Page 9 - Social Media Apps

US lawmakers cite India as they vote on bill to regulate TikTok ownership

US lawmakers on Wednesday cited the bold move by India to ban TikTok four years ago as they voted in support of legislation about the Chinese app. In a major bipartisan move, the House of Representatives passed by 352 to 65 votes the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act co-authored by Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat, and Congressman Mike Gallaghe from the Republican party. The bill, which seeks to control the ownership of foreign apps like TikTok in the US, now heads to the Senate for it to be sent to the White House for the President to sign it into law. Several lawmakers referred to the decision taken by India in 2020 to ban the app. In 2020, India banned 59 Chinese-created apps, including TikTok, emphasising their priority to defend India's national security, said the office of Congressman Greg Murphy in a statement. Lack of transparency from TikTok executives and their unwillingness to protect user privacy and ...

X could soon receive payment licenses in New York, California: Elon Musk

Since acquiring the company formerly known as Twitter in 2022, the billionaire has sought to turn it into an 'everything app' like Tencent's dominant WeChat app in China

X planning to remove likes and reposts from content, says Elon Musk

Elon Musk talked about decluttering the content on X, formerly Twitter

Elon Musk's X wins lawsuit against music publishers over copyright

Sony Music, Universal Music and other members of the National Music Publishers' Association trade group had sued X last June, seeking more than $250 million of damages

Banks led by Morgan Stanley discuss refinancing $12.5 bn debt with Musk

Fidelity, which received a stake in X after helping Musk complete his $44 billion purchase, has marked down the value of its position by 72% since the takeover

Ex-Twitter execs including Agrawal sue Musk for $128 mn in severance pay

As soon as he took over Twitter, Musk fired several other top-ranking executives in addition to Agrawal: Vijaya Gadde, who was the company's top legal and policy official

Pakistan to take up resolution seeking permanent ban on social media sites

Amidst serious concerns over the continued disruption of the social media platform X in Pakistan for over a fortnight now, a member of the Senate has demanded a permanent ban on all social media due to its negative impact on the younger generation. Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi, who was recently expelled by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) after he moved a resolution seeking the delaying of the February 8 polls, in the resolution called for a complete ban on all social media platforms, deeming them detrimental to the future of the young generation, Dawn News reported. The resolution is listed on the agenda of the Senate session for Monday. Senator Tangi, who is set to retire on March 11, said: Social media platforms are adversely affecting the young generation in the country [and] being used for promotion of norms against our religion and culture, creating hatred among people on the grounds of language and religion." The resolution notes with concern the use of such platforms agains

Twitter, now known as 'X', launches audio, video features: How to use them

Earlier in February, 'X' owner Elon Musk had said that in the near future, he would discontinue his phone number and only use 'X' for texts and calls

Media firm Dailyhunt in advanced talks to acquire India's X alternative Koo

The deal could be finalised 'within weeks' and involves a share-swap agreement, a report released on Wednesday suggested

Supreme Court battles with GOP-led states' efforts to regulate social media

The Supreme Court wrestled Monday with state laws that could affect how Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube and other social media platforms regulate content posted by their users. The cases are among several this term in which the justices could set standards for free speech in the digital age. In nearly four hours of arguments, several justices questioned aspects of laws adopted by Republican-dominated legislatures and signed by Republican governors in Florida and Texas in 2021. But they seemed wary of a broad ruling, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett warning of land mines she and her colleagues need to avoid in resolving the two cases. While the details vary, both laws aimed to address conservative complaints that the social media companies were liberal-leaning and censored users based on their viewpoints, especially on the political right. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas appeared most ready to embrace arguments made by lawyers for the states. Alito complained about the term ...

Meta's Zuckerberg seeks out of lawsuits blaming him for Instagram addiction

Plaintiffs contend that as the face of Meta, Zuckerberg has a responsibility to "speak fully and truthfully on the risks Meta's platforms pose to children's health"

Elon Musk's X says Indian government asked it to withhold some accounts

X said that the accounts have been withheld but it disagrees with it and maintains that 'freedom of expression should extend to these posts'

Interoperability of digital platforms may raise user security risks

Proposed interoperability among messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, as per draft Digital Competition Bill, might enhance user convenience but raises concerns over heightened privacy breaches

Instagram, Threads to start limiting recommendation of political content

Instagram users will no longer be bombarded with unwanted political content on their feed

Snap, owner of Snapchat, plans to lay off about 10% of its global workforce

The owner of Snapchat is cutting approximately 10 per cent of its worldwide workforce, or about 530 employees, the latest tech company to announce layoffs. Snap Inc. said in a regulatory filing that it currently estimates USD 55 million to USD 75 million in charges, mostly for severance and related costs. It expects the majority of the costs to be incurred in the first quarter. This isn't the first time Snap has eliminated jobs. The Santa Monica, California-based company announced in August 2022 that it planned to cut about 20 per cent of its global workforce. In the third quarter of 2023, it began winding down its AR Enterprise business, which included reducing its global employee headcount by approximately 3 per cent, according to a regulatory filing. There are 406 million daily average users that use Snapchat every day, on avarege, according to Snap's website. It has more than 5 million Snapchat+ subscribers. Snap is among several in the tech industry announcing layoffs. Micros

Meta's profits, revenue surge in Q4 thanks to cost cuts, ad rebound

Meta Platforms Inc. tripled its profit and posted sharply higher revenue in the final quarter of 2023, boosted by a rebound in digital advertising as well cost cutting and layoffs in what CEO Mark Zuckerberg called the year of efficiency. "The company can talk all it wants to about AI and the metaverse, but it's still a social media company that gets nearly all its revenue from advertising, and advertisers still clearly love Meta, said longtime tech analyst Debra Aho Williamson. The Menlo Park, California-based parent company of Facebook and Instagram said Thursday that it earned $14 billion, or $5.33 per share, in the October-December period. That's up from $4.65 billion, or $1.76 per share, a year earlier. Revenue grew 25% to $40.11 billion from $32.17 billion. Analysts, on average, were expecting earnings of $4.82 per share on revenue $39.1 billion, according to FactSet Research. This was a pivotal year for our company. We increased our operating discipline, delivered strong ..

TikTok CEO Shou Chew grilled by US lawmakers regarding China connections

The grilling was held at a dramatic Senate Judiciary Committee hearing of the CEOs of major tech companies, who faced intense scrutiny over the potential harms of their platforms on teens

Instagram tests Flipside: Everything about custom profile feature in works

Flipside will let users create custom profiles with a new name, bio and profile picture to share exclusive content

Meta, TikTok & other social media CEOs to testify on child exploitation

Sexual predators. Addictive features. Self-harm and eating disorders. Unrealistic beauty standards. Bullying. These are just some of the issues young people are dealing with on social media - and children's advocates and lawmakers say companies are not doing enough to protect them. On Wednesday, the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, X and other social media companies are testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee about child exploitation on their platforms, as lawmakers, families and advocates are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media on young people's lives. While Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is a veteran of congressional hearings since his first one over the Cambridge Analytica privacy debacle in 2018, it will only be the second time for TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew and the first for Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel and Discord CEO Jason Citron are also scheduled to testify. We understand that they are companies and they have to make profit. But whe

Reddit may launch IPO in March, nearly 3 years since its initial filing

Delays in IPO launch may be due to unstable market conditions and Reddit's goal to 'come closer to profitability'