objected to social media platform X's characterisation of the 'Sahyog' portal as a censorship tool, calling the claim both unfortunate and condemnable. In a detailed response submitted before the Karnataka High Court, the Centre countered the claims made by X Corp in its petition challenging India's information-blocking framework. The government asserted that the petitioner had misinterpreted the provisions of the Information Technology (IT) Act, particularly Sections 69A and 79(3)(b). X Corp has argued that Section 79(3)(b) does not authorise the government to issue content-blocking orders in a manner that bypasses the safeguards outlined in Section 69A, its corresponding blocking rules, and the Supreme Court's ruling in the Shreya Singhal case. However, the government contended that Section 69A explicitly allows the Centre to issue blocking orders under specific conditions and provides multiple safeguards for online content restriction. It stated that thi

Instagram brings option to fast-forward Reels, drops content notes: Details

Reportedly, Instagram users can press and hold the side of the screen to watch Reels in 2x speed