News Analysis India

Tag: Instagram

  • Meta Purged Over 17 Mn Pieces Of Bad Content On FB, Insta In India In April |

    New Delhi: Meta said that it took down over 11.6 million pieces of bad content across 13 policies for Facebook and more than 5.4 million pieces of objectionable content across 12 policies for Instagram in India in April. In April, Facebook received 17,124 reports through the Indian grievance mechanism and said that it provided tools for users to resolve their issues in 9,977 cases.

    These include pre-established channels to report content for specific violations, self-remediation flows where they can download their data, avenues to address account hacked issues, etc, Meta said in its monthly report in compliance with the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. (Also Read: Lava Yuva 5G Smartphone Launched With 5000mAh Battery For Under Rs 10,000; Check Specs And Availability)

    “Of the other 7,147 reports where specialised review was needed, we analysed content as per our policies and took action on 4,303 complaints in total. The remaining 2,844 grievances were reviewed but may not have been actioned,” Meta added. (Also Read: SpaceX Will Enable Anyone To Travel To Moon, Mars: Elon Musk)

    On Instagram, the company received 12,924 reports through the Indian grievance mechanism. “Of these, we provided tools for users to resolve their issues in 5,941 cases,” it said. Of the other 6,983 reports where specialised review was needed, Meta analysed content and took action on 3,206 complaints in total. The remaining 3,777 reports were reviewed but may not have been actioned.

    Under the new IT Rules 2021, big digital and social media platforms, with more than 5 million users, have to publish monthly compliance reports. “We measure the number of pieces of content (such as posts, photos, videos or comments) we take action for going against our standards. Taking action could include removing a piece of content from Facebook or Instagram or covering photos or videos that may be disturbing to some audiences with a warning,” said Meta.

  • Swiggy Launches ‘Smart Links’ Tool To Boost Restaurant Online Visibility |

    By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.

    Accept All Cookies

    Manage Consent Preferences

  • Divyanka Tripathi Recovering After Breaking Multiple Bones, Vivek Dahiya Shares Recovery Updates

    Vivek Dhaiya took to Instagram to share Divyanka Tripathi’s message for her fans regarding her health.

  • LinkedIn Is Testing TikTok-Like Short Video Feed On Its App; May Monetize In Future |

    New Delhi: LinkedIn, a professional networking platform owned by Microsoft, is experimenting with a new feature similar to TikTok’s short video feed.

    This new video feed on LinkedIn is slightly different from other short video apps because it focuses only on content related to careers and professional topics. Currently, the innovative video feed feature is being tested and isn’t available to most users yet.

    According to TechCrunch reports, the feed was initially spotted by Austin Null, who serves as a strategy director at McKinney, an influencer agency. 

    NEW LinkedIn is testing a new short-form video experience, including a dedicated video ta, similiar to TikTok, Reels, Shorts, etc.

    H/T to @AustinNull for the discovery/screen recording

    Details here:https://t.co/HgGSUaJYvq pic.twitter.com/nDQ8otY0iW
    — Lindsey Gamble (@LindseyGamble_) March 27, 2024

    With this new test, LinkedIn has joined the elite list of popular apps like Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and Netflix, which have also introduced short-form video feeds inspired by TikTok’s success. (Also Read: X Users With 2,500 Verified Subscriber Followers To Get Premium Service For Free)

    Nowadays, video content is becoming a favoured format among users for gaining insights from professionals and experts, according to Microsoft-owned LinkedIn.

    The launching of the new feature on LinkedIn is happening at a time when many creators on TikTok have gained large followings by sharing advice on career growth, job searching, and professional skills. In the upcoming time, creators will soon have a new platform to share their content and potentially reach a wider audience with a new video feed on LinkedIn.

    There are rumours that LinkedIn could monetize this new video feed in the future to incentivize content creators to post their content on the app. Despite these potential concerns, LinkedIn’s emphasis on professional and career-focused content could differentiate its video feed from others. (Also Read: Elon Musk Set To Roll Out Its Grok AI For All X Premium Subscribers This Week)

    Based on the video shared on X (formerly known as Twitter), here’s how to use this short video feature on LinkedIn:

    -Open the LinkedIn app on your device and log in to your account if you haven’t already.

    -Locate the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen and look for a new tab labelled “Video” among the options such as Home, My Network, Messaging, and Notifications.

    -Tap on the “Video” tab to enter a vertical feed of short videos. You will see a stream of videos that you can swipe through vertically.

    -While browsing the video feed, you can interact with videos in various ways:


    Like a video by tapping the thumbs-up icon below the video.
    Leave a comment on a video by tapping the comment icon and typing your comment in the text field.
    Share a video with others by tapping the share icon and selecting the sharing option you prefer (e.g., sharing via message, email, or LinkedIn post).

    Notably, LinkedIn hasn’t disclosed the specific criteria for how the video feed determines which videos to display to users.

  • Misinformation Spread Via Deepfakes Biggest Threat To Upcoming Polls In India: Tenable |

    New Delhi: Misinformation and disinformation spread through artificial intelligence (AI)-generated deepfakes and fake content are the biggest threats to the upcoming elections in India,” exposure management company Tenable said on Sunday.

    According to the company, these threats will be shared across social media and messaging platforms like WhatsApp, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others.

    “The biggest threats to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are misinformation and disinformation as part of influence operations conducted by malicious actors against the electorate,” said Satnam Narang, Senior Staff Research Engineer at Tenable, to IANS.

    A recent report by Tidal Cyber highlighted that this year, 10 countries will face the highest levels of election cyber interference threats, including India.

    Recently, deepfake videos of former US President Bill Clinton and current President Joe Biden were fabricated and circulated to confuse citizens during the upcoming presidential elections. (Also Read: Woman Falls Victim To Investment Scam, Loses Jewelry And Over Rs 24 Lakh)

    Experts note that the proliferation of deepfake content surged in late 2017, with over 7,900 videos online. By early 2019, this number nearly doubled to 14,678, and the trend continues to escalate.

    “With the increase in generative AI tools and their use growing worldwide, we may see deepfakes, be it in images or video content, impersonating notable candidates seeking to retain their seats or those hoping to unseat incumbents in parliament,” Narang added.

    The Indian government has recently issued directives to social media platforms such as X and Meta (formerly Facebook), urging them to regulate the proliferation of AI-generated deepfake content.

    Additionally, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) has issued an advisory to these platforms to remove AI-generated deepfakes from their platforms. (Also Read: WhatsApp Allows To Pin Multiple Messages In Chat; Here’s How to Pin Messages on Android, iOS, And Desktop)

    Tenable suggests that the easiest way to identify a deepfake image is to look for nonsensical text or language that looks almost alien-like in language. 

  • Instagram Down: Check Funniest Memes For Social Media App's Outage

    Check out some of the funniest responses to Instagram’s outage.

  • Meta Testing New ‘Trending Topics’ Feature On X Rival Threads |

    New Delhi: Meta’s Founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has unveiled that the company is currently experimenting with a new feature for Threads known as “Trending Topics.” This feature aims to provide users with insights into the popular conversations happening on the platform. The initial testing phase of this feature is being rolled out to users in the US, with plans for a broader launch in other countries and languages once it’s refined.

    In a Threads post, Zuckerberg stated, “We’re launching a limited test of today’s top topics on Threads in the US. We plan to expand its availability to more regions and languages as we refine its performance.” Additionally, Meta has indicated that this feature will highlight current discussions and will be visible in searches as well as within the For You feed of the app. (Also Read: Elon Musk-owned X Will Allow Advertisers To Only Run Ads On Selected Profiles)

    Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, confirmed the testing of the “Trending Topics” feature on Threads, explaining, “The topics showcased on Threads today will be accessible through the search page and the For You feed. Our AI systems determine these topics based on real-time engagement within Threads.”

    Mosseri further elaborated, “While our AI systems select the topics, our content specialists will review them to ensure they are relevant and non-duplicative. We aim for these topics to accurately reflect the current trends on Threads, including political discussions.”

    Meanwhile, Meta has clarified its stance on political content, stating that it won’t actively suggest political content by default to users on Instagram and Threads. (Also Read: Redmi Buds 5 Launched In India With Hybrid Noise Cancellation; Check Price, Specs, And Availability)

    Threads, Meta’s text-based platform rivaling Twitter, is seamlessly integrated with Instagram, allowing users to sign up using their Instagram credentials.

  • Meta Will Stop Suggesting Political Content To Users On Both Instagram And Threads |

    New Delhi: Instagram users can now expect relief from unwanted political content flooding their feeds. According to Variety, Instagram announced in a blog post that it will no longer “proactively recommend” political content from accounts that users have not already followed. This policy extends to Threads, the Twitter-like app introduced last summer under the Instagram brand.

    The Meta-owned company said “We want Instagram and Threads to be a great experience for everyone. If you decide to follow accounts that post political content, we don’t want to get between you and their posts, but we also don’t want to proactively recommend political content from accounts you don’t follow,”. (Also Read: OpenAI Introduces Watermarking For AI-Generated Images Via DALL-E 3; Check Details)

    Both apps will introduce a setting that allows users who wish to continue seeing political content recommendations to opt-in. According to the post, a similar control will be implemented on Facebook at a later time. Instagram defines “political content” as content potentially associated with topics such as laws, elections, or social issues. (Also Read: Tech Layoffs Surges By 136% In 2024; Is AI To Blame? Check What Study Claims)

    “Our goal is to preserve the ability for people to choose to interact with political content, while respecting each person’s appetite for it,” Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, stated in a post on Threads.

    The updated policy to discontinue recommending political content applies to areas of Instagram including Explore, Reels, In-Feed Recommendations and Suggested Users. Meta has already been deprioritising political content across its social apps, including on Facebook.

    “People have told us they want to see less political content, so we have spent the last few years refining our approach on Facebook to reduce the amount of political content – including from politicians’ accounts – you see in Feed, Reels, Watch, Groups You Should Join, and Pages You May Like,” the company explained in a post on its Transparency Center site, Variety reported.

    The Instagram blog post noted that professional accounts on the app can check the Account Status setting to see if their posts are eligible to be recommended — based on whether they recently posted “political content.” If Instagram has blocked an account’s posts from recommendations, pro users may edit or remove recent posts to regain eligibility or request a review if they disagree with Instagram’s designation. (With ANI Inputs)

  • Facebook-Instagram Chief Mark Zuckerberg Just Apologised To America For THIS Reason. But What About India? |

    Social media platforms have been a boon for many but at the same time, it has severely affected children and minors across the globe. Young people and children have faced not only harassment but also bullying on social media by strangers. Some even faced extortion threats and died by suicide. Now, tech CEOs who head various social media platforms faced a heated hearing in the US Senate where they were accused of having blood on their hands. Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg apologized to families over the impact of social media on children. 

    As the hearing kicked off, the committee played a video in which children spoke about being bullied on social media platforms. Senators recounted stories of young people taking their own lives after being extorted for money after sharing photos with sexual predators. Zuckerberg not only apologised but also promised industry-wide efforts to make sure no one has to go through the things those families have had to suffer.

    While Zuckerberg apologised to the US people, what about those in India who have faced similar harassment and abuse? While leaders in the United States have been critical of social media platforms, the same intensity and seriousness are not seen among Indian political leadership. It may be because such incidents are not widely reported in India. In the past, it has been seen that the Indian government has been reactive and not proactive to harms caused by social media, be it the case of TikTok or Twitter. 

    In December last year, the Indian Ministry of Information Technology issued notices to various social media platforms, including Telegram, YouTube, and X, instructing them to promptly remove any child sexual abuse material and groups involved in the circulation of such content.

    The notice was issued for content or material which is violative of Rule 3(1)(d) and Rule 4(4) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules, 2021). Union IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar had earlier said that the days of ‘free pass’ for the social media sites were over.

    The government of India brought new IT rules in 2021 which provided for stricter punishment in case of violative materials on social media sites. The government had said that non-compliance with the requirements as per new rules will be deemed a breach of Rule 3(1)(b) and Rule 4(4) of the IT Rules, 2021. The IT rules under the IT Act lay down strict expectations from social media intermediaries that they should not allow criminal or harmful posts on their platforms. If they do not act swiftly, their safe harbour under section 79 of the IT Act would be withdrawn and consequences under the Indian law will follow.

    The Information Technology (IT) Act of 2000, provides the legal framework for addressing pornographic content, including CSAM. Sections 66E, 67, 67A, and 67B of the IT Act impose stringent penalties and fines for the online transmission of obscene or pornographic content.

    While the rules are in place, their full-throttle implementation has not been ensured in the absence of a proper monitoring and implementation system. While the Indian government has shown its intention to ensure free, fair and safe social media platforms, not only the social media platforms but even the users need to be aware of their rights. Social media users should also come out and report violative materials available on these platforms. Only a collective effort can lead to a safe internet ecosystem but there is no doubt that the government and the tech firms will have to play a greater role in that.