New Delhi, March 20 (IANS) Popular messaging platform WhatsApp is planning to introduce usernames and unique IDs, enabling users to send messages and make voice or video calls without revealing their phone numbers, according to reports.The new feature is expected to be rolled out globally by June 2026.Both individuals and businesses are likely to be able to reserve unique handles, similar to other social media platforms, according to them.“We are excited to bring usernames to WhatsApp in the f…
Latest Social Media Platforms News & Updates
New Delhi, March 19 (IANS) The Indian National Congress today strongly condemned the Central government for what it described as a systematic crackdown on social media platforms, including X, YouTube, Instagram and similar other micro-blogging sites. Party spokesperson and Chairperson of social media and digital platforms, Supriya Shrinate, accused the administration of suppressing dissent, undermining freedom of expression, and threatening democratic principles by blocking or restricting ac…
Washington, March 19 (IANS) US lawmakers across party lines voiced growing alarm over the sweeping influence of social media platforms, warning that their impact on children, public discourse, and the flow of information has outpaced existing laws. At a Senate hearing marking 30 years of Section 230 on Wednesday (local time), senators repeatedly pointed to what they described as a digital ecosystem that is no longer functioning in the public interest.“All of us here agree that the digital publ…
Gandhinagar, March 5 (IANS) The Cyber Centre of Excellence of the Gujarat Police has arrested two men accused of recruiting individuals and sending them abroad to work in cyber fraud operations linked to international cyber slavery networks, officials said on Thursday.The accused have been identified as Kaushik Pethani from Amreli and Dhruv Dobariya from Surat. The arrests were made following specific intelligence inputs received by the police.According to investigators, the two allegedly target…
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday said that social media platforms must share revenue in a fair manner with those who create content, including journalists, conventional media houses, influencers, professors and researchers.He said that people who are creating content — whether they are news professionals, creators sitting in far-flung areas, or academicians sharing their research — deserve a fair share of the revenue generated on…
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) Social media platforms currently influence 77 per cent of retail purchase decisions in India, with Meta platforms driving 96 per cent of social discovery, a report said on Wednesday.The report from Meta and Retailers Association of India (RAI) said short‑form video and creators are accelerating product discovery, with 97 per cent of consumers watching short videos daily and 60 per cent of time on Facebook and Instagram spent on video.The report noted that 72 per cent o…
New Delhi, Feb 10 (IANS) Taking cognisance of the spread of AI-based deepfakes online, the IT Ministry on Tuesday issued revised guidelines for social media intermediaries like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, directing them to clearly label all AI-generated content and ensure that such synthetic material carries embedded identifiers.The government has set a three-hour deadline for social media platforms to take down AI-generated or deepfake content once it is flagged by the government or ordere…
Imphal, Feb 10 (IANS) Amid fresh violence in Manipur’s Ukhrul, the state government on Tuesday suspended internet services in the hill district for five days, police officials said. A police official said that fresh incidents of firing and arson were reported from Litan Sareikhong village in Ukhrul district, a day after two Tangkhul Naga organisations restricted the movement of Kuki people in Ukhrul and neighbouring Kamjong districts.According to the official, some armed men set ablaze more than…
New Delhi, Feb 7 (IANS) As many as 61 grievances were formally received and taken up for redressal by various departments at a Suvidha Camp held by the New Delhi Municipal Council at the NDMC Convention Centre on Saturday, an official said.The camp provided a single-window platform for facilitation, information dissemination, and expeditious redressal of public grievances for residents and service users of the NDMC area in central Delhi.The issues reported by camp visitors were related to depart…
Visakhapatnam, Jan 28 (IANS) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court at Visakhapatnam has sentenced simple imprisonment of five-and-a-half years to a key accused in a Pakistan-led espionage conspiracy case involving fraudulent use of mobile SIM cards and misuse of social media platforms.The accused, Altafhusen Ghanchibhai alias Shakil, had pleaded guilty during the trial, as part of which 37 witnesses had already been examined by the prosecution, the NIA said in a statement on Wedn…