Fake news crackdown: Modi govt wants WhatsApp, Facebook to be responsible

The government is more concerned with Telegram, fast becoming the preferred medium for many people

The government has said it expects popular social media applications such as WhatsApp and Facebook, which have large user bases in the country, to be responsible.

In a bid to check the spread of fake news through social media and messaging platforms — leading to mob lynching in some cases — the government is exploring the possibility of blocking WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram. The government is also trying to curb child abuse and pornography spread through these platforms.

The government has already issued notices on WhatsApp to keep a check on content. But, it is more concerned with Telegram, fast becoming the preferred medium for many people.

Sources said the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had expressed concerns about Telegram to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Based on the letter from MeitY, DoT had asked the telecom and internet service providers to provide inputs about blocking mobile apps.

ALSO READ: Social media with large user base should behave responsibly: IT Secretary

Asked about the blocking of mobile apps, Information Technology (IT) Secretary Ajay P Sawhney said, “We are always in touch, and anytime we have a concern we flag it. We expect all platforms to behave in a responsible manner, especially those with a large user base.” He, however, said whenever the need arises, the government acts according to the IT Act in order to remove contentious content.

Sources told Business Standard it was very difficult for the government to ensure content had been blocked or taken down. In case of Telegram, which does not have a huge user base in India yet, the government wants to strengthen its enforcement mechanism.

Telegram claims its cloud chat data is stored in multiple data centres around the globe that are controlled by different legal entities spread across different jurisdictions. The relevant decryption keys are split into parts and are never kept in the same place as the data they protect. As a result, several court orders from different jurisdictions are required to force them to give up any data.

“Thanks to this structure, we can ensure no single government or block of like-minded countries can intrude on people’s privacy and freedom of expression,” Telegram explained on its website. Read more

WhatsApp caps message forwarding to 5 chats, scraps quick forward option

WhatsApp has received flak from the government over fake news and false information on its platform. Such messages have incited mob-fury, triggering lynchings

WhatsApp said on Friday its users in India will not be allowed to forward to more than five chats at once and the company will remove the quick forward button that appears next to media messages, as part of its efforts to reduce the circulation of fake messages on the platform that have triggered mob lynching incidents.

In a blog post, WhatsApp noted that its users in India "forward more messages, photos, and videos, than any other country in the world". The Facebook-owned company has over one billion users globally, of which over 200 million are in India.

"Today, we're launching a test to limit forwarding that will apply to everyone using WhatsApp. In India... we'll also test a lower limit of five chats at once and we'll remove the quick forward button next to media messages," the blog post said.

WhatsApp has received flak from the Indian government over fake news and false information being circulated on its messaging platform. Such messages have incited mob-fury, triggering multiple cases of lynching across the country.

On Thursday, the government shot off a second notice to WhatsApp, asking it to come out with effective solutions to curb the menace of fake news beyond just labelling forwards.

It also warned the company that mediums used for the propagation of rumours are liable to be treated as 'abettors' and can face legal consequences if they remain "mute spectators".

While the company is yet to respond to the notice, the blog post said the company believes that "these changes - which we'll continue to evaluate - will help keep WhatsApp the way it was designed to be: a private messaging app".

"We built WhatsApp as a private messaging app - a simple, secure, and reliable way to communicate with friends and family. And as we've added new features, we've been careful to try and keep that feeling of intimacy, which people say they love," it said.

WhatsApp had introduced the option of forwarding multiple chats at once a few years ago, it added.

"We are deeply committed to your safety and privacy which is why WhatsApp is end-to-end encrypted, and we'll continue to improve our app with features like this one," the blog said.

Article source : BS

WhatsApp leak: Sebi, bourses checking trade details of over 24 companies

The exchanges are analysing the trade data of the last 12 months of such companies in order to detect any possible breach of norms

Sebi and exchanges have started examining trade details of over two dozen stocks as part of a probe into the alleged leak of key financial details of these companies through WhatsApp while the regulator is also considering seeking call data records of the persons involved.

The companies include several listed blue-chip firms, officials said on the condition of anonymity.

The exchanges are analysing the trade data of the last 12 months of such companies in order to detect any possible breach of norms while Sebi is taking the help of data warehouse and its intelligence systems, they added.

Under Sebi rules, all the financial details of listed companies should be disseminated only through stock exchanges as they are considered price-sensitive.

Besides, Sebi is considering seeking call data records (CDRs) of all the persons involved in alleged circulation of key financial details and other information about listed companies on social media groups before they are made public.

ALSO READ: WhatsApp earnings leak: Sebi must monitor insider trading on social media

The markets regulator has powers to seek call data records, excluding the exact content of the communication, from telecom firms.

CDRs generally list out the number of conversations between two or more entities and are different from phone- tapping, where an agency can snoop on or record telephonic conversations of those suspected to be engaged in some wrong- doings.

The information about the listed companies is mostly being made through SMSes, WhatsApp and various social media platforms, where names of some established brokerage houses and exchanges are also being misused.

While the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has already taken action in several such cases so far, it is investigating a number of others involving similar activities, the official said.

The regulator has already taken action against several entities for providing investment advice without registration. These included MCX Biz Solutions, Moneyworld Research and Advisory, Global Mount Money Research and Advisory, GoCapital, CapitalVia Global Research and one Imtiyaz Hanif Khanda and his maternal uncle Vali Mamad Habib Ghaniwala. (more)

Soon, Whatsapp will allow you to 'recall' messages

Company News : The users will be able to edit only recent messages and not the old ones

Next time you send a message intended for your girlfriend mistakenly to someone else on WhatsApp , just chill. You may have soon a five-minute window to revoke such misdirected messages.

According to WABetaInfo, a fan site that tests new WhatsApp features early, the mobile messaging platform has moved closer towards introducing a 'Recall' feature.

With this feature, the users will be able to recall or unsent texts, images, videos, GIFs, documents, quoted messages and even status replies within a five-minute window, The Independent reported on Tuesday.

The messaging app will enable 'Recall' in version "2.17.30+" of the app. The current version of WhatsApp is 2.17.190.

"WhatsApp has added in beta the possibility to edit messages that you already sent. It is actually disabled by default and it's under development," an earlier WABetaInfo's tweet read.

The users will be able to edit only recent messages and not the old ones.

With 1.2 billion monthly active users, WhatsApp is available in more than 50 different languages around the world and in 10 Indian languages.

WhatsApp currently has 200 million monthly active users in India.

The Facebook-owned platform is also believed to be considering bringing back the old contacts list that vanished with the arrival of 'Status' but only for iPhone users.

WhatsApp to share users' phone numbers with parent firm Facebook

WhatsApp to share users' phone numbers with parent firm Facebook

Messaging service WhatsApp has updated its global privacy policy, and it will now share phone numbers of users with its parent company, Facebook.

While the move will help Facebook offer more targeted advertisements on its own platform, WhatsApp will continue to be ad-free, a WhatsApp spokesperson told PTI. He added that this is the first time that WhatsApp has updated the user privacy policy after being acquired by Facebook in 2014 in a $19-billion deal.

Privacy advocates had raised concerns that Facebook would start mining WhatsApp accounts for data. However, both the companies have maintained that WhatsApp would operate separately from the parent company and that its user data would not be shared without their consent.

WhatsApp has over one billion users globally, with a significant chunk coming from India. Facebook also runs photo-sharing platform, Instagram.(more)

Ways to use 4G data while paying 3G rates

Ways to use 4G data while paying 3G rates

With mobile companies offering faster 4G data service at 3G rates, many customers are shifting to the newer technology. After all, who does not want more speed at the same price? But here’s a catch — faster speed means quicker usage of data packs.

However, just because 4G consumes more data, one does not have to stick with 3G to save on data consumption. Checking emails, sending and receiving messages over WhatsApp, checking Facebook and Twitter doesn’t eat much of your data. Usually, streaming media services like videos and games dries up a large chunk of data.

If you can change settings of your apps and proactively manage their data consumption, you can reduce your 4G bill. For example, if you go to YouTube app’s settings, you can choose to stream HD videos only when the phone is connected to Wi-Fi. Similarly, in video conference apps such as Skype, you can opt for lower quality video.Read more.

Trai may issue fresh paper on WhatsApp, Skype

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is contemplating issuing a fresh consultation paper for regulation of over-the-top (OTT) messaging services like WhatsApp and Skype in accordance with recently announced net neutrality principles.

"The issues have changed over the past year when the consultation paper was first announced. We have to look at the OTT industry together with net neutrality as many aspects are interlinked," a Trai official told Business Standard. No decision has yet been taken on whether there should be a fresh paper on the issue. "It is in the very initial stages," the official said. Mobile users can access OTT services via the Internet but these ride on telecom networks and are not bound by any regulations.

The availability of affordable Smartphones has led to the growth of OTT services, which in turn increases data volumes for telecom companies. But for increased traffic, telecom companies need to invest in upgrading their networks.

The Trai paper was issued in March 2015 and comments were received under the earlier chairman Rahul Khullar. Khullar retired in mid-May and the regulator got a new chairman, RS Sharma, in August 2015. But final recommendations are yet to be announced.

The major contention in the OTT paper is voice calls offered by WhatsApp,Skype and others, which telecom operators allege is eating into their revenue. Voice calls on telecom networks are 12.5 times more expensive than those through OTT services; in the case of messages, the difference is 16 times. A one-minute phone call costs 50 paise, while a one-minute call made through the Internet costs 4 paise, according to Trai.

"Technology can't be stopped. We can't kill innovation but we need to address the regulatory arbitrage between telecom operators and OTT players. One is under a licensing regime, while the other is not. No doubt OTT is driving the data revenue of telecom players, but one has to look at the security aspect as well," another Trai official added.

Samsung's best shot at a wearable device yet

There was a gentle tingling sensation on my wrist. Finally, I woke up. The culprit was the Samsung Gear S2 Watches I had worn to bed. And the tingles were WhatsApp notifications from a group we cousins have (the group never sleeps as my cousins are spread all over the world).

Groggy-eyed, I switched on the light, silenced the notifications, and went back to sleep. But I needn't have. Turns out, I could have lowered the intensity of the vibration.

WhatsApp now has a billion users globally

Mobile messaging app WhatsApp today said it has crossed the one billion user milestone globally with the addition of 100 million users in last five months.

"As of today, one billion people are using WhatsApp. That's nearly one in seven people on Earth who use WhatsApp each month to stay in touch with their loved ones, their friends and their family," WhatsApp said in a blogpost.

In February 2014, WhatsApp was acquired by social networking giant Facebook, its biggest buyout till date, for a whopping $19 billion.

Facebook has blocked some of our ads, says Hike Messenger

Home-grown Hike Messenger has accused Facebook of blocking an option in its advertisements which lets people visit the chatting application’s website.

Run by Kavin Mittal, son of Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Mittal, Hike competes with Facebook-owned WhatsApp. Hike is owned by a joint venture of Bharti and Japan’s SoftBank.

“Advertisers have, among other options, the option to ‘send people to your website’. A few weeks back, we were suddenly blocked from using this option while we were able to use other non action-led options,” a Hike spokesperson told PTI.

The spokesperson added they assumed it was a technical glitch but when the team wrote to Facebook, the social networking giant said Hike would not be able to run the ads.