Qala Release Date: Netflix Movie, With Triptii Dimri and Babil Khan, Out December 1

Qala — the period Netflix psychological drama film, from Bulbbul writer-director Anvitaa Dutt, and starring Triptii Dimri and Babil Khan — now has a release date: December 1. Set in the late 1930s and early 1940s pre-Independence India, Qala follows a young playback singer as her tragic past catches up with her, causing her to unravel at the peak of her hard-won s...

Elon Musk Said to Have Assured EU Chief to Abide by Online Content Policing Rules for Twitter

Elon Musk has assured the European Commission that Twitter will continue to abide by tough European rules on illegal online content policing now the social network has passed under his ownership, EU sources said on Monday. In May this year, EU industry chief Thierry Breton met Tesla boss Elon Musk in Texas and the two signalled agreement on EU digital media regulati...

Beware! These Five Android Apps Can Hack, Drain Your Bank Accounts

A new banking trojan has been identified by researchers that has been latching onto Android devices. This can steal users’ login information, account number, and other financial details. Five Android apps have been named by Threat Fabric as top suggestions to be uninstalled from devices right away.

Twitter Plans to Lay Off a Quarter of Its Workforce in First Round: Report

Twitter is reportedly going to let go of a quarter of its workforce in the first round of layoffs. Earlier, Elon Musk denied a New York Times report about laying off Twitter employees at a date earlier than November 1. However, soon after Twitter takeover, Musk fired Twitter Chief Executive Parag Agrawal, Finance Chief Ned Segal and Legal Affairs and Policy Chief Vija...

Twitter Blue Subscription Fee Hike Reports Refuted by MoS IT, Says Doesn't Think It's True

Twitter is abuzz with reports that users will have to shell out a $20 fee for the 'blue tick'. Refuting the reports, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that he doesn't not think it is true and it will be a challenge for Twitter.

Twitter, Facebook, Others Will Have to Abide by Local Laws, Says Minister

The new amendments to IT rules impose a legal obligation on social media companies to take all out efforts to prevent barred content and misinformation, the government said on Saturday making it clear that platforms such as Twitter and Facebook operating in India will have to abide by local laws and constitutional rights of Indian users.

Twitter Blue to Reportedly Cost $20 a Month as Musk Revises Verification Process

Twitter will revise its user verification process, Elon Musk said in a tweet on Sunday, just days after he took over one of the world's most influential social media platforms. Separately, a report suggested that Twitter will increase the subscription price for Twitter Blue, which also verifies users, from $4.99 (roughly Rs. 400) a month to $19.99 (roughly Rs. 1,600) ...

Facebook Parent Meta Ordered to Pay $10.5 Million Legal Fees to Washington State

Facebook parent company Meta has been ordered to pay $10.5 million (nearly Rs. 86 crore) in legal fees to Washington state atop a nearly $25 million (nearly Rs. 200 crore) fine for repeated and intentional violations of campaign finance disclosure laws. King County Superior Court Judge Douglass North issued the legal-fee order Friday, two days after he hit the social ...

General Motors Temporarily Halts Paid Advertising on Twitter After Elon Musk Takeover

General Motors said late on Friday it had temporarily halted paid advertising on Twitter after Elon Musk completed his takeover of the social media company. The largest US automaker said it was "engaging with Twitter to understand the direction of the platform under their new ownership."

Binance, Elon Musk's Co-Investor, Creating Team to Help Twitter With Blockchain

Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange that has invested $500 million into Elon Musk's buyout of Twitter, is creating a team to work on how blockchain and crypto could be helpful to Twitter, the company's spokesperson said on Friday. As one of Elon Musk's equity co-investors to fund his $44 billion (nearly Rs. 3,62,300 crore) deal, Binance said it will brainstor...

Elon Musk Receives Pleas to Remove Bans on Accounts Soon After Twitter Takeover

Mere hours after Elon Musk kicked off a new era at Twitter, the billionaire owner was deluged with pleas and demands from banned account holders and world leaders. The flood of requests underscore the challenge the CEO of electric car maker Tesla faces, balancing a promise to restore free speech while preventing the platform from descending into a "hellscape," as he...

Twitter's Ex-CEO Parag Agrawal, 2 Other Fired Executives' Total Compensation Worth $122 Million: Equilar

Three top executives of Twitter, Chief Executive Parag Agrawal, Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal and legal affairs and policy chief Vijaya Gadde, fired by new owner Elon Musk stand to receive separation payouts totaling some $122 million (nearly Rs. 1,000 crore), research firm Equilar said on Friday.

Twitter Would Now Hopefully Act Against Hate Speech, Check Facts More Robustly: Rahul Gandhi

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi hoped on Friday that Twitter would now act against hate speech, check facts more robustly and not stifle the voice of the opposition in India, soon after billionaire Elon Musk took over the social media giant and fired four of its top executives.

Elon Musk's Twitter Era Begins, Politicians Warn Billionaire of Existing Regulations

Twitter was acquired by the world's richest man, Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Thursday. The running of the company is could face scrutiny from both critics and fans who ware waiting to see how Musk will run the microblogging service. He had previously vowed to cut down on content moderation and has expressed interest in allowing former US president Donald Trump to return to...

Twitter Deal: Parag Agrawal's 11-Month Tenure as Twitter CEO Said to End as Musk Gains Control

Parag Agrawal tenure as Twitter CEO is said to have come to an end after Elon Musk closed his takeover deal to acquire the microblogging firm. Considered a protege of Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Agrawal was appointed CEO of Twitter after Dorsey stepped down.

Elon Musk Takes Twitter Ownership, Said to Have Fired CEO Parag Agrawal, Other Top Executives

Elon Musk terminated Twitter Chief Executive Parag Agrawal, Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal and legal affairs and policy chief Vijaya Gadde, according to people familiar with the matter. He had accused them of misleading him and Twitter investors over the number of fake accounts on the social media platform.

Elon Musk Advocates for Twitter to Be 'Most Respected Advertising Platform'

Elon Musk, who once tweeted "I hate advertising", said he wants Twitter to be "the most respected advertising platform", in a bid to gain the trust of ad buyers ahead of the expected close of his $44 billion (nearly Rs. 3,62,200 crore) deal for the social media firm. Musk, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and investors in the deal had previously suggested moving away fr...

Signal Would Rather Exit a Country Than Compromise on End-to-End Encryption, Meredith Whittaker Says

Signal President Meredith Whittaker asserted in a recent interview that the encrypted messaging app would rather exit a country than comply with laws that weaken encryption on its service. The top executive's comments assume significance in light of the new draft Telecommunications Bill 2022, that proposes a legal framework that could result in the weakening of end-to...

TRAI' Concerns Over Draft Telecom Bill Provisions Said to Be Duly Addressed

TRAI's apprehensions over potential dilution of powers under the draft telecom bill have been addressed, and the government may look at the option of taking up provisions related to strengthening of the regulatory body separately at a later stage, DoT sources said.

TikTok Wins Immunity From Lawsuit Over Death of 10-Year-Old Girl in Deadly 'Blackout Challenge'

TikTok on Tuesday gained immunity from a lawsuit that accused the firm of causing the death of a 10-year-old girl by promoting a deadly "blackout challenge" that encouraged people to choke themselves. The company was sued in May, saying the company's algorithm showed her daughter, Nylah Anderson, a video suggesting the blackout challenge.

Instagram Crosses 2 Billion Monthly Active Users, Over 2 Billion Using WhatsApp Daily, Meta Says

Instagram has crossed the 2 billion monthly active users mark, the company announced on Wednesday. The company's Facebook service has 2.96 billion users while more than 2 billion people now use WhatsApp. Meta’s total monthly users for its family of apps number 3.71 billion worldwide, according to the company.

Amazon Great Indian Festival 2022 Records Highest Growth in Festive Season, Smartphone Sale Dominates

E-commerce platform Amazon India has recorded the highest growth in the festive season sale, with 80 percent of the buyers coming from Tier 2 and beyond towns. Mobiles and accessories saw strong double-digit growth this season as compared to Amazon Great Indian Festival (AGIF) 2021 and 5 times higher when compared to average business days, with 80 percent of customers...

Elon Musk Lugs Sink Into Twitter Headquarters, Updates Twitter Profile to 'Chief Twit'

Elon Musk walked into the company's headquarters on Wednesday carrying a porcelain sink. The Tesla CEO tweeted “Entering Twitter HQ - let that sink in!” His Twitter takeover deal must be completed by Friday, a deadline set by a US court.

Meta Hit With $18.6 Million Fine by Turkish Competition Board for Breaking Competition Law

Meta has been hit with a TRY 346.72 million (roughly Rs. 153 crore) fine in Turkey, for breaking the country's competition law. The Turkish competition authority found the Facebook parent firm had obstructed competitors by merging data collected through the company's core services Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, it said on Wednesday.

Shutterstock to Gain DALL-E 2 Integration With OpenAI Partnership, to Sell AI-Generated Stock Imagery

Shutterstock has announced that it is entering into an extended partnership with AI research firm OpenAI, through which it will offer AI-generated stock imagery to users on its platforms utilising the DALL-E 2 text-to-image model. The utilised model was initially brought to life with the help of Shutterstock's contributor data that fed its machine learning models. Shu...

Meta Slams Apple Over Latest Ad Policy, Says iPhone Maker 'Undercutting Others' in Digital Economy

Meta has criticised Apple for a change the company App Store policy that will allow the latter to collect 30 percent of advertising revenue spent by users to "boost" posts on the company's apps. The Facebook parent firm says that Apple was “undercutting others in the digital economy”, after the company changed its policy to require users and advertisers to make an...

Twitter Losing Most Active Users Who Generate Half of Global Revenue, Internal Documents Show

Twitter research suggests that the microblogging service is struggling to keep its most active users - who are vital to the business - engaged. Internal documents, seen by Reuters, underscore a challenge faced by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is expected to close his Twitter takeover deal by Friday. The documents suggest that cryptocurrency and "not safe for work" (NSFW) c...

Elon Musk Said to Inform Co-Investors That He Plans to Close Twitter Deal by Friday

Elon Musk is said to have informed co-investors that he plans to close the Twitter takeover deal by Friday, the deadline set by the Delaware Court of Chancery. The move is the clearest sign yet that Musk plans to comply with a Delaware court judge's deadline to complete the transaction by Friday, and Twitter shares jumped on the news and were trading up 3 percent at $...

WhatsApp Image Blurring Tool Rolling Out for Desktop Beta Users: Report

Meta-owned instant messaging platform WhatsApp is reportedly rolling out an image blurring tool to WhatsApp Desktop Beta users that will allow them to blur out any sensitive or unwanted information from images before sharing them with others.

India 'Most Significant' Country for New Features Across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Top Executive Says

India is the "most significant" country for Meta across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, Manish Chopra, Director and Head of Partnerships for Facebook India (Meta) said on Tuesday. Chopra also said that the tech conglomerate takes constant measures to rein in the menace of fake profiles and the spread of misinformation on Meta's platforms.

YouTube Redesign with Immersive Interface, Pinch-to-Zoom, More Announced: All You Need to Know

Google-owned video-sharing platform YouTube has announced a refreshed design that includes a dynamic colour sampling for an ambient dark mode, alongside a broad launch of a precision seeking feature for video navigation. The refreshed look and new features are being rolled out to users globally starting today.

Is the Metaverse Really the Future of Work?

Meta's vision of the metaverse includes people using the company's wearable technology for work, in addition to the company's main metaverse product, a virtual reality playground called Horizon Worlds. The Facebook parent firm is also working with Microsoft to make available virtual versions of the latter's business software, such as Office and Teams. Here's how the m...

Instagram May Soon Let You Add a Song to Your Profile, Feature Reportedly Being Tested

Meta-owned social media platform Instagram is reportedly testing a new feature that will allow its users to add a song to their profile page, similar to what was first seen and made popular in the Myspace era - 2005 to 2008, according to developer and tipster Alessandro Paluzzi.

WhatsApp Down? Users Unable to Send or Receive Messages Across the Globe, Including India

WhatsApp is down with several users reporting that they aren't able to send or receive messages on downtime tracker Downdetector. The Meta-owned messaging service seems to be down across the globe as well as in India. 

Facebook Parent Meta Asked by Shareholder to Cut Jobs, Spending in Open Letter to CEO Mark Zuckerberg

Meta shareholder Altimter said on Monday that the Facebook parent needs to cut jobs and spending, as the firm has lost investor confidence as it ramped up spending and pivoted to the metaverse. The hedge fund, which has a 0.1 percent stake in the company said that huge investments "in an unknown future is super-sized and terrifying, even by Silicon Valley standards", ...

Twitter Deal: Mirae Asset Said to Be in Talks to Fund Elon Musk's $44 Billion Buyout Ahead of Deadline

Elon Musk's deadline to close the Twitter takeover deal is soon approaching, and South Korea's Mirae Asset Financial Group is said to have planned to commit $208 million (roughly Rs. 1,721crore) to finance the buyout. With the deadline set by a US court set for October 28, Musk's deal with Mirae is said to be expected to be finalised in the coming days.

WhatsApp Bitmoji-Style Avatars Reportedly Rolling Out to Some Beta Testers: All Details

WhatsApp will reportedly allow its users to customise and use their digital avatars on the app. The feature is rolling out to some beta testers of the app, as per a report by WABetaInfo. These 3D avatars have already been made available on other Meta apps including Messenger and Instagram.

Razorpay Says No Funds Frozen by ED Following Raids, All Operations Adhere to Regulatory Guidelines

Razorpay on Friday said that the recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids were related to an ongoing investigation against a few suspicious entities who conducted illegal business through multiple payment gateways or banks, and that the company had blocked the entities and funds associated with them about 1.5 years ago and shared their details with the agency.

Google Play Removes 16 Apps Causing Battery Drain, Excessive Data Usage: See List

Google has reportedly removed 16 apps from the Play Store, after they were found to be committing ad fraud. Security firm McAfee found that the apps were downloading code in the background to open web pages and click on links and ads without the user's knowledge and causing battery drain and increased network usage in the process.

Facebook Threatens to Block News Content in Canada Over Upcoming Compulsory Revenue-Sharing Bill

Facebook on Friday warned that the company could block news sharing on the platform over the upcoming Online News Act, legislation that will force platforms like Meta's Facebook and Alphabet's Google to negotiate commercial deals and pay news publishers for their content. A similar law was passed in Australia last year, and the bill is currently under consideration at...

Facebook, Twitter, Other Social Media Platforms Brace for US Midterm Elections

Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and other social platforms brace to fight misinformation as the US prepares for midterm elections. While the platforms say they've expanded their work to detect and stop harmful claims that could suppress the vote or even lead to violent confrontations, a review of some of the sites shows they're still playing catchup with 2020.

PhonePe Reportedly in Talks to Raise Funds in Round Led by General Atlantic at $12 Billion Valuation

Indian digital payments firm PhonePe is in talks to raise funds in a round led by General Atlantic at a valuation of $12 billion (roughly Rs. 99,300 crore), financial news website Moneycontrol reported on Friday, citing people aware of the matter. The US private equity group General Atlantic is likely to lead the round with an investment of $450 million (roughly Rs. 3...

Facebook Groups Gets New Feature That Lets Admins Remove Misinformation With Ease

Facebook on Thursday added a method for people running groups to automatically sift out claims that have been debunked since being posted. The ability for group administrators to send misinformation to a "quarantine queue" comes ahead of midterm elections in the United States and as Facebook-parent Meta continues to fend off critics who say it doesn't do enough to fig...

Twitter Said to Have Clarified to Staff That There Are No Plans for Layoffs

Twitter on Thursday clarified to staff that there are no plans for company-wide layoffs since it signed a deal to be acquired by billionaire Elon Musk, after a media outlet reported that Musk is considering layoffs at the company. Twitter General Counsel Sean Edgett emailed employees on Thursday saying the company does not plan layoffs, according to a source who viewe...

Elon Musk Reportedly Plans to Cut Nearly 75 Percent of Twitter's Workforce

Twitter’s workforce is likely to be hit with massive cuts in the coming months, no matter who owns the company, interviews and documents obtained by The Washington Post show. Musk told prospective investors in his deal to buy the company that he planned to get rid of nearly 75 percent of Twitter’s 7,500 workers, whittling the company down to a skeleton staff of ju...

Facebook Parent Meta's Oversight Board Can Now Apply Warning Screens to Moderate Content

Meta Platforms' independent oversight board said on Thursday that starting this month, it can decide on applying warning screens, marking content as "disturbing" or "sensitive". The board, which already has the ability to review user appeals to remove content, said it would be able to make binding decisions to apply a warning screen when "leaving up or restoring quali...

Paytm Deployed 1 Million Payment-Based Devices in July-September Quarter: Details

Paytm increased the number of devices it has deployed in the country to 48 lakh in Q2 FY23, the company announced in a recent regulatory filing, an increase of 1 million from the previous quarter. The company's subscription-as-a-service model and the strong adoption of devices have been driving higher payment volumes and subscription revenues while increasing the funn...

Xbox Mobile Store in the Works at Microsoft to Take on Google, Apple: Report

Microsoft has revealed plans on launching an Xbox Mobile Store that will allow users to directly download and install games on mobile devices, in a reply filing to the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which is currently investigating the company's proposed $69 billion (roughly Rs. 5,67,600 crore) acquisition of the Call of Duty owner Activision Blizzard.

Elon Musk Excited About Upcoming Twitter Acquisition Despite Overpaying, Sees Long Term Potential

Elon Musk said on Wednesday that he was excited about his upcoming acquisition of Twitter, which is expected to take place by the end of the month. The Tesla CEO said that Twitter was an asset that had "languished" for a long time, and he and other investors "were obviously overpaying for Twitter". He also said that the long-term potential for Twitter in his view is a...

Meta Bulits AI That Translates Spoken-Only Language Under Universal Speech Translator Project

Meta on Wednesday said that it built an artificial intelligence system that translates Hokkien into English even though the Taiwanese language lacks a standard written form. The Silicon Valley tech titan that owns Facebook and Instagram billed the work at its Universal Speech Translator project as an effort to enable users from around the world to socialise regardless...

Russian Lawmaker Urges WhatsApp Ban, Advocates Use of Domestic Software

A Russian lawmaker on Wednesday urged state institutions to stop using WhatsApp messenger and the industry ministry sought to promote domestically produced software as Russia tries to wean itself off Western technology. WhatsApp owner Meta Platforms was found guilty of "extremist activity" in Russia in March and later added to financial monitoring agency Rosfinmonitor...

MakeMyTrip, Goibibo, Oyo Face CCI Penalties Totalling Rs. 392 Crore for Unfair Business Practices

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Wednesday slapped penalties totalling more than Rs. 392 crore on online travel firms MakeMyTrip, Goibibo and hospitality services provider Oyo for unfair business practices. A fine of Rs. 223.48 crore has been slapped on Make My Trip-Goibibo (MMT-Go) and Rs. 168.88 crore on Oyo, according to a 131-page order.

Adobe 3D Content Creation Tools for the Metaverse, Video Games Launched: All Details

Adobe on Tuesday announced the launch of new software tools for users to help them create three-dimensional digital objects. These can be used in video games, marketing campaigns. Three-dimensional content is expected to factor prominently in the metaverse, the virtual world that Meta and others are counting on for future revenue growth.

Twitter Staff Stock Accounts Locked Ahead of October 28 Deadline to Close Deal With Elon Musk: Report

Twitter has reportedly locked staff stock accounts days ahead of the company's deadline to close its deal with Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The company updated its employee FAQ page this week to alert staff that they won't be able to access or trade shares from the Equity Award Center. Musk and Twitter have been given a deadline of October 28 to complete the deal to acquire t...

Adobe Photoshop Updated With New Collaboration Features, AI-Powered Tools: All Details

Adobe Photoshop is set to gain new AI features and collaboration tools, the company announced at its Adobe Max conference on Tuesday. The Photoshop maker announced a new Share for Review feature (in beta) as well as new tools powered by the Adobe Sensei AI technology.

Netflix Profile Transfer Feature Rolling Out to Users: All You Need to Know

Netflix has announced that members using a shared profile on its platform who wish to break away from the account may choose to do so with its latest Profile Transfer tool that will allow such users to retain personalised settings on their new account. The feature will be made available to users globally starting today.

Telegram Hit With $5 Million Fine Over Failure to Comply With German Law: All Details

Telegram has been hit with a EUR 5.125 million (roughly Rs. 41 crore) fine in Germany, according to the Federal Office of Justice. The messaging service failed to comply with German law that requires apps to establish a lawful way for reporting illegal content and name an entity in Germany to receive official communication.

Triller 'Metaverz' Platform With Virtual Spaces to Watch Live Music, Sporting Events in the Metaverse Launched

Triller on Monday announced the launch of a metaverse platform called Metaverz, designed to provide virtual spaces for live music and sporting events. DJ Sam Feldt is set to kick off the first live event on October 22 with an electronic set in the Netherlands, according to Triller, which has planned 2,000 events for the next year both on Metaverz and in the real world...

Byju's Raises $250 Million From Existing Investors in Fresh Funding Round: All Details

Byju's on Monday announced that it had raised $250 million (roughly Rs 2,100 crore) from its existing investors in a fresh round of funding. The edtech firm's investors include the Qatar Investment Authority and the latest funding comes after it announced plans to become profitable by March 2023.

Microsoft Reportedly Left Users Vulnerable for Years Due to Out-of-Date Driver List: All Details

Microsoft has reportedly failed to protect Windows PCs from malicious drivers for years. This has been the cause of people getting exposed to a type of cyberattack called Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) that gave hackers direct access to the PCs running on Windows.

Kanye West to Buy Parler for Undisclosed Sum, Deal Expected to Close in Q4 2022

Kanye West is set to acquire Parler, the social media app that was recently restored to the Google Play store after it was removed following the January 2021 Capitol Riots. The announcement comes shortly after West's Instagram and Twitter accounts were restricted earlier this month over anti-Semitic posts.

WhatsApp ‘Edited’ Label for Modified Texts Spotted in Development: All Details

WhatsApp has been spotted working on 'edited' labels on version 2.22.22.14 of the app by a feature tracker. The messaging service will reportedly add an ‘Edited’ label under altered messages to ensure transparency in communication. The feature is under development and for now, the release date or timeline for this feature remains unclear.

House of the Dragon Episode 9 Review: The King Is Dead, Long Live the King

House of the Dragon episode 9 review: Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and her Hand of the King father Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) bicker over the best approach to install Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) on the Iron Throne. House of the Dragon episode 9 released October 16 at 6pm PT/ 9pm ET on HBO Max, and October 17 at 6:30am IST on Disney+ Hotstar in India.

The Rings of Power Season 1 Review: Puzzle-Box Origin Story for The Lord of the Rings

The Rings of Power season 1 review: The Lord of the Rings prequel spin-off series structured itself more like Westworld than Game of Thrones, devoting a full season to Sauron’s backstory and the mystery around his identity. All eight episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are now streaming on Amazon Prime Video worldwide. In India, The Rings of Power ...

Microsoft Office to Be Rebranded as Microsoft 365, Changes Will Come to Effect Next Month

Microsoft's productivity suite of applications, which are currently being offered under the Office 365 brand name, will be rebranded to Microsoft 365, according to a company FAQ. Microsoft's productivity applications will be accessible to users on microsoft365.com instead of office.com. As part of the rebranding, Microsoft is also introducing a six-sided logo replacin...

Samsung Wallet to Support Payments, Passes in 13 More Countries This Year

Samsung Wallet app to be expanded to Bahrain, Denmark, Finland, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Norway, Oman, Qatar, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Vietnam, and UAE by the end of 2022. Samsung Wallet was initially launched in June earlier this year for China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, and US. Samsung Wallet services were also initially made available in South Korea u...

Twitter Mention Limiting Feature Spotted in Development, May Let Users Block All Mentions: All Details

Twitter has been spotted working on a feature to allow users to block mentions through controls that either block mentions from all users, or limit them to pre-approved followers only, according to details shared by security researcher and reverse engineering expert Jane Manchun Wong. The feature may allow the social media platform to limit harassment, and bullying on...

AI-Generated Art Sounds Alarming, But It Doesn’t Have to Be

AI-generated artwork is set to become a common feature with the arrival of Microsoft Designer to Microsoft 365, that was announced at the company's Fall event this week. Microsoft Designer is powered by OpenAI’s DALL-E 2 AI technology and will generate any image that users type into a box, such as “cake with berries, bread and pastries for the fall.” The company...

Meta Working to Speed Up the Metaverse: Why Success Is Far From Certain for the Social Media Giant

Meta made several announcements at its Meta Connect annual event this week, aside from the launch of the next-generation Meta Quest Pro VR headset. The company is working hard to speed up the metaverse, by offering users new features and promoting new virtual reality gear on the platform. It has also teamed up with Microsoft, Adobe, Accenture and others to sync up pop...

Elon Musk Under Federal Investigations Over Conduct in Takeover Deal, Says Twitter

Elon Musk is being investigated by federal authorities over his conduct in his $44 billion (roughly Rs. 3,61,900 crore) takeover deal for Twitter, the social media company said in a court filing released on Thursday. While the filing said he was under investigation, it did not say what the exact focus of the probes was and which federal authorities are conducting them...

Google Password Manager Gets Passkey Support for Android, Chrome

Google is bringing passkeys to Google Password Manager on Android and Chrome. This feature is currently only available to developers via Google Play Services beta and Chrome Canary.

ByteDance Plans Spotify Competitor, Music Streaming to Be Integrated Within TikTok: Report

ByteDance is reportedly planning to expand its music streaming service to global markets, as the Chinese firm looks to compete with Spotify and other streaming services. The company eventually plans to bring music streaming to its popular short video sharing service, TikTok. Resso, ByteDance's music-streaming service could be launched in 12 new markets. It is currentl...

Donald Trump's Truth Social App Approved on Google Play Store, Months After App Store Debut

Donald Trump's Truth Social app, the social media app launched by the former US President after his account was permanently suspended on Twitter, has been approved for distribution in the Google Play store. The company had previously stated that the app, which launched in the US in Apple's App Store in February, had not previously been available in the Play Store due ...

Microsoft, Meta Partner to Persuade Businesses to Use VR; Windows Apps Coming to Meta Quest Headsets

Microsoft and Meta have teamed up to convince businesses to use more virtual reality (VR) technology, and the former will offer better integration of its applications with Meta's Quest devices. These include Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365 apps, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and other Microsoft services and apps that will soon be supported on Meta's VR headsets.

Meta Added to List of ‘Terrorist and Extremist’ Groups by Russia's Financial Monitoring Agency: All Details

Meta has been added to a list of "terrorists and extremists" by Russia's financial monitoring agency, Rosfinmonitoring. The company's appeal against a ruling that it was guilty of "extremist activity" in Russia in March was rejected by a Moscow court in June. Russian officials have regularly stated that the "extremist" tag does not apply to the company's WhatsApp mess...

Facebook Follower Counter Drops for Several Users, Mark Zuckerberg's Count Drops Below 10,000: Details

Facebook users have been complaining that they have lost several followers on the platform. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg lost over 119 million followers, and now has 9,994 users following him on the world's most popular social networking website. The company says it is working to restore the follower counts of users affected on the platform.

Microsoft Teams Coming to Cisco Meeting Devices as Alternative to Webex Video Conferencing App

Microsoft Teams support is coming to Cisco meeting devices, the company announced on Wednesday, at Microsoft's Ignite conference. The addition of Microsoft Teams will allow users to pick between two options for video meetings, Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex, the company's videoconferencing app. While Webex was once a widely used conferencing platform, it has lost out...

NPCI Partners With Worldline to Bring UPI, RuPay Services Across Europe: All Details

NPCI and global payments services provider Worldline have announced a partnership to expand the availability of UPI and access to payments with RuPay cards across Europe. Indian customers in European markets will be able to use RuPay cards and make Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions at merchants' point-of-sale (POS) systems, instead of paying through intern...

Ariyippu: Netflix Buys Kunchacko Boban Malayalam Movie From Director Mahesh Narayanan

Ariyippu (Declaration) — the Mahesh Narayanan film with Kunchacko Boban and Divya Prabha in the lead — is now a Netflix original. Ariyippu has been playing at film festivals in Locarno, London, Busan, Hong Kong, and Marrakech.

Twitter Said to Review Policies Around Permanent User Bans Ahead of Elon Musk Takeover: All Details

Twitter is said to be reviewing permanent bans for users who violate the company's policies, according to a report by the Financial Times. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is now back on track to acquire Twitter, has pledged changes to the social media platform's content moderation practices. However, any policy change would be unlikely to pave the way for Trump's return to t...

Google Play Points Programme Released in India, Brings Rewards for Play Store Spending: Details

Google Play Points reward programme that offers rewards points for Play Store purchases is making its way to the Indian market. It will start rolling out in the coming weeks, according to the company. Google said it has partnered with developers of popular apps and games to help users redeem their points.

WhatsApp Begins Testing Increased Group Chat Capacity With Up to 1024 Participants: Report

WhatsApp is reportedly working on increasing the group chat participant limit from 512 to 1024, in the second such increase this year. The feature will be rolled out to an undefined number of WhatsApp beta users through this week, according to WABetaInfo.

iOS 16.0.3 Update With Fixes for Mail App Released; Microphone, Camera Bugs on iPhone 14 Pro Models Resolved

iOS 16.0.3 update is rolling out to all users with eligible iPhone models, that will address and fix issues triggered by bugs that caused the Mail app to crash on iPhone models that were updated to the latest version. The company's latest minor update for its iOS operating system also fixes issues with the newly launched iPhone 14 series, including a bug that caused t...

Elon Musk Sued by Twitter Investor Over Fraudulent Buyout Flip-Flop, Public Attacks on Company

Elon Musk was sued by a Twitter investor who says the world’s richest person’s on-again-off-again purchase of the social media platform and his public attacks on the company were designed to manipulate its stock price.

Twitch Attempts to Rebuild Trust With Streamers at TwitchCon Following Controversial Compensation Plans

Twitch attempted to rebuild trust with streamers on the Amazon-owned live streaming platform at its annual TwitchCon convention, weeks after it announced controversial changes to monetisation on the platform. The changes only affect a small percentage of Twitch’s more than 50,000 partnered streamers, those who are the most popular and bring in the most revenue, but ...

Elon Musk Claims Twitter Ordered Former Security Chief to Destroy Evidence as Part of Severance Package

Elon Musk has accused Twitter of directing whistleblower Peiter Zatko to destroy evidence as part of his $7.8 million (roughly Rs. 64 crore) severance agreement, according to court filings from October 3 that were unsealed on Monday. Peiter Zatko, Twitter’s ex-head of security, said he burned 10 handwritten notebooks and deleted 100 computer files at the behest of c...

PayPal Says It Never Intended to Fine for ‘Misinformation’ Days After Drawing Criticism for User Agreement

PayPal Holdings said it has no intention of fining customers for spreading misinformation, after attracting criticism for publishing a new user agreement outlining such a plan. The issue gained traction over the weekend after the company published policy updates prohibiting users from using the PayPal service for activities identified by the company as “the sending,...

Jurassic World Dominion Prime Video Release Date Set for October 17

Jurassic World Dominion OTT release date: Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard-led dinosaurs movie is out October 17 on Amazon Prime Video. Jurassic World Dominion will be available in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. Jurassic World Dominion arrives on subscription-based OTT nearly three months on from its video-on-demand premiere.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Episode 8 Trailer Sets Up the Season 1 Finale

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power episode 8 trailer is here. The Rings of Power episode 8 release date is October 14. Episode 8 concludes The Rings of Power season 1. Meanwhile, The Rings of Power co-showrunner Patrick McKay has commented on the theory that Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) is Sauron.

Instagram, Twitter Said to Have Restricted Kanye West's Accounts Over Anti-Semitic Posts

Instagram and Twitter said they have restricted the accounts of US rapper Kanye West over posts slammed as anti-Semitic. Instagram has reportedly also restricted his account, which may involve preventing him from posting, commenting or sending private messages, according to a source.

WhatsApp Paid Subscription Service Reportedly Rolling Out in Beta for Business Users

Instant messaging and calling service WhatsApp premium subscription service has not officially launched yet; however, it is now available for beta users. As per the report, the premium subscription will be tailored towards businesses, which means that most of the paid features aren't going to be particularly useful for the average user.

House of the Dragon Episode 8 Review: A Final Game of Thrones for King Viserys

House of the Dragon episode 8 review: The seat of Driftmark is the latest point of contention between Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Alicent (Olivia Cooke). House of the Dragon episode 8 released October 9 at 6pm PT/ 9pm ET on HBO Max, and October 10 at 6:30am IST on Disney+ Hotstar in India.

Twitter Urging Users Taking Screenshots to Copy Links, Share Tweets Instead: All Details

Twitter has begun asking users who to share tweets or copy links to tweets that they take screenshots of on iOS. The new prompt was spotted by security researcher and reverse enginnering expert Jane Manchun Wong who claims it is part of Twitter's efforts to increase engagement on the platform.

Uber, Ola, Rapido Directed to Stop Three-Wheeler Services in Bengaluru Over 'Exorbitant' Pricing

Uber, Ola, and Rapido were directed to stop three-wheeler services in Bengaluru on Thursday, over accusations of overcharging customers and harassment. While, Uber in recent weeks has been running television ads on its autorickshaw service in India, Rapido said its operations in Bengaluru are not illegal and it will respond to the notice. Last month, the Competition C...

Facebook Warns 1 Million Users About Usernames, Passwords Stolen via 400 Malicious Apps

Facebook on Friday warned 1 million users that their usernames and passwords may have been stolen by malicious apps on the Google Play store and Apple's App Store. Over 400 malicious apps on Android and iOS were users to target Internet users, according to Meta. Apple said 45 of the 400 problematic apps were on its App Store and have been removed, while Google removed...

Twitter Takeover Deal: How Elon Musk Plans to Pay $44 Billion to Acquire Twitter by October 28

Elon Musk must pay Twitter the agreed sum of $44 billion (roughly Rs. 3,62,500 crore) in order to close the Twitter buyout deal by October 28, failing which the judge will set a November date for the trial. Here's how the Tesla CEO and the world's richest man could secure financing for the deal, which is expected to be completed by the end of the month, after months o...

Twitter-Elon Musk Trial Halted, Judge Gives Musk October 28 Deadline to Complete Deal

Elon Musk has been asked to close the Twitter takeover deal by October 28 to avoid a trial being held in November, a Delaware judge's order said. The court halted the trial to allow Musk time to finance his $44 billion (roughly Rs. 3,60,300 crore) takeover of Twitter.

Microsoft's Incentives to Block Rivals After Activision Deal Probed by EU Regulators: Details

Antitrust regulators in the European Union have asked games developers to repsond by October 10 on whether Microsoft will be incentivised to block rivals' access to Activision Blizzard's best-selling games on their platforms. A decision on the acqusition of Activision by Microsoft is expected by November 8.

Werewolf by Night Review: MCU Horror TV Special Isn’t Anything Special

Werewolf by Night review: the first proper horror flick in the Marvel Cinematic Universe delves into the world of monsters, but it doesn't go far enough. Werewolf by Night is released October 7 at 12:30pm IST/ 12am PT on Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar.

Twitter Rolls Out Edit Button to Paid Subscribers in US Days After Introducing Feature in Canada, Australia

Twitter is gradually making the edit button available for its paid subscribers in the United States, the social media company said on Thursday, days after launching the widely requested feature in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In an official tweet, Twitter announced that it is expanding the Edit Tweet test to the US, currently limited to Twitter Blue members.

Uber Data Breach: Former Security Chief Convicted by US Jury for Covering Up Massive 2016 Hack

Uber's former chief of security, Joseph Sullivan, was found guilty by a US jury of obstructing justice and concealing knowledge of a breach from authorities. In November 2016, Sullivan was emailed by hackers, and employees quickly confirmed that they had stolen records on about 57 million users and also 600,000 driver's license numbers, according to prosecutors. he co...

Roblox Faces Lawsuit for Enabling Minor's Sexual, Financial Exploitation; Meta, Snap, Discord Also Targeted

Roblox faces a lawsuit accusing it of enabling the sexual and financial exploitation of a minor from California. The lawsuit also targets Discord, Snapchat parent Snap and Instagram parent Meta, platforms that were used to target the girl, who suffered severe mental health problems leading to suicide attempts and hospitalisation as a result of her experience, accordi...

Elon Musk Wants to Make X, an 'Everything App': All You Need to Know About Super Apps

Elon Musk on Tuesday tweeted about the purchase of Twitter being an accelerant to creating X, an "everything app". A super app, or everything app as Musk calls it, has been described as the Swiss army knife of mobile apps, offering a suite of services for users such as messaging, social networking, peer-to-peer payments and e-commerce shopping. They are massively popu...

Facebook to Customise User Feed, Asks Users for More Help to Improve Its Algorithms

Facebook parent Meta Platforms will soon ask some users for more direct feedback on what they like to see in their feed — and what they don’t — as part of a broader effort to compete with TikTok and show people posts from users they don’t follow. Users will soon see “show more” and “show less” buttons on posts that appear in their feed, giving them a m...

Spotify Acquires Content Moderation Firm Kinzen to Detect Harmful Content on the Platform

Audio-streaming service Spotify Technology on Wednesday said it had acquired Kinzen, a firm that has helped it identify harmful content on the platform. The acquisition is part of Spotify’s efforts to deal with harmful content on its service after a backlash earlier this year.

Elon Musk's Twitter Turnaround: Here's How the Legal Challenges Played a Part

Elon Musk's sudden about face on a $44 billion (nearly Rs. 3,59,200 crore) agreement to acquire Twitter, reversing an earlier attempt to rescind that offer, came as a surprise even from the mercurial billionaire who loves to shock. It sent shares of the social media platform soaring on Tuesday. However, Musk said he'll only agree to continue willingly with the acquisi...

RuPay Credit Card UPI Usage: No Charge for Transactions Up to Rs. 2,000, NPCI Says

RuPay credit card Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions under Rs. 2,000 will not be charged, as per RBI directions. According to a circular from the National Payments Corporation of India, nil Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) would apply for this category up to the transaction amount less than and equal to Rs 2,000. The NPCI's decision is aimed at promoting the ho...

Twitch Fined by Russia for Hosting Ukraine Video, TikTok Faces Fine Over 'LGBT Propaganda'

TikTok was fined RUB 3 million (roughly 40 lakh) by Russia on Tuesday, after the platform owned Beijing-based IT company ByteDance did not take down content that violates Russian laws on 'LGBT propaganda'. Meanwhile, video streaming service Twitch was fined RUB 4 million (roughly Rs. 55 lakh) after it hosted a video interview with Ukrainian politician Oleksiy Arestovy...

Elon Musk Proposes Twitter Takeover at Agreed Price; Calls Deal 'Accelerant' to Creating 'X' App

Elon Musk on Tuesday proposed in a letter to Twitter that he intended to complete his $44 billion (roughly Rs. 3,58,300 crore) takeover deal for Twitter. Musk's filings called for an end to a lawsuit by the social media company, which could have led to a ruling forcing him to pay a termination fee over his refusal to complete the acquisition of the microblogging serv...

Instagram Parent Meta Explores Reel Monetisation Opportunities With New Ad Formats

Facebook parent Meta Platforms announced a series of new ad formats on Tuesday, aimed at creating new revenue streams for the short video and business messaging products that it has identified as key to growth this year.

Elon Musk Expected to Go Ahead With $54.20 a Share Twitter Deal: Report

Billionaire Elon Musk is expected to propose going ahead with his takeover of Twitter at $54.20 per share, a Bloomberg news reporter tweeted on Tuesday.

VLC Media Player Developer VideoLAN Issues Legal Notice to DoT, MeitY Over Website Ban in India

VLC Media Player developer VideoLAN has asked the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to provide reasoned orders related to the blocking of its website in India. In a legal notice, President and lead VLC developer of VideoLAN Jean-Baptiste Kempf stated that the website was blocked by the DoT without...

PhonePe Announces Shift of Domicile From Singapore to India

PhonePe, a part of the Walmart-controlled Flipkart group, announced that it has completed the process of moving its domicile from Singapore to India. The development comes ahead of its plans to launch an initial public offering (IPO) for expanding its financial services portfolio and deepening its core United Payments Interface (UPI)-based payments operations and inve...

YouTube Tests Limiting 4K Ultra-HD Videos to Premium Users: Report

YouTube has reportedly been spotted testing a feature that would limit 4K Ultra-HD resolution videos to Premium users only after recently being spotted introducing 5 bumper ads of 6 seconds that free users cannot choose to skip before a video plays. The tests are being reported as a push by the company to increase revenue generation.

Twitter Edit Tweet Feature Now Rolling Out to Blue Subscribers in These Countries

Twitter on Monday said a feature to edit tweets is being rolled out to those subscribing to its Blue service in Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The tool will let users edit a tweet up to five times within 30 minutes of initially posting, Twitter said.

Enforcement Directorate Begins Money Laundering Probe Into 'Keepsharer' Chinese App That Duped Youth

The Enforcement Directorate said on Monday that it has launched a probe into a Chinese "controlled" mobile app that allegedly duped a number of youngsters in the country. The agency stated that it had seized funds worth Rs. 5.85 crore in raids on least 12 entities in Bengaluru linked to "Chinese controlled" mobile app Keepsharer. The agency claims that "gullible publi...

The 7 Biggest Web Series and TV Shows in October on Netflix, Hotstar, Apple TV+, and Prime Video

Mismatched season 2, The White Lotus season 2, Derry Girls season 3, Shantaram, The Midnight Club, The Peripheral, and Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities — the biggest web series and TV shows in October 2022 on Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, Apple TV+, and Prime Video.

ED Freezes Rs. 5.5 Crore Account Balance in Mobile Gaming Application Fraud

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Monday said it has carried out a search operation and freezed account balance of Rs. 5.59 crore of Aamir Khan and its accomplices in a fraud involving mobile gaming application E-nuggets.

Telegram Premium Price in India Slashed by More Than 60 Percent: All Details

Telegram Premium price in India has been slashed by over 60 percent. The messaging service will now charge users Rs. 179 a month for access to larger 4GB file uploads, faster downloads, and the ability to convert voice messages into text, among other features. The Telegram Premium subscription was previously priced at Rs. 469 in the country.

Elon Musk Prepares Himself for the Judgement Against Twitter Ahead of October 17 Trial

Twitter wants a Delaware court to order Elon Musk to buy the social media service for $44 billion (nearly Rs. 3,60,000 crore), as he promised back in April. The Tesla billionaire's reputation for dismissing government pronouncements has some worried that he might flout an unfavourable ruling of the Delaware Court of Chancery, known for its handling of high-profile bus...

Disney+ Hotstar October 2022: Prey, Exposed, Barbarian, Werewolf by Night, and More

Prey, Exposed, Barbarian, Marvel’s Werewolf by Night, Andor, She-Hulk, House of the Dragon, Criminal Justice: Adhura Sach finale, The White Lotus season 2, Avenue 5 season 2, Aashiqana season 2, Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, Grey’s Anatomy season 19, Crush, Rosaline, Grimcutty, and Matriarch — these are the biggest films, TV shows, web series, and originals on D...

Musk Bid for More Data on Twitter Bot Accounts Denied by Judge

Elon Musk was denied access to additional documents about Twitter’s internal measure of robot and spam accounts after a judge concluded the company already disclosed enough of the information as part of the billionaire’s legal fight over a scuttled takeover.