Page 9 - Social Media

After violent protests, Nepal government lifts ban on social media

The Nepal government on Monday announced that it has withdrawn its earlier decision to ban social media sites amid violent protests by youths that left at least 19 people dead and over 300 others injured. Nepal Minister for Communication, Information and Broadcasting Prithvi Subba Gurung announced that the government has withdrawn its earlier decision to ban social media sites following an emergency meeting of the Cabinet. Gurung said the Ministry of Information has ordered the concerned agencies to start the process of resuming the social media sites as per the demands of the Gen Z', which spearheaded a massive protest in front of the Parliament in the heart of Kathmandu. Three days ago, the Nepal government had ordered to ban 26 social media sites, including Facebook and X' over their failure to register with the Nepal government. The minister also requested the protesting 'Gen Z' group to withdraw their protest programme. The demonstration on Monday turned violent when some ...

19 killed in Nepal clashes over social media ban; home minister quits

At least 19 people were killed and more than 300 others injured on Monday after police used force during protests by youths that rocked the Nepalese capital and other parts of the country over the government's ban on social media sites, officials said. Thousands of youths, including school students, under the banner of Gen Z, converged in front of the Parliament in the heart of Kathmandu and shouted anti-government slogans demanding immediate revocation of the ban. The protests spread to Pokhara, Butwal, Bhairahawa, Bharatpur, Itahari and Damak. Nepal Police spokesperson Binod Ghimire said 17 people were killed in clashes in various parts of Kathmandu during the rally, and two protesters died in Sunsari district of eastern Nepal in police firing. Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, who represents the Nepali Congress party in the coalition government led by Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, has resigned on moral grounds, the Nepali Congress sources said. The Nepali Army was deployed in the ..

Nepal social media ban: 14 killed as police fire on Gen-Z protests

Demonstrations against the September 4 social media ban escalated into violent clashes in Kathmandu and PM Oli's hometown

Oli says 'nation first' amid social media ban protests in Nepal

Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Sunday, speaking about the government's decision to ban unregistered social media platforms, said the nation being undermined can never be tolerated, even as various groups opposed the move. Nepal on Thursday banned social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube among others for failing to register with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology within the given deadline. According to the notice issued by the ministry, the social media companies were given seven days from August 28 to register. Even when the deadline expired on Wednesday night, none of the large social media platforms including Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), Alphabet (YouTube), X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, and LinkedIn submitted applications. Oli, addressing party representatives on the final day of a convention by the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (Unified MarxistLeninist), said that the party would always oppose anomalies and arrogance, a

India could be LinkedIn's top market in 2-3 yrs: Country head Pattabiraman

India, the second-largest and fastest-growing market for LinkedIn with over 16 crore users, could become the largest for the professional networking platform in 2-3 years at the current growth rate, its India country manager Kumaresh Pattabiraman has said. Pattabiraman described India as the 'signpost' for the global future of work. "By solving for India, we also solve for our 1.2 billion members globally," he said in an interview with PTI. He attributed the Indian market momentum to its digital-first young, ambitious workforce, which is 'on the move', the high appetite here for upskilling, inherent trust in the human insights and knowledge derived from the community and network of mentors and colleagues. The Microsoft-owned platform for professionals has seen its membership here grow by more than 50 per cent in the last two years, and the revenue has more than doubled since 2020, Pattabiraman said. "It is such an exciting time to be in India right now," he said, adding that the .

KPCC chief admits error over GST 'Bidis and Bihar' social media post

The KPCC president, Sunny Joseph, on Saturday admitted that there was a "mistake" and "lack of caution" while posting the "bidis and Bihar" jibe on the social media handle of the party's state unit, a day after it was deleted following a political backlash. Joseph said the 'X' post was deleted and an apology was tendered by the social media team as directed by the state leadership. Kerala state unit of the Congress in a recent post on X, allegedly drew parallels between Bihar and Bidi (a tobacco product) in the wake of the recent GST reforms, and triggered sharp reactions from the BJP. The now deleted post said, "Bidis and Bihar start with B. Cannot be considered sin anymore". "The post has been deleted. The responsible persons - admin of the social media handle and the person who operates it, withdrew it and tendered an apology. The Congress does not endorse that," Sunny Joseph told a TV channel. While replying to a question, he also said there was a mistake and a lack of caution

Australia warns Meta, TikTok to prepare as under-16 ban approaches

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said Thursday she had written to the technology companies saying she expected them to get ready to deactivate accounts held by Australians who are under 16

Instagram explores picture-in-picture mode for Reels on phones: Report

Instagram's picture-in-picture test for Reels mirrors features on TikTok and YouTube, aimed at boosting engagement and retention on the social media platform

Soon, Threads will get X-like long-form text sharing feature: What is it

The Meta-owned app Threads is experimenting with a "text attachment" tool that lets users share longer posts without splitting them into multiple updates

TikTok ban not lifted amid reports of its website being accessible

The clarification came after several users reported that they can access the website of TikTok, however, they were unable to log in to watch videos on the China-based platform

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