Some Facebook users can now monetise their short-video posts

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Facebook earns nearly 98% of its revenue from advertising, and retains 45% of ad revenue earned by creators

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Some Facebook users will now be able to make money from their short video posts, provided their viewers watch an ad after 30 seconds into the video.

The social network had earlier permitted monetisation through in-stream ads on videos longer than three minutes, when ads will be flashed after the video runs 60 seconds.

Ads on videos longer than three minutes can now display ads at the 45-second mark, the company said in a statement.

Facebook launched in-stream ads in 2017, allowing creators to earn from videos in the Watch section, including on-demand and live videos. The move was said to help creators boost visibility and enhance engagement. In-stream ads payout grew more than 55% from 2019 to 2020, according to Facebook.

Also Read | Facebook’s feud with Apple may dent ad revenue in 2021

Only users over 18 years of age, with over 10,000 followers, and having 600,000 total minutes viewed from any combination of video uploads are eligible for monetisation. Additionally, they must have five or more active video uploads or live videos, Facebook stated.

The move to promote short videos is an seen as an attempt to popularise Instagram Reels, Facebook’s version of rival TikTok. Recently, Facebook said it is testing a feature to allow users to post Reels to their Facebook profiles. It also said some of its users can earn money through sticker ads on Facebook Stories. Facebook earns nearly 98% of its revenue from advertising, and retains 45% of ad revenue earned by creators.

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No govt communication ever threatened social media platforms’ staff of jail term: IT Ministry

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The government had ordered Twitter to take down hundreds of posts, accounts and hashtags, that it saw violating rules.

The government has never threatened employees of any social media platform, such as Twitter, of jail term, the IT Ministry has said.

Reacting to reports that alluded to Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter employees being threatened with jail term, the Ministry said social media platforms are “obliged to follow the laws of India and the Constitution of India, just like all other businesses in India have to.” “As has been conveyed on the floor of Parliament, users of social media can criticise the government, the Prime Minister or any Minister but promotion of violence, rampant communal divide and stoking the flames of terrorism will have to be reflected upon,” it said.

The government had ordered Twitter to take down hundreds of posts, accounts and hashtags, that it saw violating rules. Twitter initially did not fully comply but fell in line after the government showed the rule book that contained penal provisions.

The IT Ministry went on to state that the recent guidelines pertaining to social media simply require the platforms to put in place a robust grievance redressal mechanism for users.

“None of the government communications, either written or oral, have ever threatened the employees of any of the social media platforms of jail term,” it said.

“The government welcomes criticism and dissent. However, of late, repeated instances of abuse of social media to foment hate, discord and violence by terrorist groups from outside India and circulation of morphed images of women, revenge porn posing threat to the safety of users especially women users have become grave concerns,” it said.

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Facebook will now start showing ads in Stories – Times of India

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Social networking giant Facebook has announced that it is going to expand the means through which content creators will be able to post ads on its platform, which essentially means users are going to see a lot more ads.
In a blog post, Yoav Arnstein, director, Facebook App Monetization said that Facebook is now going to allow content creators to earn revenue through Stories. Also, it is going to update its in-stream ad eligibility to open access to in-stream ads for Live and expand paid online events. Lastly, it is also going to introduce free Stars giveaways to viewers that are a revenue generating source for creators.
Starting with Stories, Arnstein in the blog post emphasised how the company is focused on short-form video monetization.
“In the coming weeks, we’ll begin testing the ability for content creators to monetize their Facebook Stories with ads that look like stickers and receive a portion of the resulting revenue. While the initial test is small, we hope to soon expand to more content creators. And then broaden it to short-form videos on Facebook, eventually providing a way for content creators to monetize this popular content.” Arnstein added.
When it comes to eligibility criteria for content creators to monetize their videos with in-stream ads, Facebook said that Pages must now have 600,000 total minutes viewed in the last 60 days and 5 or more active video uploads or previously Live videos.
As for Stars, Facebook has announced it is investing $7 million over the next few months in consumer education and adoption via free Stars.
“During certain Star-enabled livestreams, some people will see an offer to claim free Stars that they can send at their discretion to their favourite content creators to boost their visibility and connection with the creator and add to the creators’ earnings,” Arnstein added.

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Instagram Testing Cool Captions Feature to Remove the Hassle of Typing Long Texts in Stories

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Auto Captions currently exists on YouTube, Facebook and select video conferencing platforms that generates subtitles in English to reduce the communication gap. Now, Instagram appears to be testing its own version of Auto Caption or Closed Captions for Stories but in a slightly different format. The new feature essentially generates text via audio inputs and then transforms it into a sticker that can be placed anywhere in the Instagram Story. The ‘Closed Captions’ can be useful when users want to post a text-heavy story.

As per a post by social media expert Matt Navarra, we can see the Instagram Story feature capturing the text from audio inputs and then users can enlarge the size of the sticker or change fonts. To enable Closed Captions, there’s now a dedicated button that is accessible in the quick panel. The panel appears when the user swipes up from the bottom of the screen. Instagram appears to be testing four text style options, including typewriter-esque block text, larger words for added emphasis and basic block letters. The accuracy of the generated text will, of course, be relative to the clarity of the audio. A report states that some users can see the Captions button, but it appears to be for ‘internal’ usage only.

Notably, Instagram added auto-captions for IGTV uploads last year. It transcribes the videos, and end-users can view auto-generated subtitles in English. Facebook has been offering auto-captions on video uploads since 2017, but more recently, it’s added the feature for Facebook Live and Workplace Live as well. Meanwhile, Instagram has expanded its toned-down app Instagram Lite to over 170 countries. The app is designed to work on 2G network and entry-level smartphones with low internal space. The Android app is only 2MB in size.

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Instagram Adds New Stickers Illustrated by Diverse Women for International Women’s Day 2021

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Instagram is introducing new stickers illustrated by diverse women around the world, to celebrate International Women’s Day 2021 that will take place on March 8. The Facebook-owned social media company notes that the latest stickers stand in solidarity with frontline workers who assumed responsibilities through the pandemic, with mothers, among many more. The stickers also extend solidarity to women who face discrimination based on race and body types. Instagram brings special stickers and filters to celebrate various occasions. Last year, the company celebrated Diwali with a distinct AR filter called ‘Share Your Light.’

Tara Bedi, Public Policy and Community Outreach Manager at Instagram India, has also shared a post on the platform, showcasing the new stickers. “These stickers stand in solidarity with front line workers who assumed so much responsibility through the pandemic, with mothers, those among the limb disability community, with elderly Asian women who faced racism, and all the communities of support that have sparked joy in the lives of women all over the world,” she stated in the post. Instagram users can find these stickers in the featured section under the Story section.

Notably, Apple has introduced a new Apple Watch challenge to promote International Women’s Day this year. Its International Women’s Day challenge has a virtual trophy and animated stickers on completing it. Additionally, the App Store will feature an App of the Day and Game of the Day from a woman creator while the Apple Arcade will showcase a collection of games starring powerful female characters. The Apple Music is also highlighting women who are leaders in their field, breaking records, topping charts, and inspiring others through their work, advocacy, and influence within pop culture and beyond. Moreover, Apple Books is celebrating everywhere with country-specific collections that feature women’s voices and elevate their contributions to every field.

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Facebook to Lift Its Temporary Ban on Political Advertisements

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Facebook will lift its temporary ban on political advertising in the United States on Thursday, the company said in a blog post on Wednesday. The social media giant has had a months-long freeze on political, electoral and social ads, which it introduced as part of an effort to crack down on misinformation and abuses around the November 3 elections.

Facebook had temporarily lifted its ad pause in Georgia for the state’s January runoff elections but put it back in place. Alphabet’s Google, which had lifted its own political ad ban in December, later reinstated it following the January 6 siege at the US Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump. Google lifted the ban last week.

ALSO READ: Facebook to Ban Ads Promoting Weapon Accessories Ahead of US President-Elect Joe Biden’s Inauguration

Democratic and Republican digital strategists have argued that such bans were overly broad and failed to combat the issue of organic misinformation on the platforms. Earlier on Wednesday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) issued a statement criticising Facebook for not committing to a clear date to end the ban, saying the freeze had made it harder for campaigns and organisations to reach voters.

Facebook, which noted in its blog post that its systems do not distinguish between political and electoral ads and “social issue” ads, said it would look in the coming months at what other changes to its ads might be needed.



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Facebook Oversight Board Changes Rules on Time Taken for Action on Case Appeals

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Facebook Inc’s independent Oversight Board is changing rules related to the time taken to reach a decision on any appeal to take down content, it said on Tuesday. Under the new rules, the timeline of stipulated 90 days for Facebook’s action will start when the board takes up a case for review. So far, the timeline began whenever Facebook took a call on the content.

“This update will help ensure that all cases have the same amount of time for deliberation, no matter when the case was referred to the Board by Facebook or a user,” it said in a statement.

The Board, which the world’s largest social network created in response to criticism of its handling of problematic content, can overrule company decisions on whether to take down posts and recommend policy changes.



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Bars Is a New Facebook App That Will Let You Rap Over Pre-Made Beats; A TikTok Killer?

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In a world of creators and short-form videos, there are apps like TikTok and Instagram that give creators and viewers new platforms to create and enjoy content in various formats. Now, Facebook is taking a further step in order to leverage from this ongoing trend of ‘casual entertainment’ as the social media giant has launched a new app that allows users to rap over beats that are provided by the app. The app, named Bars will allow users to post and share videos of them rapping over beats that are provided by the app itself.

Bars lets users create short 60-second videos over them. According to a report in TechCrunch, users can post the video on a TikTok-style feed, where people can watch it and mark is as “fire”. The app also promises “studio quality vocal effects,” including actual AutoTune. According to reports, the app also promises an auto-rhyme dictionary for those who mark themselves as “beginners” in the app’s sign-up page. For those who choose ‘Advanced’ level, Bars promises a Freestyle mode, which gives users eight random words to work into a 16-bar rap.

Bars sounds something our TikTok or Instagram Reels-using readers would want to try out as soon as possible. However, that is not possible as the app is currently in a closed beta, but users can sign up to secure a username and get a place in line for when the app starts opening up. The app has already been listed on the Apple App Store and an Instagram profile for BARS is also live. The app has been listed as BARS – Rapper’s Delight in the App Store listing.



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Facebook to Update Policies Including Nudity, Misinformation Basis Oversight Board

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Facebook has published its first response to recommendations on policy, content moderation, transparency and misinformation, that were put forth to the social media company by its newly set-up and independent Oversight Board. In January, the Board published its first set of decisions that it took on a handful of cases, which overturned initial decisions that were taken by Facebook basis its existing operational policies and community standards enforcement procedure. Now, Facebook wants the world to know how it acted basis the Oversight Board’s decisions in 17 particular areas, which also includes one area where it rejected the Board’s call.

Nick Clegg, Facebook’s VP of global affairs, wrote in a company blog post, “When we created the Oversight Board, we hoped its impact would come not just from its decisions on individual cases, but also from broader recommendations on how we can improve our policies and practices. This is the start of that process. The board deals with some of the trickiest content moderation issues Facebook faces, where there are often no easy decisions. We want this process to be as open and transparent as possible, which is why we are responding to every one of their recommendations in detail.”

We’ve updated Instagram’s policy on nudity to clarify that health-related nudity is permitted. We will also undertake a more comprehensive update to reflect all the policies we enforce on Instagram today

Broadly classified, Facebook’s actions are divided into three individual parts that include its efforts to promote transparency of operations, “calibrating” the use of automation and human moderation in flagging content, and actively evaluating Covid-19 information policies on the go. One of the bigger takeaways from Facebook’s response concerns Instagram’s nudity policy, which has often been criticised by those using the platform to raise awareness about issues such as health awareness or related areas. On this note, Facebook says, “We’ve updated Instagram’s policy on nudity to clarify that health-related nudity is permitted. We will also undertake a more comprehensive update to reflect all the policies we enforce on Instagram today, and give people more information on the relationship between Facebook’s Community Standards and Instagram’s Community Guidelines.”

This is one underlined area that will contribute to Facebook’s launch of a ‘Transparency Centre’, which the company states will happen “in the coming months”. The Oversight Board’s recommendations have also seemingly contributed to make Facebook take the additional step of explaining key terms in its community guidelines, which will better describe and add context to, say, why a post was banned, or why might a person be profiled as dangerous.

The Oversight Board’s recommendations have also seemingly contributed to make Facebook take the additional step of explaining key terms in its community guidelines, which will better describe and add context

Actions to be taken by Facebook basis its Board recommendations include improvements to its automation algorithms, and better understanding when should human intervention be required for taking action on content or people on the platform. Finally, Clegg’s post clarifies one key area: retrospectively reinstating banned content basis previous action, and following precedent for it going forward.

As he states, “We’ve also started the process of reinstating identical content with parallel context in the following cases: Uyghur Muslims, Hydroxychloroquine, Azithromycin and COVID-19, and a Nazi Quote. These actions will affect not only content previously posted on Facebook and Instagram but also future content. For cases where the board upholds our final judgment, we will continue to ensure identical content with parallel context remains either up or down in line with the board’s decision.”

For a detailed view of the actions taken by Facebook basis its Oversight Board, click here.



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What Is SAI? The Indian Army Messaging App Said to Go Into Function Starting April 1

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Secure Application for Internet or SAI, is a messaging platform for the Indian Army, developed by the Indian Army. The Indian Army is said to be starting the usage of SAI starting April 1, according to reports. The indegenous app, that supports end-to-end voice, text, and video calling services is similar to commercially available messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, and the recently-launched Sandes.

The Ministry of Defence announced SAI back in October 2020, and said that the Android app scored over on security features with local in-house servers and codes, which can be tweaked as per requirements. The app has been vetter by CERT-in empaneled auditor and the Army Cyber Group, and is currently in the process for filing Intellectual Property Rights hosting infrastructure on the NIC. The app is also under development for iOS and will be utilised by the Indian Army to facilitate secure messaging within the service.

SAI has been developed by Col Sai Shankar and is undergoing the process of getting cyber and security clearance and data testing. SAI is said to be an alternative to WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal.

In July, after the Centre banned 59 Chinese apps, officers of the Indian Army were instructed to remove 89 apps from their mobiles including apps like Daily Hunt, Tinder, Facebook, TikTok, Zoom, and PUBG, which was later banned in September 2020. Last year, the Indian Army also instructed its soldiers to steer clear of WhatsApp for official usage. Even carrying smartphones on bases and dockyars has also been prohibited by the Indian Armed forces.



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