Google-owned YouTube on Tuesday blocked a music video by famous Punjabi singer Kanwar Grewal titled ‘Ailaan’ that was related to the ongoing farmers’ protest, raking in over 60 lakh views.
YouTube has placed a notification on the original video, saying, “This content is not available on this country domain due to a legal complaint from the government.”
A YouTube spokesperson said in a statement: “We comply with valid legal requests from authorities wherever possible, consistent with our longstanding policy and act quickly to remove identified content.”
However, the fans of the singer posted the same video on various other channels on YouTube which can still be accessed.
According to media reports, another video by artiste Himmat Sandhu titled ‘Asi Vaddange’ which had 1.3 crore views has also been blocked on the platform.
Several Punjabi celebrities and singers have come out in support of the farmers, as the government toughens its stand on malicious and inflammatory accounts, posts and videos.
The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) has sent three notices to Twitter, the latest one asking the company to block 1,178 accounts believed to be linked to Khalistan sympathisers and those backed by Pakistan.
In another notice, MeitY had asked Twitter to block 257 accounts using the #ModiPlanningFarmerGenocide hashtag amid the farmers’ protest, under Section 69A of the IT Act.
The independent Oversight Board has accepted a case to examine the decision by the social network to indefinitely suspend former US President Donald Trumps access to post content on Facebook and Instagram.
A decision by the board on this case will be binding on Facebook, and determine whether Trump’s suspension from access to Facebook and Instagram for an indefinite amount of time is overturned.
“Facebook has committed not to restore access to its platforms unless directed by a decision of the Oversight Board. Facebook must consider any accompanying policy recommendations from the Board, and publicly respond to them,” the board said in a statement late on Thursday.
Facebook suspended Trump’s access to post on its main platform and Instagram on January 7 following the Capitol chaos.
?Nick Clegg, VP of Global Affairs at Facebook, said that the board’s decisions are binding and can’t be overruled by CEO Mark Zuckerberg or anyone else at Facebook.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. (File Photo: IANS)
“We look forward to receiving the board’s decision � and we hope, given the clear justification for our actions on January 7, that it will uphold the choices we made,” Clegg said.
The Oversight Board was launched by Facebook in late 2020 to provide a critical independent check on Facebook’s approach to the most challenging content issues, which have enormous implications for global human rights and free expression.
Over the coming days, the Trump case will be assigned to a five-member case review panel.
“Trump, through his designated page administrators, will have the ability to submit a user statement to the Board explaining why he believes Facebook’s content moderation decisions should be overturned,” the board informed.
Facebook will also share contextual information and a detailed explanation for their existing content decisions in this case.
The Board’s Bylaws set an outer limit of 90 days as the time within which it must make a decision.
The Joe Biden team has launched a Snapchat lens that will virtually take users to the Capitol Hill as the new US president is sworn-in on Wednesday.
The Snapchat lens will also play a message from Biden addressing Snapchatters: “Hey Snapchat!! It’s me, Joe. Welcome to inauguration!”
“Once the inaugural lens is selected in the Snapchat reel, users can take a selfie in front of the Capitol as confetti falls from above,” reports The Verge.
If users flip the camera around, they’ll be greeted by a Biden Jumbotron in front of a crowd of inauguration attendees.
The lens will also direct users to a live stream of the inauguration event.
“This year’s inauguration has allowed us to create new, innovative, and creative tools for Americans across the country to participate in inaugural traditions and ceremonies while staying home to keep everyone safe,” said Christian Tom, digital director for the presidential inaugural committee.
“We are excited for President-elect Biden to share his message around unifying the country with folks on Snapchat and invite them to be a part of this historic inaugural,” Tom was quoted as saying.
The inauguration Snapchat lens builds on the Augmented Reality (AR) technology Biden’s campaign used last year for the voting process.
“We hope this tool will bring the inaugural experience to young Americans wherever they are and share it with their friends and families,” Tom said.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on Thursday defended the ban on outgoing US President Donald Trump, saying that it was the right move as offline harm as a result of online speech is demonstrably real.
Twitter last week permanently banned Trump from its platform, citing “risk of further incitement of violence”.
The Twitter ban came after a pro-Trump mob stormed the US Capitol, hoping to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey
“I do not celebrate or feel pride in our having to ban @realDonaldTrump from Twitter, or how we got here. After a clear warning we’d take this action, we made a decision with the best information we had based on threats to physical safety both on and off Twitter,” Dorsey said in one of his tweets.
He blamed Twitter’s failure “to promote healthy conversation,” acknowledged that Twitter needs to “look critically at inconsistencies of our policy and enforcement”.
“The check and accountability on this power has always been the fact that a service like Twitter is one small part of the larger public conversation happening across the internet. If folks do not agree with our rules and enforcement, they can simply go to another internet service,” Dorsey emphasised.
This concept was challenged last week when a number of foundational internet tool providers also decided not to host what they found dangerous.
“I do not believe this was coordinated. More likely: companies came to their own conclusions or were emboldened by the actions of others,” he added.
According to Twitter, more than 70,000 harmful accounts have been suspended as a result of its efforts after the violence in Washington, DC, with many instances of a single individual operating numerous accounts.
These accounts were engaged in sharing harmful QAnon-associated content at scale and were primarily dedicated to the propagation of this conspiracy theory across the service.
The Twitter CEO then spoke about Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency that is surging and is set to break new records.
“The reason I have so much passion for #Bitcoin is largely because of the model it demonstrates: a foundational internet technology that is not controlled or influenced by any single individual or entity,” Dorsey tweeted.
Donald Trump’s handle is now an almost empty white canvas, frozen at 51 followed accounts, 88.7 million followers and two words on the center of screen saying “Account suspended”…reports Nikhila Natarajan
Social media giant Twitter announced that it is banning US President Donald Trump from its platform, citing “risk of further incitement of violence”. The Twitter ban comes two days after a pro-Trump mob stormed the US Capitol, hoping to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory.
On Twitter, Donald Trump’s handle is now an almost empty white canvas, frozen at 51 followed accounts, 88.7 million followers and two words on the center of screen saying “Account suspended”.
“After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them a” specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter a” we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” Twitter said in a statement.
In an “overview”, Twitter called out two of Trump tweets from January 8 and then went on to explain the context of the ban.
The first tweet: “The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!” The second tweet: “To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.”
Twitter explains that both these tweets need to be seen in the “context of broader events in the country and the ways in which the President’s statements can be mobilized by different audiences, including to incite violence, as well as in the context of the pattern of behaviour from this account in recent weeks.a Twitter justified the Trump ban saying its language went against “our Glorification of Violence policy”.
Twitter reportedly picked up chatter on its platform of another possible attack being planned on the Capitol later this month, days before Inauguration day on January 20.
Late January 6, Trump was locked out of his account for 12 hours after a violent mob loyal to him stormed the US Capitol to try to stop Congress from certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
On the same afternoon, Trump posted a video on Twitter calling his supporters “very special” people. Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, are reported dead after the violence on January 6.
Fake pictures are in use in social media for a long time ago. So how do we stop ourselves not to fall into the trap of fake pictures? One of the best ways to do this is to use a reverse image search. It means you will be able to know how to interpret information. Another way is to verify it yourself. Here are some tips and tricks.
Fake images are always there, but this term has received a lot of attention lately. First because of President Donald Trump’s phrase. Recently, it has been due to the Facebook-Cambridge analytic data scandal. The news is mainly a source of information, which means fake news is the opposite. According to the dictionaries, this is a false source of deliberately distributed information to fooling people.
1.Use Reverse Image Search
Most often, forged news comes in the form of an image. Photos that try to deliver some information but actually from other incidents that are entirely unrelated are shared on social media. One of the easiest ways to check whether any picture is real is uploading it to reverse image search.
Press the enter button to browse from there and you can get results. It will help you see if the picture is what it was supposed to be or not. Whether it comes from the right incident or whether someone posts a similar image that might match the content you are looking for.
2. Check whether the image has been denied
Many fake images are recirculated and previously denied. Photo search is a simple and effective way to see how previous photos have been used. Unlike typical internet searches where keywords are determined, the reverse image search for pictures can give the same results yet from a broader database.
The reverse picture search engine index in depth from comprehensive content and get data from always changing social media pages as well. Irrespective of whether the picture is located over the internet, this site will find it. In this way, no online content is left untouched so that you get the most valid results.
You can increase the possibility of getting the finest results by cutting pictures containing areas that are in demand. Because this reverse image search requires you to upload pictures which will be compared to thousands of databases.
3. Check Metadata
Digital pictures often contain rich metadata that can provide instructions on their origin and authenticity. Metadata is data about data. Metadata for digital pictures, including making cameras and models; Camera settings such as the size of the aperture and exposure time; date and time when the picture is taken.
The location of the GPS where the picture is captured; and much more. All these procedures are easily possible with reverse image search which is available atreverseimagesearch.com.
4. Get to know what is Fake
When assessing whether a picture is authentic or not, it is essential to know what can be fake. For example, two people’s picture standing shoulder to shoulder is relatively easy to make by connecting two photos. Likewise, the shark picture swims next to the surfer—the concept of two people who embrace more challenges to make because complex interactions are difficult to falsify.
Modern artificial intelligence and reverse image search can produce a difference between fake and real objects. This is mainly limited to changing faces in pictures, not the entire body. So it is possible to create a good fake from someone who says something they have never done but doesn’t have to do anything with physical actions.
5. Help against the wrong information
Fake pictures have led to terrible violence throughout the world, manipulating democratic elections and civil riots. The prevalence of incorrect information also allows anyone to “fake news” in response to any news stories they disagree with.
I believe that it is essential for the technology sector to make a broad and in-depth change in content moderation policies. Reverse image search technology can no longer ignore direct and measurable losses originating from their sources.
Social media. (File Photo: IANS)
Finally, everyone must change the way they consume and spread content online. When reading online stories, diligently consider the source. Always be careful of extraordinary satirical stories that are often misinterpreted for real news.
Conclusion
Check the date of each story. Many fake accounts continue to recirculate the year after their introduction. Know that many primary backups such as reverse image search are designed to attract your attention. Readout of the editorial to ensure that the story is what it seems to be.
The news you read on social media is fed algorithmically to you based on previous consumption that matches your current view. Finally, extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence. The reverse image makes every possible way out to search for the authenticity of pictures within a couple of seconds.
Very famous US children’s television show ‘Sesame Street’ has made its debut in India with the launch of new YouTube channels in Hindi and Telugu. ‘Sesame Workshop’ tries to bring out educational content featuring colorful and furry Muppets of Sesame Street to children across India.
Both channels will stream a variety of content for kids aged 3-8 years and will introduce Indian kids and families to favourite global Muppet characters such as Elmo, Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby, and many more.
Sonali Khan, Managing Director of Sesame Workshop – India, said: “Now more than ever, young children and families need quality early learning at homeeand the Sesame Street Muppets are here to help with the playfulness and humour for which the brand is known for around the world. With many children remaining out of school, our new YouTube channels will bring early learning to young children at a time critical to their healthy development, all at no-cost to families and accessible at any time.”
She added: “The content launching today on Sesame Workshop – India’s YouTube channels will foster children’s curiosity, learning, and healthy development, along with fun for the whole family. We know children around the world identify with Sesame Street Muppets in a powerful way, and we’re thrilled to bring friends like Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Abby Cadabby to families across India in Telugu and Hindi.”
Micro-blogging site Twitter has announced that it will handover the @POTUS (President of the United States) account to American President-elect Joe Biden after he is inaugurated on January 20, 2021, regardless of whether incumbent leader Donald Trump concedes before that.
The POTUS US government account currently has more than 32.8 million followers. The current tweets posted during the Trump administration will be archived, and the account will be reset to zero tweets.
In a statement to The Hill news website, a Twitter spokesperson confirmed on Friday that the tech giant is “actively preparing to support the transition of White House institutional Twitter accounts on January 20th, 2021”, which also includes @WHITEHOUSE, @VP, @FLOTUS, and a number of other official accounts.
The process is being done in consultation with the National Archives and Records Administration, the spokesperson added.
The micro-blogging site has also confirmed that Twitter staffers will soon meet representatives from the Biden-Harris team to “review how the new administration plans to use its government-related accounts”.
Major media outlets have projected Biden as the winner of the November 3 presidential election after he won more than the 270 electoral votes needed to secure victory.
Trump, who claimed that the election was a fraud, is yet to concede and was also mounting challenges in court over allegations of vote count misconduct.
A federal law sets what is called the “Safe Harbor” deadline, falling on December 8 this year, the day by which states must submit the winner of the presidential election if they are to be insulated from legal disputes.
Electoral College representatives will meet six days later, on December 14, to formally select the next US President.
‘What you see on the internet is not the whole truth’, are the words of improv artist and comedian Kaneez Surka while describing how people build an online identity for themselves or their love lives…writes Siddhi Jain.
The host of Bumble’s new podcast ‘Is Romance Dead?’, Kaneez explores the multifaceted idea of romance – and attempts to answer if it’s dead – through her fun, insightful interviews with experts across domains, including from the world of literature, cinema, food, music and pop culture.
In the first episode exploring the relationship between social media and romance, Kaneez has had some interesting takeaways. She speaks about that, and more, in a chat with IANSlife. Read on:
For Indian millennials and GenZ dating and romance via the internet revolution is commonplace. You took on the theme of social media and romance in the first podcast. What are your takeaways?
Kaneez: The internet is such a big part of the evolution of romance. This episode was so important for that reason. My biggest takeaway was how curated is the information we put out there about ourselves. A lot of people put edited versions of themselves, their romance, their lives out there. There’s a pressure to put the perfect version of yourself, your romance or your identity out there. That’s the sense I got from most of the people I interviewed. What you see on the internet is not the whole truth.
Do you think chivalry is dead? Does it have a place in modern dating and love?
Kaneez: Is chivalry dead? I do think that genders are trying to find a new dynamic for themselves in 2020, so I don’t think it’s dead, just like romance, it’s evolving. In a modern day romance, chivalry can come from both partners. I don’t think the onus should lie on one partner in the relationship. I think both partners can be courteous towards each other, can respect each other, can be kind to each other, can look after each other.
What are some of the key questions you will attempt to find answers to, during the course of the podcast?Kaneez: Some of the questions I wanted to understand were, obviously, ‘Is Romance Dead’? I did go into the podcast with an idea or understanding or belief that romance was dying, and I think I really did learn the opposite during my interviews. When I asked people this question, I realised that it’s not dying, it’s evolving in this day and age. While it looked like it was dying to me, I think now I believe it’s evolving.
What do you think are some bizzare trends when it comes to romance in India?
Kaneez: I don’t know if this was a bizarre trend but one of the trends that I picked up from many episodes featuring many experts, was how everyone is looking for that Instagrammable moment, whether it is at the wedding or the perfect cake or the outfit or the perfect travel destination with your partner or honeymoon etc. I found that fascinating because it was just across the board where everyone’s looking for that Instagrammable moment. Another trend was how due to lockdown, the wedding trend had shifted from this big family celebration to a more intimate, romantic celebration. I found that very fascinating, especially in India because people had to keep numbers small. The intimate romantic gatherings were more about the couple now, than the families.
You have taken a very broad-based approach to exploring modern-day romance. What were your first thoughts when you learnt about the podcast ‘Is Romance Dead’? How was it like to work on a podcast on love and romance?
Kaneez: The makers of the podcast approached me and I was very excited because first, I do a lot of content related to relationships, love and romance, so it felt like something down my alley. Second, the idea of finding out if romance was dead was exciting for me. Initially, I thought this is just another project and then as I started getting more into it — maybe because I come from a more cynical place when it comes to romance, I’m not a romantic at heart, I’m more of a realist — I tried to be more open-minded and maybe learn a thing or two about how different people perceive romance and that’s what happened.
I learnt quite a lot about how romance isn’t just the one thing I thought it was. I don’t want to become a grumpy old person about love, and I wanted to use this opportunity and this podcast to broaden my own personal perspective on romance and love and I hope it has the same effect on the listeners.
I’ve been associated with Bumble for the last two years now, working on various campaigns with them, so once again it felt like a really nice fit to work on a podcast like this.
Mirzapur 2 makers issue apology to author Surender Mohan Pathak for hurting sentiments. (Photo: Twitter@excelmovies)
The popular web series Mirzapur has been renewed for a third season, it was confirmed on Thursday.
Making the announcement, the streaming platform Amazon Prime Video shared that season two of the series, which dropped on October 23, has become the most-watched show on the service in India within a week of release, adding that the season has recorded one of the highest completion rates.
It was also revealed that almost half of the viewers who completed the series had binge-watched the second season within 48 hours of its launch.
Mirzapur 2 makers issue apology to author Surender Mohan Pathak for hurting sentiments. (Photo: Twitter@excelmovies)
The series explores the tussle between power, politics and love. It narrates a story of families looking for power in the city, with bloodshed, violence and grit at the core of the narrative. It stars Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal , Divyenndu, Shweta Tripathi Sharma, Rasika Dugal, Harshita Shekhar Gaur, Amit Sial, Anjum Sharma, Sheeba Chaddha, Manu Rishi Chadha and Rajesh Tailang.
Second season also featured Vijay Varma, Priyanshu Painyuli, and Isha Talwar.
“The massive fandom of the show and magnitude of love towards the new season was seen through reactions on social media within days of its release, and we are truly humbled by the response,” said Ritesh Sidhwani of producers Excel Entertainment.
To this, Aparna Purohit from the streaming platform added: “Over the last two years, viewers continued to engage with the immersive universe of ‘Mirzapur’ and its characters. The love that they have showered on the show for this season has been unprecedented. This encouraging response propels us towards creating content that is exciting, unique and something that our audiences can fall in love with over and over again.”
