Tag: whatsapp

WhatsApp Rolling Out Feature to Share Voice Messages as Status Updates to Android Beta Testers: Report

WhatsApp has reportedly begun rolling out a new feature for select Android beta testers that allows them to exchange voice notes as status updates. The feature lets you share voice status updates “with a certain audience configured within your privacy settings,” according to a feature tracker. The new feature is available within the text status section for select users on the beta channel. These voice status updates, like video, photo, and text updates, will also disappear after 24 hours.

According to a report by feature tracker WABetaInfo, select beta testers who have updated to version 2.23.2.8 can now post voice notes as WhatsApp Status updates. The WhatsApp feature and update tracker website notes that the feature is visible within the text status section, and adds that the maximum recording time for a voice status update is 30 seconds. Users can also discard a recording before re-recording and sharing it.

As with other status updates, voice notes are also protected by end-to-end encryption (E2EE). Users can also choose who can see their Status within their privacy settings. Similarly, like video, photo, and text status updates, voice statuses will also disappear after 24 hours. The WABetaInfo report added that the feature is likely to be available to more users in the coming weeks.

WhatsApp is also reportedly working on a feature to better deal with spam messages. The Meta-owned messaging service was found testing a feature that enables users to block people who are not in their contact list, directly from the notification bar. With this feature, users will eventually be able to block unfamiliar and unreliable contacts without having to open the chat.

WhatsApp message notifications currently have two options: reply and mark as read. The upcoming feature will offer users a third option: Block, which will be available only for messages received from unknown senders, according to the feature tracker.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Microsoft Fined EUR 60 Million by French Privacy Watchdog Over Advertising Cookies on Bing Website

France’s privacy watchdog said Thursday it has fined US tech giant Microsoft EUR 60 million ($64 million, roughly Rs. 530 crore) for foisting advertising cookies on users.

In the largest fine imposed in 2022, the National Commission for Technology and Freedoms (CNIL) said Microsoft‘s search engine Bing had not set up a system allowing users to refuse cookies as simply as accepting them.

The French regulator said that after investigations it found that “when users visited this site, cookies were deposited on their terminal without their consent, while these cookies were used, among others, for advertising purposes.”

It also “observed that there was no button allowing to refuse the deposit of cookies as easily as accepting it.”

The CNIL said the fine was justified in part because of the profits the company made from advertising profits indirectly generated from the data collected via cookies — tiny data files that track online browsing.

Bing offered a button for the user to immediately accept all cookies, but two clicks were need to refuse them, it said.

The company has been given three months to rectify the issue, with a potential further penalty of EUR 60,000 (roughly Rs. 52 lakh) per day overdue.

The fine was issued to Microsoft Ireland, where the company has its European base.

In a statement Microsoft said that it had “introduced key changes to our cookie practices even before this investigation started.”

“We continue to respectfully be concerned with the CNIL’s position on advertising fraud,” it said, adding that it believes the French watchdog’s “position will harm French individuals and businesses.”

Cookie control

Cookies are installed on a user’s computer when they visit a website, allowing web browsers to save information about their session.

They are hugely valuable for tech platforms as ways to personalise advertising — the primary source of revenue for the likes of Facebook and Google.

But privacy advocates have long pushed back.

Since the European Union passed a 2018 law on personal data, internet companies have faced stricter rules that oblige them to seek consent from users before installing cookies.

Last year, the CNIL said it would carry out a year of checks against sites not following the rules on using web cookies.

Google and Facebook were sanctioned by the French regulator with fines of EUR 150 million (roughly Rs. 1,300 crore) and EUR 60 million (roughly Rs. 530 crore), respectively, for similar breaches around their use of cookies.

The two firms also face scrutiny over their practice of sending the personal data of EU residents to servers in the United States.

And tech giants continue to face a slew of cases across Europe.

Earlier this month, Europe’s data watchdog imposed binding decisions concerning the treatment of personal data by Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

The European Data Protection Supervisor said in a statement that the rulings concerned Meta’s use of data for targeted advertising, but did not give details of its ruling or recommended fines.

The latest case follows complaints by privacy campaigning group Noyb that Meta’s three apps fail to meet Europe’s strict rules on data protection.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

WhatsApp Pay India Head Quits Within Four Months of Taking Charge

Vinay Choletti, head of WhatsApp’s India payment business, has quit the firm within four months in the role, marking the latest in a series of domestic senior-level departures at parent company Meta Platform.

“As I move on to my next adventure, I strongly believe that WhatsApp has the power to phenomenally transform digital payments and financial inclusion in India and I look forward to seeing it leverage its potential in the coming years,” Choletti wrote on LinkedIn late Tuesday.

Meta has seen a series of changes in executive roles in the recent months. WhatsApp’s India head Abhijit Bose, Meta’s public policy director in India Rajiv Aggarwal and Meta’s India head Ajit Mohan had resigned in November.

Meta did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.

Choletti took charge of WhatsApp Pay in India following Manesh Mahatme’s exit in September to join Amazon.

Before joining WhatsApp Pay in October 2021 as the head of Merchant Payments, Choletti had worked at Amazon for seven years, according to his LinkedIn profile.

WhatsApp, the messaging service owned by Meta, been trying to lure more Indians to its peer-to-peer payments service as it tries to ramp up in a highly competitive market and lock horns with more established payers such as Alphabet‘s Google Pay, Ant Group-backed Paytm and Walmart‘s PhonePe.

Meta was in the middle of massive layoffs last month, cutting more than 11,000 jobs or 13 percent of its workforce, as the Facebook parent doubled down on its metaverse bet amid a crumbling advertising market and decades-high inflation.

© Thomson Reuters 2022

 

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

OTT Communication Services Should Be Licensed, Compensate Telcos for Data Traffic, COAI Says

Telecom operators’ body COAI on Tuesday made a strong pitch for OTT (over-the-top) communication services to directly compensate telcos for data traffic they are driving onto the networks, as it advocated a licensing and light-touch regulation framework for such services.

Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI) Director General SP Kochhar said the association, as part of the draft telecom bill, has given its suggestions on how OTT communication services should be defined to ensure there is no ambiguity.

Other aspects like exact financial model for OTT communication services to compensate telecom service providers will be made to the government going forward as and when the nuances of framework for light-touch regulation is discussed, Kochhar told reporters at a briefing.

OTT communication services include the likes of WhatsApp, Signal, Google Meet, Telegram and other similar apps.

In future, the same principle of revenue share basis data consumption can be applied to other OTTs (all categories) as well, he added. For now, COAI’s suggestions are confined to the realm of OTT communication apps, not the entire ecosystem, since the draft bill mentions communication apps.

COAI maintained that KYC is an essential requirement, be it for telcos or OTT communication services.

Industry bodies COAI and Broadband India Forum (BIF) had been locked in a pitched battle on the issue of treatment of OTTs while consultations on the draft telecom bill was underway.

The telecom service providers, under the aegis of COAI, have been pushing for OTT communication services to be brought under regulation. COAI has been propagating ‘same service same rules’ for OTT communication services and telcos, to ensure a level playing field.

On the other hand, digital think-tank BIF — which counts tech companies such as Tata Consultancy Services, Cisco, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook-owner Meta as its key members — has warned that the regulation of OTT players could stifle the socioeconomic ecosystem and hurt innovation.

COAI, in a note outlining the recent submissions on the draft telecom bill, said: “The OTTs providing telecom services similar to telcos such as voice/video calling and messaging within the meaning of telecom Bill… be defined clearly, and the same regulatory and security obligations to be met by them as done by TSPs for providing similar services.” Alternatively, it said, OTT communication service providers can pay directly to the telcos for use of their networks for providing services “in a fair and equitable manner by way of an equivalent interconnect charge (say network access charge) for the actual traffic carried by these OTTs on TSPs network, which can be easily measured.” The contribution of OTTs to network costs can be based on assessable criteria such as volume of traffic, turnover threshold and number of users, among others.

COAI cited a report which estimated that 56 per cent of the global data traffic on telcos’ network is from leading OTTs. The association also went on to suggest that OTT contribution to exchequer, if a levy is put in place, could be about Rs 800 crore.

“Since the telecom service providers will be receiving the revenue from OTTs as part of their telecom services rendered, they would automatically be paying licence fee to the Government (as part of TSP’s Adjusted Gross Revenue) on an incremental basis to the extent of the payments by OTTs to the TSPs,” COAI said.

Other major recommendations of COAI — whose members include Reliance jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea — include reduction of licence fee from 3 per cent to 1 per cent, a move the association says will ensure that more funds are available to players for rollout of networks. The suggestion on lowering of levies is also part of COAI’s pre-Budget wishlist to the government.

COAI further said Internet shutdowns not only affect telcos’ Average Revenue Per User, but also the consumer base.

“Non commercial infrastructure is also required to be set up by the telecom service providers in this regard, costing them. Reimbursement for the same to be considered by the Government,” COAI has suggested. There should be standard operating procedures spelt out for such actions and accountability for the same must lie with the officials initiating or supervising such actions, it noted.

Beside this, it said, contributions towards the Telecom Development Fund should be met from budgetary allocation and from amounts collected through spectrum auctions as also “from contribution from entities that cause the traffic, that is, OTTs – streaming, gaming and social media companies”.

So far as protection of users is concerned, the “Bill may be extended to cover cyber or financial fraud or unsolicited commercial communications and may include a proviso to align the powers of Telecom Department on this issue with TRAI. Ideally there should be only one body regulating the issue,” COAI said.

The draft telecom bill seeks to replace three laws — the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933 and the Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act, 1950.

The bill proposes all Internet calling and messaging apps to comply with the Know Your Customer (KYC) provisions when they come under the telecom regulation ambit.

The telecom department has also mooted a provision for the refund of fees in case a telecom or Internet provider surrenders its licence.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Meta India MD Lauds Government for Holding Companies Accountable for Internet Safety

Social media giant Meta India’s Vice President and Managing Director Ajit Mohan at a Delhi-based think tank event on Thursday lauded the Indian government and its policy, regarding the Internet and its security.

“We welcome government regulation. In India, the government has been vocal about holding companies accountable for internet safety and we are fully aligned with this agenda,” Ajit Mohan said.

Meta owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, among other products and services. It was formerly known as Facebook.

“The way the Indian government has promoted internet services in the country and practically digital services, it is a remarkable work and it is a matter of recognition,” the head of Meta India mentioned in his conversation that is how India is the power of wireless.

“What we have seen in India is the power of wireless. The digital transformation in India had started even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Low-cost 4G has been the key catalyst for the digital revolution,” he said.

India’s digital revolution is not limited to social media and internet services, rather it has transformed into big businesses and creating vibrant opportunities in the field of startups, entrepreneurs and transactions through high-quality internet services.

“The pandemic exposed people to a more digital way of living. We are now at a stage where more than a billion people in India have access to high-quality internet which will change the way we experience most services. The digital economy has led to a boom in entrepreneurship and the way business is conducted in India,” Ajit Mohan said during the discussion.

“We have found that if we build a platform that enables small business, it also leads to multiple benefits for us. We differentiated ourselves by serving small businesses and not just large clients,” he added.

Recently, several social media giants have faced criticism across the country regarding data compromise and hate speeches, with the Meta India chief clarifying how Meta and its companies are complying with the laws.

“We look at content moderation through two lenses: Adhering to public guidelines suited to local conditions and compliance with local laws. Our economic incentives are aligned with safety and security; marketers don’t want to advertise on unsafe platforms,” he said.

In his last comment, he said how Meta was making it more transparent for its consumers and had clearly mentioned about transparency policy.

He said there was value in moving towards more transparent algorithms and allowing for more explicit choices from consumers. “We are trying to work out mechanisms to allow for more transparency,” he said.

 

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Government May Set Up Committees to Redress User Grievance Against Social Media Platforms: Officials

The government plans to set up appellate committees to redress grievances that users may have against the way social media platforms initially addressed their complaints regarding content and other issues, officials said.

While tech giant Meta (which owns Facebook and WhatsApp) and microblogging site Twitter have been pushing for a self-regulated grievance appellate framework, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) wants adjudications to be done by three-member grievance appellate committees.

The panels will be constituted by tweaks in the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

Amendments may provide for social media platforms to acknowledge within 24 hours user complaints and resolve them within 15 days.

The complaints could range from child sexual abuse material to nudity to trademark and patent infringements, misinformation, impersonation of another person and content threatening the unity and integrity of the country.

Any person aggrieved by a decision of the grievance officer of social media platforms may prefer an appeal to the appellate committee within a period of 30 days, they said, adding that the amendment may provide for setting up of one or more such panels to address issues with different social media platforms.

The government had, in February 2021, notified the IT Rules (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code), 2021 for social media apps, online news portals, news aggregators and OTT platforms.

However, even after providing for the redressal mechanism through the IT Rules, 2021, many user grievances remained unresolved, prompting the government to step in and propose an appellate jurisdiction framework.

Each grievance appellate committee may consist of a chairperson and two whole-time members appointed by the central government, of which one will be a member ex-officio and two independent members.

The grievance appellate panel will deal with such appeal expeditiously and make an endeavour to resolve the appeal within 30 days from the date of receipt of the appeal.

There had been pushbacks from industry and some stakeholders on the proposal for the grievance appellate committee after the government, in June, circulated the draft rules around this. At present, “there is no appellate mechanism provided by intermediaries nor is there any credible self-regulatory mechanism in place”, the IT ministry had then said.

 

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

TRAI’ Concerns Over Draft Telecom Bill Provisions Said to Be Duly Addressed

TRAI’s apprehensions over potential dilution of powers under the draft telecom bill have been addressed, and the government may look at the option of taking up provisions related to strengthening of the regulatory body separately at a later stage, DoT sources said.

On over-the-top (OTT) communication apps, sources said, the focus is on user protection related regulation, not licensing. The Department of Telecommunications (DOT), through the provisions of the draft bill, will come down heavily on spammers and those indulging in cyber frauds, sources said.

Amid reports of TRAI‘s opposition to certain clauses of the draft telecom bill, that were seen diluting its powers, sources said, ​​​discussions have taken place between the two sides. All the outstanding issues have been resolved, they said.

There are no differences between Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the telecom department on this issue, sources said.

The thinking in telecom department now is that specific provisions related to strengthening of TRAI, on the lines of US’ Federal Communications Commission or UK’s communications regulator Ofcom, can be taken up after a period of time, say 3-4 years, through a separate exercise. For now, the contentious amendments may be removed from the draft telecom bill, currently in the works.

The government, in the draft telecom bill — circulated for stakeholder comments last month — has proposed a provision to waive fees and penalty of telecom and internet service providers. The telecom department has also mooted a provision for the refund of fees in case a telecom or internet provider surrenders his licence.

Meanwhile, telecom service providers are pushing for OTT apps to be brought under regulation. They argue that apps offering services similar to them — say WhatsApp, Signal and other similar apps used for calling and messaging — should be subject to the same licence conditions as telcos, thus ensuring a level-playing-field for all technologies.

 

 

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

India ‘Most Significant’ Country for New Features Across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Top Executive Says

India is the most significant country for Meta in terms of all the new things that feature across its platforms — Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, a top company official said. Meta has also provided a great opportunity for numerous brands and millions of creators to express their creativity and build audiences in India through short-form videos, said Manish Chopra, Director and Head of Partnerships for Facebook India (Meta), adding that India is a very critical market for the company’s platforms from multiple dimensions. A lot of new product learning and incubation is done in the country, and ‘Reels’ is an example of that. Chopra also said that this is the market where the firm has done the most amount of testing of new product features.

“India is the most significant market where the focus is for all the new things that we are doing across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp,” he told PTI, speaking on the sidelines of Meta’s annual ‘Creator Day’, which was recently held for the first time in Kolkata. The event celebrates creators and gives them a chance to create, collaborate and learn from each other, he said.

Chopra said ‘Reels’ (short-from videos), which was launched two years back, has gained massive popularity in India, including tier-2 and tier-3 cities. “India is the lighthouse country for ‘Reels’ for Meta globally. As per a new research report, around 200 million people are spending about 45 mins per day on short-form videos, and this figure is estimated to go up to 600 million people. Reels is helping creators express their creativity, passion, and build audiences and followers that relate with them through the content,” he said.

Short-form videos have also become a potent medium for brands to promote their products on Facebook and Instagram, Chopra told PTI, adding that Reels provide a different and authentic kind of voice for brands to engage with users, he said.

“Digital advertising is a highly performing means for brands (large and small). It’s an efficient way to grow… In India, more than 50 per cent of the followers for the businesses that are on Instagram are coming from tier-2 and tier-3 cities; so a company can reach out to these markets by being on Instagram and Facebook,” he said.

He also said that a lot of music trends have been happening through short-form videos, as artists make use of the ‘1 Minute Music’ format on Instagram to get “tremendous” distribution.

“We believe that cricket, Bollywood and music define a lot of culture in India. So, we continue to invest closely with partners who create these IPs (intellectual property),” he said.

Meta recently announced a partnership with the ICC that would enable people to watch the best match moments and highlights of the Men’s T20 World Cup, through clips on ‘Reels’ on Instagram and Facebook.

Chopra said the tech conglomerate takes constant measures to rein in the menace of fake profiles and the spread of misinformation on Meta’s platforms.

“Putting a check on fake profiles and spread of misinformation is a constant area of investment for us. We are proactively taking down millions of fake accounts, and have a large organisation that ensures we are responding appropriately to complaints. We also help users become more secure about their own accounts through new security features,” he said.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Facebook’s Plea to Dismiss CCI Probe Into WhatsApp’s Private Policy Rejected by Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the pleas by Meta Platforms, the parent company of social media platforms Facebook and WhatsApp, challenging the probe ordered by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) into WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy of 2021.

A bench of Justices M R Shah and Sudhanshu Dhulia said CCI is an independent authority and the proceedings before it cannot be stopped, and junked the petitions against the Delhi high court judgment upholding the probe ordered by the chief national competition regulator.

“We’ve heard the counsel. No interference of this court is required to be called for. The CCI is an independent authority to consider any violation of the provisions of the Competition Act of 2002. The CCI cannot be dissuaded from investigation and alleged violation of Competition Act, 2002,” the bench held.

Any observation made by the High Court should be considered as tentative/prima facie, the bench said.

The Delhi High Court had on September 28 dismissed a plea by Facebook India challenging the probe ordered by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) into WhatsApp‘s updated privacy policy of 2021.

Facebook India had approached the single judge bench after a division bench of the high court in August dismissed its impleadment application in a related matter and granted it liberty to challenge the CCI order by way of a separate writ petition.

The division bench had on August 25 dismissed the appeals of WhatsApp and Facebook against a single judge’s order rejecting their challenge to the probe ordered by the CCI into the instant messaging platform’s updated privacy policy.

Facebook India, the Indian subsidiary of US-based Facebook (now known as Meta Platforms), had argued that the CCI has clubbed it in its ongoing investigation against Facebook and WhatsApp even though it has not formed any prima facie opinion against it.

In April last year, a single judge of the high court had refused to interdict the investigation directed by the CCI on the petitions by WhatsApp and Facebook — now Meta Platforms. In January last year, the CCI had on its own decided to look into WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy based on news reports. The anti-trust regulator had said its investigation concerned WhatsApp’s anti-competitive sharing of user data with Facebook.

It also defended the initiation of a probe against Facebook as well in connection with WhatsApp’s privacy policy, saying the former is the holding company of the messaging platform and it can potentially exploit the data being shared.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Exit mobile version