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Topic: Social

Picture-in-picture (PiP) mode shrinks a video into a small player so users can keep watching while using other apps on their mobile devices. News 

Twitter adds 15-second forward, back buttons and an image in video playback mode

Jim Hendler, ,

Twitter boss Elon Musk has said the microblogging platform will add 15-second forward and backward search buttons during video playback, as well as a picture-in-picture mode that users can view while scrolling. Responding on Twitter to a user who asked Musk to add 15-second forward and backward search buttons, he said: “Coming next week, in one picture-in-picture so you can watch while scrolling.” Picture in Picture (PiP) mode shrinks the video into a small player so users can continue watching while using other apps on their mobile devices. Additionally, these…

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Last month, Microsoft told customers of its advertising platform that it would remove Twitter from the platform News 

Twitter accuses Microsoft of misusing its data: Report

Jim Hendler, , ,

Twitter sent Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella a letter accusing the tech giant of misusing the social media company’s data, the New York Times (NYT) reported Thursday. Twitter has accused Microsoft of violating the data agreement and refusing to pay for its use, according to a letter reviewed by NYT. The letter alleges that Microsoft exceeded its authorized use of Twitter data in certain cases and shared it with government agencies without permission. Twitter on Thursday sent a letter to Microsoft’s chief executive, accusing the tech giant of improperly using the…

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YouTube, during its Brandcast 2023 event, announced the introduction of 30-second non-skippable ads on YouTube Select for CTV. News 

YouTube brings 30-second non-skippable ads to YouTube Select: All details

Sanjay Patil,

During its Brandcast 2023 event, YouTube announced the introduction of 30-second non-skippable ads on YouTube Select for CTV. Previously, two 15-second non-skippable ads were shown on large screens, but now one 30-second ad is shown. “YouTube Select now gets more than 70% of impressions on a TV screen, so we’re making it easier to consume existing content in front of the most streamed content,” YouTube said in a blog post. It added: “This format also fits seamlessly with what viewers already expect and experience on the big screen.” WATCH VIDEO:…

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As Twitter continues to roll out the feature, it will be interesting to see how users respond and whether the company will address the current limitations. News 

Twitter Releases Encrypted DMs for These Users: Everything You Need to Know

Jim Hendler,

Popular microblogging platform Twitter has started rolling out its long-awaited encrypted direct messaging (DM) feature, offering users greater privacy and security when communicating through the platform. According to the company, in order to send and receive encrypted messages, both the sender and recipient must be “verified users” or affiliates of a “verified organization.” It is unclear if the encryption will be an exclusive feature for blue tick users or if it will be available to all users during early rollout. The feature has some limitations that you should be aware…

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The ability to silence unknown callers allows users to mute calls from unknown phone numbers. News 

WhatsApp is rolling out a new privacy feature to silence unknown callers: Learn more

Jim Hendler,

Meta-owned instant messaging app WhatsApp is reportedly rolling out a new privacy feature to silence unknown callers, and it’s available to some beta testers. “Through this feature, WhatsApp provides users with a tool to better manage their privacy and improve their user experience by avoiding unwanted calls from unknown people. After installing the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.10.7 update available on the Google Play Store, we can confirms that this feature is coming to some beta testers,” WABetaInfo reported. According to the report, some beta testers can silence unknown…

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Previously, users needed to tap on the GIF to start its animation, but after installing the latest WhatsApp beta for Android or iOS, the GIFs will play automatically as you scroll through the conversation. News 

WhatsApp update: iPhone users likely to get new GIF feature soon – full details here

Jim Hendler,

WhatsApp, the popular instant messaging app owned by Meta, is testing a new feature that automatically plays GIF files. The feature is currently only available to select beta testers. “We reported that WhatsApp is bringing some changes to GIF files related to how they play. When the latest WhatsApp beta for OS 23.9.0.75 update was released on TestFlight, we noticed that this feature is also available to some iOS beta testers,” WABetaInfo reported. Previously, users had to tap on the GIF icon to start animating it, but with the latest…

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Out of the 1,50,000 early adopters of Twitter Blue, only 68,157 have continued to pay for their subscriptions—suggesting that the churn rate for Twitter Blue is abysmal at best, with only 54.5% of initial subscribers still using the service. News 

Twitter Blue struggles to retain subscribers as users struggle to find value: Report

Jim Hendler, ,

The revamped Twitter Blue has been around for almost six months – it comes with blue checkmarks, the ability to edit tweets and many other benefits. But according to Mashable, Elon Musk’s Twitter has only found 6,40,000 paying subscribers on it. While this is far from what Elon Musk would have hoped for, of Twitter Blue’s 1,50,000 early adopters, Twitter only had about 68,157 paying subscribers as of April 30. “About 1,50,000 users had subscribed to Twitter Blue — which covers Blue Verified — at the time of the break,”…

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Discord is doing away with the four-number suffix, or discriminator, that many users found confusing. Instead, all users will need to pick a new, unique username without a discriminator. News 

Discord is changing usernames to make it easier to connect: what it means

Febin Mathew,

Discord is changing how its usernames and identities work on the platform – starting this month. The company claims that this is done to make it easier for people to connect – both new and old users. As part of the change, users will need to change their username, as Discord does not use a four-digit suffix (also known as a delimiter, moving forward. All users must choose a new, unique username without a delimiter. The old username will still serve as an alias, making it easier to add old…

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YouTube is the most popular platform for Indian language digital news consumers, with a whopping 93 per cent using it to access news, a report revealed on Thursday. News 

YouTube has emerged as the most popular platform for Indian news, says a report

Adarsh V.K, , ,

Google-owned YouTube is the most popular platform for digital news consumers in India, with a whopping 93 percent using it to read news, a report revealed on Thursday. The Google News Initiative report, in collaboration with marketing data and analytics company Kantar, describes the different news content consumption habits and behaviors of the country’s Indian online news consumers. It showed that an average Indian consumer uses 5.05 digital platforms to read news online. YouTube became the most popular, followed by social media (88 percent) and chat applications (82 percent). Another…

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Social media giant Meta's Facebook took action against around 45 per cent of complaints, according to the company's latest India Monthly Report. News 

Facebook responded to 45 percent of user complaints in March in India

Jim Hendler, ,

New Delhi: Social media giant Meta’s Facebook took action on about 45 per cent of the complaints it received from users and Instagram on 64 per cent of the complaints raised by users in March 2023, according to the company’s latest India monthly report. According to category-specific data revealed by Meta, Facebook only acted on about 8 percent of complaints filed by users because their accounts had been hacked, 22 percent for “inappropriate or offensive content,” and 23 percent for “bullying or harassment.” The social media platform took action on…

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Social discussion forum Reddit has rolled out new features to make it easier for Redditors and publishers to share content on and off Reddit for both iOS and Android users. News 

Reddit is rolling out new features to simplify sharing content on other platforms

Febin Mathew,

Social discussion forum Reddit has launched new features that allow Redditors and publishers to share content on and off Reddit for both iOS and Android users. In the past, when a user came across a post, discussion, or meme on Reddit, the company didn’t make it easy to send it to others. However, the company is now making it easier for Redditors to quickly and easily share the Reddit content they love on other social platforms without compromising their Reddit identity. “On Reddit’s iOS and Android apps, you can now…

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Meta would also be subject to other limitations, including with its use of face-recognition technology News 

Facebook has misled parents, failed to protect children’s privacy: US regulators

Jim Hendler, , ,

U.S. regulators say Facebook has misled parents and failed to protect the privacy of children using its Messenger Kids app, including by misrepresenting app developers’ access to private user data. As a result, the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday proposed sweeping changes to Facebook’s 2020 Privacy Rule (now Meta) that would prohibit it from profiting from data it collects on users under 18. This would include data collected through its virtual reality. Products. The FTC said the company has not fully complied with the 2020 order. Meta would also be…

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The news comes as TikTok faces calls from U.S. lawmakers to ban the popular short-form video app News 

TikTok’s US security chief leaves company amid app ban

Adarsh V.K, ,

Popular video-sharing app TikTok said Tuesday that its U.S. director of trust and security, Eric Han, is leaving the company amid a growing ban on the Chinese app in the country. US technology website The Verge was the first to report the development, citing an internal employee memo. The news comes as TikTok faces calls from US lawmakers to ban the popular short-form video app in the country over concerns about its Chinese ownership and the protection of US user data. Eric Han, TikTok’s head of US information security trust…

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Multiple users have reported that this method works on both the Twitter app and the web, but there are some limitations to this hack News 

Twitter Blue Check: Bring back the lost Twitter blue check mark temporarily with this hack

Jim Hendler, , ,

If you lost your verified blue checkmark on Twitter, it may be possible to temporarily restore it. There is a hack around that allows Twitter users to temporarily regain their blue check verification status. Several users have reported that this method works both on the Twitter app and online, but this hack has some limitations. First, the blue tick disappears if the user updates their profile or closes the app. Second, the blue tick is visible only to the user himself, not to other Twitter users. It’s unclear why this…

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Users will now be able to add their favorite songs to their photo carousel as they swipe through their photo collection. News 

Instagram Moves to Allow Songs in Photo Carousels: What to Expect

Jim Hendler, ,

Instagram, the popular photo and video sharing service owned by Meta Platforms, is reportedly testing a new tool that will allow users to add songs to their photo carousels on the platform. This feature allows users to add up to one song for each photo or video in their carousel. An Instagram carousel is a post with more than one image or video that users can view by swiping left on the post via the phone app. Users can now add their favorite songs to their photo carousel by swiping…

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Reddit launches 'chat channels' for subreddits, providing more ways for users to connect inside subreddits. News 

Reddit Introduces Chat Channels Feature; A new way to chat on Subreddits

Febin Mathew,

Social discussion forum Reddit has introduced “chat channels”, a new way to chat on subreddits. With this move, the company is trying to provide community members with more ways to interact with each other. “This month, exclusively with 25 volunteer subreddits, we’re experimenting with a new way to chat in subreddits – chat channels! Chat channels are dedicated spaces in the subreddit where you can connect, ask questions, or just hang out,” Reddit said in a blog post Thursday. The new feature includes a dedicated channel for moderators to discuss…

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Musk has been bringing in changes at Twitter to boost revenue after the platform saw advertising income drop last year News 

Elon Musk’s Twitter cuts content subscriptions by 10 percent after 12 months

Jim Hendler, ,

Twitter Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Friday that the social media platform will cut content subscriptions by 10% after the first year, as the company looks to monetize content on the website in an effort to diversify its revenue streams. Earlier this month, billionaire owner Musk said social media users could offer their followers subscriptions to content, including long-form text and hours of video. He had also said that the company would not take cuts in content subscriptions for the first 12 months. Musk has brought changes to…

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When the U.S. Supreme Court decides in the coming months whether to weaken a powerful shield protecting internet companies, the ruling also could have implications for rapidly developing technologies like artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT. News 

YouTube case in US Supreme Court could change ChatGPT and AI protections: Here’s how

Febin Mathew, ,

WASHINGTON: As the US Supreme Court decides in the coming months whether to weaken the effective shield protecting internet businesses, the ruling could also have implications for fast-developing technologies such as the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT. A court is due to decide by the end of June whether Alphabet Inc’s YouTube can be sued over video recommendations for its users. This case will test whether a US law that shields technology platforms from legal liability for content their users post online is valid even when companies use algorithms to target…

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If you're a WhatsApp user and want to share your Status update on Facebook, here's a step-by-step guide to help you with the process. News 

Here’s how to share your WhatsApp status on Facebook: Check this simple guide

Jim Hendler, ,

WhatsApp, one of the most popular messaging apps, allows users to create and share statuses with their contacts. Like the Stories feature on platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, WhatsApp Status is temporary and disappears after 24 hours. The status feature is also available on Instagram and Facebook, allowing users to share the same WhatsApp status on the two platforms. On Android and iPhone, you can share your WhatsApp status updates to Facebook Stories and other apps. If you’re a WhatsApp user and want to share your status updates on Facebook,…

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The removal of legacy blue ticks has led to a proliferation of fake accounts, and users have noticed inconsistencies in the verification process News 

Twitter’s Blue Ticks for Dead Celebs adds to the confusion over account authenticity

Jim Hendler, ,

According to Bloomberg, Twitter users are expressing confusion and anger over the social media platform’s recent changes to its verification system. The removal of the old blue ticks has led to an increase in fake accounts, and users have noticed inconsistencies in the verification process, especially for dead celebrities. Some Twitter users were surprised to see blue ticks next to the profiles of people like NBA player Kobe Bryant, who passed away in 2020. Others were outraged by checking the profiles of people such as Jamal Khashoggi, a famous journalist…

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