WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram Face Global Outage but Twitter Kept the Memes Up

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At around 11 pm in India, many users were shocked to find that their messages were not being delivered on WhatsApp. Social media platform Facebook too seemed to be showing an error. Instagram was not spared as well. Confused about what could possibly be going on, everyone turned to Twitter. Much to their surprise, and some relief, they realised that it was not their phones that had crashed – on the contrary, the three most popular social media platforms had stopped working simultaneously. Users online started reported problems with its services late Friday at about 10:55 pm IST. Outage tracker Downdetector shows a spike in outages.

According to the site, over 34,000 people have reported facing issues on WhatsApp at the time of writing this. By the time you read this, the number is likely to have increased.

It is not known what has caused the outage, but many users across the world, including India and the United States, are posting about the outage on Twitter.

Messages are not being delivered on WhatsApp. Users are also unable to post content on Instagram. Whatsapp’s official account on Twitter has not issued a statement yet. The issue with Facebook’s application is reportedly not global; some users are experiencing trouble and others are not.

With most modes of communication snatched away, internet users did what they do best – memes.

Not just India, the problem seems to have been reported globally with numerous international publications reporting the same. As of now, it appears that services are being restored.

The services had last month on February 19 witnessed a similar outage, when users reported problems early in the day at around 7:55 am IST. It was not ascertained what had caused the outage but services were restored after a while.

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Facebook develops neural wristbands that work with AR glasses

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Facebook has teased its new augmented reality interface, based on technology developed by CTRL-Labs, the startup it acquired in 2019. A new video by Facebook shows off wristbands that use EMG (electromyography) to turn subtle neural signals into actions.

These include actions like typing, swiping, playing games or even an archery simulator. The wrist bands that control all of this, also feature haptic feedback, allowing users to ‘feel’ their actions, which are now more responsive than simple hand tracking. Check out the video below

A detailed blog post by Facebook Reality Labs offered more information on the new wristbands. The bands can track basic ‘clicks’ which are essentially touching your thumb and index finger together. The wristband will track your nerve signals via your arms, instead of a visual sensor.

While the initial tech was developed for all these years ago by CTRL-Labs, Facebook wants to take the possibilities of the EMG wristbands to the next level by integrating them with day-to-day computing.

Facebook said in the post that it has been implementing various prototypes that provide various kinds of haptic feedback. One of these is the ‘Bellowband’, with eight pneumatic bellows around each wrist, which inflate/deflate to produce distinct sensations. The ‘Tasbi’ on the other hand, uses vibrating actuators and a squeezing mechanism to relay signals to you.

Not reading your mind

Mark Zuckerberg recently criticised neural implants, suggesting that people shouldn’t have to get their heads opened (to fit a neural transmitter) to use virtual or augmented reality. Hence, the Facebook tech will use devices like the EMG band to collect data from your arms in a much less-intrusive way, unlike Elon Musk’s Neuralink.

However, the bands will still collect a lot of data. While Facebook does have a neuroethics program to examine the privacy, safety and security implications of such tech, people will still need to trust that a lot of data based on how their body moves is being collected.

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This is how Facebook wants to crack down on Groups that break its rules – Times of India

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Social networking giant Facebook has announced new measures to keep its Groups safe.
“These measures are intended to help slow down the reach of those looking to use our platform for harmful purposes and build on existing restrictions we’ve put in place over the last year,” said Facebook in a blog post.
These changes will roll out globally over the coming months.
What all is changing
Facebook has said that in case the company finds that a group has started violating its rules, it will start showing them lower recommendations, which means it’s less likely that people will discover them.
The company will also restrict the “privileges and reach” of groups and members that violate the rules until it “removes them completely.”
In case a user is about to join a group that has been found to violate rules, Facebook will warn them about it. Also, it will limit invite notifications for these groups, so people are less likely to join.
As for the existing members of such groups, it will reduce the distribution of that group’s content so that it is shown lower in the News Feed.
Admins will be required to temporarily approve all posts when that group has a substantial number of members who have violated the rules and if an admin or moderator repeatedly approves content that breaks the rules, it will then remove the group.
Lastly, in case the company finds that a user has repeated violations in groups, it will block them from being able to post or comment for a period of time in any group. They also won’t be able to invite others to any groups, and won’t be able to create new groups.

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Facebook starts to remove recommendations for political and social groups globally

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Facebook Inc said on Wednesday it is starting to remove the recommendations it gives global users for political and social issue Facebook groups, a move it has billed as turning down tension on the site.

The company also announced in a blog post changes aimed at reducing the reach of groups that break site rules, including showing them lower in algorithmic recommendations and alerting people when they go to join a group that has previously violated policies.

Researchers and civil rights organizations have long warned that Facebook groups, a product the company has vigorously promoted as providing places for people with common interests, like sports or music, have also been used to spread misinformation and organize extremist activity.

In an interview on Tuesday, Tom Alison, Facebook’s vice president of engineering, said Facebook was aggressively investing in groups.

He said the changes to political and civic group recommendations, which Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on an earnings call in January, were due to users wanting to see less political content.

“They want us to turn down the temperature a little bit,” said Alison.

He said newly created groups on any topic would need to wait 21 days before becoming eligible for recommendation in order to give Facebook time to understand how a group would operate.

Since 2017, Facebook has made groups a strategic priority, and Zuckerberg credits the feature as a way to foster “meaningful connections.” Last year, it stepped up promotion of groups in news feeds and search engine results.

But during the coronavirus pandemic, Facebook stopped recommending health groups to users, saying they needed authoritative sources of information. It also cracked down on certain groups in recent months as part of policy changes to curb “militarized social movements.”

In the months before the U.S. election and the Jan. 6 Capitol assault, Facebook groups buzzed with misinformation and violent rhetoric. “Stop the Steal” groups rapidly swelled despite the pauses on recommendations.

Facebook said on Wednesday it would require group moderators to temporarily approve posts for groups with a “substantial” number of rule-breaking members or members who were part of other groups removed for rule violations.

It also said it would show rule-breaking groups’ content lower in members’ news feeds and temporarily stop repeat rule-breaking members from being able to post or create new groups.

Facebook’s Alison declined to say what criteria would determine when a rule-breaking group or its members would be removed from the platform.

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Govt Asks Whatsapp to Review Proposed Privacy Policy Changes

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The government has asked messaging firm Whatsapp to review its proposed privacy policy changes, Minister of State for IT and Communications Sanjay Dhotre informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

WhatsApp has drawn massive criticism from users globally, including India, over concerns that data was being shared with its parent company, Facebook. WhatsApp, on its part, has maintained that messages on the platform are end-to-end encrypted and that neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can see the private messages on WhatsApp’s platform.

“Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) took cognizance of the WhatsApp announcement of its new Privacy Policy stated to be applicable to Indian users. To safeguard the interest of Indian users, Meity has asked WhatsApp to review the proposed privacy policy changes and also to explain the rationale of the same,” Dhotre said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. Whatsapp has proposed its users to accept updated policy changes by March 15 if they want to continue using the app.

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No proposal to appoint regulator for social media: Prasad

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“The social media platforms are enjoined to develop a robust grievance redressal system.”

The government on Wednesday informed Parliament that there is no proposal with the IT ministry to set up a regulator for social media.

Union IT and Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, however, said that the government has released Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, under the IT Act that specifies the due diligence to be followed by all the intermediaries, including the social media intermediaries.

“The social media platforms are enjoined to develop a robust grievance redressal system. Presently, there is no proposal with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to appoint a regulator for social media,” Mr. Prasad informed the Lok Sabha.

 

The government in February had announced sweeping regulations for social media firms like Facebook and Twitter as well as OTT players such as Netflix, requiring them to remove any content flagged by authorities within 36 hours and setting up a complaint redressal mechanism with an officer being based in the country.

The guidelines also make it mandatory for platforms such as Twitter and WhatsApp to identify the originator of a message that authorities consider to be anti-national and against security and sovereignty of the country.

The new rules related to social media platforms are to be handled by the IT ministry while the Information and Broadcasting ministry will look after content related issues on entertainment apps and online news portals.

Mr. Prasad said under provision of section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, the government blocks unlawful and malicious online content including social media account, in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the State, friendly relations with foreign states or public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence relating to above.

“Under this provision, 9,849 URLs/accounts/webpages, mostly on social media platforms, were blocked during the year 2020,” Mr. Prasad said.

 

In response to question whether the government has conducted any study regarding the impact of government’s control over social media vis-a-vis right to freedom of expression enshrined in the constitution, Prasad denied any such study undertaken by the government.

He said that the government welcomes criticism, dissent and also the rights of people to ask questions on social media.

“However, this needs to be acknowledged that the fundamental right of speech and expression under article 19(1) is also subject to reasonable restrictions under article 19(2) of the Constitution which can be imposed in the interest of security, safety and sovereignty of India, public order, friendly relations with foreign countries etc,” Mr. Prasad said.

The minister said it is equally important that social media should not be abused or misused to defame, promote terrorism, rampant violence and compromise the dignity of women.

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BJP Leader Sushil Modi in Rajya Sabha

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Taking a cue from Australia, India should enact a law to make tech giants such as Facebook and Google pay local publishers of news content, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi demanded in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Raising the issue through a Zero Hour mention, the former deputy chief minister of Bihar said, “The government must make Google, Facebook and YouTube pay print and news channels for the news content they are using freely.”

The Indian government should take a cue from the Australian parliament that passed the world’s first law last month to ensure news media businesses are fairly remunerated for the content they generate, he said. “I would urge the government of India that the way they have notified Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code to regulate social media and OTT platforms, they should enact a law on the pattern of Australian Code so that we can compel Google to share its revenue with traditional media,” he added.

India, Modi said, should take the lead in making Google and Facebook pay a fair share of their earnings from domestically produced news content on the internet to the publishers. Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu remarked that the suggestion is “worth considering”. Modi said the traditional print and news broadcast media, whose content is freely available on platforms run by the tech giants, are passing through their worst phase in recent history as advertisements have shifted to tech platforms.

ALSO READ: Google and Facebook’s Great News Robbery Must Stop for Journalism to Survive

“They are in deep financial crisis. Earlier, it was because of the pandemic and now it is because of tech giants like YouTube, Facebook and Google,” he said. The traditional news media, Modi said, make heavy investments employing anchors, journalists and reporters who gather information, verify it and deliver credible news.

But advertisement, which is their main source of revenue, has in the past few years shifted away from them with the advent of tech giants like Google, Facebook and YouTube, he said. “Advertising earnings are going to these tech giants (and) because of this print media, news channels are passing through a financial crisis,” Modi said.

ALSO READ: Australian Parliament Passes Media Bill That Forces Google, Facebook to News Outlets for Content

“I would urge [that] we should follow a country like Australia which has taken the lead by enacting a law – News Media Bargaining Code – by which they have compelled Google to share advertisement revenue with the news media,” he said. Google threatened to blackout news from its portal but ultimately surrendered, the BJP leader said.

“Australia has set a precedence and now France and other European countries are making laws for advertisement revenue sharing,” Modi said.



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Instagram announces new safety features for teens – Times of India

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Facebook-owned photo sharing app Instagram has announced that it is set to roll out new features to keep in mind the safety of teenagers who make use of the platform.
In a blog post, the company has listed out 4 new features it is set to rollout. Here’s a look at them in a bit more detail:
Restricting DMs between teens and adults they don’t follow
Instagram will prevent adults from sending messages to people under 18 who don’t follow them. This means if any adult tries to message a teen who doesn’t follow them, they receive a notification that sending them a Direct Message (DM) is not an option.
“This feature relies on our work to predict peoples’ ages using machine learning technology, and the age people give us when they sign up,” added the company.
Prompting teens to be cautious
The platform will also “encourage” teens to be cautious by showing them safety notices in DMs. These safety notices are said to notify teens when an adult “who has been exhibiting potentially suspicious behaviour is interacting with them in DMs.”
In the safety notice, people will be able to see options to end the conversation, or block, report, or restrict the person.
Restricting adults with suspicious behaviour to find teens
Instagram said that in the coming weeks, it will explore ways to make it difficult for adults who have been exhibiting potentially suspicious behaviour to interact with teens.
This, the company suggests, will be done by restricting adults from seeing teen accounts in ‘Suggested Users’, preventing them from discovering teen content in Reels or Explore, and automatically hiding their comments on public posts by teens.
Encouraging teens to make their accounts private
For new users under the age of 18 who have set their account as public, Instagram says that it will send them a notification later on highlighting the benefits of a private account and reminding them to check their settings.

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Mark Zuckerberg announces new Facebook tools to help people get vaccinated

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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced that the company will be launching a global campaign to help people get vaccinated amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “We’ve already connected over 2 billion people to authoritative Covid-19 information. Now that many countries are moving towards vaccinations for all adults, we’re working on tools to make it easier for everyone to get vaccinated as well,” Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post.

Facebook will be using all three major platforms – Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp to take the initiative further. Here’s what the company plans on doing.

Facebook vaccination tool

Facebook will be launching a new tool on the platform that will show users where and when they can go to get vaccinated. The tool will also provide users with a link to make an appointment. The tool will be visible in the COVID Information Center which will be visible in the Facebook News Feed. While the tool is limited to the US for now, Facebook says it will be supported in 71 different languages. It plans to expand to other countries as vaccines are available more widely. In India, vaccination is available for all citizens above 60 and those who are above 45 but suffering from comorbidity.

COVID News Center on Instagram

Facebook will also be bringing its COVID News Center to Instagram, allowing more people access to the COVID-related news update centre which will now also show vaccination-related information.

WhatsApp chatbots to help register for vaccines

Zuckerberg also mentioned in his post that the company will be working with health authorities and governments to expand their WhatsApp chatbots to help people register for vaccines. “More than 3 billion messages related to Covid have already been sent by governments, nonprofits and international organisations to citizens through official WhatsApp chatbots, so this update will help with the vaccination effort as well,” the post said.

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