Page 18 - Whatsapp

Umar Khalid's lawyer asks court whether sharing messages is terror act

Rebutting the Delhi Police's argument that former JNU student Umar Khalid was creating social media narratives to influence bail hearings, his lawyer on Wednesday asked the court whether sharing WhatsApp messages is a criminal or terror act. Khalid is an accused in the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 northeast Delhi communal riots. He has been booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai was hearing the second bail plea of Khalid before the special court. "The special public prosecutor (SPP) says I created narratives. Is sharing messages (on WhatsApp) a criminal or terror act?... Is the court able to see the ridiculousness of their (prosecution's) attempts to keep someone in jail? Is it wrong for me to forward a message saying someone is wrongly incarcerated? No," Khalid's counsel senior advocate Trideep Pais said. SPP Amit Prasad had earlier said the data from Khalid's mobile phone revealed that he was in

Meta goes after OpenAI, Microsoft, Google with Llama 3 AI model: Details

Meta said it is taking the Llama 3 AI model global by integrating it into its consumer-facing platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and more

Telegram platform to hit 1 billion active users within a year, says founder

One of Telegram's main rivals, Meta Platforms' WhatsApp, has more than 2 billion monthly active users

Explainer: What is RCS and how is it different from SMS, MMS and OTT apps

Available on most Android smartphones, RCS is coming to iPhones later this year. Here is an explainer on the messaging protocol and how it is different from SMS and Apple iMessage

WhatsApp rolls out chat filters on iOS, Android: What it is, how it works

Meta-owned instant messaging platform WhatsApp said that chat filters will allow users to find unread messages and groups without having to scroll through the entire inbox

WhatsApp: How to power up your group chats with Meta AI on Android, iPhone

Announced on April 12, Meta AI is currently being tested by the social media giant on its instant messaging platform WhatsApp in limited groups

Meta starts testing AI chatbot on WhatsApp and Instagram in India

Meta AI will allow users to generate text, images and summarise stories

WhatsApp now allows DTC bus commuters to book QR tickets on its platform

WhatsApp already provides online ticketing service to Delhi Metro commuters across Delhi, Noida and Gurugram Rapid Metro routes

Now pay your Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance premium via WhatsApp: Here's how

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance has announced the introduction of premium payment options on WhatsApp, in collaboration with Meta

Meta-owned WhatsApp back online after brief global outage: Details here

The WhatsApp outage had impacted thousands of users in India, the United Kingdom and Brazil, according to Downdetector data

DoT warns against picking up WhatsApp calls with foreign numbers +92

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) stated that callers have falsely impersonated the DoT to scam people

WhatsApp: Meta mulls AI-powered image editor for instant messaging platform

The AI-powered image editing tool on WhatsApp would allow users to edit images for background change and style using the generative capabilities of AI

WhatsApp tests 60-second video status feature in public beta: Details here

Currently, WhatsApp lets users post 30-second video status on their profiles. Instagram, however, allows users to post 60-second videos on stories

Google, Meta face tough questions in Australia over cyber extremism threats

Australia's online safety regulator has put social media giants on notice, requiring them to explain what they are doing to protect people from violent extremists and terrorists. The country's eSafety regulator announced Tuesday that it had issued legal notices to Google, Meta, X, WhatsApp, Telegram and Reddit requiring each company to report on steps they are taking to protect Australian users of their platforms from extremist material online. Accessing violent and extremist content on social media has been blamed for the radicalisation of the perpetrator of the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings, which killed 51 people, and also a gunman who murdered 10 black Americans at Buffalo in New York in 2022. Both shooters also live-streamed parts of their attacks online. According to Australia's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant the risk of terrorism and online radicalisation remains high both in Australia and internationally. "The tech companies that provide these services have a .

Oppn asks EC to act against PM Modi's Whatsapp message on 'Viksit Bharat'

Raising the issue of people receiving Prime Minister Narendra Modi's letter on WhatsApp seeking support in building a 'Viksit Bharat', opposition leaders on Monday called on the Election Commission to act against what they said was a "blatant violation" of the model code of conduct. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor tagged a post of a person raising the issue of privacy over the prime minister's letter being received by persons living abroad. "Will the @ECISVEEP take note of such a blatant misuse of government machinery and government data to serve the partisan political interests of the ruling party?" Tharoor said on X. Another Congress MP Manish Tewari also posted on X the WhatsApp message which had the letter attached, as received by him on his phone. "This unsolicited WhatsApp message came at 12.09 AM today . It seems to be from @GoI_MeitY (Ministry of Electronics & IT). Is this not a blatant violation of the both Model Code of Conduct & Right to Privacy," Tewari said. "Where ...

LS polls: Social media influencers emerge as go-to campaign mediums

As the country gears up for the world's biggest electoral exercise, messaging platforms like WhatsApp and social media influencers have emerged as the go to mediums for political parties to influence voter psychology, ad gurus and political analysts say. In the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, political parties are extensively using social media to propagate their achievements and seek support from voters. How Parties Are Wooing Voters? The BJP is trying to engage with the voters by sending them a personalised 'Letter from the Prime Minister' on WhatsApp which has over 500 million active users monthly in India highlighting the achievements of the Narendra Modi government and seeking feedback from voters. The party launched the website 'My First Vote For Modi,' which allows visitors to pledge to vote for Modi and submit a video stating the reason behind their choice. The website also hosts several short videos highlighting the development work done under the NDA government.

US Senator asks social media firms about preparations for polls in India

An influential American Senator on Friday asked the US social media companies as to what preparations they have made for elections in India, where social media platforms, including Meta-owned WhatsApp, have a long track record of amplifying misleading and false content. The letter, written by Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Intelligence and Rules Committees, which has oversight over US elections, comes on the eve of the announcement of elections in India by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The letter by Bennet to the leaders of Alphabet, Meta, TikTok, and X is addressed to seeking information from these companies about their preparations for elections in various countries, including India. The dangers your platforms pose to elections are not new users deployed deepfakes and digitally altered content in previous contests but now, artificial intelligence (AI) models are poised to exacerbate risks to both the democratic process and political stability. The ...

Now, WhatsApp for Android blocks screenshots on profile pictures: Details

WhatsApp for iOS (iPhone) still lets users take screenshots of a profile picture in the full screen mode

WhatsApp: Here is how Meta plans chat encryption with third-party services

Meta in a press note stated that the third-party providers will have to sign an agreement with Messenger and WhatsApp and demonstrate similar security standards to enable interoperability

Instagram introduces edit message feature, pin groups and chats, and more

The new messaging features are now rolling out to both Instagram for Android and iOS apps and will be available for everyone in the coming days