Page 5 - Social Media

OnlyFans owner rakes in $701 mn in dividends ahead of $7 bn platform sale

OnlyFans paid $701 million in dividends to owner Leonid Radvinsky as the platform grows, with 4.6 million creators and 377.5 million fans, ahead of a $7 billion stake sale

Instagram introduces link Reels option to boost engagement: How it works

Instagram creators can now link new or existing Reels, add titles, and edit or unlink them, making it easier for viewers to follow series content

Musk tried to enlist Zuckerberg to help finance OpenAI takeover bid

OpenAI said Musk identified Zuckerberg, as one of the people with whom he had communicated about potentially financing a deal to purchase the ChatGPT maker

More customers now rely on social media platforms for financial decisions

At least 53 per cent of users on Facebook and 57 per cent on Instagram say that such media formats influence financial decision making

US Supreme Court upholds Mississippi social media age verification law

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused for now to block enforcement of a Mississippi law aimed at regulating the use of social media by children, an issue of growing national concern. The justices rejected an emergency appeal from a tech industry group, NetChoice, that is challenging laws passed in Mississippi and other states that require social media users to verify their ages. The court had been asked to keep the law on hold while a lawsuit plays out. There were no noted dissents from the brief, unsigned order. But Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote to say that NetChoice could eventually succeed in showing that the law is indeed unconstitutional. Kavanaugh said he nevertheless agreed with the court's decision because the tech group had not shown it would suffer legal harm if the measure went into effect as the lawsuit unfolded. NetChoice argues that the Mississippi law threatens privacy rights and unconstitutionally restricts the free expression of users of all ages. A federal judge

Asci asks media companies to label paid posts shared on social media

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) on Wednesday asked media companies to label paid posts on their social media handles. The self-regulatory organisation (SRO) for the advertising industry has expressed growing concerns about promotions being perceived as editorial content. As a result, it has added a clause to its code to prevent such advertisements from being displayed. Under the newly added clause, any paid or sponsored post by a media company must carry a clear disclosure right at the start, so audiences know upfront that it is promotional in nature, an official statement said, adding "Advertisement," "Partnership," "Ad," "Free Gift," "Sponsored," "Platform disclosure tags" and "Collaboration" are the acceptable labels. There were consumer complaints about misleading or undisclosed promotions on platforms with high editorial credibility, which led to the inclusion of the new clause. The body felt that digital media is often serving as a primary news and informati

US millionaire hunter gored to death: Social media hails buffalo as hero

A millionaire trophy hunter is killed by the very animal he was pursuing. What followed was an outpouring of global support not for the man, but the buffalo

Instagram rolls out reposts, friends tab, location map features: What's new

Instagram adds reposts, optional location sharing via a new map, and a friends tab in Reels to make content discovery and social sharing more personal and real-time

Grok's new AI image, video generator can even make NSFW content: What is it

xAI's Grok Imagine, now live for Android and iOS, lets users create images and short videos from text prompts, including NSFW content with the new "spicy mode"

Instagram restricts live broadcast to accounts with 1000 followers: Details

Instagram has updated its Live broadcast rules, now requiring users to have a public account and at least 1,000 followers, limiting access for smaller creators and private users

Australian court rejects X appeal in child safety case, orders legal costs

An Australian appeals court on Thursday ruled against X Corp., rejecting a challenge to a safety watchdog's demands for details on how the Elon Musk-owned company was combating widespread child exploitation material on its platform. Three federal court judges unanimously rejected X's appeal against a federal court decision in October last year that the company was obliged to respond to a notice from eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant on child abuse material being shared on X, which is incorporated in Texas. The judges also ordered X to pay the commissioner's legal costs. Inman Grant's office describes itself as the world's first government agency dedicated to keeping people safe online. Inman Grant has driven world-first legislation that will ban Australian children younger than 16 from social media platforms, including X, from December. The federal court case goes back to early 2023, when Inman Grant asked some of the world's largest technology companies to report on what they

Australia adds YouTube to under-16 social media ban ahead of Dec rollout

The new rules, set to take effect on December 10, will now apply to YouTube alongside Meta Platforms' Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and X

Maharashtra bars government employees from criticising its policies on social media

The Maharashtra government has implemented strict new rules governing social media use by its employees. From bans on political criticism to restrictions on photos and logos, here’s what’s changed.

Google officials depose before ED in online betting linked PMLA case

Representatives of Google on Monday deposed before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as part of a money laundering probe linked to the promotion of "illegal" online betting and gambling platforms, official sources said. Executives from Meta did not depose, they said. The ED had called the officials of the two tech giants, first on July 21 and later extended their deposition to July 28 as they sought more time to appear. The agency may also record the statement of a designated "compliance officer" of Google under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) apart from obtaining some documents from the company on Monday, the sources said. A Google spokesperson had last week told PTI in a statement that the company was "committed to keeping our platforms safe and secure, prohibiting the promotion of illegal gambling ads." "We are extending our full support and cooperation to investigating agencies to hold bad actors responsible and keep users safe," the spokesperson had said. There

CloudSEK detects Maha-based counterfeit currency syndicates on social media

Cyber intelligence firm CloudSEK has detected counterfeit currency syndicates based out of Maharashtra operating via social media platforms, the company said in a report. The report said that the earlier such syndicates were confined to the dark web and underground print shops and claimed that such syndicates were now operating in broad daylight through social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Sourajeet Majumder, a security researcher at CloudSEK, said the firm has reported about the syndicate to the law enforcement agencies with details of the cyber criminals along with their phone numbers, GPS location and supporting digital evidence. He said the counterfeit currency network was flourishing openly on social media platforms. "In a first-of-its-kind investigation, CloudSEK's STRIKE team has not only quantified the spread -- Rs 17.5 crore worth of fake Indian currency in just six months -- but also attributed key individuals behind the operation using facial recognition,

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 .

Meta to halt political advertising on its platforms in EU from October

The European Union legislation, called the Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising regulation and which will apply from October 10

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

Why you can't stop scrolling: Zombie scrolling is hijacking your attention

Hooked on reels and never-ending feeds? Zombie scrolling is designed to trap you-experts explain what it does to your brain and how to fight back

SC urges self-regulation, stresses value of free speech on social media

The Supreme Court on Monday said citizens must know the value of freedom of speech and expression and observe self regulation as it mulled guidelines to regulate offensive posts on social media. A bench comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and K V Viswanathan was hearing a plea of one Wazahat Khan booked in FIRs in several states, including West Bengal, for his objectionable posts on X against a Hindu deity. On June 23, the top court granted him interim protection from coercive action till July 14. Khan had filed a complaint against another social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli for allegedly making communal remarks in a video. Offensive comments should not be made in response to similar posts, his lawyer said in court. The citizens must know the value of the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression. The State can step in case of violations Nobody wants the State to step in (sic), Justice Nagarathna said. The judge continued, All this divisive tendency on social med