New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw has reportedly directed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to summon officials of Meta over advertisements hosted on Instagram that allegedly promoted child sexual abuse.According to sources, the ministry will seek an explanation from the US-based technology company over how such advertisements appeared on Instagram, one of its social media platforms, and the safeguards…
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New Delhi, July 2 (IANS) The newly notified Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) Scheme, 2026, introduced new provisions on partial withdrawals effective June 29.Under the revised scheme, members of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation must retain a minimum balance of 25 per cent of their eligible member balance in their EPF account before making any partial withdrawal. Any amount calculation for a minimum withdrawal will be done only after setting this balance aside.The minimum balance req…
New Delhi, July 2 (IANS) Meta-backed messaging platform WhatsApp has clarified that its upcoming username feature will be optional and reiterated that several safeguards have been built in to prevent impersonation, scams and unwanted contact as it prepares for a wider rollout later this year.The messaging platform addressed a series of frequently asked questions on microblogging platform X after concerns were raised over the feature, including by the government which has asked the company to def…
New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) After the Centre issued a notice to Meta over the proposed rollout of its username feature on WhatsApp, the Meta-owned company said that to protect against impersonation, “we’ve held the highest-profile names like public figures, government entities, celebrities and verified Meta accounts” so they can only be claimed by their legitimate owners.The government earlier directed Kunal Shah-run WhatsApp to explain the username feature within three days and refrain from …
New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) The Centre on Wednesday issued a notice to Meta over the proposed rollout of the usernames feature on WhatsApp in India, directing the company to explain the feature within three days and refrain from launching it until consultations with the government are completed.According to sources, the Centre has sought a detailed explanation from Meta on the new feature and has directed the company to submit its response within three days.The government has also asked Meta not to…
New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports on Wednesday reviewed the conduct of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination and discussed a series of reforms aimed at strengthening the country’s national-level entrance examination system. The meeting focused on the management of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA), and measures to improve the security, transparency and efficie…
New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) Alarmed at a possible misuse of an upcoming global username feature by Meta’s WhatsApp, the government is considering issuing a notice to the Mark Zuckerberg-run social media giant.The matter is related to concerns that, like Telegram, the feature can allegedly be misused, and the government has expressed displeasure and serious concerns over it, according to government sources.Sources earlier indicated that popular messaging platforms could be held accountable if new fe…
Bengaluru, June 30 (IANS) Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Tuesday launched Karnataka’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls by filling out his own Enumeration Form at his Sadashivanagar residence and urged all eligible voters to complete the exercise to safeguard their voting rights. He underlined that voter registration is key to accessing government benefits.The Chief Minister received the Enumeration Form from election officials and submitted the completed form as the statewi…
New Delhi, June 30 (IANS) WhatsApp, the instant messaging service owned by Meta, is set to unveil a new feature aimed at enhancing users’ convenience and addressing their privacy concerns.The one-of-a-kind feature will delink the messaging service from users’ mobile numbers, allowing them to converse and interact online without sharing their personal credentials. This is set to add another layer of privacy for billions of users, allowing them to stay connected via WhatsApp usernames.The new …
New Delhi, June 29 (IANS) Meta-owned WhatsApp on Monday announced the start of global reservations of usernames, a major privacy feature designed to protect the privacy of users’ phone number.Usernames reservations will begin rolling out on Monday, allowing people to create and reserve a username before the feature is available in-app later this year. Once reservations become available, users will be notified in the app. For most people, choosing a WhatsApp username should be something unique …