Category: Social Media

  • Facebook Messenger Bug Can Leak Sensitive User Information

    Facebook Messenger Bug Can Leak Sensitive User Information

    Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg posted his vision to eradicate the privacy concerns surrounding the social media website. In his article, he claimed that the company will focus on gaining the trust of its users and ensuring better product development. The social media company aims to achieve high privacy standards in the next few years while sticking to all necessary norms at the same time.

    About The Bug

    A report states that a bug in Facebook Messenger gave permission to websites to access users’ private data, including the people they have been exchanging messages with. It was reported by researchers that the vulnerability was in direct violation of the user-organization privacy policy since the data of the user wasn’t safe at all. Although the issue was reported to Facebook as per its Responsible Disclosure Program, the bug was mitigated via social media. As of now, the bug has been fixed by the company.

    Previous Privacy Concerns

    Also, as reported on March 5, users blamed Facebook for misusing their phone numbers. As per Facebook’s two-factor authentication, users had to sign up with their phone numbers, which were visible to advertisers. Consequently, a lot of users were being pestered by advertisements from sources they were not even familiar with.

    facebookAlso Read: Facebook Planning To Integrate Whatsapp, Messenger And Instagram

    It is still yet to be clear how Facebook will get rid of the multitude of bugs that are present in the social media website/app. The company states that it will achieve “Whatsapp-like” privacy and encryption in the upcoming months, but with the discovery of bugs almost every week, Facebook might need to step up its privacy checks.

     

  • Facebook Announces Its Vision For Privacy Focussed Social Networking

    Facebook Announces Its Vision For Privacy Focussed Social Networking

    Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in a post from his account about the company’s next move to create a more privacy focussed social network. In his over 3,000 words long article about privacy and building trust of the users, he claimed that his company will be more open to product developments. There were six principles that were shared in the post, aiming to serve as a guideline for future development for the company. These principles are expected to take place in the next few years.

    Facebook & Privacy

    While Facebook has been criticised about its privacy policies and has seen its fair share of controversies regarding the matter, the company in the post aims to take a firm stand on the matter in the future. The six principles for the company highlighted in the Facebook posts are as follows:

    • Private interactions
    • Encryption
    • Reducing Permanence
    • Safety
    • Interoperability
    • Secure data storage

    Facebook claims that they are planning to rebuild more of its services around the above ideas. Understanding privacy concerns, the company also reaffirmed that it start the development and changes openly and collaboratively. Zuckerberg said that the public sharing on the platform will decline in the next few years because people will shift towards private messaging via Messenger or WhatsApp, which will be the main way they will communicate on the Facebook network.

    Facebook is also expected to implement end-to-end encryption to all of its communication networks. The post also claimed that will limit the time it will store the user’s messaging metadata. The company got into trouble a few weeks ago for storing and recording data. It will also add a feature to its every service that will allow them to send a message, a report of this feature was also hinted a few weeks ago. The reports said that it planning on adding cross-texting between Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.

    Also read: Fitbit Launches Versa Lite, Inspire & Ace 2 Fitness Bands

    The steps that Facebook seems to be emphasizing upon seem like a step in the right direction for the company, Considering that its reputation hasn’t been great in terms of privacy and collecting user data.

  • Twitch VS Youtube: Which Platform Should You Start Streaming On?

    Twitch VS Youtube: Which Platform Should You Start Streaming On?

    Streaming is defined as “playing continuously as sound or moving images are sent in a flow directly from the Internet to a computer” as per the Cambridge Dictionary. In simpler terms, broadcasting your activities from your computer (or from your real life) across the internet so that viewers can interact with you in real time refers to as streaming. Over the past few years, streaming has seen a massive boost in terms of broadcasters and viewer base, thanks to some amazing platforms.

    The first platform that comes to our mind when we talk about ‘game streaming’ is undoubtedly Twitch. Launched in 2011, a lot of factors contributed to its success. It had over 100 million unique monthly users by the year 2018. Out of those, 15 million were daily users. The fact that it encourages streamers and broadcasters to stream live, raw content without any sugar-coating was welcomed by viewers. And on top of that, the growing interest in ESports really helped fuel the platform, pushing it to the spot where it is today.

    Youtube Gaming is fairly new. Launched in 2015, the platform was intended to break off from the mainstream Youtube ‘video uploading’ scenario and provide an environment where gamers can stream for specifically ‘game-oriented’ audiences. Given the mammoth viewer base of Youtube, the new platform gained popularity quickly, and after almost 3 and a half years later, its emerging as a strong contender to Twitch.

    The questions that make their way into this scenario are very clear. If you’re a new streamer, which platform should you opt for? What are the pros of streaming on Twitch or Youtube? What are the cons of the same? See how both the streaming platforms line up against each other.

    Content Discovery

    If a new viewer heads over to Twitch, a multitude of channels greet him/her. Viewers usually find channels by browsing the games they are interested in. Now, upon reverse engineering this, its clear that if you are playing that specific game, a viewer MAY find you amongst a list of other streamers. And if you are a fairly new streamer, there’s a fair chance that the new visitors won’t even pay attention to your stream. This is because Twitch sorts the channels in descending order, depending on the number of viewers per stream. Established streamers benefit a lot from this, on the other hand, new streamers rarely get any attention.

    A lot of Twitch users pointed out a serious flaw in the website: There are no thumbnails for live streams. Twitch picks out random screen captures from your stream and displays them as thumbnails to the viewers. There is literally nothing to set you apart from other channels, bringing forward the serious problem of not getting noticed in the crowd. 

    Youtube Gaming faces these issues too, but its algorithm helps new streamers get noticed by new viewers. For instance, if you make regular videos, stream regularly and have even a small number of subscribers, your chances of getting new viewers and subscribers are increased. Also, content creators can use standard videos to attract a viewer base. If a user has a couple of videos that have good statistics, he/she can use that video as the highlighted channel video to make that good ‘first impression’ on the new audience. Furthermore, Youtube allows the creation and upload of custom thumbnails, and even though they lead to clickbaits in some cases, its a better way to convey information regarding your stream rather than hoping that more random people join.

    Rules And Guidelines

    Since Twitch is primarily focused on gaming, they are expected to have strict guidelines because of the audience age range. A lot of streamers (and popular streamers at that) have been banned in the past for petty reasons. You could get banned if someone sends in an inappropriate donation. You could get your channel temporarily suspended if you say something that doesn’t comply with the guidelines.

    On the other hand, YouTube lays down almost similar guidelines, but it isn’t as strict as Twitch when it comes to implementing them. Youtube content creators are allowed three copyright strikes on their channel before your channel disappears off YouTube. Demonetization of videos is also possible, if any non-compliant action takes place on the stream.

    Earnings

    Twitch has a very detailed and distinct monetary system. For every $5 the subscriber pays, 50 percent is claimed by Twitter. So, the streamer ends up getting $2.50 per subscriber. Donations account for the major chunk of the daily income. Streamers get a 100 percent of the donation money, and big streamers can earn insane amounts of money in a day just from donations. Viewers can also donate using Bits, which are Twitch’s built in donation system. Twitter takes a 29% cut per bit. And there are classic advertisements, which might not pay as much but are a steady source of income.

    YouTube follows a comparitively simpler structure, where viewers can donate using Super Chats. YouTube charges 30 percent of the total super chat donation amount. Also, YouTube has sponsors where Twitch has subscribers. Again, YouTube takes a cut of 30% from each sponsor. Monetized YouTube channels earn a lot from advertisements too.

    Also Read: Whatsapp To Introduce Dark Mode, Advanced Search In Updates Soon

    In the end, it’s all about audience and preference. If the majority of your audience loves a specific platform, you may have to stick to that. Or you could just stream as per your preference and let your audience decide the rest. Streamers like Shroud and Ninja are making it big on Twitch, with more than 150,000 users watching them stream daily. It’s a long road, but it may be worth it in the end.

  • Whatsapp To Introduce Dark Mode, Advanced Search In Updates Soon

    Whatsapp To Introduce Dark Mode, Advanced Search In Updates Soon

    Whatsapp has been focused on releasing new updates to improve the user experience. The Facebook-owned application was reportedly testing out the ‘group invitation’ feature on the Testflight server last month. The ‘group invitation’ feature lets the user filter out the contacts who can add them to a group chat, enabling them to stay in control of their privacy. This feature was first spotted in Whatsapp Beta update 2.19.55.

    Advanced Search

    Reports state that Whatsapp is aiming towards further improving the chat search feature. The company calls the feature ‘Advanced Search’, and Whatsapp aims to implement it in the upcoming updates. Instead of just searching for text messages and chats, the new feature allows the user to search through multiple types of messages. It is basically an evolution of the basic Search feature, with added integration. Users can search between Photos, GIFs, Videos, Documents, Links and Audio files that they have exchanged with a contact in their device. For instance, if the user taps on a video, the app will show all the messages that contain that video. In addition to this, the feature also displays the user’s Search History which can be deleted as easily. Furthermore, the search results are shown with a neat preview, so each result doesn’t have to be opened in order to check its specifics.

    Dark Mode And Other Features

    The messaging app is also expected to introduce the much awaited ‘dark mode’. This mode has already been spotted in the beta version of the application, and will probably be available in the next official update. Whatsapp has been on a roll so far, releasing functional features like Touch ID and Face ID to unlock the app, replying privately to group chats and using 3D touch to check Whatsapp statuses on the iOS applications. The company is also expected to bring features like auto-playing consecutive voice messages and viewing videos directly from the notification tray.

    WhatsAppAlso Read: Google To Replace ‘Voice Match Unlock’ With Assistant Lock Screen Access

    Although sources say that slots for the iOS Beta program are full, users can still check the availability for new Whatsapp beta slots by signing up for the same. The American company may officially roll out the updates soon for both iOS and Android, as the testing of the features is in full swing right now.

  • Twitter Is Indeed Working On A ‘Hide Tweet’ Feature

    Twitter Is Indeed Working On A ‘Hide Tweet’ Feature

    Speculations around Twitter’s updates previously indicated that the social media service is developing features to improve user experience. Twitter has now confirmed that it is working on a new ‘Hide Tweets’ feature, which will help users to hide replies on their respective tweets. This will provide users with more control of their conversations, Twitter says. 

    About The Feature

    The option was first spotted in Twitter’s code and can be accessed from the list of moderation options by clicking on the ‘Share’ button, from what has been spotted so far. As per reports, the Share button has been given an overhaul as well. The ‘Hide Tweet’ button will act as a better alternative to muting or blocking the user.

    Similarly, an option to ‘View Hidden Tweets’ was also spotted, which indicates that the feature will work in a similar manner to Facebook’s ‘View Edit History’ option. The ‘View Hidden Tweets’ button will allow users to ‘unhide’ the tweets that were hidden in the first place by the Original Poster. This feature will ensure that the chain of information is not entirely broken by the introduction of such a feature.

    The Cons

    Concerns arose on Twitter regarding the fact that this option will lead to users hiding obnoxious tweets. For instance, a user might get a different idea while reading a tweet if some of the replies are missing/hidden. People also said that controversial politicians can just hide tweets that they find outrageous or unacceptable. Unless a user actually clicks on the ‘View Hidden Tweets’ button, he/she might miss out on critical parts of the conversation.

    The Pros

    The positive aspects of integrating such an update are intended towards putting the user in control of his tweets. In a ‘toxic social media era’ where hate provoking comments can be found on almost every post, moderating the replies could impact user growth for the better purpose. It could also encourage people to debate or argue in a more ‘docile’ manner knowing that their tweets can be hidden any time.

    Also Read: Twitter May Soon Add “Quick Peek” Feature On iOS And Android

    Twitter Senior PM said that the ‘Tweet transparency’ feature will lead to a  healthier Twitter community, where users can actually call out situations where hiding tweets become necessary. Twitter plans to test out this feature publicly in the coming months. The feature may roll out with some pending updates such as a ‘clarifying feature’, which allows users to explain the context of their old tweets.

  • Netflix Cancels Jessica Jones & The Punisher, Putting An End To Marvel Partnership

    Netflix Cancels Jessica Jones & The Punisher, Putting An End To Marvel Partnership

    Netflix on February 19 has cancelled two more Marvel series on its platforms. The streaming giant has cancelled ‘Jessica Jones’ after three seasons, and ‘The Punisher’ after two seasons. This has officially put an end to its partnership with Marvel. Jessica Jones was scheduled to arrive for the third season, but the show won’t be renewed for a fourth season.

    These TV shows are the fourth and fifth respectively, to be taken off from the platform after ‘Iron Fist’ was cancelled last October after two seasons. It was then followed by ‘Luke Cage’ which was cancelled the same month after airing two seasons. Then ‘Daredevil’ took the axe after three seasons.

    What’s Next For Marvel’s Shows?

    While all the shows by Marvel have been cancelled, it doesn’t mean that they won’t be returning soon. In a statement, a senior executive at Marvel hints that these series may have a chance of survival. Disney, who owns Marvel, is all set to launch its own streaming service Disney+ in a few months. The shows may come back on the said platform or on Hulu, on which Disney will hold a majority stake in after its acquisition of Fox is complete. But there may be problems in doing that, as the reported contracts between Netflix and Marvel TV wouldn’t allow such a move for two years.

    Also read: Android To Replace The Back Navigation Button With Gestures In Android Q

    Reports were also afloat that Disney was looking to procure back all the properties of Marvel from streaming services. The company would then stream on its own service, where it will be available exclusively. The service will also feature original shows and movies, including original Marvel and Star Wars series. Marvel fan favourite character Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston, will get an original series on the Disney+ service. A prequel series to Star Wars movie is also planned for the platform. The upcoming Avengers movie, Endgame will be exclusive to Disney+. The service will reportedly launch in late 2019.

  • Twitter May Soon Add “Quick Peek” Feature On iOS And Android

    Twitter May Soon Add “Quick Peek” Feature On iOS And Android

    Twitter is constantly working on new updates that aim to provide its users with a better experience while retaining simplicity at the same time. It was reportedly testing the upcoming ‘editable tweets’ feature, the anti-abuse feature and a load of other tools. Twitter has confirmed that it is testing out its quick peek feature on iOS and Android Operating System.

    About The Feature

    The option will enable users to tap on the @username in the main app feed to pop up the profile which they intend to view. It can be a very helpful feature. Not all accounts on Twitter have relevant usernames which can tell a user more about the person. Also, if the user clicks on a person’s avatar/username, they are taken to the profile page, interrupting whatever they were originally doing.  Instead, the new feature will act just like the ‘mouseover’ option which can be experienced on the Twitter desktop website. Users will get an option to follow the person or interact with other options on the profile. 

    https://twitter.com/Twitter/status/1095784011845324801

    Also Read: Twitter May Add The Option To Edit Tweets Soon

    This feature is already being tested on iOS. The company, however, followed up with a reply to its original post just an hour later, confirming an Android update too. Twitter has not posted about the release date of this feature, but users can expect it to be implemented soon.

  • WhatsApp for Android Redesigns The Settings Menu

    WhatsApp for Android Redesigns The Settings Menu

    WhatsApp in an update today has redesigned the settings menu for Android users. The update is now available for WhatsApp Beta users and has the build number v2.19.45. The update brings about significant design changes in the settings menu for the popular messaging app. It should be available in a stable update to the rest of the users soon.

    The update doesn’t introduce a new feature or settings altogether, but rather tries to beautify certain aspects of the menu. There are now icons to each option in the settings menu and the network usage page is also redesigned completely.

    WhatsApp v2.19.45: What’s New?

    The beta version of this update focusses on giving the settings menu of the app a design overhaul. ‘Accounts’ section now has a dedicated icon for each of the submenu. Options like ‘Security’, ‘Change number’, and ‘Two-step verification’ have also gained redesigned icons. The layout of all options in the ‘Notifications’ section remains the same though. All the tools in the ‘Help’ section have also been updated with dedicated icons. 

    Also read: Xiaomi Speaks Out Loud About Its Foldable Smartphone

    You can now see the net amount of data sent and received in the ‘Network Usage’ option and the memory usage in the ‘Storage’ section. These are absent on the app’s stable version. Also, the menu’s have a very different layout than what existed before and each parameter having an icon of their own. The release date of this update for the stable version hasn’t been announced yet, but it may be available shortly.

  • YouTube CEO Admits Rewind Was Bad. Promises A Better One in 2019

    YouTube CEO Admits Rewind Was Bad. Promises A Better One in 2019

    Last year saw the release of YouTube Rewind. The video quickly became the highest disliked video of all time. As of writing this article, the video sits at over 15 million dislikes. The video was flagged for missing out the key creators and elements that have made YouTube what it is today. There hasn’t been a response from anyone at YouTube about the Rewind. That is until now. YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki in a blog post, admitted that the Rewind was not what they set out to do.

    Susan, in her post, seemed to admit that the Rewind didn’t show the year’s key moments. She wrote “Even at home, my kids told me our 2018 Rewind was “cringey.” We hear you that it didn’t accurately show the year’s key moments, nor did it reflect the YouTube you know. We’ll do better to tell our story in 2019.”

    YouTube Rewind 2018

    The YouTube Rewind is an annual video that is released by YouTube since 2011. The video highlights the trends that were famous on YouTube. The Rewind was flagged last year for not including some major creators like PewDiePie, H3H3 Productions etc. The video also didn’t mention some of the key moments of 2018 like the KSI vs Logan Paul Fight or PewDiePie vs T-Series. The video got so much flak, it became the most disliked video on the platform. It broke the previous record of Justin Bieber’s Baby, with almost 10 million dislikes.

    Also read: Account Linking Coming Soon To Instagram

    Many creators then released their own version of the Rewind. Some of them got even more likes than the original video. YouTube seems to finally understand their mistakes and the problems with the video. Let’s hope they don’t repeat the same this year as well.

  • Whatsapp Introduces Biometric Authentication On iPhone

    Whatsapp Introduces Biometric Authentication On iPhone

    Whatsapp, the world’s most used IM (Instant Messaging) platform has finally brought its FaceID and TouchID authentication to it’s iOS beta users. First spotted by WABetainfo, the new feature has been introduced with the latest 2.19.20.19 update. This update now adds a fingerprint lock, or TouchID, to all its conversations. 

    Previous Encryption 

    The company already introduced end-to-end encryption to all its instances in 2016. With the introduction of this new feature, whatsapp is even more secure, because it eliminates any snooping from your device. Read on to find out how you can avail the latest changes to the widely used social messaging platform. 

    How To Enable FaceID/TouchID Authentication?

    If you have the iPhone X or above, you can use Face ID to get into the application. And if you have one of the older iPhone versions, don’t worry, because the app will use your TouchID to encrypt your chats. To turn this extra piece of security on, just launch the app, and go to Whatsapp Settings > Account and click on Privacy. You will then need to select your screen lock from your settings menu. One thing to note here is that fact that you can still reply to messages from the locked screen if you’ve allowed access. 

    Once you’ve configured this, you’ll have to restart your Whatsapp application to get the new authentication feature to work. Whatsapp will then authenticate you in order to use the app. You need not worry if you can’t get in. There’s a failsafe, which allows you to enter the app by just entering your passcode. It’s simple as that. 

    Also Read : Google Removes 29 Malicious Photo-Editing Apps From Play Store

    Also, with the new update comes the option to select and download a specific sticker from the sticker pack. But the chats authentication is certainly Whatsapp’s focus here. Are you excited about this added security layer? Share your views with us in the comments below 

     

  • Twitter May Add The Option To Edit Tweets Soon

    Twitter May Add The Option To Edit Tweets Soon

    Twitter as a medium has been really popular to get updates by the seconds on all whats happening around the world. But the Achilles heel of Twitter has always been not getting an option of editing tweets. There has been a lot of discussion over the topic and Twitter didn’t give a firm reply. Recently, the CEO of Twitter Jack Dorsey said on the Joe Rogan Podcast that Twitter is considering adding the functionality of editable tweets.

    In his discussion, when asked about the functionality, Rogan said “You could build it as such so maybe we introduce a 5-second to 30-second delay in the sending. And within that window, you can edit. The issue with going longer than that is it takes that real-time nature of the conversational flow out of it.”

    Editable Tweets- A Boon or Bane?

    The quest for editable tweets is nothing new. Since a long time, some famous people have been asking for the feature. Popular Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee has voiced his opinions many times over the past few years.

    The idea of Tweets that are editable for a while seems like a good one for now, if people can see the edit history. This would make the platform more transparent, which its already quite is. The time period that Twitter would decide to let edits happen isn’t known yet.

    Read more: 11-Year Old Moves To Court To Ban PUBG

    It seems that the micro-blogging site is headed in the right direction. This change may also lead to more people interested in the platform, something Twitter has wanted do for years.

  • Google To Initiate Deleting Google+ Photos and Pages, Starting April 2

    Google To Initiate Deleting Google+ Photos and Pages, Starting April 2

    Google made an announcement regarding its decision to shut down Google+ in the latter part of 2018. We all saw it coming, and so did Google, because they are about to start removing the majority of content from Google Plus. That’s what their blog and their support page says. 

    Reason For Shutdown

    This shut-down was initiated because they were unable to tackle challenges involved in maintaining a successful product, according to Google. As per source, 90 percent of user sessions on Google+ don’t even last five seconds. Also, last year, Google shut down Google Plus for consumers after an audit turned up with the discovery of an exploit. In the above-mentioned links, Google laid out their exit strategy for Google+. The process will be slow, but all for the greater good. 

    Timeline For The Shutdown

    Starting February, you will not be able to create a new Google+ profile, pages or any community. Once this happens, Google will start removing all Google+ accounts, along with all other information. This will include photos, videos and any form of content that has been uploaded to Google Plus in the past. The deletion will start on April 2, but as Google estimates, it will take a lot of time. 

    How Do Existing Users Improvise?

    Also Read : Google I/O 2019 Dates And Venue Announced

    Meanwhile, Google is providing detailed instructions to all its users regarding the Google+ Self-Service portal. The users can back up their data as per their requirement. All the pictures will be backed up in Google Photos. The Google Plus sign-in buttons will be removed from the Blogger pages. They may be replaced by Google Sign-in buttons. In addition to this, Google will br shutting down all of it’s Google Plus APIs. This is a bell for the developers so that they may move to alternatives, if they’re using any of these APIs. Hopefully, such a change is only for the better, so that Google may hint at a new take on Social Media yet again. Who knows? 

     

     

     

  • Facebook Paying Users in Exchange For Their Data

    Facebook Paying Users in Exchange For Their Data

    Facebook and controversies go hand in hand. Just last year, it was caught in a huge privacy scandal that brought Facebook a lot of hate; as it compromised the data of a lot of users. Looks like Facebook is caught in a similar scandal again. Reports show that Facebook is seeking people to test its research app. This is to spy on them in exchange of money.

    Facebook did that to get data on its competitors, so the best way they thought they could accomplish it by asking the users for their data directly. The Facebook Research App, available for both Android and iOS. This App is installed through a website, which then installs certain certificates on your device. These certificates transfer data like your phone and web activity back to Facebook. This was compensated by an amount up to $20. 

    Spotted first by TechCrunch, The program is administered through beta testing services Applause, BetaBound and uTest; to cloak Facebook’s involvement. The program is referred to in some documentation as “Project Atlas”- a fitting name for Facebook’s effort to map new trends and rivals around the globe.

    Facebook’s Affair With Data Theft

    In its report, The publication said “The strategy shows how far Facebook is willing to go and how much it’s willing to pay to protect its dominance — even at the risk of breaking the rules of Apple’s iOS platform on which it depends. Apple could seek to block Facebook from continuing to distribute its Research app, or even revoke it permission to offer employee-only apps, and the situation could further chill relations between the tech giants.”

    Read more: Honor Rolls Out Its Wearable Portfolio In India

    Facebook has had a reputation for not caring about users privacy over the years. When it acquired the mobile data counter Onavo, it helped them track user app data. This led to Apple banning the app last year. The app is still available on Android. Over that, this incident doesn’t help the reputation of Facebook and may tarnish it further. Facebook hasn’t released a statement yet.

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