Page 6 - Social Media Apps

Pakistan urges social media platforms to block banned militant accounts

Pakistan on Friday urged global social media companies to take action to block hundreds of accounts allegedly run by outlawed militant groups that Islamabad claims spread propaganda and glorify insurgents in the South Asian country. According to Pakistan's Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry, groups such as the Pakistani Taliban and the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army banned by the Pakistani authorities and also designated as terrorist groups by the United States have been using X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram to promote violence in Pakistan. Chaudhry, who spoke to reporters at a news conference, urged the tech companies to remove or disable these accounts, as well as those run by supporters of the militant groups. Deputy Law Minister Aqeel Malik, who also spoke at the news conference, said Pakistani investigators have identified 481 accounts associated with the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, and the Balochistan Liberation .

Snapchat's 'Home Safe' feature notifies close friends you are home: Details

Snapchat's new Home Safe feature sends automatic alerts to trusted friends when you arrive home, only if you have opted in to location sharing via Snap Map

Meta adds new protections for teens, children across platforms: What's new

Meta is introducing expanded protections for teen and child accounts across its platforms, including new direct message safeguards and limits on interactions with suspicious adults

X slashes subscription prices in India, Basic plan now at Rs 170 per month

X (formerly Twitter) slashes prices for Basic, Premium, and Premium Plus subscriptions in India, with revised rates live across web and mobile platforms for both new and existing users

Centre tells Karnataka HC 'chilling effect' not an all-in-all solution

The Centre tells Karnataka HC that the 'chilling effect' on free speech cannot justify bypassing reasonable restrictions, as it defends its stance against X Corp's plea over content regulation and cen

EU delays investigation into Musk's X amid trade negotiations with US

The European Commission will miss its probe deadline before the summer recess, with a decision now expected after more clarity emerges from ongoing EU-US trade negotiations

US will start talks with China on possible TikTok deal this week: Trump

Last month, Trump extended the deadline to September 17 for China-based ByteDance to divest the US assets of TikTok

In the app world, the seven deadly sins have found new digital avatars

The moot question is whether a digital business can be built from The Seven Gifts of Grace: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Knowledge, Piety, Fortitude, and Fear of the Lord

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