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WhatsApp unveils 'tipline' to tackle fake news
WhatsApp Tuesday unveiled its 'Checkpoint Tipline', where people can check the authenticity of information received as the messaging giant looks to crack down on fake news ahead of the general election in the country. "Launched by PROTO, an India-based media skilling startup, this tipline will help create a database of rumours to study misinformation during elections for Checkpoint - a research project commissioned and technically assisted by WhatsApp," the Facebook-owned company said in a statement. It added that starting Tuesday, people in India can submit misinformation or rumours they receive to the Checkpoint Tipline on WhatsApp (+91-9643-000-888). Once a WhatsApp user shares a suspicious message with the tipline, PROTO's verification centre will seek to respond and inform the user if the claim made in message shared is verified or not. "The response will indicate if information is classified as true, false, misleading, disputed or out of scope and include any other related ...
In a first, Apple starts iPhone 7 production in India
Giving an impetus to its India manufacturing plans, Apple has started the assembling of iPhone 7 at its supplier Wistron's facility in Bengaluru.
Facebook may hire journalists to curb fake news
In order to better tackle fake news and improve quality of content on its platform, Facebook might hire a new generation of digital-era journalists and news publishers.
Facebook says no evidence of 'Silver Touch' associated with NaMo App
Facebook Inc on Monday took down 15 pages and accounts that engaged in coordinated inauthentic behaviour in India and were linked to individuals associated with an Indian IT firm, Silver Touch.Facebook's head of cybersecurity policy Nathaniel Gleicher was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying that the social media giant was only aware that 'Silver Touch' was an Indian IT firm which worked for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and is associated with Narendra Modi's mobile application, the 'NaMo App' .After BJP's IT head Amit Malviya told Reuters that both the party and the app had "nothing to do with Silver Touch," the wire agency quoted an updated statement by Facebook late on Monday that stated that the social media giant had "seen no evidence to date of Silver Touch being associated with the NaMo App on our platform.""We won't be speculating about off-platform connections of the actors we took down today," a spokeswoman was quoted by the newswire."The only link ...
Facebook will finally answer 'Why am I seeing this?' in your news feed
Facebook will make things easier for you to understand the next time you come across something weird on your timeline and fail to make sense of it.In its official blog, Facebook explained that it is making improvements to the "Why am I seeing this ad?" tool by adding more details about the advertiser and whether there is another marketing partner running the ad.More importantly, the tool is now being extended to include posts in the feed as well. The next time you see an unusual post in your feed, go to the drop-down menu on the right of the post and tap on the "Why am I seeing this post?" You will be provided with a better explanation as to why you are seeing what you are seeing.It is the first time that Facebook has built information on how ranking works directly into the app. With the new feature, you will be able to understand if the post you are seeing in your feed is because of your past interaction with a friend, page, or groups. Within the explanation, you will have links to ..
Facebook removes 15 pages linked to Indian IT firm 'Silver Touch'
Facebook Inc on Monday said it took down 15 pages and accounts linked to individuals related to an Indian IT company called 'Silver Touch'."We removed 15 Facebook Pages, Groups and accounts that engaged in coordinated inauthentic behaviour in India and were linked to individuals associated with an Indian IT firm, Silver Touch," the social media giant said in a statement.Facebook said it removed 12 accounts and one page, plus one group and one Instagram account, linked to individuals related to Silver Touch.However, Reuters news agency has claimed that Silver Touch is associated with Narendra Modi's mobile application, the 'NaMo App'.Asked about Silver Touch's link with politics, Facebook's head of cybersecurity policy Nathaniel Gleicher told Reuters that the social media giant was only aware that it was an Indian IT firm which worked for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government."The only link Facebook saw was that the company was associated with a mobile application promoted
Beware! Google Files app does not actually clean the outside surface of your phone
It's April Fools' Day and we all know how sophisticated Google can get when it comes to pulling off pranks on unsuspecting users. This year, it wants you to believe that its Files app can also clean the actual surface of your phone, in case there is any dust or spilled coffee on the screen.In a very elaborate and very believable video, Google explains how millions of people use the Files app to keep their phones organised and clean. Now, a new feature within the app called Smart Cleaner uses something called as the 'Smudge Detector API' to identify 'imperfections' on the outside of your phone.Google says it uses Geometric Dirt Models and Haptic Micromovement Generator to dislodge dirt, smudges, and more, from the actual, physical screen.Not only that, once it is clean, internal vibrations and haptic controls create microvibrations, forming a long-lasting non-stick shield around the phone. That's enough technology mumbo-jumbo for a prank.
Detailed guidelines for data processing should be left to data protection authority: TECI
The E-Commerce Council of India (TECI), whose members include Snapdeal, ShopClues and UrbanClap, Monday suggested that guidelines for protection and processing of user-data managed by online marketplaces should be left to the proposed data protection authority. In its recommendations on the draft National E-commerce Policy, TECI said commercial enterprises should be allowed to utilise the non-personal data generated from users. "TECI has proposed that detailed guidelines for data protection and processing should be left to the Data Protection Authority, expected to be constituted after proposed Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill 2018 is enacted," it said in a statement. It pointed out that due consideration must be given to the idea that data is not a naturally occurring resource, and an individual does not have an absolute claim over the data he/she generates on a technology platform. "...the right to data protection, the right to be forgotten, the right to prevent any processing of
Facebook removes accounts related to inauthentic behaviour from India, Pakistan
In its latest efforts at curbing the nuisance of spam and inauthentic behaviour that is rampant on its platform, Facebook has announced to have removed more than 600 pages or accounts from India, and more than 100 pages or account from Pakistan.In the official blog, Nathaniel Gleicher, Head of Cybersecurity Policy at Facebook wrote that a total of 103 pages, groups, and accounts on both Facebook and Instagram were removed for engaging in coordinated inauthentic behaviour. These originated in Pakistan and were linked to the country's military fan pages.Separately, 687 Facebook pages and accounts originating in India, were also removed. Interestingly, these were linked to individuals associated with an IT Cell of the Indian National Congress (INC).In another set of removals, 15 Facebook pages, groups, and accounts engaging in coordinated inauthentic behaviour in India, linked to Indian IT firm, Silver Touch, were also pulled down. 321 pages and accounts in India, were also removed down .
Gmail turns 15: Smart compose, schedule send, and more coming today
Fifteen years ago, Google introduced its web-based email service, Gmail. The free service offered more storage than competing services back in 2004. As the search giant marks the 15th anniversary of its very popular product, there are a handful of new features which are also making their way into Gmail.Starting this week, Gmail will show you a new Smart Compose feature to help you craft instant emails on-the-go using predictive behaviour via machine learning. The feature will be first made available on Android devices, followed by iOS. It will also support four new languages including Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese.Another addition is probably the biggest game changer. Gmail will now allow you to write an email and schedule it to be sent later. As explained in the official blog, once you finish typing your email, a new drop-down menu on the Send button will let you schedule the date and time when you would like to send the email.You can also take quick actions on an email, ..
Microsoft's entry-level Surface Book 2 now packs more power
Microsoft has added more power to the base model of its Surface Book 2. The 13.5-inch model is now listed on the official website with a quad-core 8th-gen Intel i5 processor.Despite the power boost, the price of the model is unchanged. You can buy the upgraded entry-level model at USD 1,499 while the older one is available at a reduced price of USD 1,299, Cnet reports.The upgraded model includes 8GB of memory and 256GB of internal storage. With the upgrade, Microsoft says, the device will be perfect for editing photos, watching videos, and creating reports or presentations.In addition to the quiet upgrade, Microsoft also has a Surface event planned for April 17, 2019, when more announcements related to its Surface devices will be made.
Finnish body invites nominations from Indian techies for leading science and tech award
An independent foundation set up jointly by the Finnish industry and the Finland government on Monday launched an appeal for Indians to nominate deserving innovators from the country for its prestigious Euro one million Millennium Technology Prize, which celebrates ground-breaking innovations that promote sustainable development. The prize, which is presented every two years, is set up by the Technology Academy Finland (TAF) as one of the world's largest technology awards. The nomination process for the 2020 prize will run until July. The winner will be awarded by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in Finnish capital Helsinki on May 26, 2020. "India has a rich history of scientific discovery. Today teams of researchers in the country are working on a wide range of projects, from those which expand our understanding of space to new ways to tackle everyday problems posed by pollution," TAF CEO Ari Ahonen said. "Winners of the Millennium Technology Prize are leading innovators in their ...
Facebook removes 103 pages of Pakistani military
Facebook Inc on Monday announced to remove 103 pages affiliated to Pakistani military for being "engaged in coordinated authentic behaviour.""We removed 103 Pages, Groups and accounts on both Facebook and Instagram for engaging in coordinated inauthentic behaviour as part of a network that originated in Pakistan," Nathaniel Gleicher, Head of Cybersecurity Police at Facebook said in a statement.Gleicher also clarified that social media giant has taken the step of removing the accounts on the basis of their behaviour and not their content.The US-based social media platform has alleged that ISPR (Inter-Service Public Relations), the publicity division of Pakistan military establishment, was running these pages."Although the people behind this activity attempted to conceal their identities, our investigation found that it was linked to employees of the ISPR (Inter-Service Public Relations) of the Pakistani military," the statement further reads.Elaborating on the types of pages and ...
Facebook removes pages linked to Congress for inauthentic behaviour
In a major crackdown on the use of fake accounts to criticise opponents, Facebook Inc Monday removed 687 pages and accounts linked to the Congress and a smaller number of what appeared to be pro-BJP accounts, saying they were indulging in "coordinated inauthentic behaviour" on the social media platform. The action to remove Facebook and Instagram accounts, just days before the first phase of polling for the general elections, led to a war of words between the ruling BJP and the main opposition party with the former calling the move a "desperate" attempt to claim support and the latter disowning the accounts. While accounts/pages linked to the Congress party appeared to be large in number, the following or reach of pro-BJP accounts was several times more. Along with removing Congress-linked pages, Facebook also shut down 103 pages, groups and accounts originating in Pakistan and linked to employees of the Inter-Service Public Relations department of the Pakistani military, for similar .
Hacked last month, BJP website back with a bang
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) website that was hacked almost a month back has come back with a bang, with much better design, user-interface and navigation capabilities.
FB bins 687 fake pages linked to Congress (2nd lead)
In a startling revelation how political parties are using fake accounts to push their agenda on social media ahead of the general elections, Facebook on Monday announced removal of 687 spam Facebook pages and accounts connected to individuals associated with the Congress IT cell.
No official Facebook pages taken down, says Congress
As Facebook announced on Monday that it has removed 687 spam Facebook pages and accounts connected to individuals associated with the Congress's IT cell, the party said that none of its official pages have been affected and it was awaiting a list of pages/accounts removed from the social media company.
Sennheiser launches new earbuds at Rs 24,990
German audio brand Sennheiser on Monday launched new wireless earbuds in its "Momentum" range for Rs 24,990.
TRAI issues showcause notice to BARC India for not releasing TV viewership data
Broadcast regulator TRAI has issued a showcause notice to Broadcast Audience Research Council India (BARC India) for not complying with its direction on release of TV viewership data on website during the sector's migration to the new tariff regime, according to a source. The regulator has asked BARC India to explain, by April 5, why action should not be taken against it for contravention of sections of the TRAI Act, the source privy to the development said. Reached for comments, a BARC India spokesperson said it had temporarily suspended making public limited set of data given the "significant volatility in data" due to "distribution disruptions" in the NTO (new tariff order) transition period. It said making public such "misleading" data would be against public interest and could be open to "misuse by vested interests." The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in its showcause notice dated March 29 noted that BARC India did not comply with its past direction given on ...
Sennheiser launches new wireless earbuds at Rs 24,990
German audio brand Sennheiser on Tuesday launched new wireless earbuds in its "Momentum" range for Rs 24,990.