Online&Social
Twitter could Ban Users with COVID-19 Misinformation Strike System
Image sourced from Mission Statement Academy Twitter will start labelling tweets that violate its COVID-19 guidance policy – this essentially includes content containing misinformation about the virus as well as vaccines. Since introducing its COVID-19 guidance, Twitter has removed more than 8,400 Tweets and challenged 11.5 million accounts worldwide. The new labels are expected to include links to official public health information or the Twitter rules – which is an attempt by the social platform to help users find credible info and partner with the experts. In an official statement, Twitter says “we will begin applying labels to Tweets that may contain misleading information about COVID-19 vaccines, in addition to our continued efforts to remove the most harmful COVID-19 ...
WhatsApp Introduces New Voice Note Update for iOS
WhatsApp has unveiled a new progress animation to show iOS users exactly when a voice note ends. [embedded content] According to WABetaInfo, the UI animation update is available on iOS 13 and newer versions. And in this update, if Read Receipts are disabled (WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy) the recipient won’t be notified when voice messages are played. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_6d0.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_6d0.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } “We don’t know if WhatsApp will restore the old behaviour in the next updates (because they didn’t implement this change in the Android version yet), but at the moment the situation is so.” WhatsApp Explains its Privacy Policy Update WhatsApp is set to clear ‘any confusion’ around its controversial privacy policy by in...
Ugandan President says ‘Facebook Will Fail’
Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda, claims that Facebook is biased after a number of his governments’ supporter’s accounts were closed for ‘spreading false information’. “Facebook will talk but we shall move, they are not God. Recently, I heard people who came here for the first time…they were from the USA. When they reached, they asked me, where is war? I answered, which war? They told me that they had seen on Facebook that there is a war in Uganda. Therefore, for such things, Facebook will fail,” says Museveni. “They deleted our people’s accounts under the guise, but we can see the bias, the discrimination standards they used. You cannot say that these were doing wrong, what about the other group (opposition) that have been spreading all forms of wrong information and inciting our peop...
Telegram Introduces Auto-Delete and Expiring Invite Features
Image sourced from The Independent Telegram has released a new update that includes an auto-delete timer for messages in any chat, as well as new flexible invite links. Auto-Delete Messages Telegram users can now enable an auto-delete timer in all chats, which will automatically erase messages for all participants either 24 hours or 7 days after sending. Auto-delete only applies to messages sent after the timer is set, earlier messages will stay in the chat history. Unlike in Secret Chats, the countdown starts when messages are sent, not read. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_130.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_130.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } To enable the timer on Android, tap ⋮ > Clear History then choose a duration. On iOS, press and hold a message, tap Select > Clear C...
Twitter Considers Charging Users for Exclusive Content
Image sourced from Mission Statement Academy Twitter is exploring a subscription-based model – called “super follows” – where users can charge followers for access to exclusive content. “Exploring audience funding opportunities like Super Follows will allow creators and publishers to be directly supported by their audience and will incentivise them to continue creating content that their audience loves,” reveals a Twitter spokesperson. The social platform’s Head of Product, Kayvon Beykpour says that the exclusive content could include anything from tweets and direct messages to audio conversations and newsletters. “We also think that an audience-funded model, where subscribers can directly fund the content that they value most, is a durable incentive model that aligns the interest of creat...
LinkedIn Up After Mobile and Desktop Outage
Image sourced from Search Engine Journal LinkedIn users around the world have reported outages on mobile and desktop that saw API requests to take longer or fail unexpectedly across the platform. The career networking site says the outage mostly affected North America and Europe. “We are currently experiencing an issue across the platform that may cause some API requests to take longer or fail unexpectedly. We are investigating the issue and working on a resolution,” reads LinkedIn’s status page. “We know some members are experiencing an issue with accessing LinkedIn on mobile and desktop. We’re working on this as we speak and will provide updates as we have them” As of the time of publishing, LinkedIn has announced that everything is operating as normal. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_c6d.td-a-r...
Microsoft Word to Introduce New Text Predictions Feature
Image sourced from Lifewire Microsoft is set to introduce text predictions for Word. This new feature is expected to help users write “more efficiently” by reducing spelling and grammar errors. According to Neowin, text predictions uses a Machine Learning model to “make suggestions based on the text typed by the user”. How Word Text Predictions Work Simply start typing in a Word document and note that predictions start appearing. Press the TAB key to accept a prediction and the ESC key to reject it. Text prediction learns and improves over time. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_666.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_666.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Text predictions are supported in English only and available on the following word platforms and builds: The f...
Google News Initiative Launches in Africa
Image sourced from Pymnts Google has announced the second Google News Initiative Innovation Challenge in Africa, with an “open call for projects that increase reader engagement and explore new business models for media”. The first GNI Innovation Challenge saw 21 projects in 13 countries receive funding last year. Awardees were from Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Turkey, and the UAE. In Nigeria, Ringier Africa Digital Publishing was awarded funding to increase personalisation across its platform using a blend of prediction, recommendation and local information pages to increase user engagement. Kenyan awardee Africa Uncensored is aggregating news from members of the public to produce at scale. Applications open today ...
Opera Unveils African Inspired Chat Service in Kenya
Opera has launched the newly dedicated chat service Hype in Kenya. Built into the mobile web browser Opera Mini, this service is expected to enable seamless surfing, chatting and sharing content– without compromising speed or driving increased data consumption. “Chat services and browsers are apps people use every day and feel very personal about,” says Charles Hamel, Product Lead for Hype. “With the integration of Hype in Opera Mini, we are not only rethinking what a chat service should be like in 2021, but also changing the very definition of what a mobile browser should be.” Hype is launching first in Kenya as a pilot market, where users will be able to easily set up their account and start chatting with secure end-to-end encryption. This launch is a facet of Opera’s emphasis on investi...
Here’s What Will Happen if Users Don’t Accept WhatApp’s Updated Privacy Policy
Image sourced from YoMZanzi WhatsApp has given users until the 15th of May to accept its updated privacy policy. In a statement, the company says that if users haven’t accepted it by then, their accounts will not be deleted but they won’t have full functionality of the messaging platform. For a short time, users will still be able to receive calls and notifications, but won’t be able to read or send messages from the app. WhatsApp outlines the following options for users: Users can still accept the updates after May 15th. WhatsApp’s policy related to inactive users will apply. Before May 15th, users can export their chat history on Android or iPhone, and download a report of their account. If users would like to delete their account on Android, iPhone, or KaiO...
Spotify Expands to 80 New Markets, Including Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania
Sourced from Android Police Spotify is set to expand its streaming subscription service to 80+ new markets across the globe – this move represents Spotify’s broadest market expansion to date. Founder and CEO, Daniel Ek revealed that the platform would now be available to more than a billion people in over 36 languages. Spotify says that it plans to work with local creators and partners to expand its music offerings to meet the unique needs of each market. It will also introduce the following offerings in each region: Plans: Free and Premium plans will be available across all the markets. User Experience: Listeners will be able to select and search from Spotify’s worldwide catalogue when using the product, providing a personalized experience from day one. Music Catalogue: At launc...
Spotify Expands to 80 New Markets, Including Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania
Sourced from Android Police Spotify is set to expand its streaming subscription service to 80+ new markets across the globe – this move represents Spotify’s broadest market expansion to date. Founder and CEO, Daniel Ek revealed that the platform would now be available to more than a billion people in over 36 languages. Spotify says that it plans to work with local creators and partners to expand its music offerings to meet the unique needs of each market. It will also introduce the following offerings in each region: Plans: Free and Premium plans will be available across all the markets. User Experience: Listeners will be able to select and search from Spotify’s worldwide catalogue when using the product, providing a personalized experience from day one. Music Catalogue: At launc...
