tech
10 Best Free Apps for Ramadan on Android and iOS
Fasting for the entire month during the holy month of Ramadan is essentially a hallmark of the Muslim lifestyle. A systematic plan of action is necessary to maintain health while carrying out different religious activities like fasting, prayers, recitation of holy Quran etc effectively. Nowadays, various Ramadan apps can help to track religious activities. Let's delve into the top 10 free mobile apps for Ramadan available on both Android and iOS platforms.
10 Useful Ramadan Related Apps for Free Downloads on Smartphones
Al Quran (Tafsir and By Word)
Developed by Greentech Apps Foundation on August 26, 2016, this app serves as a dedicated platform for studying and memorizing the Quran. It includes translations of every word in more than 35 languages, including Bengali, and offers access to over 70 tafsir. Users can listen to Quran recitations by more than 30 renowned reciters.
This app provides statistics on previously completed verses during each recitation. Its self-contained library is made accessible through the verse bookmark feature.
All these features are available without any cost and free from all sorts of in-app advertising.
The current version is 1.26.1, last updated on February 22, 2024. It requires a smartphone OS (operating system) of at least Android 5 to run, and the Android app size is 21 MB. It has been downloaded over 5 million times and holds an average rating of 4.8 stars from 28,400 reviewers.
The iOS version is 26.2 MB in size and has hit a pristine 4.9 stars after 348 reviews. It is compatible with iOS 14.2 or later versions.
Read more: Best Quran Apps for Android: Read the Holy Book Online
Tarteel: Quran Memorization
When it comes to reciting the Quran directly from a mobile screen, Tarteel is the best. It utilizes AI to track the reciter's voice, displaying the corresponding verse on the screen with each recitation. It is free to use and does not contain any ads. However, there is a premium version, which offers various advanced features such as error correction in reciting.
Released on January 31, 2016, Tarteel is crafted by Tarteel Inc. The mobile app requires 108 to 120 MB of storage, depending on different Android phones, and the OS must be Android 5 or higher. The latest version is 5.38.1, updated on March 6, 2024. With over 1 million downloads, it has been rated 4.7 stars with 38,000 reviews contributing.
The iOS version’s size registers at 198.7 MB and requires at least iOS 13.4 to run. It has reached a 4.7-star rating from more than 2,500 reviewers.
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Quran Majeed – Ramadan 2024
The most appealing aspect of this app, developed by Pakdata, is its user-friendly interface. Users can freely repeat verses, pause, and adjust speed while reading or memorizing the Quran. Additionally, the app features a Qibla direction compass, live streaming from Makkah and Madinah, a Hijri calendar, and a Quranic engagement meter.
Created on August 18, 2014, and last updated on March 8, 2024, the app's current version is 7.3.2, requiring Android 5 or higher to run. With a storage capacity ranging from 54 MB to 120 MB, it has been downloaded over 10 million times and holds a score of 4.7 stars from 793,000 reviews.
The iOS version holds a score of 4.8 stars from over 200,000 ratings. It consumes 137.5 MB of space and is compatible with iOS 12 or later versions.
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OPPO Air Glass 3: What's Special About It
The world has already been familiar with the idea of smart glasses and their capacity to integrate with new technologies. A handful of powerful modern innovations like motion sensors, voice control, VR, and 3D visuals have marvelled the world, merging with and powering beyond the usual capacity of wearable glasses. Google Glass from Google and Vision Pro from Apple have been two pioneering instances. However, with the invention of the OPPO Air Glass 3, the prominent smartphone manufacturing company OPPO has demonstrated the potentiality of Smart Glasses to go.
Invention and Innovation of Air Glass 3
Oppo has been working on innovative glass technology for a while now. They first introduced a concept called Air Glass with a special design resembling cicada wings and a small projector in 2021. Later, they revealed Air Glass 2 at a conference in 2023. Now, at continuing Mobile World Congress 2024, they are showcasing the latest version of their evolving ideas with Air Glass 3.
Oppo’s Air Glass 3 functions are based on AndesGPT, a large generative AI language model, which was also manufactured by Oppo and announced recently. AndesGPT has been claimed to use 7 billion parameters, making it more powerful than many other Ai models currently available. Claimigly, Oppo’s AI Model will have features like swapped attention and addressability for first-word reasoning problems. AndesGPT can process more than just some texts. It can provide a generative visual experience.
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The Air Glass 3 won’t deviate away from usual glasses in terms of look and feel. But its display can show digital content embedded in real-world settings.
Features of Air Glass 3
The Air Glass 3, that Oppo is currently showing, is a prototype version. Its basic functionalities don’t differ much from a standard smartwatch. However, the integration of powerful innovations like AndesGPT keeps a few remarkable promises. Here are a few features The Air Glass 3 is expected to have:
Integrated Ai
While Google and Samsung are adding AI models to their smartphones, Oppo is doing the same for its prototype smart glasses. The Oppo Air Glass 3 XR has its own AndesGPT chatbot (similar to ChatGPT), but unlike Apple's Vision Pro, it doesn't run on the glasses themselves. Instead, Oppo uses the processing power of a companion smartphone for AndesGPT.
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The AI chatbot is part of the voice assistant, so it can respond in a way that's easy for people to understand. It can answer questions about weather, news, and more. Unfortunately, this feature is only available in the Chinese market.
Advanced Optics
Oppo is using a new type of resin waveguide to display the user interface on the wearer's eyes. This waveguide is designed to lessen the 'rainbow effect' that can happen when light passes through it. The new waveguide should make the display on the Air Glass 3 XR clearer and more accurate in colour compared to its older version. With a brightness rating of 1,000 nits at its brightest, Oppo claims that users can still see the interface even in bright sunlight and strong indoor lighting.
Audio and Mic
In addition to the AI voice assistant and high-quality optics, the Oppo Air Glass 3 XR includes an advanced audio system. The speakers built into the arms use the reverse sound field to prevent sound from leaking out during phone calls. Four microphones are also designed to enhance voice clarity, even in noisy environments.
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With all its advanced technology packed neatly inside, the Air Glass 3 XR allows you to make calls, listen to music, and view photos stored on the device. It can also display important information like upcoming events from your calendar.
Even though the current list of features is small, there's a lot of potential for Oppo to add more functionalities. For example, it could provide insights into your health metrics and offer live language translation. It might even show notifications from messaging apps and email clients. The possibilities are endless.
Price and Release Date of Air Glass 3
Oppo has only shown a prototype of the Air Glass 3 for now, meaning it's still being worked on and isn't ready for release. There will likely be more versions of the device before it's finalised. Oppo hasn't said when it will be available or how much it will cost yet.
Oppo has a good history of launching successful smartphones, so we expect they'll eventually bring the Air Glass 3 to market. Hopefully, it won't be too long before we see it with updated AI and maybe compatibility with more operating systems.
Read more: Apple's Vision Pro Headset: Everything You Need to Know
Conclusion
The OPPO Air Glass 3 represents a significant leap forward in smart glasses technology, integrating powerful innovations like the AndesGPT AI model into its design. This prototype, unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2024, builds upon OPPO's previous iterations and promises features such as integrated AI, advanced optics, and an enhanced audio system.
The Air Glass 3 is designed to seamlessly blend digital content into real-world settings while providing users with essential functionalities like making calls, listening to music, and viewing photos.
Although it's still in the prototype stage with no confirmed release date or pricing, OPPO's history of successful product launches suggests that the OPPO Air Glass 3 holds great promise for the future of wearable technology.
Read more: Apple’s 2024 Line-up: A leap into the future with Vision Pro, OLED iPad Pro, and more
ZTE Blade V50 Design 4G Review: Surprising Features on a Budget-friendly Phone
Ever since officially launching operations in Bangladesh, ZTE has been on a roll with its smartphone releases. Their smartphones ranging from entry-level to mid-range, provide a good value-for-money option. The brand recently launched its Blade V50 Design 4G on 2nd March in the Bangladesh market. Let’s take a detailed look at the device.
Key Specs of ZTE Blade V50 Design
Design and Build Quality
The Blade V50 has the word ‘Design’ in its official name. While it might sound rather odd, the stylish look and hefty build quality would justify the naming choice. Even at an affordable price, the Blade V50 design comes with a glass front, plastic frame, and a glass back design.
The dimension of the device comes in at 165 mm by 76.1 mm by 8.3 mm with 207 g weight. Beyond the dimensions, the ports and button choices are all standard on the V50 Design. There’s a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a micro SDXC slot, and a power button that doubles as the fingerprint scanner. The only downside to an otherwise iPhone-like design is the lack of a secondary noise-cancellation mic.
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Other than that, the Blade V50 Design is everything one would expect from a budget-friendly smartphone. It will be available in three colorways - Beach Green, Sunrise Violet, and Diamond Black.
The Display
The display is one of the strong suits of the V50 Design. It’s a 6.6 inch IPS LCD panel with 1080 by 2408 pixels resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio. ZTE claims that the screen has a 90.5% screen-to-body ratio with the noticeable chin on a water drop-style display design.
Being an FHD+ panel, the pixel density comes in at around 400 PPI. Users might notice a cooler tone on the color profile out of the box. However, it can be easily tweaked from the settings for a more vivid look. As for the display itself, there’s good contrast with sufficient brightness and details making it perfect for media consumption.
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The Camera
There’s a triple camera setup on the ZTE Blade V50 Design. The main sensor is a 50 MP f/1.8 wide-angle shooter with PDAF. The additional sensors are a 2 MP f/2.4 macro shooter and a depth sensor with the same configuration.
In effect, the 50 MP does all the work here. Pictures came out great in direct sunlight with good details and dynamic range. ZTE claims to have incorporated some AI features that help with subject profiling and exposure.
There’s also an 8 MP front camera which is good enough for casual selfies.
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But like any other typical budget-friendly phone, the photo quality significantly drops at night or in artificial lights. There were visible grains and noises in the image in anything other than ideal lighting. The night mode helped with the exposure issues but the softness remained.
The V50 Design can shoot up to 1080P at 30fps. However, the lack of internal stabilization makes for choppy videos.
ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro Plus Review with Pros and Cons
The ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro+ mobile was released in India on November 23, 2023. As smartphone performance continues to rise, gaming smartphones have become less distinct. However, Red Magic is changing this perception. The Red Magic 9 Pro+ offers a breakthrough in gaming smartphone technology. Let's delve into the specific performance enhancements that make the Red Magic 9 Pro+ stand out in the gaming smartphone market. Let’s take a look at the key specs, pros, cons, and price of this device.
Key Features and Specs of Red Magic 9 Pro+
Design
The Red Magic 9 Pro+ measures 164 mm by 76.4 mm by 8.9 mm and weighs 229 g. It features a glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), an aluminum frame, and a glass back. It supports dual Nano-SIM with dual stand-by functionality and includes pressure-sensitive zones (520 Hz touch-sensing) and a built-in cooling fan.
The middle frame is made of aviation aluminum. Its flat-back design enhances grip during gaming, while the custom-designed glass ensures durability and high-quality lens standards. Components have been re-customized for a slim 8.9mm body, accommodating improvements such as enhanced camera hardware.
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Available color options include "Dark Knight'' and transparent variants, with upgraded RGB lighting effects on the cooling fan and illuminated buttons for a customized gaming experience.
Display
The Red Magic 9 Pro+ boasts a 6.8-inch AMOLED screen with a hidden front camera design, achieving an impressive 93.7% screen-to-body ratio. The display utilizes BOE's under-screen Q9+ light-emitting material, enhancing brightness up to 1600 nit while improving visual effects like color accuracy and dark light optimization. It achieves 100% coverage of sRGB and DCI-P3 color gamuts, measured using DisPlay CAL.
With a high refresh rate of 120Hz, the gaming screen delivers clear and smooth visuals. The screen resolution stands at 1116 by 2480 pixels with a 20:9 aspect ratio, offering sharpness at ~400 ppi density. Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protects the screen, ensuring durability against scratches and impacts.
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Cameras
The Red Magic 9 Pro+ not only excels in gaming performance but also delivers standard image quality. Equipped with a 50-megapixel Samsung GN5 main camera and a 50-megapixel Samsung JN1 ultra-wide-angle lens, it offers a versatile dual-camera setup. Additionally, a 2-megapixel macro lens enhances versatility for close-up shots.
Features like LED flash, HDR, and panorama mode further enhance the photography experience. Video recording capabilities are also robust, supporting resolutions up to 8K at 30fps and various frame rates for flexible shooting options. With a 16-megapixel under-display selfie camera, users can also capture clear and detailed self-portraits.
Performance and Hardware
The Red Magic 9 Pro+ impresses with its powerhouse performance, driven by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8’s third-generation built on TSMC's 4nm process. Featuring an 8-core full 64-bit architecture, paired with LPDDR5X and UFS4.0 data transfer technology, it forms the formidable "Iron Triangle," yielding an AnTuTu score exceeding 223W points. In gaming, it excels, effortlessly handling demanding settings with smooth gameplay.
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Its RAM power ranges from 16 to 24GB. While starting from 256GB the internal storage capacity reaches up to 1TB.
Tested at very high settings and extreme image quality for half an hour, it maintains an average frame rate of 120.8 frames, showcasing its capability even under intense conditions. Cooling is handled by the ICE 13 Magic Cooling system, featuring 10 layers of precision cooling, an active cooling fan, and a large VC heat spreading plate. The flat-back design contributes to a more comfortable gaming experience despite noticeable heat.
Symphony Z70 Review: 52MP Camera under BDT 10000
Symphony Mobile, known for its innovative phones, unveiled its latest model, the Symphony Z70, a few days ago. This phone is packed with top-notch features and has a sleek design. It's expected to make waves in the mobile market due to its impressive capabilities and affordable price. Let’s take a look at the key specs and price of Symphony 270 in Bangladesh.
Key Features and Specs of Symphony Z70
Design
The Symphony Z70 boasts a modern design with a combination of materials that prioritise functionality. Its front glass and plastic back, coupled with a sturdy plastic frame, ensure durability without compromising on style. Available in a range of standard colours, including Reflective Green, Electric Blue, Honey Dew Green, and Fusion Gold, it allows users to express their individuality.
The punch-hole style of the phone's display adds a sleek touch while maximising screen space. With dimensions of 164.27 mm by 76.02 mm by 8.45 mm and weighing just 193 grams, it balances portability and usability, making it a stylish and practical choice for everyday use.
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The volume rockers, power buttons, sim-card holders, and speakers are all placed like most other smartphones—no remarkable deviation from the usual pattern in the design section of the Symphony Z70.
Display
The Symphony Z70's display has tried to bring the best possible performance for the specific budget. A visual experience with its 6.56-inch size and HD+ resolution of 1600 x 720 pixels, providing a comparably satisfactory experience. With a pixel density of 269 PPI and an aspect ratio of 20:9, the video proportion and clarity maintain a good shape. IPS LCD is The display technology that delivers vibrant colours and wide viewing angles.
While lacking display protection and a notification LED, it compensates with advanced features such as a 90Hz refresh rate, providing fluidity and responsiveness. Supporting up to 16.7 million colours and multitouch functionality, it caters to diverse user preferences and needs.
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Cameras
The Symphony Z70 features a versatile camera setup, comprising a dual rear camera with 52 and 2-megapixel sensors and an 8-megapixel front camera. It can record Full HD videos at 1080p resolution and ensure quality footage.
With LED flash support, it enhances low-light photography. The camera offers various features, including AI, portrait mode, watermarking, night mode, slow-motion, burst mode, panorama, QR code scanning, face beauty enhancement, HDR, flashlight, display flash, digital well-being tools, and face unlock for added convenience and creativity in capturing moments.
Overall, the Symphony Z70's cameras provide users with a comprehensive toolkit to capture diverse scenarios easily.
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Performance and Hardware
The Symphony Z70 is powered by the Unisoc T606 chipset. Quite reliable for giving a mid-level performance with its octa-core CPU clocked up to 1.6 GHz. With a GPU boasting a speed of 650 MHz, it delivers enough smooth graphics for everyday tasks and light gaming. The device comes with 4 GB of RAM for multitasking efficiency and 64 GB of internal storage, expandable up to 256 GB via a microSD card slot.
It features a range of sensors, including a G-sensor, Proximity Sensor, Light Sensor, and FingerPrint Sensor, supporting user interaction and security. The Symphony Z70's hardware setup provides an average balanced performance for users' daily needs.
Software
The Symphony Z70 runs on the Android operating system version 13, offering users a familiar and efficient software experience. Its user interface is based on Android Go, optimised for smoother performance on lower-end devices. With HTML5 browser support and Java compatibility, users can enjoy a seamless web browsing experience and access a wide range of applications.
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The device benefits from the latest Android features and updates, ensuring stability, security, and compatibility with various apps and services. The Symphony Z70's software setup provides a reliable platform for users to enjoy their smartphone experience.
Pros and Cons of Symphony Z70
Pros
- Modern design with durable materials- Punch-hole display maximises screen space- Versatile camera setup with various features- Decent performance for everyday tasks- Expandable storage via microSD card slot- Runs on the latest Android version with an optimised user interface.
Cons
- Lack of display protection and notification LED- Average performance compared to higher-end devices- Limited availability of colour options- Standard placement of buttons and speakers, lacking innovation in design- Average battery life may not meet heavy usage demands.
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Price of Symphony Z70 in Bangladesh
The Symphony Z70 comes with a very affordable price tag of just 9499 Taka.
Conclusion
The Symphony Z70 lands with its blend of modern design and functionality, offering users a practical smartphone experience. Its punch-hole display offers enough screen space, while the versatile camera setup and decent performance cater to diverse user needs. The device runs on the latest Android version, ensuring a smooth software experience with access to a wide range of applications.
Despite some drawbacks, such as the lack of display protection and limited colour options, the Symphony Z70 stands out for its affordability and balanced performance. It's a compelling option for those seeking a budget-friendly smartphone without expecting a high-end experience.
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Tecno Spark 20 Pro Plus Review: Budget-friendly Phone with Premium Camera
The Tecno Spark series has always held a special allure, offering smart designs with standard features that rival any other budget-friendly phone on the market. Users adore the unique colors and skins on the back side of Tecno Spark phones. Their latest addition, the Tecno Spark 20 Pro Plus was released on 9 February 2024. Let’s take a look at the key specs and price of Tecno Pro Plus in Bangladesh.
Key Features of Tecno Pro Plus
Design
The Tecno Spark 20 Pro Plus has introduced a design that is quite remarkable, especially the rear camera panel, a giant round glass chamber housing four lenses. The front side doesn’t bring anything new. Measuring 164.7 mm by 75 mm by 7.6 mm in dimension and weighing 179g, the phone fits comfortably in hand and doesn’t feel unreasonably heavy.
It uses a premium vegan leather back, which is the standout feature, providing a smooth and luxurious feel. The circular camera module adds to its aesthetic appeal with a sophisticated metallic finish. Its color resembles a soft sunset, emitting a gentle orange hue with hints of blue from the sides. The texture resembles fine knitted cloth, reducing glare for a more comfortable viewing experience.
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With options for various colors - Temporal Orbits, Lunar Frost, Radiant Starstream, Magic Skin 2.0 Green, users can personalize their style. The shiny and frosted frame adds a touch of elegance, while neatly lined buttons ensure easy access. It features a dual speaker design for immersive audio experiences, although it lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Display
The Tecno Spark 20 Pro Plus sports a curved AMOLED display, a standard pick for streaming videos and playing high-quality mobile games. The spacious 6.78-inch screen and an adaptive refresh rate of 120Hz ensure enough room for smooth visuals and responsiveness. Furthermore, Spark 20 Pro Plus features 1080 by 2436 pixels of resolution and 393 ppi density.
Users may opt for the default 'auto-switch refresh rate' setting for optimal performance, though some demanding games may feel better at 60Hz. It's recommended to disable adaptive brightness for more accurate control over brightness settings, ensuring comfortable viewing in various environments. Despite a peak brightness of 1,000 nits, it maintains vivid and bright colors with excellent viewing angles.
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The adaptive refresh strategy further enhances the viewing experience while conserving battery life. The curved AMOLED screen offers a comfortable grip, making it a top choice for those seeking superior display quality. Conversely, the Tecno Spark 20 Pro, while lacking the curved AMOLED display, still offers daily-use convenience with its straight LCD screen.
Cameras
The Tecno Spark 20 Pro Plus features a 108 MP primary camera alongside two auxiliary lenses. Daytime photography yields sharp images, with color distributed in balance, clearly capturing scenery and subjects. The Super Night Mode enhances image quality in low light conditions by effectively managing highlights and details. Additionally, a 0.08 macro camera adds versatility, enabling users to explore close-up photography.
The front-facing 32MP selfie camera performs exceptionally well, especially with the Dual-LED flash, illuminating the subject and background for striking selfies.
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It can support up to 1440p video recording with the rear sensors. Moreover, it can capture 1080P footage at 30fps by both rear and front sensors. It allows simultaneous recording with both front and rear cameras for dynamic content creation.
Performance and Hardware
The Tecno Spark 20 Pro Plus delivers commendable performance powered by the MediaTek Helio G99 Ultimate chipset, coupled with 8GB physical RAM. What’s more, users can expand their RAM to 16GB with 8GB of virtual RAM.
Benchmark scores indicate decent performance, with 727 points in single-core tests and 2014 points in multi-core tests on Geekbench5.
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In day-to-day usage, users experience smooth operation with no lag, whether browsing the internet, streaming videos, or multitasking between apps. Gaming performance is satisfactory for most titles, with smooth gameplay observed in less demanding games like Candy Crush Soda Saga. However, more graphics-intensive games like Honkai Star Rail may experience slight lag, particularly during animations.
Meta services inc. Facebook restored after 1-hour outage
Meta’s Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Threads services faced global outage for around an hour on Tuesday night.
The services were restored at around 10:20 pm on Tuesday after facing global outage at 9:21BdST on Tuesday, according to Downdetector.
Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads down globally
It was reported that Facebook, Instagram and Messenger and Threads users were getting logged out from their accounts.
All four social media networks are owned by California-based Meta.
Outage highlights how vital Facebook has become worldwide
London-based internet monitoring firm Netblocks said on X that four Meta platforms -- Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Threads -- were “currently experiencing outages related to login sessions in multiple countries.” But the firm, which advocates for internet freedom, said there was no sign of “country-level internet disruptions or filtering,” which are typically imposed by governments, according to AP.
Andy Stone, Meta's head communications, acknowledged the issues on X, formerly known as Twitter, and said the company is “working on this now.”
Facebook services restored after worldwide outage
Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads down globally
Facebook, Instagram and Messenger and Threads users have reported suddenly getting logged out from their accounts.
This was first reported at 9:21pm BdST on Tuesday, according to Downdetector.
The problem is global, it said.
All four social media networks are owned by California-based Meta.
London-based internet monitoring firm Netblocks said on X that four Meta platforms -- Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Threads -- were “currently experiencing outages related to login sessions in multiple countries.” But the firm, which advocates for internet freedom, said there was no sign of “country-level internet disruptions or filtering,” which are typically imposed by governments, according to AP.
Andy Stone, Meta's head communications, acknowledged the issues on X, formerly known as Twitter, and said the company is “working on this now.”
Rampant NID data trade: Mobile banking institutions alert law enforcement
In a concerning development last year, personal information of individuals registered with the country's Smart National Identity Card (NID) system was reportedly available on several Telegram channels, with instances of buying and selling such data coming to light.
A quarter with vested interest has recently emerged, engaging in the illicit trade of customer data. To elevate the prominence of such data trading, there have been attempts to associate the names of reputable mobile banking institutions.
Sources indicate that what began with the exploitation of Telegram bots has evolved into a more organized operation, with perpetrators setting up a dedicated website alongside Telegram channels to facilitate this illicit trade. These individuals are also actively advertising on social media platforms, falsely claiming to hold customer information from reputable Mobile Financial Services (MFS), thus aiming to mislead and deceive customers through various tactics.
Former Twitter executives sue Elon Musk over firings, seek more than $128 million in severance
The modus operandi involves circulating specific links through Telegram channels that purportedly allow access to personal details of individuals by inputting their NID numbers and birthdates. Despite skepticism about the authenticity of such claims, due to the absence of verification mechanisms, the alleged data breaches have stirred concern among the public, already wary from previous incidents involving the national ID card database.
ICT experts emphasize the vulnerability of the populace to misinformation regarding new leaks, amidst conflicting statements and opportunities for fraudulent activities. They note that while opening an account in any financial institution requires national ID information and a photo, the allegedly leaked information on digital platforms is deemed non-exploitable for fraudulent purposes within Bangladesh.
The national ID database, a critical repository of personal information for approximately 120 million citizens, remains a target for cybercriminals. IT expert Tanvir Hassan Zoha warns, "Those selling information online and those purchasing it are both committing offenses and could face legal consequences under the vigilant oversight of law enforcement agencies. Interestingly, there's no real profitability in buying such information in Bangladesh."
A significant data breach in July last year exposed sensitive information of millions through the website of the Office of the Registrar General, Birth and Death Registration, searchable via Google. Subsequent leaks involving smart card data have seen such information circulated as belonging to customers of mobile banking institutions and banks. However, verification efforts have unveiled inconsistencies, with varying pieces of information available in different groups.
This proliferation of customer information on digital platforms has sown discomfort and fear among citizens, potentially eroding trust in financial institutions and fostering a climate of insecurity. Mobile banking entities, while yet to issue formal statements, have reportedly notified law enforcement agencies about these breaches.
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A senior official from a leading mobile banking institution highlighted the challenges of combating digital platform propaganda related to data breaches, emphasizing their prompt communication with law enforcement upon becoming aware of the recent incidents.
Md Hassan Shahriar Fahim, managing director of Octagram Limited that specializes in cybersecurity, underscores the risks to individuals enticed into purchasing such data. Collaborative analysis with law enforcement has revealed that information thieves also retain data on buyers, exposing them to potential hacking, blackmail, and other complications. Victims, in turn, find themselves in a predicament when seeking legal assistance, often unable to disclose the circumstances of their online harassment.
Former Twitter executives sue Elon Musk over firings, seek more than $128 million in severance
Former senior executives of Twitter are suing Elon Musk and X Corp., saying they are entitled to a total of more than $128 million in unpaid severance payments.
Twitter’s former CEO Parag Agrawal, Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal, Chief Legal Counsel Vijaya Gadde and General Counsel Sean Edgett claim in the lawsuit filed Monday that they were fired without a reason on the day in 2022 that Musk completed his acquisition of Twitter, which he later rebranded X.
Because he didn’t want to pay their severance, the executives say Musk “made up fake cause and appointed employees of his various companies to uphold his decision.”
The lawsuit says not paying severance and bills is part of a pattern for Musk, who's been sued by “droves" of former rank-and-file Twitter employees who didn't receive severance after Musk terminated them by the thousands.
“Under Musk’s control, Twitter has become a scofflaw, stiffing employees, landlords, vendors, and others,” says the lawsuit, filed in federal court in the Northern District of California. “Musk doesn’t pay his bills, believes the rules don’t apply to him, and uses his wealth and power to run roughshod over anyone who disagrees with him.”
Representatives for Musk and San Francisco-based X did not immediately respond to messages for comment Monday.
The former executives claim their severance plans entitled them to one year's salary plus unvested stock awards valued at the acquisition price of Twitter. Musk bought the company for $44 billion, or $54.20 per share, taking control in October 2022.
They say they were all fired without cause. Under the severance plans, “cause” was narrowly defined, such as being convicted of a felony, “gross negligence” or “willful misconduct.”
According to the lawsuit, the only cause Musk gave for the firings was “gross negligence and willful misconduct,” in part because Twitter paid fees to outside attorneys for their work closing the acquisition. The executives say they were required to pay the fees to comply with their fiduciary duties to the company.
“If Musk felt that the attorneys’ fees payments, or any other payments, were improper, his remedy was to seek to terminate the deal — not to withhold executives’ severance payments after the deal closed,” the lawsuit says.
X faces a “staggering” number of lawsuits over unpaid bills, the lawsuit says. “Consistent with the cavalier attitude he has demonstrated towards his financial obligations, Musk’s attitude in response to these mounting lawsuits has reportedly been to ‘let them sue.’”