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Humans of New York’s Brandon Stanton wades into India copyright row

A row has broken out after the founder of popular photo blog Humans of New York criticised a similar Indian platform’s take on copyright.

Humans of Bombay, which follows the same format as Brandon Stanton’s New York blog, started in Mumbai in 2014.

It recently filed a suit against People of India, which started a few years later, of copyright infringement.

All three tell stories of people in the form of interviews or posts alongside their photos.

Brandon Stanton started Humans of New York as a photo project in 2010

Earlier this month, Humans of Bombay (HOB) filed a lawsuit in the Delhi High Court saying People of India (POI) was an “identical portal/service” which had “replicated a large number of images and videos” from its platform. People of India has been summoned for a hearing on 11 October.

Founded by Drishti Saxena in 2019, POI has over two million followers on social media. In the court documents, HOB has shared screengrabs of People of India’s posts alleging that they were almost exactly like its own.

POI has not publicly commented on the lawsuit but continues to share posts on Instagram. On Saturday, it also opened an account on X (formerly Twitter).

The case made headlines in India after Stanton commented on it on Saturday on X – “you can’t be suing people for what I’ve forgiven you for”, he posted.

Stanton said he had remained quiet about “the appropriation of my work” by Humans of Bombay because it “shares important stories”. He also pointed out that HOB had monetised their work “far past anything I’d feel comfortable doing on HONY [Humans of New York]”.

HOB responded to Stanton’s post, saying it was shocked at the “cryptic assault” on its effort to protect its intellectual property without understanding the background of the case. It added that Stanton “ought to have equipped” himself with information before commenting.

The Indian platform faced backlash from many in the country who called its lawsuit hypocritical. One user pointed out that HOB used the same tagline as HONY – “one story at a time” – on its X page.

Others questioned what copyright laws HOB adhered to while using the stories of people it interviewed for its platform.

In 2019, HOB had been criticised for publishing a flattering five-part interview of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the national elections.

In a post on X on Sunday, HOB said it was “grateful” to HONY and Stanton for “starting this storytelling movement”.

It also attempted to clarify that its case was related to intellectual property of its posts and “not about storytelling at all”.

HOB, founded by Karishma Mehta, has said it was “grateful” to HONY and Stanton for “starting this storytelling movement”

But on Monday, Stanton released a statement saying: “For the last 13 years I haven’t received a penny for a single story told on Humans of New York, despite many millions offered.”

He said he welcomed anyone using the concept “to express something true and beautiful about their community” but did not identify with anyone using it “to create a certain lifestyle for themselves”.

In an interview to an Indian YouTube channel earlier this year, HOB founder Karishma Mehta said the platform functioned as a business that ran on ads and also collaborated with brands like Amazon, WhatsApp and Unilever for their campaigns.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-66877898

Don Jr. Sparks Chaos With Apparent Twitter Hack Announcing Trump Death — Read the Now-Deleted Posts

Former President Donald Trump has not passed away, despite his son’s social media feed claiming as much. It appears Donald Trump Jr.’s X/Twitter account was hacked.

Just after 8 a.m. Wednesday morning, Don Jr. announced that he will, as a result of the death, be seeking the nation’s highest office instead of his father.

Mediaite cannot confirm the current health of the former president, but judging by other messages put up shortly after, it seems apparent that the former “first son” has been victim to a hacker. To wit, “Don, Jr.” then proclaimed the innocence of controversial crypto-king Richard Heart:

There was also a warning that “North Korea was about to get smoked”:

And then this Jeffrey Epstein “joke”:

The hacker was NOT afraid to offer some searing criticism of current President Joe Biden:

And nothing reveals the mindset of a hacker than a Logan Paul reference:

Source : https://www.mediaite.com/weird/don-jr-sparks-chaos-announcing-his-father-died-in-apparent-twitter-hack

X Corp (Twitter) case: Karnataka High Court suggests that government bring in minimum age for using social media

The Karnataka High Court today suggested that the Central government consider setting a minimum age for using social media so that children are prevented from using it.

A bench of Justices G Narender and Vijaykumar A Patil made the suggestion while dwelling upon the dangers of exposing children to social media.

“Best is to ban social media. I will tell you, lot of good will come. Seriously, today, school-going children are so addicted to it. At least, you should bring a user age limit. The children – maybe 17 or 18 – does he have the maturity to judge what is in the interest of the nation, what is not in the interest of the nation? User should be at least the age of 21 (years), because that is the age at which he gets to vote,” the Court orally observed.

The oral remark came at the fag end of the hearing in the appeal by X Corp (formerly Twitter) in the case concerning the Indian government’s orders to block certain tweets and accounts in 2021 and 2022.

The order in the interlocutory applications (IAs) will be pronounced on Wednesday.

The counsel appearing for the Central government told the Court that the law now requires a user to have Aadhaar and other documents before they can access certain online games.

The Court then asked why such measures were not being extended for social media as well.

“Why can’t it be extended here also? Everybody has an opinion on anything under the sun. Your client (X Corp) may not agree, but still…” Justice Narender observed.

Today’s hearing in the matter also saw the Court raising concern that the rules may have to be tweaked so that intermediaries such as X Corp are not threatened by account holders with prosecution, if they are ordered to take down posts or accounts while maintaining confidentiality.

“What happens if he blocks, without any justification. If it is in public domain, people will come to know about it. If somebody considers it defamation and sues him, what will be his remedy? It is very simple, you may have to tweak the rules a little. Like you (Central government counsel) said, he (X Corp) has to be given immunity. Because it is at your discretion he is doing it. Because if you are going to leave him high and dry, then how?” the Court remarked.

The bench further observed that X Corp cannot be expected to sit in judgment over which posts or accounts should be taken down on a subjective evaluation.

“(Suppose) One content says apple a day keeps the doctor away, can you say ‘no, no, this is anti-national, against doctors?’ … Tomorrow, you say, you interpret it and say it is against the doctor fraternity, it is against the interest of nation – can they accept that?” the Court asked.

The bench added that the only aspect to be examined is whether the content in question violates Section 69A (1) and (2) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. If these provisions are violated, then X Corp would have to comply with blocking orders.

However, in case there is no such violation noticed, the Court asked if X Corp could be forced to take down content and thereby risk prosecution by the account holder.

Meanwhile, the counsel appearing for X Corp today told the Court that its challenge in the appeal is confined to the manner in which a single-judge of the High Court had earlier made observations on the interpretation of the law on blocking posts and accounts.

The Court was told that X Corp has now complied with all the demands earlier challenged to block posts and accounts. However, a grievance was raised that over 1,000 tweets were asked to be taken down without providing sufficient reasons.

The Court took note of the submission and observed that the concern had to do with how the Central government can exercise its blocking orders. Such blocking orders have to be justified with reasons or the social media intermediary may be threatened by legal action from its users, the Court orally observed.

The matter initially started with Twitter, as it was known then, challenging certain blocking orders by the Indian government. A single-judge of the Karnataka High Court rejected the challenge and ordered the social media giant to pay a ₹50 lakh fine for its apparent failure to ensure timely compliance with the block demands.

Source: https://www.barandbench.com/news/x-corp-twitter-case-karnataka-high-court-minimum-age-use-social-media

UN rights chief slams Musk ‘trolling campaign’ against anti-defamation group

The UN rights chief decried Wednesday an online “trolling campaign” against a leading anti-defamation group, urging online platforms like X, formerly Twitter, to do more to battle hate speech.

Musk who bought Twitter last year and rebranded it as X, has come under fire for liking posts with the hashtag “BanTheADL” © JOEL SAGET / AFP/File

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk demanded that social media platforms “do far more to stop the circulation of hate speech and disinformation”.

“Those that do not take action need to be held to account,” he said, insisting “there is no excuse for purveying the voice of hatred”.

Speaking at an event on anti-Semitism on the sidelines of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Turk deplored in particular “the current trolling campaign of one online platform against the anti-Defamation League, after it called for action to limit its volume of hate speech”.

Turk did not mention names, but appeared to be referring to a barrage of abuse recently launched by X owner Elon Musk’s against the US-based Jewish organisation.

Musk has accused the ADL of making unfounded accusations of anti-Semitism that have scared away advertisers and hurt his company’s revenue, and has threatened to sue for billions of dollars.

Musk, who bought Twitter last year and rebranded it as X, has come under fire for liking posts on the platform with the hashtag “BanTheADL”.

The hateful campaign started after the ADL participated in a civil rights march marking the 60th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech, according to the group.

The ADL has for years accused the social media site of amplifying anti-Semitic hate speech, and has charged that problematic and racist speech has risen sharply on X after Musk completed his $44 billion takeover in October.

The organisation recently met with X top executives to discuss the problem.

Turk decried Wednesday that “new technologies and online media mean that racist caricatures and conspiracy theories can circulate now at a much greater speed and without regard to distance, making them a grave threat to our social fabric.

“Social media platforms have played a terrible role in metastasising of hatred from limited backwaters into multi-current mainstream trends,” he said.

Source: https://www.rfi.fr/en/business-and-tech/20230913-un-rights-chief-slams-musk-trolling-campaign-against-anti-defamation-group

WhatsApp Rolls Out Telegram-Like Channels Feature In India And Over 150 Countries

WhatsApp channels are a one-way broadcast tool and provide a private way to receive updates from people and organizations that matter to users.

On WhatsApp, channels are separate from chats.

WhatsApp has rolled out its long-awaited feature, WhatsApp Channels, in India and across more than 150 countries, marking an innovative development in the services provided by the messaging platform.
According to its parent company, Meta Platforms, WhatsApp Channels in India will deliver a private way for people to receive updates that matter to them. Channels are a one-way broadcast tool for admins to send text, photos, videos, stickers, and polls. Channels can be found in a new tab called Updates on WhatsApp, where you’ll find status and channels you choose to follow, separate from your chats with family, friends, and communities.

The move comes as Meta makes a push to shore up engagement across its social media apps, positioning them as central destinations where content creators can engage with followers.

The wider rollout is happening months after WhatsApp Channels was launched in Colombia and Singapore in June. The Broadcast Channels feature on Instagram was simultaneously made available globally.

On WhatsApp, channels are separate from chats, and followers are not visible to each other.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/feature/whatsapp-rolls-out-telegram-like-channels-feature-in-india-and-over-150-countries-4387667

Twitter appears to throttle New York Times

X, Elon Musk’s social media platform formerly known as Twitter, appears to be attempting to limit its users’ access to The New York Times.

Since late July, engagement on X posts linking to the New York Times has dropped dramatically. The drop in shares and other engagement on tweets with Times links is abrupt, and is not reflected in links to similar news organizations including CNN, the Washington Post, and the BBC, according to NewsWhip’s data on 300,000 influential users of X.

The drop in engagement in Times posts seems isolated to X: NewsWhip data showed that engagement with Times links shared on Facebook remained consistent relative to other outlets.

“There was a drop off in engagement for NYT compared to the other sites in late July/early August,” NewsWhip spokesperson Benedict Nicholson told Semafor.

Times employees had already taken note of the pattern, as high-profile attempts to share Times articles failed to travel on the platform. For instance, earlier this week, former President Barack Obama shared multiple New York Times articles on X about healthcare costs, which the service said reached fewer than 900,000 and 800,000 users respectively. The number was far lower than any other post shared by the former president since X began sharing that data publicly earlier this year — for comparison, a Politico link shared by the president got nearly 13 million views.

Source: https://www.semafor.com/article/09/10/2023/twitter-appears-to-throttle-new-york-times

Saudi Arabia: Man Sentenced to Death for Tweets

Peaceful Criticism on Social Media Brings Death Penalty

(Beirut) – A Saudi court has sentenced a man to death based solely on his Twitter, and YouTube activity, Human Rights Watch said today. Saudi authorities should quash the verdict, which is an escalation of the Saudi government’s crackdown on freedom of expression and peaceful political dissent in the country.

On July 10, 2023, the Specialized Criminal Court, Saudi Arabia’s counterterrorism tribunal, convicted Muhammad al-Ghamdi, 54, a retired Saudi teacher, of several criminal offenses related solely to his peaceful expression online. The court sentenced him to death, using his tweets, retweets, and YouTube activity as the evidence against him.

“Repression in Saudi Arabia has reached a terrifying new stage when a court can hand down the death penalty for nothing more than peaceful tweets,” said Joey Shea, Saudi Arabia researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Saudi authorities have escalated their campaign against all dissent to mind-boggling levels and should reject this travesty of justice.”

Saudi security forces arrested al-Ghamdi in front of his wife and children on June 11, 2022, outside his home in the al-Nawwariyyah neighborhood of Mecca, people with knowledge of the case told Human Rights Watch. They took him to al-Dhahban Prison, north of Jeddah, where he was held in solitary confinement for four months. His family was unable to contact him during this period and he did not have access to a lawyer. The authorities later transferred al-Ghamdi to the al-Ha’ir Prison in Riyadh.

Saudi interrogators questioned him about tweets and political opinions and asked his opinions about individuals imprisoned for exercising their right to free expression. Al-Ghamdi did not have a lawyer for nearly a year and once he finally did obtain legal representation, he was only able to speak with the lawyer immediately in advance of court sessions.

Al-Ghamdi’s brother, Saeed bin Nasser al-Ghamdi, is a well-known Saudi Islamic scholar and government critic living in exile in the United Kingdom. In a tweet on August 24, Saeed wrote that the “false ruling aims to spite me personally after failed attempts by the investigations to return me to the country.” Saudi authorities in recent years have increasingly retaliated against the family members of critics and dissidents abroad in an effort to coerce them to return to the country, Human Rights Watch said.

Court documents Human Rights Watch reviewed show that the Specialized Criminal Court sentenced al-Ghamdi to death on July 10 under article 30 of Saudi Arabia’s counterterrorism law for “describing the King or the Crown Prince in a way that undermines religion or justice,” article 34 for “supporting a terrorist ideology,” article 43 for “communication with a terrorist entity,” and article 44 for publishing false news “with the intention of executing a terrorist crime.” Al-Ghamdi’s trial judgment states that he used his accounts on the X, formally Twitter, platform and YouTube to commit his “crimes.”

The public prosecutor sought the maximum penalties for all charges against al-Ghamdi. The documents say that the court issued the sentence on the grounds that the crimes “targeted the status of the King and the Crown Prince,” and that the “magnitude of his actions is amplified by the fact they occurred through a global media platform, necessitating a strict punishment.”

The documents cite two X platform accounts as belonging to al-Ghamdi. Human Rights Watch found that the first account had two followers and the second had eight. Both accounts, which have fewer than 1,000 tweets combined, largely contained retweets of well-known critics of the Saudi government.

The charging document cites as evidence several tweets criticizing the Saudi royal family, and at least one calling for the release of Salman al-Awda, a prominent cleric facing a possible death sentence on various vague charges related to his political statements, associations, and positions, and of other prominent imprisoned Islamic scholars.

Al-Ghamdi does not consider himself a political or human rights activist, said those with knowledge of the case. He maintains that he is a private citizen who merely expressed some concerns about the Saudi government over the X platform, they said.

Al-Ghamdi suffers from a number of serious mental health issues, the sources said, and Saudi authorities have refused to provide him with some of his prescription medications, which are necessary to treat and manage his conditions. Al-Ghamdi’s mental and physical health have greatly deteriorated since his arrest, they said.

Al-Ghamdi’s death sentence is the latest and most severe in a series of cases in which Saudi authorities have targeted social media users for peaceful expression online. Over the past year, Saudi courts have convicted and imposed decades-long sentences on social media users who criticized the government.

In August 2022, a Saudi appeals court dramatically increased the prison sentence of a Saudi doctoral student, Salma al Shehab from 6 to 34 years, based solely on her activity on the X platform. The sentence was later reduced on appeal to 27 years. That same day, a court sentenced another woman, Nourah bin Saeed al-Qahtani, to 45 years in prison for “using the internet to tear the [country’s] social fabric.”

Source: https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/08/29/saudi-arabia-man-sentenced-death-tweets

Mumbai: Youth Allegedly Consumes Drugs In Local Train; Railway Authorities Launch Probe After Video Goes Viral (Watch)

A senior official of the Western Railway stated, “A lookout notice has been circulated to all RPF and Government Railway Police posts.”

A shocking video capturing a youth allegedly consuming drugs on a local train in Mumbai went viral on social media on Saturday, raising concerns about the safety and security of passengers in the public transport system

The incident was brought to light by an X user, formerly known as Twitter, who tagged the Mumbai police in a tweet.

In the four-second video, a man can be seen smoking something while another person, also on the same train, appears to assist him in the act.

The tweet read, “@Mumbai_police_ In Local train Guys Taking drugs they have Many drugs in pocket and they have Group of 6 guys and 1 girl also In there. They all Are Get AWAY in Nalasopara station date 1/09/2023 time 1:25 AM night.”

@Mumbai_police_ In Local train Guys Taking drugs they have Many drugs in pocket and they have Group of 6 guy and 1 Girls also In there They all Are Get AWAY in nalasopara station date 1/09/2023 time 1:25AM night 🌉 pic.twitter.com/9QjJS6LMsW

— ADARSH (@ADARSH7355) August 31, 2023

Probe underway

Promptly responding to the tweet, railway authorities and concerned citizens expressed their worries. Railway authorities acknowledged the issue and tagging with Divisional Railway Manager of Western Railway, Mumbai Central Division, tweeted back, “For necessary action, escalated to the concerned official.”

Further action was swiftly initiated as the Divisional Railway Manager directed the Railway Protection Force (RPF) to investigate the matter.

Authorities are now actively pursuing the matter to identify and take appropriate action against those involved in the alleged drug consumption.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/mumbai-youth-allegedly-consumes-drugs-in-local-train-railway-authorities-launch-probe-after-video-goes-viral-watch

“Those Discussing Whether I’m Alive Or Not…”: Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Video Goes Viral

The clip has sparked a huge discussion on X (formerly Twitter), where it has been shared by Anton Gerashchenko.

Yevgeny Prigozhin’s clothing matches with his appearance he made on August 21.

A new video of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin purportedly showing him in Africa days before his death has surfaced on social media. In the short clip, released by a Telegram channel linked to the Wagner Group, Prigozhin is heard talking about his well-being and possible threats to his security. He is seen dressed in camouflage clothing and hat, as well as the watch on his right hand. Prigozhin believed to have died along with nine other people when a Brazilian-made Embraer jet crashed north of Moscow last week.
NDTV cannot verify the location or the date of the video, which was filmed in a moving vehicle. However, his clothing matches with an appearance he made in a video released on August 21, as per a Reuters report.

The Wagner boss his heard saying that the video has been filmed in Africa.

A video of Prigozhin appeared that is reportedly filmed in Africa not long before his death.
"So, fans of discussing my death, intimate life, earnings, etc., I am doing fine," Prigozhin says. pic.twitter.com/UcIKpgLNZi

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 31, 2023

“For those who are discussing whether I’m alive or not, how I’m doing – right now it’s the weekend, second half of August 2023, I’m in Africa,” Prigozhin says in the video.

“So for people who like to discuss wiping me out, or my private life, how much I earn or whatever else – everything’s ok,” he adds with a wave of his hand.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/those-discussing-whether-im-alive-or-not-yevgeny-prigozhins-new-video-goes-viral-4344903

Raksha Bandhan 2023: Mamata Banerjee Ties Rakhi To Amitabh Bachchan, Says ‘I Met Bharat Ratna Of India’ (WATCH)

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee visited Amitabh Bachchan and his family at his residence on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.

Raksha Bandhan 2023: Mamata Banerjee Ties Rakhi To Amitabh Bachchan, Says ‘I Met Bharat Ratan Of India’ (WATCH) |

Earlier today, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived at actor Amitabh Bachchan’s residence in Jalsa, Mumbai, on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. She has arrived in the city to attend the two-day meeting of I-N-D-I-A, which is slated to take place between August 31st and September 1st.

After tying Rakhi to Amitabh, Mamata Banerjee exited Jalsa and talked about her meeting with the actor. She is heard saying, “I am happy today. I met ‘Bharat Ratna’ of India Amitabh Bachchan (Mamata Banerjee called Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan Bharat Ratna) and also tied him rakhi. I love this family. They are the number one family in India and they have a lot of contributions also…I also invited him to attend Durga Puja and International Film Festival.”

WATCH | Mamata Banerjee Ties Rakhi To Amitabh Bachchan, Says 'I Met Bharat Ratan Of India' 👇#Mumbai #MamataBanerjee #JayaBachchan #AishwaryaRaiBachchan #AbhishekBachchan #AmitabhBachchan #Breaking @MamataOfficial @juniorbachchan @SrBachchan @TMC_Supporters pic.twitter.com/u1gOdH6qVV

— Free Press Journal (@fpjindia) August 30, 2023

Apart from Amitabh, Mamata Banerjee received a warm welcome from Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Aaradhya Bachchan, Shweta Bachchan, and Navya Naveli. They also came out of their residence to see off the CM.

WATCH | WB CM Mamata Banerjee Ties Rakhi To Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Poses With Entire Family In Mumbai #MamataBanerjee #AishwaryaRaiBachchan #AbhishekBachchan #AmitabhBachchan #Mumbai #Breaking @MamataOfficial @SrBachchan

(Viral Video) pic.twitter.com/QDfJqk7bF5

— Free Press Journal (@fpjindia) August 30, 2023

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/entertainment/raksha-bandhan-2023-mamata-banerjee-ties-rakhi-to-amitabh-bachchan-says-i-met-bharat-ratan-of-india

Meghan Markle plotting ‘$1 million-a-post’ Instagram comeback: report

Meghan Markle is expected to make $1 million per social media post should she return to Instagram, experts claim.
Getty Images

Meghan Markle’s infamous “Montecito Mafia” will reportedly extend beyond her swanky California fortress very soon.

The Duchess of Sussex — who is “coming back” to Instagram after a three-year hiatus as exclusively reported by Page Six — is estimated to rake in $1 million per post, one expert claims.

At first glance, @meghan is unassuming — the profile photo is merely a stock pic of peonies, which is said to be 42-year-old Markle’s favorite flower.

The account currently boasts a modest 82,600 followers.

However, social media expert Eric Schiffer, who has advised some of Hollywood’s hottest, told the Daily Mail the ostracized royal’s return is hardly a “surprise,” especially since she’s allegedly acquired a new talent manager.

Armed with what’s expected to be a massive following, he predicts MM will forge shrewd brand partnerships to rake in big bucks.

“I would expect her to quickly become one of the most followed accounts on Instagram,” Schiffer, 55, said. “You have celebrities like the Kardashians who can command $1 million and up for a single post promoting a product. There is no reason Meghan couldn’t be earning those sorts of fees.”

Source: https://nypost.com/2023/08/26/meghan-markles-1-million-a-post-instagram-comeback-report/

WhatsApp Group History Sharing Feature in the Works; Mark Zuckerberg Announces Automatic Group Naming

WhatsApp’s automatic naming feature for new groups uses the names of group members

WhatsApp is working on a feature that could improve the experience of a user joining an existing group on the popular messaging app. A feature tracker has shared details of a new WhatsApp setting that will show up to 24 hours of messages from the group, before a member was added to the chat. The feature can only be enabled by group administrators (or admins) and will help provide context about recent messages to newly added members. Meanwhile, Meta’s CEO has announced a new feature that will eliminate the hassle of naming new groups on WhatsApp.

According to WABetaInfo, a WhatsApp feature tracker, the Meta-owned messaging service is currently working on a feature titled “Recent History Sharing”. Spotted on WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.18.5, the feature will display chats sent to the group by existing members, up to 24 hours before a user joins the group.

Existing group members will be informed that the feature has been enabled
Photo Credit: WABetaInfo

It is worth noting that this feature is still in development, which means that beta testers can’t try it out on the latest testing version of WhatsApp — and there’s no word on when it could eventually roll out to all users. The popular messaging platform is currently rolling out the recently announced Channels feature that allows users to see up to 30 days of previous messages when they join a new channel. Unlike a channel, the recent history sharing functionality for groups offers a shorter window of 24 hours.

As previously mentioned, the setting can only be enabled by a group admin, and WABetaInfo says that existing members will see a message informing them that the feature has been turned on. An image shared by the feature tracker shows a smaller message in the chat — presumably displayed using reverse engineering — that confirms recent history sharing has been turned on for new participants.

Source: https://www.gadgets360.com/apps/news/whatsapp-group-recent-history-sharing-feature-automatic-naming-mark-zuckerberg-4324728

Mamata’s Rakesh Roshan gaffe in viral video after Chandrayaan 3 landing: ‘Indira Gandhi asked…’

Mamata Banerjee said Indira Gandhi asked ‘Rakesh Roshan’ how India looked from space. The clip went viral after Chandrayaan 3’s successful landing.

Mamata Banerjee confused astronaut Rakesh Sharma with Bollywood film producer Rakesh Roshan.(Hindustan Times)

West Bengal chief minister and a key opposition leader Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said when ‘Rakesh Roshan reached the moon’, Indira Gandhi asked him how India looked from there. Banerjee said this at an event after Isro’s Chandrayaan 3 successfully soft landed on the south pole of the moon on Wednesday. The clip went viral as Mamata Banerjee confused astronaut Rakesh Sharma with Bollywood personality Rakesh Roshan, father of Hrithik Roshan. Also, Rakesh Sharma did not go to the moon. His conversation with Indira Gandhi was from space. “Sare jahan see accha,” Rakesh Sharma said replying to Indira Gandhi’s question, “Upar se Bharat kaisa dikhta hai aapko (How does India look like from space?).”

“I remember when they reached the moon, Indira Gandhi asked Rakesh Roshan how India looked from there, for space,” Mamata Banerjee said. The clip went viral adding to the list of public displays of ignorance by political leaders on the question of India’s prestigious and successful moon mission. For example, Rajasthan sports minister Ashok Chandna congratulated the ‘passengers’ who were on Chandrayaan 3 after its successful soft landing. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar was asked on Chandrayaan 3 before the soft landing. He apparently did not understand the question and asked the minister who was with him.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/mamatas-rakesh-roshan-gaffe-in-viral-video-after-chandrayaan-3-landing-101692836455324.html

Jennifer Aniston declares she’s ‘so over’ cancel culture: ‘I don’t put everybody in the Harvey Weinstein basket!’

Jennifer Aniston is “so over” cancel culture and refuses to put “everybody in the Harvey Weinstein basket”.

Despite currently making millions starring in #MeToo-themed drama “The Morning Show’, the former ‘Friends’ actress, 54, hit out over the army of stars who have been “cancelled” in the wake of serial rapist Weinstein, 71, being sentenced to 39 years behind bars on four counts of rape and one of sexual assault.

Jennifer told the Wall Street Journal: “I’m so over cancel culture. “I probably just got cancelled by saying that. I just don’t understand what it means.

“Is there no redemption? I don’t know. I don’t put everybody in the Harvey Weinstein basket.”

Jennifer added that even though she was never harassed or attacked by Weinstein, she “consciously” had someone in her trailer with her when he visited her on a set to pitch her a film.

“You were actually like, ‘Oh, God, OK, suck it up.’

“I remember actually, he came to visit me on a movie to pitch me a movie. And I do remember consciously having a person stay in my trailer.”

Weinstein told the publication Jennifer had “never had any uncomfortable instances with me”.

He was already serving a 23-year sentence for separate rape and sexual assault convictions in New York when he was also found guilty of rape, forcible oral copulation and the sexual penetration by a foreign object of an unnamed Russian-born model.

Jennifer is currently starring in Apple TV+’s ‘The Morning Show’, which features a fictional breakfast TV news anchor being hit with a series of #MeToo allegations.

Her Wall Street journal interview comes after she disabled her Instagram comments after an account under her name hit the like button on a controversial post from Jamie Foxx, 55, that was linked to anti-Semitism.

Source : https://www.themoorecountynews.com/entertainment/jennifer-aniston-declares-she-s-so-over-cancel-culture-i-don-t-put-everybody-in/article_145fa973-00eb-5f1f-a898-f144d38a8622.html

After Message Editing, WhatsApp To Reportedly Roll Out ‘Caption Editing’ Feature; Here’s What Will Change

WhatsApp Caption Editing: WhatsApp is reportedly rolling out the functionality to edit captions sent with GIFs, images, videos, documents etc in chats. In the screengrab shared by WABetaInfo, the edit option is present below the copy button in the list on iPhones. On Android, the interface is similar to the message edit option. In another set of updates, the company is rolling out a new UI within app settings on iOS in the beta channel.

WhatsApp Media Messages Editing: According to WABetaInfo, the functionality is now rolling out on Android and iOS. (Image:Unsplash)

WhatsApp recently announced a message editing feature that allows users to edit chats in the first 15 minutes after sending them. It seems the company is now rolling out the same functionality for captions sent with GIFs, images, videos, documents etc. According to WABetaInfo, the functionality is now rolling out on Android and iOS.

As per the report, the WhatsApp for iOS 23.16.72 version’s changelog stated that the option to edit media captions was rolling out. In the latest update on Google Play, the news outlet discovered the feature was “widely rolling” out for users on Android too.

In the screengrab shared by the platform, the edit option is present below the copy button in the list on iPhones. On Android, the interface is similar to the message edit option. A WhatsApp user can tap and hold a message with captions to check if the feature is available on their device. Earlier, this functionality was limited to text messages. The duration to edit media messages remains the same as earlier – 15 minutes after sending the message.

Musk’s X Removes Pictures, Links Posted Before December 2014; Yet Another Cost Cutting Move Or A Technical Glitch?

This would let users alter the text in case of corrections and improve the texting experience on the app. Plus, the context of media material can be explained effectively with the new feature. It is advisable that users install the latest version of the app from their respective official app stores to check whether the support is rolling out on their devices.

Source: https://english.jagran.com/technology/whatsapp-update-android-ios-message-editing-whatsapp-reportedly-rolling-out-ability-to-edit-captions-what-will-change-10094974

Supreme Court flags fake news circulating in the name of CJI DY Chandrachud

The post doing the rounds on social media claimed that the CJI has appealed to the public to unite and come out on the streets against ‘dictatorial government’.

The Public Relations Office (PRO) of the Supreme Court Monday flagged a fake piece of news circulating on social media and messenger apps falsely attributing a quote to Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud.

The post doing the rounds on social media claimed that the CJI has appealed to the public to unite and come out on the streets to fight for their rights against ‘dictatorial government’.

The PRO in a press note stated that the social media post is fake, ill-intended and mischievous and was not issued by the CJI or anyone authorised by him.

“No such post has been issued by the Chief Justice of India nor has he authorised any such post. Appropriate action is being taken in this regard with the law enforcement authorities,” the PRO made it clear.

Source : https://www.barandbench.com/news/supreme-court-flags-fake-news-circulating-name-cji-dy-chandrachud

The Elon Musk versus Mark Zuckerberg beef has reached a new level of absurdity

Now that the proposed cage match between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk isn’t going to happen, Musk is saying he will show up unannounced at Zuckerberg’s home to fight.

“For the Tesla FSD test drive in Palo Alto tonight, I will ask the car to drive to @finkd’s house,” Musk posted today on X, or the service formerly called Twitter. “If we get lucky and Zuck my 👅 actually answers the door, the fight is on!”

Musk, who once compared a user broadcasting his jet’s location to sharing “assassination coordinates,” says he’ll livestream the “adventure” on X.

Zuckerberg, it turns out, is having none of it.

“Mark is traveling right now and isn’t in Palo Alto,” a spokesperson for Zuckerberg at Meta, Iska Saric, tells The Verge. “Also, Mark takes this sport seriously and isn’t going to fight someone who randomly shows up at his house.”

For the Tesla FSD test drive in Palo Alto tonight, I will ask the car to drive to @finkd’s house.

Will also test latest X livestream video, so you can monitor our adventure in real-time!

If we get lucky and Zuck my 👅 actually answers the door, the fight is on!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 14, 2023

Zuckerberg recently threw in the towel after weeks of Musk not confirming a date for their cage match, then suggesting he may need surgery and that the fight will take place in Rome without the UFC’s involvement. The Italian government quickly denied that it would take place in Rome, and Zuckerberg, who has been training regularly and competing in jiujitsu tournaments, has been adamant that the fight be professionally organized.

Source : https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/14/23831915/the-musk-versus-zuckerberg-beef-has-reached-a-new-level-of-absurdity

Karan Johar reveals his mother ‘crumbled’ under the online hate coming his way, says he had no choice but to be ‘resilient’

Karan Johar has opened up about being targetted online and how the trolling took a toll on his mother.

Karan Johar has opened up about how online trolling has affected his mother. (Photo: Karan Johar/ Instagram)

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani director Karan Johar recently opened up about the massive trolling that he faced on social media after the pandemic, and how it affected his mother, Hiroo Johar. He also addressed being called the “movie mafia”. Karan opened up about how his mother “crumbled under” all the hate that came his way, while he put up a strong front to safeguard himself and his family.

“In the last three years, I felt there was a lot of hate that was coming my way and it had really taken a toll on my mom. I saw her literally crumble under that because she used to watch TV channels. She was reading stuff online. She was watching TV anchors screaming and shouting and saying the most godawful things, demonising me for some reason. Then there were people who were kind of writing the same on Twitter and other social media platforms,” Karan shared with Sucharita Tyagi in an interview.

Actor Kangana Ranaut has for the longest time accused Karan Johar of encouraging nepotism in Bollywood and not giving a fair chance to outsiders. She started her war of words with Karan on his celebrity chat show — Koffee With Karan — where she called him the “flagbearer of nepotism”, and she has often called him “movie mafia” in her direct and indirect attacks on social media.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/karan-johar-reveals-his-mother-crumbled-under-the-online-hate-coming-his-way-says-he-had-no-choice-but-to-be-resilient-8883213/

Never mind, tweets should be called posts now

X is coming for every last mention of Twitter. The Verge

Last week Elon Musk announced the death of Twitter as a brand. He had the sign on the HQ taken down and replaced with a garish X, he axed the logo on the website and in the app too. Lingering longer was the “Tweet” button itself. Today the Tweet button briefly changed to Post, hinting that soon every evidence of the little blue bird and its associated twitter will scrubbed from the every place X, the company formerly known as Twitter, can touch.

But that’s not why I think it’s time to retire the “tweet.” I wanted to save it. I felt that it was clearly becoming independent of the brand that had adopted it. I argued we should call all microblog posts tweets to avoid this goofy cycle of toots, skeets, threets, and now xeets. But with every vestige of the name slowly being scoured from the social media landscape “tweet” feels increasingly part of a bygone era.

It was meant to be something brief. Something remarkable in the art of its conciseness. In a tweet Roger Ebert once likened the the 140-character blog to poetry due to its necessary brevity. Now if you pay enough you can have up to 4,000 characters in a Tweet, or you can get 500 characters for free on Threads, nearly five times Twitter’s original character limit. You no longer have to be so economical with your words.

But the real reason we have to stop calling microblog posts tweets isn’t because the microblog itself is slowly shedding its micro or because X is changing the Tweet button. We have to stop using it because I’ve really tried for the last few weeks since I called for us all to call them tweets and it sucked. “Hey did you see that Thread tweet” sounds sillier than “hey did you see that Thread post” when its a 500-character screed about someone’s Diablo IV build. Ditto for “Can you believe what that lady tweeted on Mastodon?”

Source : https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/29/23812780/tweet-change-name-post-x

Twitter’s former CEO has a new app that looks a lot like Twitter

The buzzy new social media app of the moment looks so much like Twitter it’s almost hard to distinguish the two. The profiles, timelines and colors are nearly identical. Even the creator is the same.

But under the hood, Bluesky, developed by Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey, is vastly different.

The app, which launched in a closed beta on iOS in February and on Android this month, runs on a decentralized network which provides users with more control over how the service is run, data is stored, and content is moderated.

In recent days, it’s gained traction among journalists, politicians and celebrities, from Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to model Chrissy Teigan and the 90s band Eve 6.

Here’s what you should know:

What is Bluesky?
Bluesky calls itself “a new social network for microblogging.” With the app, users can post and follow short updates on a timeline, just as they would on Twitter, though with some differences. There are currently no hashtags – a central feature on Twitter – and no direct messages.

The Bluesky social media app logo is seen on a mobile device in April 2023.
Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

Bluesky was formed independently of Twitter while Dorsey was serving as CEO but it was funded by the company until it became an independent organization in February 2022. In a tweet introducing the idea in 2019, Dorsey said it also plans to “build an open community around it, inclusive of companies & organizations, researchers, civil society leaders,” but warned “this isn’t going to happen overnight.”

In a tweet last year, Dorsey said the “biggest issue and my biggest regret is that [Twitter] became a company.” He later clarified that if a service was a protocol it “can’t be owned by a state, or company.”

If the idea of a decentralized social network sounds familiar, it’s likely because of Mastodon, another Twitter alternative that also gained attention late last year.

Why are people joining it?
Like Mastodon, Bluesky appeals to a number of Twitter users who are frustrated with the direction of the platform under owner Elon Musk. In the six months since Musk took over Twitter, he has made a number of controversial changes to its features and policies, including the removal of blue check marks from prominent users.

Some of the same high-profile users now testing out Bluesky have also been openly critical of Musk’s moves at Twitter.

According to data.ai, the company formerly known as App Annie, Bluesky has been downloaded more than 375,000 times from the Apple App Store and the waitlist continues to be flooded with signup requests. On the Google Play Store, Bluesky is described as having been downloaded more than 100,000 times. (By comparison, Twitter reported having more than 200 million monetizable daily active users last year before Musk completed his acquisition.)

Bluesky did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It’s unclear if Bluesky has staying power or will lose steam as Mastodon did. But Mark Bartholomew, a professor at the University at Buffalo School of Law who writes about online privacy, said the early shift toward Bluesky is a positive one, as it gives social media users more choice over where they spend their time.

Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/28/tech/bluesky-social/index.html

Snapchat sees spike in 1-star reviews as users pan the ‘My AI’ feature, calling for its removal

Image Credits: Snap (modified by TechCrunch)

The user reviews for Snapchat’s “My AI” feature are in — and they’re not good. Launched last week to global users after initially being a subscriber-only addition, Snapchat’s new AI chatbot powered by OpenAI’s GPT technology is now pinned to the top of the app’s Chat tab where users can ask it questions and get instant responses. But following the chatbot’s rollout to Snapchat’s wider community, Snapchat’s app has seen a spike in negative reviews amid a growing number of complaints shared on social media.

Over the past week, Snapchat’s average U.S. App Store review was 1.67, with 75% of reviews being one-star, according to data from app intelligence firm Sensor Tower. For comparison, across Q1 2023, the Snapchat average U.S. App Store review was 3.05, with only 35% of reviews being one-star.

Source: https://techcrunch.com/2023/04/24/snapchat-sees-spike-in-1-star-reviews-as-users-pan-the-my-ai-feature-calling-for-its-removal/

To Mandira Bedi, 51 Today, An Adorable Birthday Note From BFF Mouni Roy

New Delhi: Actress-host and entrepreneur Mandira Bedi celebrates her 51st birthday today (April 15). On the happy occasion, wishes for the multi-hyphenate are pouring in from all quarters. However, the most lovely message came from Mandira Bedi’s BFF, actress Mouni Roy. Sharing a set of images of herself with Mandira, Mouni Roy said, “My dearest M, I was going through our pictures and realised what a wonderful friendship we have had. What beautiful memories we have made together. All the trips, this entire journey has been so wonderful. On this special day, I want to take a moment to wish you a very happy birthday! You are an amazing person and an inspiration to me. Your talent, grace, and dedication to your craft have made you one of the most respected artists in the country. Your ability to balance your career and motherhood is truly admirable and inspiring.”
Praising her friend further, Mouni Roy said, “But what makes you truly remarkable is the kindness and generosity you show to everyone around you. You have a heart of gold and a smile that can light up any room. Your friendship is something that I cherish dearly and I feel blessed to have you in my life. As you celebrate your birthday today, I want to wish you all the happiness, love, and success that you deserve. May your dreams continue to soar high and may you achieve all that you set out to do. May you always find joy and contentment in the simple things of life and may your heart be filled with gratitude for all the blessings that come your way.”

Mouni Roy also wished for Mandira Bedi “lots of love, laughter, and wonderful memories.” She signed off the note saying, “Here’s to many more happy and healthy years. With love and warm wishes, M.” In response, Mandira Bedi said, “Mouni .. I’m so grateful for you. For your love. And for having you in my life. I treasure you.”

Last year, on the occasion of Mouni Roy’s birthday too, Mandira Bedi shared an equally moving post. Dropping a montage video featuring her and Mouni Roy, Mandira said, “Happy Birthday to my dearest, sweetest Mon. We met in January of 2019.. and have made SO many beautiful memories together, since. I’m really blessed to have you in my life. Keep smiling, keep shining.. knowing you can always count on me.. that’s what friends are for….Love you,” and added a heart emoji.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/mouni-roy-s-birthday-note-for-bff-mandira-bedi-is-all-heart-3950685

Palak Tiwari CLARIFIES Her Salman Khan ‘Wanted All Girls To Be Covered’ Comment: It’s Been Misunderstood

Palak Tiwari, who is all set to make her Bollywood debut with Salman Khan’s highly anticipated film Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, has issued a clarification after sharing that the superstar had a “girls should be covered” rule on the sets. “It’s really been misunderstood,” TV actress Shweta Tiwari’s daughter said.

Kangana Ranaut Warns Karan Johar as Filmmaker Slams Her in Old Video: Will Rub These in Your Face

Star kid Palak Tiwari, daughter of popular TV actress Shweta Tiwari, is gearing up for her big Bollywood debut. She will be seen in superstar Salman Khan’s upcoming entertainer Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan. Before this, the diva worked with Salman on his 2021 action drama Antim: The Final Truth as an assistant director. Recently, she shared that the actor had a strict “girls should be covered” rule on the sets. However, Palak has now issued a clarification.

Palak Tiwari clarifies Salman Khan’s ‘rule’
The young actress, in a recent interview, said that Salman wanted the female crew of his film to be “covered”. She shared that he even had a rule about how low the necklines can be.

Now, clarifying her comment, she has said, “It’s really been misunderstood. All I wanted to say is that I have put certain guidelines for myself as to how to dress around people who are way senior to me, who have I pretty much grown up idolising. Salman sir is of course one of them.”

Salman Khan’s ‘girls should be covered’ rule
In an interview with Siddharth Kanan, Palak had said, “When I was AD-ing with Salman sir on Antim, I don’t think many people know this, Salman Sir had a rule ‘Ki koi bhi ladki mere set pe, neckline should be here (for every girl on my set, the neckline should be here), all the girls should be covered, like good proper girls’. So my mom saw me (going to set) in proper shirt, jogger and covered and all. She was like, ‘Where are you going? How are you dressed so well?’ I said I am going to Salman Sir’s set. She was like ‘Wow, very good’.”

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/entertainment-news/palak-tiwari-clarifies-her-salman-khan-wanted-all-girls-to-be-covered-comment-its-been-misunderstood-bollywood-news-entertainment-news-article-99506158

Entertainment News Round-Up: Boney Kapoor’s Silverware Worth Rs 39 Lakh SEIZED, Varun Dhawan-Natasha Dalal Expecting FIRST CHILD?; Nora Fatehi Mercilessly TROLLED And More

Here’s a quick round-up of what happened in the Hindi film and TV industry yesterday – April 9

Boney Kapoor In Legal Trouble As Silver Items Worth Rs 39 Lakhs SEIZED By Election Commission of India-Reports

Legal troubles seem to be mounting for Bollywood producer Boney Kapoor as Election Commission of India (ECI) officials have seized 66 kilos of silverware from a car belonging to him. As per the latest reports, silver items such as bowls, spoons, water mugs, and plates worth Rs39 lakh were confiscated in the outskirts of Karnataka’s Davangere. The car was reportedly stopped on the Pune-Bengaluru national highway by the officials on poll duty. The driver Hari Singh along with one person Sultan Khan was detained as they didn’t have the proper documents required by ECI.

Karan Johar REACTS After Getting Trolled Over His ‘Murder Anushka Sharma’s Career’ Remark

Filmmaker Karan Johar recently made headlines after an old video of him confessing to try and sabotage Anushka Sharma’s career hit the internet. He got slammed by several netizens and B-Town celebs including Kangana Ranaut, director Vivek Agnihotri, and writer-editor Apurva Asrani. Now, it seems like KJo has finally responded to accusations against him via a cryptic poem. On Saturday, he penned a poem saying that he is not amongst those who will bow down and become a slave to lies.

Varun Dhawan-Natasha Dalal Expecting FIRST CHILD? Couple Spotted Outside A Pregnancy Clinic

Varun Dhawan and Natasha Dalal, who were childhood sweethearts, are one of the most loved couples in the industry. The duo got married on January 24, 2021, after dating each other for a long time. Varun and Natasha since then have been setting out major relationship goals for fans. On Saturday, the couple was spotted outside a pregnancy clinic in Mumbai and their outing gave rise to speculations about their ‘good news’. Yes, you read that right! Buzz has it that they might be expecting their first child.

Nora Fatehi Gets Mercilessly TROLLED For Wearing Oversized And Unusual Shrug; Netizens Say ‘Airbags Are A Must For Safety’

Actor-dancer Nora Fatehi recently came under the radar of trolls over her recent appearance at an awards night. At the star-studded gala, Nora wore a white body-hugging dress with a long trail at the back, while the upper half of the dress featured embellished with sparkling crystals. What caught everyone’s attention was her oversized and unusual shrug. Her outfit failed to impress several netizens and they started to troll her.

Krushna Abhishek On His FIGHT With Govinda, Sunita Ahuja: Agar Woh Mujh Pe Angry Hain Kisi Baat Se, Gussa Karte Hai, It’s Lot Of Love’

Actor-comedian Krushna Abhishek, who is gearing up for the release of his romantic film Fire Of Love – RED, has opened up about his spat with ‘mama-mami’ Govinda and his wife Sunita Ahuja. For the unversed, Govinda and Sunita have levelled several allegations against Krushna, in the public domain. Their public fallout time and again has grabbed headlines. Now, in a recent interview, Krushna spoke about his fight with Govinda and stated he does not reflect on whatever controversies happen because he knows know there is a lot of love behind them.

Source: https://www.spotboye.com/trending/trending-news/entertainment-news-round-up-boney-kapoor-s-silverware-worth-rs-39-lakh-seized-varun-dhawan-natasha-dalal-expecting-first-child-nora-fatehi-mercilessly-trolled-and-more/64328bbac929454058c9e7ea

Kangana Ranaut Accuses Karan Johar of ‘Bullying’ Her With ‘Nepo Mafia,’ Says ‘Abhi Toh Tumhari…’

Kangana Ranaut takes yet another dig at Karan Johar.

Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut has responded to Karan Johar’s recent cryptic post in which he spoke about how he was not going to surrender to false allegations against him. Kangana re-shared a screenshot of Karan Johar’s cryptic post, uploaded by Bollywood paparazzo Viral Bhayani, on her Instagram Story and accused the filmmaker of allegedly insulting her on national television.

Kangana wrote, “Ek waqt tha jab Chacha Chaudhary elite nepo mafia walon ke saath national television pe mujhe insult and bully karta tha because I couldn’t speak English. Aaj inki Hindi dekh kar khayal aaya, abhi toh sirf tumhari Hindi sudhari hai aage aage dekho hota hai kya.” (sic)

Karan Johar has been facing a lot of criticism on social media lately. It all started after Priyanka Chopra Jonas talked about how she was “pushed into a corner” in Bollywood. Following this, Kangana Ranaut made a shocking allegation against Karan Johar. The actress alleged that Karan Johar “banned” Priyanka Chopra from Bollywood because of her “friendship” with Shah Rukh Khan. Kangana, in a series of tweets, alleged that Karan “harassed” Priyanka Chopra to a point where “she had to leave India”.

Source: https://www.news18.com/movies/kangana-ranaut-accuses-karan-johar-of-bullying-her-with-nepo-mafia-says-abhi-toh-tumhari-7507387.html

“Unreal”: Suhana Khan, Ananya Pandey In Awe Of Rinku Singh After Kolkata Knight Riders’ Win Over Gujarat Titans In IPL 2023

Suhana Khan and Ananya Pandey were among the many celebrities who praised Rinku Singh for guiding KKR to victory in IPL 2023.

Ananya Pandey (L) and Suhana Khan© Twitter

Actor Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan, on Sunday, hailed cricketer Rinku Singh for his stupendous 5 successive sixes in the final over of Kolkata Knight Riders’ thrilling IPL 2023 match against Gujarat Titans at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Taking to Instagram, Suhana shared a picture on her story and wrote, “Unreal.” With this win, KKR has climbed to third position in the points table, winning two of their three matches and losing one. They have a total of four points. GT has slipped to fourth position and has a similar win-loss record to KKR, but KKR is one position up due to a superior net-run-rate.

Actor Ananya Panday also shared a picture on her stories and dropped raising hand emoticons.

Talking about the match, Gujarat Titans posted 204/4 in their 20 overs after electing to bat first. Vijay Shankar top-scored with 63 off 24 balls, consisting of four boundaries and five sixes. Sai Sudharshan also scored his second half-century in IPL 2023, scoring 53 in 38 balls consisting of three fours and two sixes. Shubman Gill also played a solid knock of 39 runs in 31 balls, with five fours.

Sunil Narine was the pick of the bowlers for KKR, taking 3/33 in four overs. Suyash Sharma also continued his solid run after a three-for against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the previous match, taking 1/35 in his four overs.

In the chase of 205 runs, KKR was reduced to 28/2, but skipper Nitish Rana (45 off 29 balls with four boundaries and three sixes) put on a hundred-run stand for the third wicket with Venkatesh Iyer, who scored 83 in 40 balls, which consisted of eight fours and five sixes.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/ipl-2023/unreal-suhana-khan-ananya-pandey-in-awe-of-rinku-singh-after-kolkata-knight-riders-win-over-gujarat-titans-in-ipl-2023-3934167

Twitter Labels BBC As ‘Government-Funded Media’, British Broadcaster Objects

BBC labelled government-funded media: The label links through to a page on Twitter’s help website which says “state-affiliated media accounts” are defined as “outlets where the state exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, direct or indirect political pressures, and/or control over production and distribution”.

Twitter has labelled the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), which is funded predominantly by British households paying a license fee, as “government-funded media”. While the @BBC account, which has 2.2m followers, has been given the label, much larger accounts associated with the BBC’s news and sport output are not currently being described in the same way.
The label links through to a page on Twitter’s help website which says “state-affiliated media accounts” are defined as “outlets where the state exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, direct or indirect political pressures, and/or control over production and distribution”.

What BBC said

The British national broadcaster objected to the new label and said it is speaking to the social media company about the designation on the @BBC account to “resolve this issue as soon as possible”.

In a statement, it said: “The BBC is, and always has been, independent. We are funded by the British public through the licence fee.”
Notably, the Corporation is mainly funded by British taxpayers, who pay a £159-a-year licence fee. Although the government sets how much the licence fee is, not everyone has to pay it, and households pay directly.
As the UK’s national broadcaster, the BBC operates through a Royal Charter agreed with the government. The BBC Charter states the corporation “must be independent”, particularly over “editorial and creative decisions, the times and manner in which its output and services are supplied, and in the management of its affairs”.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/world/twitter-labels-bbc-as-government-funded-media-british-broadcaster-objects-article-99366068

Classified Docs Leak on Social Media in Possible ‘Deliberate’ Move to Hinder Ukraine Efforts

More than 100 classified documents detailing U.S. national security secrets have been leaked on social media, purportedly exposing crucial intelligence on Ukrainian military operations in a breach that could be a boon to Russia.

The documents, purported to have come from within U.S. military and intelligence agencies, have been circulated on Twitter, 4chan, and Telegram, where they were spread by pro-Kremlin commentators, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The Pentagon acknowledged on Thursday that officials were looking into the leak, which experts say may be one of the most damaging breaches in decades.

The New York Times, which was the first to report on the leaks, says defense officials were already scrambling early Friday to determine the scale of the first batch of leaked documents when it was discovered that another batch had been released.

One unnamed official quoted by the Times called the breach “a nightmare for the Five Eyes,” as the documents concern secrets regarding not only Ukraine, but also the Middle East, and China.

“As many of these were pictures of documents, it appears that it was a deliberate leak done by someone that wished to damage the Ukraine, U.S., and NATO efforts,” Mick Mulroy, a former senior Pentagon official, was quoted saying.

Officials say the documents do appear to be authentic Defense Department documents, but they have been modified in some ways to show scenarios more beneficial to Russia, such as lower figures for the number of Russian troops killed and inflated numbers of Ukraine’s war dead.

Some of the documents show the purported locations of Ukrainian air-defense systems, the quantities of air-defense missiles, and sensitive information about U.S.-provided arms and supplies.

Source: https://www.thedailybeast.com/classified-docs-leak-on-social-media-in-possible-deliberate-move-to-hinder-ukraine-efforts

Eyeing viral content, vloggers lure kids, stage abductions

The quest for viral videos has hit a dangerous new low among so-called social media influencers in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, as they have begun to use minors for clickbait content, often endangering their lives.
These #CarPrank videos have the same template. The driver gives lift to an unsuspecting minor (mostly boys), develops familiarity with him, then tells him that he is being kidnapped. The child, in most cases, tries to open the car door and flee, but is prevented physically or through auto lock of the car. The child is scared with fake syringes, drugs and in other ways to evoke a dramatic reaction.
The footage is recorded on a dashcam fitted inside the car and later edited with emotive music and popular memes to elicit laughs.

Some of these videos have more than 5 lakh views on YouTube and over 60 lakh views on Instagram. TOI made several attempts to reach these vloggers, but did not get a response.

The videos usually end with an “educational message”, warning children against taking lifts from strangers, ostensibly to absolve the makers of the accountability of making a dangerous prank. None of the videos mention if consent of the parents was taken prior to making the reels.

One of the most popular videos, which went viral before being removed from YouTube for violating guidelines, is from a channel called ‘Rider Salman’ with more than 68,000 subscribers. In the video, the driver gives a lift to a boy aged around 12 and then calls up someone and informs them that a boy has been found and “looks good”.

The driver’s friends sitting in the backseat take out a syringe. The scared child pleads them to stop and then tries to jump from a moving vehicle, screaming for help. Though removed from YouTube, clippings continue to remain viral on Instagram.

TOI scanned through the video sharing platform and found more than 15 similar videos, with views ranging from 50,000 to 5 lakh.

The vloggers are in constant pursuit of bizarre elements. For instance, a video by channel ‘Kakinada Prankster’ has a shot of lifting the shirt of a teenage boy, who was offered lift. The driver talks of “de-sexing” the terrified boy and pushing him into sex trafficking and begging.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/eyeing-viral-content-vloggers-lure-kids-stage-abductions/articleshow/99177397.cms?from=mdr

7 Best Social Media Management Software of 2023

In today’s digital landscape, many customers will first turn to a company’s social media platforms even before researching customer reviews. However, navigating and managing multiple social media profiles can be tough to accomplish independently, which explains why so many businesses are turning toward reliable social media management tools.

Social media management solutions make it easier for businesses to stay connected with their audience while saving them valuable time. Not only do these software programs allow users to automate processes, but they also provide insight into how businesses can expand their reach to drive growth.

In this guide, we review some of the best social media management software of 2023 so you can decide which is best for your business. We also share which metrics to focus on when looking for a social media management platform that can help you increase your reach and craft more relevant brand messaging. Read on to find out more.

Our Top Picks for the Best Social Media Management Software

Hootsuite – Best for Nonprofits
Sprout Social – Best for Agencies
Buffer – Most Affordable
Sendible – Best for Customer Support
Agorapulse – Best for Small Businesses
SocialBee – Best for Solopreneurs
Metricool– Best for Analytics

Why we chose it: We chose Hootsuite as the best social media management software for nonprofits for its wealth of educational resources and tools for small teams. It also provides discounts to non-profit organizations, allowing them access to helpful features like social insights and brand monitoring without breaking the bank.

For over a decade, Hootsuite has been the industry leader in social media management. As the world’s first platform of its kind, it has continued to stay ahead of trends by rolling out features such as ads analytics and reporting, a content and asset library, team productivity reporting workflows, research reporting and integration with over 150 tech platforms.

Some of Hootsuite’s standout features include mention alerts, an AI messenger and an easy-to-use dashboard for tracking customer conversations and interactions. Hootsuite Insights, powered by Brandwatch, provides users instant access to millions of online conversations in real time. Companies have the ability to search for any topic or keyword within those conversations and filter results by date, demographics, location and other geographical information.

Hootsuite’s data analytics features can help companies identify thought leaders within their industries and give them a better understanding of how they are perceived in the marketplace. Its mention alerts also allow businesses to react to comments on Twitter and Facebook without leaving Hootsuite, saving them valuable time.

Why we chose it: Sprout Social is our top pick for the best social media management platform for agencies due to its compatibility with multiple social networks, blog hosting sites and third-party applications. It offers a single unified solution for agencies managing numerous clients and brand partnerships, especially those that have an active presence on several different platforms and require one database to monitor KPIs.

Sprout Social is a powerful social media platform that provides brands and agencies with the tools they need to manage conversations and uncover useful insights through their Smart Inbox integration. This tool gathers messages across all social profiles into one community engagement workflow view. Agencies can also benefit from Sprout’s analytics capabilities, which provide insights on campaign performance, conversion rates, engagement and more.

Sprout integrates with all social media platforms and blog hosting sites as well as an assortment of third-party apps, making it an all-in-one centralized solution for social media management. It allows users to schedule posts in advance and track hashtags, mentions and content performance.

Sprout users can also measure engagement, identify publishing trends, monitor community participation and read customer feedback. With these features at users’ disposal, agencies can begin to make data-driven decisions to take their business operations to the next level.

Why we chose it: Out of the companies we reviewed, Buffer offers the most value for your money. Its introductory plan starts at just $6 per month and includes a 14-day free on any membership tier as well as a complimentary basic subscription — this makes them an ideal solution for independent creators with limited funds.

Buffer’s free plan allows users to connect up to three social media accounts and schedule a maximum of 10 posts. You can publish to all the major social media platforms, including LinkedIn and Pinterest, and access basic analytics capabilities to track the performance of your campaigns.

Those who need advanced analytics and insights or the ability to collaborate with team members will have to consider one of Buffer’s paid tiers. These also provide customers with additional features such as the ability to create, save, preview and schedule Twitter threads for their brand.

One of Buffer’s most advantageous features is its Composer tool, which enables users to draft and save ideas and create unique messages for each social network. Other Buffer features include a browser extension that allows you to quickly share content from any site and publish to multiple platforms simultaneously and integration with WordPress, Zapier and Canva, among others.

Why we chose it: Sendible is our top pick for live customer support thanks to its on-demand human advisors. Support is available to all membership levels and includes access to a help desk, live chat hours and even a one-on-one onboarding process customized to the users’ unique social media optimization needs. These features make Sendible a cost-effective and scalable social media management solution.

Sendible provides a range of support options so users can connect with a Sendible team member for assistance. Customer service is available between 8 am and 8 pm GMT, therefore, users in North America should remember to adjust their schedules accordingly. Users should also consider daylight savings time changes when using the platform’s scheduling feature for social media posts.

Sendible allows users to easily stay connected on a multitude of social media networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. They can also respond to comments on Facebook Ads directly from the Sendible dashboard and connect to blog platforms like WordPress and Medium.

Teams looking for a social media management platform will be glad to know that Sendible also features a team calendar view and task assignment feature. Users streamline workflows through integrations with Google Analytics, Google Drive and other tools.

Why we chose it: Agorapulse as our top choice for small businesses because it allows social media managers to gain valuable insights into their campaigns and accurately measure the ROI of their marketing efforts. With this tool, businesses can easily understand what works best for their brand and make more informed decisions when planning upcoming promotional campaigns.

Agorapulse also has a shared calendar that enables users to effortlessly share scheduled content across multiple calendars and grant editing access to collaborators via a “magic” link. Those with the link don’t need an account on Agorapulse to accept or reject scheduled content and provide feedback.

Agorapulse also offers users the option of either setting up an automated Instagram publishing workflow or getting push notifications that require them to manually publish content. These notifications can serve as a helpful reminder for users to edit their stories and review posts before they go live — they can even insert IG stickers as they would directly on Instagram.

Why we chose it: We selected SocialBee as the best social media marketing platform for solopreneurs because of its concierge services. These can be a great option for coaches, authors and freelancers who have limited resources for managing their social media campaigns. SocialBee’s concierge social media specialists are dedicated to specific tasks related to social media management, offering additional support to companies that don’t have a lot of social media expertise or manpower.

SocialBee’s concierge specialists can help users complete tasks from crafting posts for social media platforms to writing compelling copy and managing community outreach. Businesses can access these services without committing to a long-term subscription. Additionally, SocialBee offers month-to-month plans so businesses aren’t tied down by contracts and can sign up for services on an as-needed basis.

Besides offering concierge services that grant users access to content marketing specialists, SocialBee also integrates automation features that speed up content creation and publication. For example, you can automatically publish content based on specific triggers like the use of certain keywords or hashtags. SocialBee also uses AI to analyze your social media activity and provide customized content recommendations.

Why we chose it: We chose Metricool as the best social media management software for analytics because of its competitor analysis feature, which allows users to gain insight into what competitors are doing on different social networks. They can then use that data as inspiration for fresh content that has been tested and found to be successful. Moreover, analytics features and access to Instagram hashtags are available through Metricool’s “free forever” plan.

Metricool can help users simplify social media management through measurement and scheduling capabilities that work across various platforms. Besides adding new features every month, the company offers a comprehensive library of resources — including easy-to-follow guides with embedded videos and educational content on its YouTube channel — to help users get up and running with social media. Whether users are just getting started or want more advanced analytics training, Metricool has them covered.

Zoho Social

Canva integration
Create customer support tickets from social media comments

No CRM features with the basic plan
Premium Membership Required for video content
Canva integration not compatible with videos of GIFs

Zoho Social features a dashboard from which users can see their brand health across different social media platforms. This gives them better insight into their target audience through snapshots that display their engagement rate and traffic sources.

Additionally, the software integrates with Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk tools, which allow users to monitor customer issues on their social media accounts and create instant support tickets. It also connects with Canva, so you can design posts without leaving Zoho Social.

Despite Zoho’s vast array of software integrations, it’s not a budget-friendly option for those looking to create video content. Users are limited to static or carousel posts unless they upgrade to a Premium Membership. Furthermore, they are unable to create posts that incorporate videos and GIFs through the Canva button on Zoho Social.

Source: https://money.com/best-social-media-management-software/?xid=flipboard&utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=rss_synd

Influencers from Web2 Need to Join Web3 as Early Adopters

Changes are coming to the internet, as they always have. This time, as you’ve likely heard, the buzz is around web3, which is set to overtake the current internet. It’s not a question of ‘if’ as ‘when.’ Which is why now is the time for creators of all stripes to think about how their current skills will transfer into the next phase of online life.

Just as MySpace gave way to Facebook and Facebook ceded relevancy to Instagram and TikTok, the shift to web3 brings with it new rules, new ways of communicating and new opportunities.

It’s hard to predict all the ways that web3 will change how we go online – that’s what makes it all the more exciting.

Influencers and Innovators

This April, Amethyst debuted as a community where digital artists can reinvent themselves as web3 innovators. Jumping into web3 has been intimidating, no doubt. It’s tech-heavy and run by programmers. But the idea behind Amethyst is simple – to connect creators with programmers to enable new and reimagined NFTs and other work.

While we don’t know all the ways the internet will adapt in the next few years, we predict that web3 collaborations will be a mix of tech, art and social innovation. Amethyst is centered around the premise of connecting creators and fostering a new era of digital partnerships.

As part of our debut and to demonstrate where we think this space is heading, Amethyst teamed up with the estate of Marilyn Monroe, in partnership with Authentic Brands Group (ABG), owner of her estate. This was to create a re-imagined, CGI version of the fashion icon in contemporary looks from major fashion houses including Fendi, Thom Browne, David Koma, Miu Miu, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga.

Amethyst worked with Monroe’s estate for eight months, and tapped image production team Now Open to recreate her likeness via CGI. The NFTs are a collaboration between Amethyst, ABG and Now Open.

This project illustrates how web3 allows the evolution of existing imagery (the Marilyn Monroe likeness) into an entirely new medium (NFTs). Tech’s newest trends (interconnectedness, decentralization, blockchain) will push social media, inevitably, into the web3 space.

Influencers and their audiences

How will social media change when influencers bring their boundary-breaking smarts over to a new medium? What’s in store for influencers who carry their massive audiences over to web3? All that is yet to be written. But given that web3 will feature a mix of tech-social-arts talents, we foresee a space where creators get to amplify their followings. This is by virtue of working with and broadcasting to people outside of their typical niche.

There is still some skepticism around web3, as people try to figure out what it all means. That answer will be a little different for everyone. What we can predict, based on history, is that the early adopters are usually among those that benefit from coming waves.

Put another way: because the rules are still being written, it’s still early enough to enter the web3 fray, figure out what it means and maybe even make a name for yourself before everyone else does.

One promising way in which web3 will differ from web2 is an evolving definition of ownership. Right now, influencers are posting their work online but don’t always necessarily own it or can profit off it outside of traditional sponsorship deals. In the current economy of web2 social media, artists are used as tools in service of the platform, whether it’s TikTok or Instagram.

Source: https://beincrypto.com/influencers-from-web-2-need-to-join-web3-as-early-adopters/

5 Ways to Build an Authentic Brand in 2022

In a market where it takes so much work to gain customer trust, what can you do to become a trustworthy brand?

According to the Gustavson Brand Trust Index, brand trust fell to an all-time low in 2020.

But the following year, the same researchers discovered a trait that could help you bring that trust back: authenticity. Brand authenticity and brand trust have a major relationship going on.

While Gustavson uses authenticity to talk about social responsibility, we’d argue you can apply that take to brand authenticity as a whole — showing your customers your human side.

How can you make your brand more authentic to build trust with your customers? Let’s talk more about the importance of authenticity and five ways you can boost it for your brand.

The Importance of Authenticity

Your brand’s authenticity can make or break your customers’ buying decisions. A survey of more than 1,500 consumers showed that 90% think authenticity is important when deciding what brands to support.

Just as data-driven brand building helps you establish a solid brand, so does authenticity-driven brand building. Use data to establish your brand strategy, then find ways to make that strategy feel authentic.

5 Ways to Make Your Brand More Authentic

Here are five actionable strategies you can use to solidify your brand’s authenticity.

Add social proof

This might not be the first time you’ve seen us suggest using social proof in your marketing, and for good reason. It’s one of the best ways to build trust in your brand.

Social proof is evidence showing other customers like your brand. Think reviews, social media posts from customers, and case studies. These stamps of approval go a long way in building trust through authenticity.

After all, customers are more likely to trust people on their level over a brand they don’t know yet. Social proof gives your marketing a human touch that breaks down barriers to trust.

Use social proof in your marketing wherever you can to add authenticity. We’re talking websites, landing pages, social media posts — anywhere you have space to vouch for yourself.

Think of ways to get creative with your social proof, like Descript’s use of customer tweets to make a full testimonial:

All of the phrases in the quote come from real Tweets that you can read in the collection linked below it. They say to use your customers’ language in your marketing, and Descript cranked up that advice to the maximum level.

Share your story

Your story is what separates your business from your brand. Strong brands have a mission behind them, whether it’s something simple like making people happier or something ambitious like helping the environment. Share how your brand came to be and why you do what you do to build trust with your customers.

You’ll often see a brand’s story on their “About Us” page. Look how Trade Coffee shares its mission and beliefs on its “Our Mission/About Us” page.

Source: https://unbounce.com/campaign-strategy/build-an-authentic-brand/