Page 22 - Whatsapp

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

WhatsApp introduces search by date function: What it is and how it works

WhatsApp's search by date function is now rolling out to Android, and is already available on iOS, Mac, PCs, and WhatsApp Web client

Meta launches an integrated safety campaign to tackle misinformation

It will also encourage people to verify information that sounds suspicious or inaccurate via fact-checking organisations on WhatsApp Channels, said the company

TMSEp635: WhatsApp chatbot, nutraceutical regulation, markets, Paytm FASTag

Will tech companies follow Meta's lead on deepfake? Do nutritional supplements need better regulation? Are markets overvalued? How to deactivate and replace Paytm FASTag? All answers here

WhatsApp: How-to format text, create bulleted list, use block quote in chat

WhatsApp has introduced new text formatting options that are now available on Android, iOS, Web, and Mac users

MCA, Meta to curb AI-generated misinformation with WhatsApp helpline

The Misinformation Combat Alliance (MCA) and Meta have announced that a dedicated fact-checking helpline on WhatsApp - aimed at combating deepfakes and deceptive AI-generated content - will be available for the public in March 2024. The pledge to crack down on deepfakes comes at a time when the world's largest democracy is preparing for general elections. The Lok Sabha elections are due in April-May this year. "The Misinformation Combat Alliance (MCA) and Meta are working on launching a dedicated fact-checking helpline on WhatsApp in an effort to combat media generated using artificial intelligence (AI) which may deceive people on matters of public importance, commonly known as deepfakes, and help people connect with verified and credible information," according to a release. The helpline will be available for the public to use in March 2024, it added. MCA is a cross-industry alliance bringing companies, organisations, institutions, industry associations and entities together to ..

Centre to form panel to check rising internet, WhatsApp-based spam calls

The proposal to set up the panel was made in an inter-ministerial meeting on the issue chaired by Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh on Thursday, the Consumers Affairs Department said

WhatsApp plans separate inbox for third-party chats to comply with EU's DMA

In an interview with Wired, WhatsApp said that users will get the option to choose if they want other to contact them using other platforms

Meta ramps up AI efforts by building chip arsenal, consolidating teams

Mark Zuckerberg in a post on Instagram said that the company was currently training a third version of the Llama model

Meta's Director, former COO Sheryl Sandberg to leave board after 12 years

During her time at the tech giant, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, Sandberg was key to turning the social network into a money-making machine

WhatsApp launches voice notes, multiple admins, other features for Channels

These features include voice updates, users can now listen to voice updates. WhatsApp which has a user base of over 2 billion send seven billion voice messages daily

WhatsApp for iOS gets option to create, edit stickers within app: Details

Prior to this addition, users had to drag-and-drop stickers from the gallery or use third-party applications to generate stickers on WhatsApp for iOS

Air India's virtual travel assistant is now on Whatsapp. Details here

Air India's virtual travel assistant will help travellers to ask questions across a wide spectrum of over 1300 travel-related topics and access a host of features

WhatsApp backup to count towards GDrive storage soon for Android users

Google provides up to 15GB storage for free with every account that is shared across its platforms such as Drive, Gmail and Photos

WhatsApp banned over 7 million accounts in November over policy violation

WhatsApp in a statement said it had received eight orders from India's GAC and all orders were complied with. GAC was formed in February last year to address concerns related to social media platforms

WhatsApp tests Apple SharePlay-like music sharing in video calls: Report

A similar feature is available on Apple iPhones with SharePlay, which allows users to listen to tracks from Apple Music, watch a movie or TV show from a compatible app, and share screen over FaceTime