Mark Zuckerberg - Entrepreneur Profile | Business Upturn

Mark Zuckerberg accuses Biden Administration of pressuring Meta to censor COVID-19 content

News Desk — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 05:08:50 +0000

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has responded to inquiries from the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary regarding content moderation practices. In a letter dated August 26, 2024, addressed to Chairman Jim Jordan, Meta’s CEO addressed two significant incidents involving government interaction with the platform.

The CEO revealed that in 2021, senior Biden Administration officials, including those from the White House, repeatedly pressured Meta to censor certain COVID-19 content, including humor and satire. The company expressed regret for not being more outspoken about this pressure at the time and stated that some decisions made then would be different today.

In a separate incident, the FBI warned Meta about a potential Russian disinformation operation concerning the Biden family and Burisma before the 2020 election. When the New York Post published a story about corruption allegations involving then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s family, Meta temporarily demoted the story while fact-checkers reviewed it. The CEO acknowledged that this action was mistaken, as the story was not Russian disinformation.

https://twiiter.com/BRICSinfo/status/1828204840943501522

Meta has since revised its policies to prevent similar occurrences, including no longer temporarily demoting content in the U.S. while awaiting fact-checker review.

The letter emphasized Meta’s commitment to promoting free speech and facilitating safe connections for users, while maintaining independence in content moderation decisions despite external pressures.

Does Elon Musk want to fight Mark Zuckerberg again?

Bhavya Rai — Sat, 27 Jul 2024 05:16:24 +0000

The much-hyped showdown between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg might be back on the table! The high-voltage matchup, initially teased last year, had Zuckerberg, an MMA enthusiast, favored to win. Not one to back down, Musk agreed to train with UFC legend Georges St-Pierre to level the playing field.

The excitement, however, was short-lived. Zuckerberg pulled the plug on the bout, reportedly at the behest of Musk’s mother, who urged her son to avoid the fight. With Musk seemingly disinterested, Zuckerberg lost enthusiasm, and the clash fell flat. But recent comments from Musk have rekindled hopes for the fight.

During a visit to the US Capitol for Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress, Musk was asked about the potential fight. With a grin, Musk responded, “I’ll fight Zuckerberg any place, any time, and rules.” This isn’t the first time Musk has shown such bravado. On an October 2023 episode of the ‘Joe Rogan Experience,’ Musk boldly claimed he’d fight Zuckerberg “in a house, on a mouse, with a louse.”

While Musk talks the talk, Zuckerberg walks the walk. The Meta CEO is well-versed in mixed martial arts, having trained with stars like Alexander Volkanovski and Israel Adesanya. Facing such an opponent would be a monumental challenge for Musk.

Amidst the fight talk, Musk has also been in the headlines for personal reasons. He recently spoke out about his transgender son, Vivian Musk, who came out in June 2022 and changed his name to Xavier. Musk voiced regret over consenting to puberty blockers for his son, accusing doctors of misleading him about their effects.

Musk criticized what he called a ‘woke mind virus’ for his son’s situation. He claimed ignorance about the long-term impacts of puberty blockers and expressed frustration over the lack of information provided to him.

The Future of Musk vs. Zuckerberg

As Elon Musk remains a magnet for controversy, whether he is genuinely ready to step into the ring with Mark Zuckerberg is a question only time will answer. For now, the prospect of this billionaire brawl continues to tantalize fans and stir up the media.

WhatsApp unveils ‘Search by Date’ feature for easy message retrieval

Tushar Aggarwal — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 14:44:53 +0000

WhatsApp has announced a new feature called ‘Search by date,’ designed to improve the messaging app’s search functionality. This feature enables users to easily locate messages based on specific dates, streamlining the process of navigating through chat history.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed the global availability of the ‘Search by date’ feature through his WhatsApp channel, accompanied by a brief demonstration. With this feature, users can select a particular date to view messages exchanged on that day, eliminating the need to scroll endlessly through chat history.

The ‘Search by date’ feature was first spotted in beta testing in November 2023 and is now accessible to all users worldwide on the stable channel. According to MSP, the feature is available on Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, and the web.

To utilize the feature, users can specify the year, month, and date to narrow down their search results. Even if users don’t recall the exact date, they can easily navigate through the search results to find messages from other dates. It is essential to have the latest version of WhatsApp installed to access this feature.

In addition to the ‘Search by date’ feature, WhatsApp recently introduced the View Once feature for voice messages. This feature allows users to send voice messages that disappear after being listened to, similar to the functionality of photos and videos sent in View Once mode. These voice messages are marked with a “one-time” icon and can only be played once, ensuring increased privacy for users.

By introducing these new features, WhatsApp continues to enhance its messaging experience, offering users greater control and convenience in managing their conversations.

Meta CEO Zuckerberg Meets Japan PM Kishida to discuss AI

Tushar Aggarwal — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 09:48:01 +0000

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo to discuss artificial intelligence (AI) issues and the future of technology. The meeting comes as part of Zuckerberg’s trip through Asia, where he is engaging with leaders and stakeholders on AI-related topics.

In brief comments to reporters at the prime minister’s residence, Zuckerberg described the conversation as “good and productive,” highlighting the importance of AI in shaping the future of technology. However, he did not delve into specific details or take questions from the media before leaving.

The meeting with Prime Minister Kishida follows reports of Zuckerberg’s upcoming visit to South Korea later this month. During his visit, Zuckerberg is expected to discuss AI with Samsung Electronics chairman Jay Y. Lee and potentially meet with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. Meta confirmed Zuckerberg’s planned visit to South Korea, indicating the company’s focus on engaging with key stakeholders in the region on AI-related matters.

Both Japan’s government and corporate sector have been actively pursuing advancements in AI development. Prime Minister Kishida has previously met with other industry leaders, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, to discuss AI regulation and infrastructure. These meetings underscore the growing recognition of AI as a critical technology for driving innovation and economic growth.

As countries and companies around the world invest in AI research and development, discussions between industry leaders and government officials play a crucial role in shaping policies and strategies for AI adoption. Zuckerberg’s engagements in Japan and his upcoming visit to South Korea reflect Meta’s commitment to collaborating with stakeholders to advance AI technologies and address key challenges in the field.

Zuckerberg to meet LG CEO for XR headset development

Tushar Aggarwal — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 09:52:39 +0000

Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Meta Platforms Inc., is scheduled to meet with LG Electronics Inc. CEO Cho Joo-wan in Seoul around February 28 to discuss the joint development and launch of an extended reality (XR) headset, according to industry sources. The meeting marks Zuckerberg’s first visit to South Korea in 10 years and is focused on discussions with LG regarding XR headsets. The two companies are expected to officially announce their partnership for the joint development of the device.

The planned XR headset is set to be released in the first half of next year, aiming to outperform Apple Inc.’s latest mixed reality (MR) headset, Vision Pro, in terms of performance. LG and Meta will leverage their respective hardware technology and expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) for the upcoming product.

The XR sector encompasses virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), offering users the ability to experience three-dimensional virtual worlds for virtual meetings and live translated captions of foreign languages.

During the meeting, Zuckerberg and Cho will discuss the application of LG’s smart device operating system (OS) to the XR headset, as well as the use of Meta’s AI services for LG’s home appliances. LG has requested Meta to use its OS for the XR headset, which is expected to generate more than 1 trillion won ($750.5 million) in revenue from advertisement fees from app developers. The OS offers games, language education, and news content, and if embedded with Meta’s XR headset, it is expected to significantly boost LG’s sales.

The two companies will also explore the use of on-device AI for the headset, which allows smart devices to collect and analyze data without the need for a remote cloud server, thus improving the device’s performance.

LG aims to secure big data from global consumers in their teens and 20s through the partnership with Meta, as these demographics are forecast to be the major users of the XR headset. This big data will be advantageous for LG to develop customized products and strengthen its cutting-edge AI tech. LG Group affiliates, such as LG Display Co. and LG Innotek Co., are expected to supply their products to the XR headset. LG Display is developing micro-organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology, while LG Innotek, a camera module maker, is advancing its premium lens manufacturing.

The global XR device market is forecast to grow to $35.7 billion by 2026, with the XR headset sector dominated by three players: Apple, the Meta-LG alliance, and the Samsung-Google-Qualcomm alliances. As the competition in the XR headset market intensifies, each company is positioning itself to stake its reputation and compete in a market reminiscent of the early smartphone industry.

INDIA alliance writes to Facebook, Google CEOs demanding ‘neutrality’

Uddeshya Thakur — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 16:52:21 +0000

In an unprecedented move, the I.N.D.I.A. alliance of opposition parties has written a letter to heads of Meta and Google, to raise their attention over promotion of social disharmony and increasing communal hatred in India. The official X handle of Congress party shared two letter dated October 11, wrote to CEO of Alphabet Inc., Sundar Pichai, and CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg.

The letter addressed to the Meta CEO reads, “We are writing on behalf of the India National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), an alliance of 28 political parties in India that represent the combined Opposition coalition. We are the ruling alliance in 11 states and represent nearly half of all Indian voters. You may be aware of the recent exposes by the Washington Post newspaper about the role of WhatsApp and Facebook in aiding the communal hatred campaign of the ruling BJP.”

“It is very clear from this exhaustive investigation by the Washington Post that Meta is culpable of abetting social disharmony and inciting communal hatred in India. Further, we have data that shows algorithmic moderation and suppression of Opposition leaders’ content on your platform while also promoting ruling party content,” the letter further reads.

A similar letter has been written to Google CEO Sundar Pichai. The letter reads: “You may be aware of the recent expose by the Washington Post newspaper titled “He live-streamed his attacks on Indian Muslims. YouTube gave him an award” about the role of YouTube in propagating communal hatred and dividing Indian society. Specifically, the article cites details of how this vile, communally divisive propaganda is carried out using YouTube by BJP members and supporters.”

INDIA parties have also written to @Google's Mr. @sundarpichai, condemning the role of YouTube in causing social unrest and spreading the communally divisive propaganda of the ruling BJP.

The investigation conducted by the @washingtonpost also highlights the suppression of… pic.twitter.com/sMrNbh0q35

— Congress (@INCIndia) October 12, 2023

It all started with a September 26, 2023, report of Washington Post titled, “He live-streamed his attacks on Indian Muslims. YouTube gave him an award” for The Washington Post by Gerry Shih and Pranshu Verma. Basically, the report alleged that social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube are promoting communal hate in India. The report further alleged that these platforms are promoting content by the ruling party BJP and its supporters, while suppressing the opposition leaders’ content at the very same time.

I.N.D.I.A. alliance already boycotted TV anchors

The I.N.D.I.A. bloc has already boycotted television shows moderated by certain news anchors. The authorised sub-committee on media has come up with a list of such news anchors whose shows they have decided to avoid taking part in as panelists.

The list includes Aditi Tyagi, Aman Chopra, Amish Devgan, Anand Narasimhan, Arnab Goswami, Ashok Srivastava, Chitra Tripathi, Gaurav Sawant, Navika Kumar, Prachi Parashar, Rubika Liaquat, Shiva Aroor, Sudhir Chaudhary and Sushant Sinha.

Katrina Kaif becomes the most followed celebrity on Whatsapp Channels with 15.2 Million followers; Beats Mark Zukerberg and Bad Bunny

Shukrta Vaigankar — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 06:24:16 +0000

Katrina Kaif has yet another reason to smile. On the recently launched WhatsApp Channels, the Bollywood actor has the most followers of any person in the World. Her channel presently has 15.2 million subscribers, which is more than Bad Bunny, and the owner of WhatsApp’s parent company Meta Mark Zuckerberg.

According to the rankings, WhatsApp has the most followers (23 million), followed by the streaming service Netflix (16.8 million). The official Real Madrid channel ranks third with 14.4 million viewers. Katrina comes in fourth place with 15.2 million followers. With 12.6 million followers, Bad Bunny is ranked fifth. Mark Zuckerberg has 9.2 million followers on WhatsApp channels.

On September 13, Katrina posted to the channel, “Hii, Welcome to my WhatsApp Channel..” Let’s start Channelling…” She has only posted a few pictures and an ad video for Uniqlo, for whom she has become a brand ambassador. She did not release a teaser for her upcoming flick Tiger 3.

Commenting on the launch of WhatsApp Channels, Katrina Kaif, said, “I am delighted to collaborate with WhatsApp for the launch of WhatsApp Channels. This platform provides me with an exciting opportunity to connect with those who are interested in various aspects of my life, be it my work in the film industry or my ventures in the business world, all of which I am deeply passionate about. WhatsApp Channels serves as a personalized newsletter through which I can share insights and updates with my dedicated audience, fans, and all those who have consistently shown their support throughout my journey.”

On the work front, Katrina Kaif will next be seen in Tiger 3, Jee Le Zaraa and Merry Christmas.

What are WhatsApp Channels?

WhatsApp Channels are a one-way broadcast means that provide a private way for people and organisations to receive updates directly within WhatsApp. WhatsApp’s goal with Channels is to create the most private broadcast service accessible. Channels are distinct from conversations, and who you select to follow is hidden from other followers.

Channels can be found on a new tab named ‘Updates,’ which also contains the Status and the channels you have chosen to follow.

Meta to release Open Source AI Model & Llama to compete against OpenAI & Google’s Bard

Sidharth Badlani — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 16:27:36 +0000

The open-source artificial intelligence model Llama from Meta will soon be available in a commercial version, the firm announced on Tuesday. This will provide start-ups and other companies with a strong free alternative to the pricy proprietary models offered by OpenAI and Google.

Microsoft is “our preferred partner” for the rollout of the new model, dubbed Llama 2, which will be distributed through Azure and run on the Windows operating system, according to Meta in a blog post.

According to the blog post and a different Facebook post by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the model, which Meta previously only offered to specific academics for research purposes, will also be made available via direct download and through Amazon Web Services, Hugging Face, and other providers.

“Open source drives innovation because it enables many more developers to build with new technology,” Zuckerberg wrote. “I believe it would unlock more progress if the ecosystem were more open.”

Making a model as complex as Llama widely accessible and free for companies to build on poses a threat to the early market dominance achieved by players like OpenAI, whose models Microsoft supports and which it already makes available to business customers via Azure.

While the new Llama has been trained on 40 percent more data than its predecessor and more than 1 million human annotations to fine-tune the quality of its outputs, Zuckerberg said the previous Llama was already competitive with models that power OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard chatbot.

Threads: Users and usage begins to decline with drop-off in growth and engagement

Kashvi Basu — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 18:10:54 +0000

Last week itself, the text-based social media platform, Threads reported a record 100 million sign-ups in just about five days but according to data from a source, Sensor Tower the service has seen some dropoff in growth and engagement.

“The Threads launch really did ‘break the internet,’ or at least the Sensor Tower models,” Anthony Bartolacci, managing director at Sensor Tower, a marketing intelligence firm informed . “In the 10-plus years Sensor Tower has been estimating app installs, the first 72 hours of Threads was truly in a class by itself.” Contrary to that, Threads saw a dropoff of more than 25% in daily active users between its July 7 peak and Monday for Threads users on Android phones worldwide. Furthermore, the company is not yet finished calibrating its model with iOS data. Within one day of Threads’ launch, it has been reported that users had already posted more than 95 million posts and 190 million likes, based on internal company data it had viewed. Threads is still in its extremely early days, and it’s natural for a sign-up rise to taper off as users explore a new service and whether the community, and the topics it pushes, are a fit and relevant.

“We did see engagement drop somewhat over the weekend, and on Monday we estimate Threads had 36.6 million active users on Android,” David Carr,a senior insights manager added that,”While there was intense interest in checking out the app initially, not every user has made a habit of visiting Threads as often as they might other social apps.”

Threads get Instagram’s branded content soon: Report

Dixita Hazarika — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 17:07:16 +0000

According to a report, social media platform Instagram is planning to bring its branded content tools to Threads. Such tools will help marketers collaborate with influencers on paid partnerships on the social media platform while advertising is unavailable.

The news comes on the heels of Threads, widely considered a rival to Elon Musk’s Twitter, hitting 100 million users in a record five days.

According to Mark Zuckerberg, the company would only think about monetizing Threads once there was a clear path to a billion users.

Instagram allows users to port their accounts, credentials and followers to Threads, giving the text-based social media platform access to the photo-sharing platform’s more-than-2 billion-strong user base. Despite a lack of advertising on the platform, several companies have already started making accounts on Threads to post content organically. However, the lack of hashtags and keyword search functions on Threads could limit the platform’s appeal to advertisers.

On Wednesday, in a letter Twitter alleged that Meta used its trade secrets to develop its new social media platform, Threads, and demanded that it stop using the information. According to Twitter, Meta had hired dozens of former Twitter employees, many of whom “improperly retained” devices and documents from the company, and said Meta “deliberately” assigned them to work on Threads.

A spokesperson for Twitter did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Andy Stone, the Meta spokesperson, on Thursday said in a Threads post that no one on the site’s engineering team is a former Twitter employee.

Meta suffers legal blow as top EU court rules against in German 2019 Antitrust Case

Viditha Ganji — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 17:29:17 +0000

In a significant development, Europe’s top court has ruled in favor of antitrust authorities’ entitlement to evaluate privacy breaches, potentially expanding their scope in investigating major technology companies. The Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) delivered the verdict following a legal challenge by Meta Platforms (formerly known as Facebook) after the German cartel office ordered the social media giant in 2019 to cease the unauthorized collection of user data, deeming it an abuse of market power.

The CJEU examined whether the German antitrust agency had exceeded its authority by utilizing antitrust power to address concerns related to data protection, which falls within the jurisdiction of national data protection authorities. The ruling clarifies that antitrust regulators can consider privacy violations alongside competition law, granting them additional latitude in scrutinizing the practices of Big Tech companies.

Meta, the conglomerate behind popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, contested the finding, leading a German court to seek guidance from the CJEU. A Meta spokesperson responded to the ruling, stating, “We are evaluating the Court’s decision and will have more to say in due course,” suggesting that the company may explore its options following the verdict.

The CJEU judges emphasized that during antitrust investigations, competition authorities may need to examine whether a company’s conduct adheres to regulations beyond those specifically related to competition law. This broader approach acknowledges the interconnectedness of various regulatory domains when assessing the behavior of dominant tech companies.

While the CJEU ruling reinforces the authority of antitrust regulators, it also emphasizes the need for them to consider decisions or investigations conducted by competent supervisory authorities pursuant to relevant regulations. This requirement ensures that antitrust investigations remain aligned with existing privacy and data protection frameworks.

The German cartel office welcomed the ruling, emphasizing the crucial role of data in determining market power. Andreas Mundt, the head of the German cartel office, highlighted that the exploitation of consumers’ personal data by large internet companies can also be considered abusive under antitrust law.

However, legal experts have raised some concerns regarding the practical implementation of the ruling. Thomas Graf, a partner at the law firm Cleary Gottlieb, expressed caution about whether antitrust authorities would delve into the intricacies of privacy law. Graf pointed out that antitrust agencies would still need to establish the relevance of privacy violations to antitrust law, demonstrate restrictive effects and abuse, and coordinate with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) authorities.

The GDPR, a comprehensive privacy and security law, imposes obligations on organizations that target or collect data related to individuals within the European Union. Graf questioned whether antitrust authorities would effectively assume the role of GDPR regulators, suggesting that such an expansion of their purview is unlikely.

The ruling has garnered support from the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), which emphasized the need for authorities to adopt innovative approaches and prioritize data protection in today’s complex digital economy. Ursula Pachl, the Deputy Director General of BEUC, welcomed the ruling, stating, “In a complex digitalized economy, more than ever we need authorities to think outside the box and to consider data protection.”

As the landscape of tech regulation continues to evolve, this ruling sets a precedent for the intersection of antitrust and data protection concerns, signaling a potential shift in how Big Tech companies are investigated and held accountable for privacy breaches.

Whatsapp will now allow users to ‘edit’ previous messages: Mark Zuckerberg

News Desk — Tue, 23 May 2023 03:12:54 +0000

Mark Zuckerberg has announced a new feature for WhatsApp that will allow users to alter their previous communications.

Mark Zuckerberg made the announcement today that you will now be able to modify your WhatsApp messages for up to 15 minutes after they have been sent. Message editing enables you to modify your sent messages, providing you better control over your conversations and protecting you in the event that you send an inappropriate message or just have a change of heart after sending it.

We are delighted to deliver you greater control over your conversations, which will allow you to do anything from fixing a small spelling error to giving a message more context. Long-pressing a message that has already been sent will bring up a menu where you may choose ‘Edit’ for up to fifteen minutes after the message has been delivered.

When you update a message, the word “edited” will appear next to it. This notifies the recipients of the message that the adjustment has been made but does not reveal the edit history. Your messages and any alterations you make to them are encrypted from beginning to finish, just like all of your other personal communications, including calls, media, and texts.

This functionality has begun to be made available to people all around the world, and it will be accessible to absolutely everyone in the following weeks.

Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan welcome their 3rd daughter

Shukrta Vaigankar — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 16:15:51 +0000

With the birth of their daughter Aurelia Chan Zuckerberg, Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan welcomed their third child. The CEO of Meta published adorable pictures of the newborn along with a social media post on the birth of her daughter. He added that Aurelia was a “little blessing.”

Aurelia can be seen sleeping on her mother’s chest on the hospital bed in another photo, while he can be seen admiring and smiling at her in another.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mark Zuckerberg (@zuck)

Zuckerberg and Chan had two daughters August, 5, and Maxima “Max,” 7, and Aurelia is their third one. Max and August are having a new baby sister, the couple stated in their initial pregnancy announcement from September. In the photo, Priscilla and Zuckerberg were smiling at the camera as his hand was resting on her womb.

The Meta CEO had revealed his wife’s pregnancy in September of the previous year. He stated, “Lots of love. Happy to share that Max and August are getting a new baby sister next year”. In the photo, Mr Zuckerberg placed his hand on Ms Chan’s bump as the duo smiled at the camera.

The two have a unique love story, since Zuckerberg and Chan first connected while waiting in line for the restroom at a party in 2003. He was a second-year university student at the time, and she was a first-year. In 2010, they moved in together, and in 2012, they got married. Their guests were stunned by their outdoor wedding ceremony in Palo Alto since they mistook it for Chan’s medical school graduation.

On February 24, the family also celebrated Priscilla’s birthday.

Mark Zuckerberg set aside $14 million for security during the layoff season, but he’ll likely spend much more than that

Sakshi Vats — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 04:44:06 +0000

On February 15, Meta Platforms revealed that it has increased the security allowance provided to Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and his family by $4 million, for a total increase of $14 million.

The choice was taken shortly after Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook and Instagram, reduced spending plans and fired off over 11,000 workers in what he has nicknamed the “Year of Efficiency.”

“This increased allowance, together with the costs of Zuckerberg’s existing overall security program, are appropriate and necessary under the circumstances,”Meta stated in a document.

Since Zuckerberg only received a $1 base salary and no stock-based bonuses, the majority of his income was used to pay for security. Forbes estimates Zuckerberg’s net worth to be around $78 billion.

Although Meta claims that the budget is $14 million, it will most likely end up costing much more to protect Zuckerberg and his family. The corporation spent more than $15 million in 2021 on costs related to protecting its CEO while he was at home and conducting personal business.

The aforementioned budget does not include the additional $10 million allotted to Zuckerberg as a pre-tax allowance for the security of his family or the $1.6 million for personal use of a private jet. Because of this, even though this time’s budget is $14 million, the Meta CEO will definitely spend significantly more on security.

Zuckerberg stated that he was to blame for the company’s quick growth in November 2022, after Meta had let go 11,000 people, because he had bet against the longevity of the spike in social media use and online shopping during the pandemic.Even if the corporation continues to operate with 13% fewer employees, the employment cuts are expected to save $1.5 billion, or barely 1 percent of operating margin.

Zuckerberg’s protection expenditures are more than most of his contemporaries, despite the fact that businesses frequently spend a lot of money on security and travel costs for significant leaders.

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, spent around $1.6 million on security and business travel in 2022. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, spent $1,030,630 on security costs and $712,488 on travel.

Another lay-off for Meta employees

News Desk — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 04:55:57 +0000

Facebook-Meta has announced another round of employee lay-offs in early February, 2023, reported two employees associated with the organization. CEO Mark Zuckerberg had earlier called 2023 the “Year of Efficiency” with the annual estimated expenses to be around $89 billion-$95 billion.

According to some top executives from the organization, the CEO expressed to hasten the process of laying off employees from the middle management at an internal meeting.

As per the reports of the Financial Times, Meta has also delayed finalizing the budgets for various teams, this lack of clarity and reduced work efficiency has preventing managers from planning their workloads and consequently resulted in “zero work” getting done. “Honestly, it’s still a mess,” Financial Times quoted one of the Meta employees as saying. “The year of efficiency is kicking off with a bunch of people getting paid to do nothing.”

Recently Zuckerberg has said, “I don’t think you want a management structure that’s just managers managing managers, managing managers, managing managers, managing the people who are doing the work.” Quoting his reason behind this decision, he believes in “flattening the organization structure and removing some layers of middle management to make decisions faster.”

Reportedly, the company is losing nearly $20 billion+ in the past couple of years. Apparently as per Zuckerberg the company has over-hired due to demand during the Covid-19 pandemic therefore, last year in November, the company cut more than 11,000 jobs, 13% of its workforce due to strained economic conditions and will continue its second round soon. The next round of layoffs at Meta are expected to be in March as the company is currently going through performance reviews of staff.

However, Meta alone has not been using the layoff mechanism to fight economical strains, other tech companies using it are Amazon, Microsoft, Twitter, Google, and Intel, who have announced thousands of layoffs due to the economic downturn. Recently, Microsoft reduced the headcount in its gaming division.

Meta agrees to settle Cambridge Analytica Scandal case for record $725 million

News Desk — Fri, 23 Dec 2022 09:34:28 +0000

Meta platform has agreed to pay $725 million to resolve a lawsuit wherein the platform is accused of allowing third parties to access the personal information of users. The filing which also includes Cambridge Analytica was filed on Thursday.

In 2018 Facebook was accused of allowing the British political consulting firm to access the data of 87 million users. Reportedly, this is the highest settlement agreement is the largest Meta has ever paid to resolve a class action lawsuit. This is also the largest data privacy class action in the US data privacy class action.

Meta however has not admitted its wrongdoing in the settlement. The settlement is still subject to the approval of a federal judge, in San Franciso. Meta has said in its filing that the settling is in the interest of its community and shareholders. Meta also claimed that it has revamped its approach to privacy in the past three years.

Cambridge Analytica is accused of using the Facebook user information of millions of American users to help Trump win the elections. As the news became of the scam became public Facebook banned Cambridge Analytica and its parent company SCL.

The Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was called to Congress for questioning, as it became a classic case of data piracy. Cambridge Analytica shut its office in May last year. The data privacy case gave rise to many apprehensions regarding the misuse of data.

Previously in 2019, Facebook settled another Federal Trade Commission probe by paying 100 million dollars for claims that it misled investors about the use of users’ data.

“Facebook to monetize Reels,” announces Mark Zuckerberg

Mymun Malik — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 17:40:56 +0000

Mark Zuckerberg has some great news for reel makers. From his official Facebook Id, he just posted minutes ago that, ” Reels is already our fastest-growing content format by far, and today we are making it available to everyone on Facebook. Globally, we want reasons to be the best place for creators to connect with their community and make a living. So we are launching new monetization tools too.”

He further added in the comment section,” We are adding creative tools to Facebook reels like Remix and the ability to create a reel from an existing story. we are also building video clipping tools so that creators who publish live or long-form recorded videos can test different formats.”

He wants creators to have more visibility and reach. He said that the content creators could share their Instagram reels as recommended content on Facebook. And that they are rolling out reels on Facebook.

Zuckerberg also mentioned that his team is expanding tests of new monetization tools for Facebook reels starting with Overlay ads like banner and sticker ads. This will ensure creators to earn more ad revenue. they are also rolling out full-screen and immersive ads between reels soon.

WhatsApp Beta version now available for download on Microsoft’s App Store

News Desk — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 06:09:24 +0000

WhatsApp has been rumoured to be developing separate apps for Windows and Mac users for quite some time. The WhatsApp Windows beta app, on the other hand, is now available for download. Microsoft’s Windows app store has a beta version of the Windows app available for download. It’s a Universal Windows Platform programme, meaning you won’t need to connect your phone to utilize the Windows app, according to sources.

Microsoft’s Windows app store has a beta version of the software available for download. A redesigned writing pad and multi-device support are among the changes included in the WhatsApp Windows app. Because the software is built on the Universal Windows Platform, you won’t need your phone to be in working order to use the WhatsApp beta app for Windows. Because the app is still in beta, it’s possible that new features could be added or some existing ones will be removed.

Users would have to join their WhatsApp account from “Linked Devices” via a QR Code after installing the app, according to the WhatsApp features tracker. The chats will begin to sync, and you will be able to use and test the new beta app for the first time. Because WhatsApp is still in beta, some functionality (such as archived chats, status updates, and stickers) are unavailable; they will be included in future releases.

You’ll also see a new Feedback option, indicating that WhatsApp is interested in hearing from you.
The goal of developing a standalone app for Windows is to improve the user experience. Users on the desktop will no longer need to connect their phones every time they want to use WhatsApp on the web.

Facebook plans to scrap its facial recognition system: Report

News Desk — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 08:38:24 +0000

Facebook Inc founded by Mark Zuckerberg announced on Tuesday that it will be shutting down its facial recognition system, which automatically identifies users in photos and videos, citing growing societal concerns about the use of such technology.

“Regulators are still in the process of providing a clear set of rules governing its use,” Jerome Pesenti, vice president of artificial intelligence at Facebook, wrote in a blog post. “Amid this ongoing uncertainty, we believe that limiting the use of facial recognition to a narrow set of use cases is appropriate.”

Facebook was one of the first companies to deploy face recognition at scale. Today @meta is announcing that it is turning it off. #ResponsibleAI is often deciding when to use, or in this case, not to use, AI. https://t.co/bPiUCpIT8G

— Jerome Pesenti (@an_open_mind) November 2, 2021

Face recognition technology, which is widely used for security purposes by merchants, hospitals, and other enterprises, has been criticised by critics as potentially compromising privacy, targeting marginalised groups, and normalising intrusive surveillance.

The announcement also comes at a time when Facebook has been under fire from regulators and lawmakers for user safety and a variety of other issues on its services.

More than 40% of Facebook’s daily active users have opted for the famous AI tool i.e; face recognition setting on the social media website, according to the tech giant, which renamed itself Meta Platforms Inc last week. The change will now disable the “facial recognition templates” of more than 1 billion people.

According to a Facebook spokeswoman, the removal process will be taking place globally and will be completed by December.

After rolling out the feature of facial recognition, Facebook’s automatic alt text feature, which aims to provide image descriptions for visually challenged people, will no longer be including the names of persons recognised in photos, but will otherwise function normally.

Bollywood’s only PR guru Dale Bhagwagar stuns with a ‘meta’ guess

News Desk — Fri, 29 Oct 2021 14:18:57 +0000

At 9am IST on Thursday, October 28, India’s legendary Bollywood PR guru Dale Bhagwagar put up a message on his Facebook. It read, “I have a feeling META times are coming. #ThatDaleFeeling”

Though it’s no secret that since Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg had earlier mentioned the term ‘metaverse’ calling it the future of the internet, everyone was guessing about him rebranding Facebook and what the new name would be. People were not even sure whether he was planning to rename Facebook or have a new name for the parent company to its platforms of Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculos and others.

But the Mumbai-based Bollywood publicist guessed the EXACT name and posted that “feeling” message almost 10 hours before Zuckerberg actually made the announcement, speaking during the live-streamed Facebook Connect event that its new name will be Meta.

I have a feeling META times are coming. #ThatDaleFeeling

Posted by Dale Bhagwagar on Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Now anyone who knows Dale on his Facebook would be aware that he often puts up these so-called “feelings” of his… which he probably guesses. Strange coincidence is, they always happen to come true!

But what still boggles us is how the heck did he guess the exact name, before any media outlet in the whole wide world. We tried to find out, but the publicity expert isn’t telling.

So who is Dale Bhagwagar? Popularly known as Bollywood’s only PR guru, Dale Bhagwagar tops the list as the best Bollywood publicist in India for having introduced the maximum PR trends in the entertainment industry. His futuristic PR methods often set the agenda for the entertainment public relations industry for the times to come. Dale Bhagwagar is dubbed as the Father of Bollywood PR for having brought order and structure to entertainment public relations, by launching India’s first Bollywood PR agency in the 90s, when only solo publicists were the standard.

Over the years, his Mumbai-based PR agency Dale Bhagwagar Media Group has handled the personal PR for more than 300 Bollywood celebrities including topmost names such as Hrithik Roshan, Shilpa Shetty, Priyanka Chopra and films like the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Don and Farhan Akhtar-starrer Rock On, apart from handling crisis management for around twenty Bigg Boss contestants.

Staying ahead of the curve with revolutionary PR strategies, Dale Bhagwagar is also the most famous Bollywood publicist ever. A simple Google search in his name brings up thousands of results.

Facebook Inc. rebrands itself by adopting the name ‘Meta’

Cheryll Jain — Fri, 29 Oct 2021 05:23:23 +0000

Tech giant Facebook Inc. announced on Thursday, October 28 that the company has re-branded itself by adopting a new name — Meta.

Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the same during the Facebook Connect augmented and virtual reality conference. The rebrand comes amidst the growing criticism and mounting allegations against the company for its algorithmic decisions and neglect of the harms of Facebook on its users for profit.

“Today we are seen as a social media company, but in our DNA we are a company that builds technology to connect people,” said Zuckerberg during the conference, adding that metaverse is next on the horizon just as social networking was when Facebook first began.

The company also announced that the new name will mark a change in its stock ticket from FB to MVRS starting from December 1. The name change, however, will not reflect a change in Facebook’s social media service and app but the platform will now be placed under the parent company Meta which will also oversee Facebook’s other entities such as Whatsapp, Instagram, Oculus, among others.

Meta has been gearing up for the name change and expansion into the metaverse market since earlier this summer when the company announced the formation of a dedicated metaverse team in July.

Two months later, the company also shared plans to promote its current head of AR and VR, Andrew Bosworth, to the position of Chief Technology Officer in 2022. The company also stated this week that it is estimated to spend around $10 billion over the next year to develop the technological infrastructure required in building the metaverse.

Meta expects metaverse to reach a billion people within the next decade, hosting hundreds of billions of digital commerce and supporting livelihood for millions of digital creators and developers. “We believe the metaverse will be the successor to the mobile internet,” Zuckerberg said.

Facebook reports 17% rise in third-quarter profits amid growing criticism

Cheryll Jain — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 13:37:21 +0000

Tech Giant Facebook Inc on Monday, October 25 reported third-quarter earnings of $9.19 billion or $3.22 a share, an increase from $2.71 a share it reported during the same quarter last year. The company experienced a rise in profits amid growing criticism that followed the revelations made by whistleblower Frances Haugen on the internal working of Facebook.

However, Facebook’s performance in the last quarter fell short of expectations on the revenue front, which was forecast at $31.5 billion to $34 billion. The reason for the miss has been accounted to the allegations against Facebook for prioritising the company’s growth over public safety.

Whistleblower Frances Haugen, a former product developer at Facebook, had made several accusations against the company and CEO Mark Zuckerberg last month, ranging from censoring government critics in Vietnam at the request of the country’s communist ruling party to withholding data about teenage users of its platform from shareholders.

Nevertheless, the Monthly Active Users or MAUs, which is a crucial metric for Facebook’s growth globally, increased 6% to 2.91 billion, approximately in line with analyst expectations of 2.92 billion.

Commenting on Facebook’s performance in the third quarter, Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg stated that the company’s performance would have been better if not for the impact of Apple’s iOS 14, which blocked ads from advertisers that were shown to users without their consent.

“Overall, if it wasn’t for Apple’s iOS 14 changes, we would have seen positive quarter over quarter revenue growth,” she said. Shares of Facebook initially fell in the after-hours trading following the announcement of the results but then moved 2% higher than the closing price of $328.69.

Facebook plans to rebrand itself with a new name: Report

Cheryll Jain — Wed, 20 Oct 2021 05:37:55 +0000

Social Media giant Facebook Inc. is reportedly in talks to rebrand itself with a new name as per sources close to the company. The matter will be brought up by Facebook’s co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the company’s Connect conference slated to be held news week on October 28.

Though Verge has reported that the name change could be announced sooner.

Facebook’s bid to rebrand itself comes in light of the recent controversy that has surrounded the company’s social media platform following whistleblower Frances Haugen leaking internal documents which led to a probe on the tech giant last month.

The planned rebranding is not expected to affect the original Facebook social media service and app but it will be positioned under a new parent company which will also oversee Facebook’s other entities such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Oculus, and more. With this, the company plans to branch out into the technology market to create more innovative products and services for users.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg had previously shared his vision for the company and plans to lay the groundwork for a more prominent focus on the next generation of technology apart from its social media services. He had stated earlier that Facebook’s future will be built on the concept of a Metaverse, in which the users will live, work and exercise in a virtual universe.

Zuckerberg expects people’s outlook towards Facebook to change in the coming years, with it being recognised more as a metaverse company than a social media enterprise. “In many ways, the metaverse is the ultimate expression of social technology,” he said earlier in July.

Gearing up for its expansion into the metaverse market, Facebook set up a dedicated metaverse team earlier this summer. More recently, it declared that the head of AR and VR, Andrew Bosworth, will be promoted to Chief Technology Officer and just a few days prior, Facebook disclosed its plans to hire 10,000 more employees to work on the metaverse in Europe.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg dismisses allegations of prioritising profit over safety of users

Ayisha Farah — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 06:03:14 +0000

On Tuesday, CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, ultimately addressed the list of allegations made by whistleblower Frances Haugen, rejecting that the social media giant prioritized its profits over the safety of the users.
“At the heart of these accusations is this idea that we prioritize profit over safety and well-being,” Zuckerberg stated in a post on his Facebook page. “That’s just not true.”

Zuckerberg’s comments arrive after almost a month of records out of the Wall Street Journal that has depended on the inner Facebook research contributed to the newspaper by Haugen, who quit from Facebook in May.

The accounts have shed light upon various issues on Facebook’s services that the platform is conscious about but tends to ignore or fail to find a resolution. This includes the research that reveals Facebook is mindful that Instagram is damaging to teenagers’ mental health.

“Of everything published, I’m particularly focused on the questions raised about our work with kids,” Zuckerberg stated. “I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on the kinds of experiences I want my kids and others to have online, and it’s very important to me that everything we build is safe and good for kids.”

Zuckerberg’s response arrived after Haugen testified before the senators on both sides of the aisles on the social media company’s problems for society at Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

Without mentioning Haugen, Zuckerberg stated how most of the claims don’t make sense and how the argument of pushing anger-inducing content is illogical, according to him.

Zuckerberg also asked Congress to renew internet ordinances that define at what age teens should be enabled to use social media platforms, how tech firms should check users’ ages and how platforms should consider both, ensuring privacy to kids while providing parents clarity to their children’s online activities.

“Similar to balancing other social issues, I don’t believe private companies should make all of the decisions on their own,” he wrote. “That’s why we have advocated for updated internet regulations for several years now.”

Top 10 powerful people in the world [2021]

Adarsh Chaturvedi — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 18:09:34 +0000

The variables to decide the powerfulness of individuals changed with time depending on the dynamism of socio-economic and geopolitical factors. In the contemporary digital era, if we discount momentary propaganda-driven popularity, knowledge and information are the most valuable resources and people who are managing the balance of quality, speed and effectiveness of these two resources are the real powerful people. Now we will show you the top 10 powerful people in the world.

1. Xi Jinping

He is the President of the People’s Republic of China and is the most powerful person in the world. China runs the world, the manufacturer of the world, the country which will be the head of superpowers in few years and will become the most supreme country in the world.

2. Vladimir Putin

He is the President of Russia. Vladimir was an intelligence officer for the Russian Secret Agency. He can also be considered as the physically strongest country leader. He is the ideal leader for a country that is known for its superpower.

3. Angela Merkel

Angela Merkel is the only women on the list of powerful people. She is the chancellor of Germany. She is also known as the ‘Leader of the Free World’. Angela also emphasized her policy of international cooperation. Merkel is also the longest-serving head of the government in the European Union.

4. Pope Francis

He is the head of the Catholic Church. He is also the ruler of Vatican City. Around 2,300 billion people follow Christianity which accounts for 31% of the human population.

5. Donald Trump

The former President of the United States of America, Donald Trump is an American businessman. Though he lost a tragic end in his political career, Trump is still the fifth powerful man in the world.

6. Jeff Bezos

A few months ago, he was the richest person in the world before Elon Musk took over him. Jeff is the founder of Amazon. He has recently started focusing on SpaceExpedition with his company named Blue Origin.

7. Bill Gates

A few years ago, he was known as the richest businessman in the world. His original name is William Henry Gates III. He is the co-founder of the Tech-giant-Microsoft Corporation. He is also an investor, author and philanthropist. Currently, he is the fifth richest person in the world. He also works for his charity foundation – Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

8. Larry Page

He is the co-founder of Google and its parent company Alphabet. He is an American and multi-dollar billionaire. Larry is also an alumnus of the world’s second most prestigious university – Stanford University.

9. Narendra Modi

The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is known as the ninth powerful person in the World. He has established himself as one of the most prominent leaders. He has signed many treaties with some powerful nations in the world. He has a good friendship with former U.S President Donald Trump.

10. Mark Zuckerberg

He is known as Mark Elliot Zuckerberg. He is the co-founder of the largest social media platform Facebook. At present, he is the sixth richest person in the world. As per Time Magazine, Mark is one of the hundred most influential people. He also co-founded Chan Zuckerberg Initiative for the advancement of his philanthropist activities.

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos makes biggest charitable donations of 2020

Ruchira Sonawat — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 10:32:05 +0000

According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s annual list of top donations, Amazon’s founder and CEO Jeff Bezos made a $10 billion gift that is intended to help fight climate change. This was the single-largest charitable contribution in 2020.

The world’s richest man whose real-time worth by Forbes magazine estimates at roughly $188 billion, used the contribution to launch his Bezos Earth Fund. The fund, which supports non-profits involved in the climate crisis, has paid out $790 million to 16 groups so far.

Bezos’ wealth surged by 63 per cent from $113 billion to $184 billion from March 18 through December 7, 2020.

Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, delivered the fourth-largest donation on the Chronicle’s list. A $250 million gift to the Center for Tech and Civic Life, which worked on voting security issues in the 2020 election. Zuckerberg, whose wealth nearly doubled to $105 billion in the March-to-December period has been widely criticized and been called to testify before Congress for his company’s handling of disinformation in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.

Bezos’ and the Zuckerbergs made up the next spots on last year’s top 10 list, with $100 million donations Bezos for Feeding America to aid food banks across the country and the Zuckerbergs to the same election security group.

Two billionaires who donated heavily to charity last year MacKenzie Scott, Bezos’ former wife, and Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter did not make the Chronicle’s list because no single donation of theirs was large enough to qualify. In February, the Chronicle will publish its list of the 50 biggest donors, which counts cumulative donations, not individual gifts.

Facebooks’s advertising integrity chief Rob Leathern leaves company

Devanshu Singla — Sat, 02 Jan 2021 09:17:46 +0000

Facebook Inc’s advertising integrity chief Rob Leathern, who handled the company’s ad products around subjects such as politics and coronavirus misinformation, left company this week, according to an internal company post viewed by Reuters on Friday.

Rob Leathern, director of product management, said earlier this month on Facebook’s internal network that he would be leaving the company on December 30. His exit had not been previously reported.
Facebook could not immediately be reached for comment.

Leathern said in the post that he was “leaving Facebook to work on consumer privacy beyond just ads and social media,” without disclosing where he was headed.

After almost 4 years, I made the difficult decision to leave Facebook, and 12/30/20 was my last day at FB. I've had a great experience in a difficult, fun, fast-growing and impactful role at the company working with amazing people. I was honored to call them colleagues! (1/12)

— Rob Leathern (@robleathern) January 1, 2021

Leathern was often the public face of the company’s controversial political advertising policies. Prior to the November 3 US election, Facebook was heavily criticized for allowing misleading claims and conspiracy theories to spread widely on its platforms.

In November, Leathern had tweeted that Facebook did not have “the technical ability in the short term to enable political ads by state or by advertiser.” Subsequently, Facebook lifted a temporary post-election ban on political ads in Georgia ahead of the January 5 runoff that will determine which party controls the US Senate.

Facebook to roll out new security features next year, ‘Facebook Protect’

Ruchira Sonawat — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 06:08:48 +0000

Social Media giant Facebook Inc said it would start allowing users to set up physical security keys as a way to verify their identity before logging into the social network’s mobile app, beginning next year, on Tuesday, Mint reported.

The current security plan includes an option to require a hardware security key to connect to a desktop computer before each log-in.

Confirming an earlier report by news website Axios, the company said, “Users could purchase a hardware key from retailers, and register it with Facebook.”

The social network also said it has plans to expand Facebook Protect -its security program for high-profile accounts including election candidates – to more types of accounts globally next year.

Facebook Protect offers a way for politicians, government agencies and election staff to set up additional security provisions such as two-factor authentication and real-time monitoring for potential hacking threats.

It will now be available to users like journalists and human rights activists who are at a higher risk of being targeted by sophisticated hackers, Facebook added.

The rollout of new security services are in play as a similar social networking site, Twitter Inc was hack compromising various celebrity accounts, including those of President-elect Joe Biden and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

WhatsApp to launch insurance & pension products in tie up with financial service players

Divya Joyce — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 06:11:31 +0000

Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp plans to launch health insurance and micro-pension products on its messaging platform in India through tie-ups with licensed financial services players in a bid to provide users in India with greater access to financial solutions. The insurance and pension products are likely to be out by 2020-end, Moneycontrol said citing a report.

Among the products in partnership with FIs include consumer health insurance products with SBI General Insurance, it added.

WhatsApp launched services on the United Payments Interface (UPI) for Android and iOS users on November 5 after gaining permission from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). The messaging app can expand its UPI base in a graded manner starting with a maximum number of registered users at 20 million, as per the NPCI.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, which owns WhatsApp said the service “is as easy as sending messages.” said in a statement. “There’s no fee, and it’s supported by more than 140 banks. Payment is available now in 10 Indian regional language versions of WhatsApp,” he said.

In a statement, WhatsApp said that it has been designed with a “strong set of security and privacy principles, including entering a personal UPI PIN for each payment.”

Abhijit Bose, head of India for WhatsApp, speaking at Facebook’s Fuel for India 2020 event, said some of these micro-finance products which the messaging service app has been piloting over the last few months could go live by end of this year. He further mentioned that the company will initially offer affordable health insurance plans from SBI General Insurance. Plus, it plans to provide micro-pension products and has tied up with HDFC Pension Management Co. and pinBox to offer retirement plans.

“The ability for people to get insurance covers—life and health—can protect the financial security of households from unforeseen expenses especially during the pandemic,” Bose added.

Highlights: Mukesh Ambani joins Mark Zuckerberg at Fuel for India 2020 event

Sarthak Yadav — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 09:58:38 +0000

Today, the Fuel for India 2020 event witnessed a path-breaking conversation between conglomerate giant Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani and internet major Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Mark Zuckerberg, during the virtual ‘Partnering for Digital India’ event, discussed 4G and 5G revolution in India with Mukesh Ambani. He said Reliance brought 4G revolution in India, and that 5G was now another big focus for the company.

“We are looking forward to your involvement in India… I hope the rest of the world learns from Indian policy,” Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, told the Facebook CEO in virtual interaction. “How grateful I am for everything that you and your companies do in our partnership… I am incredibly grateful for your partnership in this. Thank you,” Mark Zuckerberg told Ambani.

In April this year, Facebook had announced an investment of $5.7 billion (Rs 43,574 crore) in Jio Platforms, the digital services arm of India’s most valuable company.

Fuel for India 2020 is the first edition of an annual dialogue built around Facebook’s continuing commitment to India, according to the Fuel for India 2020 website. “Through meaningful exchanges and conversations, we aspire to showcase the most powerful stories of change in India and how we are bringing together our products, programs, and plans to fuel these journeys and India’s progress,” it adds.

Ajit Mohan, Facebook’s India Vice President and Managing Director kicked off the Facebook Fuel for India event and said that the event is an effort ‘to showcase extraordinary stories of grit and resilience’.

Highlighting the social networking giant’s commitment to India, Zuckerberg told reporters: “At Facebook, we are in the business of serving small businesses. And nowhere is this more true than in India. With more than 60 million small businesses and millions of people around the country relying on them for jobs these small businesses form a big part of what our partnership with Jio can serve here.”

Zuckerberg said he was curious to see what lies for India next. “What other technologies or developments are you excited about now? And where do you see the country in the next five to ten years?” he asked Mr Ambani.

To which Ambani replied he sees India accelerating as a premier digital society. “I see us integrating both 5G…and just yesterday, our Prime Minister has said that he wants every village and every gram panchayat,” Mr Ambani said.

Mark Zuckerberg started the event by addressing India as an exceptional and important country for Facebook, he added that he is aware of millions of people in the country are using their products every day to stay in touch with friends and family. “Whether it’s a WhatsApp message, or a Facebook post, or photos on Instagram. And millions of small businesses across the country use WhatsApp business and Messenger to reach customers, manage orders, and grow their businesses. And in fact, we tested some of our new features here first, before rolling them out globally,” he added

Mukesh Ambani started the conversation by congratulating Mr Zuckerberg and his team for organizing the Facebook Fuel for India event. He further added, “I am sure this event will provide a lot of fuel of ideas to fire India’s growth engine as you just described. The most powerful idea that can propel India’s growth is that young people can create great enterprises and new businesses. And all the young Indian people see an inspiring young icon in Mark Zuckerberg. They are motivated when they see how in just 14 years, Facebook has become the face of a digitally connected India. So, let me begin by conveying my best wishes to the success of your dreams for India, Indians, and small Indian businesses.”

Ambani said India carried out “second-generation reforms” in the last six months. “We have unique opportunities and as Jio we are connecting all the 1.9 million schools in India and the 58000 colleges.”

According to Zuckerberg, supporting small businesses has become more important given the COVID-19 induced impact on the economy.

While addressing the COVID-19 impact, Facebook CEO asked Mr Ambani, “From your perspective, how is India doing right now? And when do you expect things are going to return to normal? And I know that Reliance has taken several big steps to help the community and help the country, and it’s been a big year for you. So I am curious to hear, how did your company adapt to help move forward amidst pandemic?”

To which RIL Chairman replied, “The sheer magnitude of COVID-19 pandemic, like everybody else in the world, did startle all of us in India. But then I think it is not in India’s DNA to be deterred by a crisis. I firmly believe that a crisis is too precious to be wasted. Every crisis presents an opportunity for new growth, and India has faced the COVID-19 crisis with enormous resilience and resolve.”

He added, “Reliance and Reliance Foundation, have also taken steps. As you know, Reliance has over 350,000 employees across the length and breadth of India and we have taken steps to protect over 2 million in our family and the community around them. In Mumbai, we have built a hospital just dedicated to COVID-19. We have Life Sciences as part of our business, so we have tested up early on we have ramped up testing, and we believe that testing helped in tracing and isolation, and at least reduced fatalities in our communities to a very low level.”

Mark Zuckerberg told Mukesh Ambani that one of the big opportunities which he sees with the Facebook-Jio partnership is the role that they both can play together in supporting the millions of small businesses in India, especially now with the impact that COVID-19 is having, in accelerating the move of businesses from physical storefronts to digital ones in this digital future.

“What happens in India is important for the whole world. India’s building local capabilities and tech capacity to power innovative new business models and provide the citizens access to digital financial inclusion. So, decisions that are made here shape the global discussion about how technology can drive more economic opportunity and better outcomes for people,” the Facebook CEO said.

Mr Ambani concluded by saying, “The next two decades are going to be historic in terms of the social and economic transformation.”

WhatsApp introduces new UPI payment service, Zuckerberg tags it ‘as easy as sending a message’

Shravan Kanade — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 06:29:08 +0000

WhatsApp has introduced its UPI payment service in India, for the first time. The CEO of Facebook the company that owns WhatsApp, Mark Zuckerberg said that sending money through WhatsApp is as easy as sending a message.

“There is no fee, and it is supported by more than 140 banks,” Zuckerberg said, adding that it is secure and private too. The launch of the service was stuck in regulatory and legal hurdles.

On November 5, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), an umbrella organization for operating retail payments and settlement systems in India allowed WhatsApp to go live on UPI. It allowed WhatsApp to launch its payment service saying “WhatsApp can expand its UPI base in a graded manner starting with a maximum number of registered users at 20 million.”

On the launch of the UPI payment service, Mark congratulated India for creating something ‘truly special’ and the service will open the doors of opportunities for micro and small businesses that are the backbone of the Indian economy.

“India is the first country to do anything like this. I am glad we were able to support this effort and work together to help achieve a more digital India. I want to thank all our partners who have made this possible,” Zuckerberg said in a video statement.

WhatsApp was aiming for a long time to utilize its strong base of Indian customers and was working on the security and reliability of Whatsapp UPI with NPCI. “We have built it using India’s Unified Payments Interface, which makes it easy for anyone to instantly accept payments across different apps — and for companies to provide people with great services,” Zuckerberg said.

The good thing about this payment app is that it is available in ten Indian regional language versions of WhatsApp. India is a huge market for UPI payment apps and apps like Google Pay, PhonePe, and Paytm are already operating in this field but WhatsApp can give tough competition to all these apps.

Facebook employees abusing PM Modi on record, claims IT Minister Prasad in letter to Mark Zuckerberg

Pravin Suryawanshi — Wed, 02 Sep 2020 05:09:33 +0000

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday wrote to Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg, rebuking the social media giant’s senior employees for allegedly “abusing” Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several Cabinet ministers on record, ANI reported.

His sharp letter to Zuckerberg came amid a political row over reports of the social media giant’s alleged nexus with the Bharatiya Janata Party and its inaction on hate posts by the party’s leaders.

“It is problematic when Facebook employees are on record abusing the Prime Minister and senior Cabinet ministers of India while still working in Facebook India and managing important positions,” Prasad, who also holds the Electronics and Information Technology portfolio, said in his letter. “It is doubly problematic when the bias of individuals becomes an inherent bias of the platform.”

Prasad alleged that in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Facebook’s management in India made an effort to “not just delete pages or substantially reduce their reach but also offer no recourse or right of appeal to affected people who are supportive of the right-of-center ideology”.

The Union law minister said there were “credible reports” to show that the Facebook India team “is dominated by people who belong to a particular political belief”. “People from this political predisposition have been overwhelmingly defeated in successive free and fair elections,” Prasad said, in an apparent reference to the Congress.

Facebook starts merging Instagram and Messenger chats in its latest update

Nivedya P T — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 13:17:13 +0000

Facebook has started integrating Instagram and messenger chats in an effort to allow cross-messaging among its apps and integrating all services into a single cross-platform. This feature is available on both iOS and Android users.

According to The Verge, the new update comes with a message, “There is a New Way to Message on Instagram.” Once you hit the update the DM icon gets replaced by the Messenger icon. There are other features as well with this update such as colorful appearance for chats with the use of blue and purple color for the sender’s message, emoji reactions, and swipe to reply to messages.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been long planning the unification of messaging features among its family of apps, i.e WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger platforms. It has already integrated messenger rooms with WhatsApp on the Web and allows its users to do group video calls up to 50 people with no time limit through WhatsApp on desktop. The unification is expected to make communication easier among the users such that they can message each other without leaving any of the apps.

Facebook had acquired Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014. Since then, the world of social media has started experiencing a variety of changes and is believed to help the billions of users.

The new update on Instagram has started rolling out to users in India.

Top inspiring quotes of Mark Zuckerberg for ‘Millennials’

News Desk — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 08:54:19 +0000

For today’s millennials, having a role model and following their lifestyle is an old- fashioned trend. They would prefer to learn the secret of success in a day’s time. And relating it to Facebook, the most followed social media network is the easiest way to connect. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, and Chairman of Facebook is the young and renowned American computer programmer and Internet entrepreneur, who conquered the world’s attention with a revolutionary concept of connecting people. His story tells a thousand words to be adapted in the path towards glory.

“People don’t care about what you say, they care about what you build”

We tend to pay attention to the so-called ‘society’s’ words than believing in ourselves. The time you ignore the negative voices around, you can hear the instinct that guides you throughout. As your action speaks louder than words.

“Give everyone the power to share anything with anyone”

We live in a democratic country where we enjoy the Right of Speech and Expression. Let’s make sure, this is utilized to do right and for the right. There is a story in everyone’s pain or ecstasy, listen to it, and pick up elements that help you ahead.

“If you just work on stuff that you like and you’re passionate about, you don’t have to have a master plan with how things will play out”

Passion and interest are two elements, if taken care of, then success is destined. But, the task is identifying your passion and working on it. Recognizing what your interests are and improvising on the same, gets you halfway to your goals.

“Don’t let anyone tell you to change who you are”

Be a self- made soul, who trust oneself than others. Make an identity of your own and don’t let any force destroy it. Bring a change of your choice and not out of any norms or pressure.

“I’m here to build something for the long- term. Anything else is a distraction”

Having a plan for the long run is preferable over temporary ideas. Focus on your goal and turn a deaf ear towards the rest. Remember, today’s work is tomorrow’s success, so thrive to achieve your ambition.

“Whatever you build, build with care. Anyone who has built something big has done it with care”

Don’t opt for shortcuts or corrupt methods to build your dream, as it will collapse in no time. Therefore, establish a strong foundation on the righteous ground.

“It is important for young entrepreneurs to be adequately self- aware to know what they do not know”

Learning never stops as knowledge is an infinite treasure. The more you equip yourself with knowledge, the better you will understand and excel at work.

“My goal was never to just create a company. It was to build something that actually makes a really big change in the world”

Your plan might be smaller than your destiny. But, the idea of change can get you to the greatest heights. Don’t step back from risking the change of good and innovative.

There are hundreds of stories and quotes available to read and understand. But, in the end, it’s you who has to make a choice and adapt the values in life for successful living. For today’s millennials, having a role model and following their lifestyle is an old- fashioned trend. They would prefer to learn the secret of success in a day’s time. And relating it to Facebook, the most followed social media network is the easiest way to connect. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, and Chairman of Facebook is the young and renowned American computer programmer and Internet entrepreneur, who conquered the world’s attention with a revolutionary concept of connecting people. His story tells a thousand words to be adapted in the path towards glory.