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Threads, a text-based app built by Meta to rival Twitter, is now live. The app, billed as the text version of Meta's photo-sharing platform Instagram, became available Wednesday night to users in more than 100 countries — including the U.S., Britain, Australia, Canada and Japan. Despite some early glitches, 30 million people had signed up before noon on Thursday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Threads. New arrivals to the platform include celebrities like Oprah, pop star Shakira and chef Gordon Ramsay — as well as corporate accounts from Taco Bell, Netflix, Spotify, the Washington Post and other media outlets. Also read: Meta unveils Threads, targeting users looking for an alternative to Twitter Threads, which Meta says provides "a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations," arrives at a time when many are looking for Twitter alternatives to escape Elon Musk's raucous oversight of the platform since acquiring it last year for $44 billion. But Meta's new app has also raised data privacy concerns, and is notably unavailable in the European Union. Here's what you need to know about Threads. HOW CAN I USE THREADS? Threads is now available for download in Apple and Google Android app stores for people in more than 100 countries. Threads was built by the Instagram team, so Instagram users can log into Threads through their Instagram account. Your username and verification status will carry over, according to the platform, but you will also have options to customize other areas of your profile — including whether or not you want to follow the same people that you do on Instagram. Because Threads and Instagram are so closely linked, it's also important to be cautious of account deletion. According to Threads' supplemental privacy policy, you can deactivate your profile at any time, "but your Threads profile can only be deleted by deleting your Instagram account." CAN I USE THREADS IF I DON'T HAVE AN INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT? For now, only Instagram users can create Threads accounts. If you want to access Threads, you will have to sign up for Instagram first. While this may receive some pushback, VP and research director at Forrester Mike Proulx said making Threads an extension of Instagram was a smart move on Meta's part. "It's piquing (user) curiosity," Proulx said, noting that Instagram users are getting alerts about their followers joining Threads — causing more and more people to sign up. "That's one of the reasons why Threads got over 10 million people to sign up in just a seven hour period" after launching. Still, Proulx added, maintaining momentum and continuing to capture user attention past the initial curiosity bump will be crucial down the line — noting "the long term nature of threads is what's going to ultimately predict its success or failure." HOW IS THREADS SIMILAR TO TWITTER? Threads' microblogging experience is very similar to Twitter. Users can repost, reply to or quote a thread, for example, and can see the number of likes and replies that a post has received. "Threads" can run up to 500 characters — compared with Twitter's 280-character threshold — and can include links, photos and videos up to five minutes long. Also read: TikTok and 5 content creators ask federal judge to block Montana from banning app In early replies on Threads, Zuckerberg said making the app "a friendly place" will be a key to success — adding that that was "one reason why Twitter never succeeded as much as I think it should have, and we want to do it differently." IS TWITTER SEEKING LEGAL ACTION AGAINST META? According to a letter obtained by Semafor on Thursday, Twitter has threatened legal action against Meta over Threads. In the letter, which was addressed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and dated Wednesday, Alex Spiro, an attorney representing Twitter, accused Meta of unlawfully using Twitter's trade secrets and other intellectual property by hiring former Twitter employees to create a "copycat" app. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone responded to the report of Spiro's letter on Threads Thursday afternoon, writing, "no one on the Threads engineering team is a former Twitter employee." Also read: Meta is set to take on Twitter with a rival app called Threads Musk hasn't directly tweeted about the possibility of legal action, but he has replied to several snarky takes on the Threads launch. The Twitter owner responded to one tweet suggesting that Meta's app was built largely through the use of the copy and paste function, with a laughing emoji. Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino has also not publicly commented on Wednesday's letter, but seemingly appeared to address Threads' launch in a Thursday tweet — writing that "the Twitter community can never be duplicated." HASN'T THIS BEEN DONE BEFORE? The similarities of Meta's new text-based app suggests that the company is working to directly challenge Twitter. The tumultuous ownership has resulted in a series of unpopular changes that have turned off users and advertisers, some of whom are searching for Twitter alternatives. Threads is the latest Twitter rival to emerge in this landscape following Bluesky, Mastodon and Spill. HOW DOES THREADS MODERATE CONTENT? According to Meta, Threads will use the same safety measures deployed on Instagram — which includes enforcing Instagram's community guidelines and providing tools to control who can mention or reply to users. Also read: Elon Musk imposes daily limits on reading posts on Twitter Content warnings — on search queries ranging from conspiracy theory groups to misinformation about COVID-19 vaccinations — also appear to be similar to Instagram. WHAT ARE THE PRIVACY CONCERNS? Threads could collect a wide range of personal information — including health, financial, contacts, browsing and search history, location data, purchases and "sensitive info," according to its data privacy disclosure on the App Store. Threads also isn't available in the European Union right now, which has strict data privacy rules. Also read: Cage fight: Musk, Zuckerberg both up for face-off Meta informed Ireland's Data Privacy Commission, Meta's main privacy regulator for the EU, that it has no plans yet to launch Threads in the 27-nation bloc, commission spokesman Graham Doyle said. The company said it is working on rolling the app out to more countries — but pointed to regulatory uncertainty for its decision to hold off on a European launch. WHATS THE FUTURE FOR THREADS? Success for Threads is far from guaranteed. Industry watchers point to Meta's track record of starting standalone apps that were later shut down — including an Instagram messaging app also called "Threads" that shut down less than two years after its 2019 launch, Proulx notes. Still, Proulx and others say the new app could be a significant headache for Musk and Twitter. "The euphoria around a new service and this initial explosion will probably settle down. But it is apparent that this alternative is here to stay and will prove to be a worthy rival given all of Twitter's woes," technology analyst Paolo Pescatore of PP Foresight said, noting that combining Twitter-style features with Instagram's look and feel could drive user engagement. Also read: A ‘vast paedophile network’ connected by Instagram's algorithms, says WSJ report Threads is in its early days, however, and much depends on user feedback. Pescatore believes the close tie between Instagram and Threads might not resonate with everyone. The rollout of new features will also be key. "The real test is not if we can build up a lot of hype, but if you all find enough value in the app to keep using it over time," Instagram head Adam Mosseri wrote Thursday in a Threads post. He also acknowledged, as many users have already done, that there are "tons of basics" missing, including hashtags and direct messaging between users. "Full disclosure, it'll take time."  

Wish you could reword that snarky text message you just sent? WhatsApp is allowing users to do just that, for up to 15 minutes after they send a message. The popular chat app announced in a blog post Monday that users can correct misspellings, add more details or otherwise change what they have sent to friends, family and coworkers. The ability to edit messages has started rolling out to people worldwide and will be available to all users in coming weeks, according to the company owned by Facebook parent Meta. Read more: Encrypted video calls with up to 8, audio calls with up to 32 people on WhatsApp: Zuckerberg  To fix a text, press and hold the sent message and pick "edit." After the changes, it will then display "edited," but those receiving the message won't be able to see the edit history, WhatsApp says. Apple last year revealed the ability to edit and unsend iMessages between iPhones in a system upgrade. Those on the receiving end see that a message was unsent and the edit history, the company said.  

A lawyer for Twitter owner Elon Musk accused Microsoft of misusing the service's data and demanded an audit from the software giant. The letter primarily addresses a seemingly narrow set of alleged infractions by Microsoft in drawing information from Twitter's database of tweets. But the move could foreshadow more serious developments. Musk has previously accused Microsoft and its partner OpenAI in a tweet of "illegally" using Twitter data to develop sophisticated AI systems such as ChatGPT. " Lawsuit time," Musk wrote in that April tweet. But the letter, signed by Musk lawyer Alex Spiro, tiptoed around that concern. It noted that Microsoft's agreement with Twitter barred it from overuse of the service's data such as exceeding "reasonable request volume" or "excessive or abusive usage." Spiro then noted that "despite these limitations," Microsoft had retrieved more than 26 billion tweets in 2022 alone. He provided no context for those numbers. The process of training AI systems requires enormous amounts of data such as written text, which AI algorithms scour for patterns that the AI can use to make sense of language and large bodies of knowledge. In other respects, the letter primarily laid out a series of vaguely worded allegations. For instance, it noted that while Microsoft was required to inform Twitter about its intended use of the data, it failed to do so for six of the eight Microsoft apps that drew on information from the Twitter database. Similarly, the letter asserted that at least one Microsoft app had supplied Twitter data to a number of virtual locations that "reference a government entity or agency." That apparently violated Microsoft's agreement with Twitter, the letter stated, which prohibited the company from retrieving Twitter data "on behalf of 'any government-related entity'" without first notifying Twitter. The letter stated that Microsoft had failed to provide such notification. Microsoft spokesman Frank Shaw provided a statement noting that Microsoft will review questions raised by the letter and then will "respond appropriately." The statement added that "we look forward to continuing our long term partnership" with Twitter, which it did not refer to by name. Shaw declined to address specifics from the letter. Spiro's letter demanded that Microsoft describe in detail the Twitter data it possesses or has previously destroyed, the purpose for each of its apps that drew on Twitter information, and any government entities that used these Microsoft apps and whether they received data from Twitter's database.  

Elon Musk said Thursday he has found a new CEO for Twitter, or X Corp. as it's now called — and it's a woman. He did not name her but said she will be starting in about six weeks. Musk, who bought Twitter last fall and has been running it since, has long insisted he is not the company's permanent CEO. The Tesla billionaire said in a tweet Thursday that his role will transition to being Twitter's executive chairman and chief technology officer. In mid-November, just a few weeks after buying the social media platform for $44 billion, he told a Delaware court that he does not want to be the CEO of any company. While testifying, Musk said "I expect to reduce my time at Twitter and find somebody else to run Twitter over time." More than a month later, he tweeted in December: "I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job." The pledge came after millions of Twitter users asked him to step down in a Twitter poll the billionaire himself created and promised to abide by. In February, he told a conference he anticipated finding a CEO for San Francisco-based Twitter "probably toward the end of this year." Analysts who follow Twitter's business welcomed the news even without knowing who the replacement will be. Twitter's advertising business has taken a hit under Musk's mercurial rule, though the billionaire told BBC last month that the company is now "roughly" breaking even. "A new CEO is the only way forward for Twitter," said Insider Intelligence analyst Jasmine Enberg. "The single biggest problem with Twitter's ad business was Elon Musk. As he steps back, Twitter can begin to unravel Musk's personal brand from the company's corporate image and attempt to regain trust among advertisers. The success of those efforts will depend on who takes over, but it's difficult to imagine that the new CEO could be more controversial or damaging to Twitter's ad business than Musk has been." Shares of Tesla rose about 2% Thursday after Musk made the announcement. Shareholders of the electric car company have been concerned about how much of his attention is being spent on Twitter. Last November, he was questioned in court about how he splits his time among Tesla and his other companies, including SpaceX and Twitter. Musk had to testify in the trial in Delaware's Court of Chancery over a shareholder's challenge to his potentially $55 billion compensation plan as CEO of the electric car company. Musk said he never intended to be CEO of Tesla, and that he didn't want to be chief executive of any other companies either, preferring to see himself as an engineer. Musk also said at the time that he expected an organizational restructuring of Twitter to be completed in the next week or so. It's been nearly six months since he said that. Musk's tenure at Twitter's helm has been chaotic, and he's made various promises and proclamations he's backtracked or never followed up on. He began his first day firing the company's top executives, followed by roughly 80% of its staff. He's upended the platform's verification system and has scaled back content moderation and safeguards against the spread of misinformation. Bantering with Twitter followers late last year, Musk expressed pessimism about the prospects for a new CEO, saying that person "must like pain a lot" to run a company that "has been in the fast lane to bankruptcy." "No one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive. There is no successor," Musk tweeted at the time.  

This time it's for real. Many of Twitter's high-profile users are losing the blue checks that helped verify their identity and distinguish them from impostors on the Elon Musk-owned social media platform. After several false starts, Twitter began making good on its promise Thursday to remove the blue checks from accounts that don't pay a monthly fee to keep them. Twitter had about 300,000 verified users under the original blue-check system — many of them journalists, athletes and public figures. The checks — which used to mean the account was verified by Twitter to be who it says it is — began disappearing from these users' profiles late morning Pacific Time. High-profile users who lost their blue checks Thursday included Beyoncé, Pope Francis, Oprah Winfrey and former President Donald Trump. The costs of keeping the marks range from $8 a month for individual web users to a starting price of $1,000 monthly to verify an organization, plus $50 monthly for each affiliate or employee account. Twitter does not verify the individual accounts, as was the case with the previous blue check doled out during the platform's pre-Musk administration. Celebrity users, from basketball star LeBron James to author Stephen King and Star Trek's William Shatner, have balked at joining — although on Thursday, all three had blue checks indicating that the account paid for verification. King, for one, said he hadn't paid. "My Twitter account says I've subscribed to Twitter Blue. I haven't. My Twitter account says I've given a phone number. I haven't," King tweeted Thursday. "Just so you know." In a reply to King's tweet, Musk said "You're welcome namaste" and in another tweet he said he's "paying for a few personally." He later tweeted he was just paying for King, Shatner and James. Singer Dionne Warwick tweeted earlier in the week that the site's verification system "is an absolute mess." "The way Twitter is going anyone could be me now," Warwick said. She had earlier vowed not to pay for Twitter Blue, saying the monthly fee "could (and will) be going toward my extra hot lattes." On Thursday, Warwick lost her blue check (which is actually a white check mark in a blue background). For users who still had a blue check Thursday, a popup message indicated that the account "is verified because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number." Verifying a phone number simply means that the person has a phone number and they verified that they have access to it — it does not confirm the person's identity. It wasn't just celebrities and journalists who lost their blue checks Thursday. Many government agencies, nonprofits and public-service accounts around the world found themselves no longer verified, raising concerns that Twitter could lose its status as a platform for getting accurate, up-to-date information from authentic sources, including in emergencies. While Twitter offers gold checks for "verified organizations" and gray checks for government organizations and their affiliates, it's not clear how the platform doles these out and they were not seen Thursday on many previously verified agency and public service accounts. The official Twitter account of the New York City government, which earlier had a blue check, tweeted on Thursday that "This is an authentic Twitter account representing the New York City Government This is the only account for @NYCGov run by New York City government" in an attempt to clear up confusion. A newly created spoof account with 36 followers (also without a blue check), disagreed: "No, you're not. THIS account is the only authentic Twitter account representing and run by the New York City Government." Soon, another spoof account — purporting to be Pope Francis — weighed in too: "By the authority vested in me, Pope Francis, I declare @NYC_GOVERNMENT the official New York City Government. Peace be with you." Fewer than 5% of legacy verified accounts appear to have paid to join Twitter Blue as of Thursday, according to an analysis by Travis Brown, a Berlin-based developer of software for tracking social media. Musk's move has riled up some high-profile users and pleased some right-wing figures and Musk fans who thought the marks were unfair. But it is not an obvious money-maker for the social media platform that has long relied on advertising for most of its revenue. Digital intelligence platform Similarweb analyzed how many people signed up for Twitter Blue on their desktop computers and only detected 116,000 confirmed sign-ups last month, which at $8 or $11 per month does not represent a major revenue stream. The analysis did not count accounts bought via mobile apps. After buying San Francisco-based Twitter for $44 billion in October, Musk has been trying to boost the struggling platform's revenue by pushing more people to pay for a premium subscription. But his move also reflects his assertion that the blue verification marks have become an undeserved or "corrupt" status symbol for elite personalities, news reporters and others granted verification for free by Twitter's previous leadership. Twitter began tagging profiles with a blue check mark starting about 14 years ago. Along with shielding celebrities from impersonators, one of the main reasons was to provide an extra tool to curb misinformation coming from accounts impersonating people. Most "legacy blue checks," including the accounts of politicians, activists and people who suddenly find themselves in the news, as well as little-known journalists at small publications around the globe, are not household names. One of Musk's first product moves after taking over Twitter was to launch a service granting blue checks to anyone willing to pay $8 a month. But it was quickly inundated by impostor accounts, including those impersonating Nintendo, pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Musk's businesses Tesla and SpaceX, so Twitter had to temporarily suspend the service days after its launch. The relaunched service costs $8 a month for web users and $11 a month for users of its iPhone or Android apps. Subscribers are supposed to see fewer ads, be able to post longer videos and have their tweets featured more prominently.  

The popular instant audio/video call and messaging app, imo, is set to launch a new “Annual Report” feature on Thursday, aiming to bring people together this Eid-ul-Fitr with enhanced communication amid festivities.  “Imo has always focused on executing meaningful initiatives for the betterment of communities, allowing people to come together and share key moments with each other,” the instant messaging app said in a press release.  The new feature will enable imo users to send their loved ones an 'Annual Report' of the previous year (2022).  Users will be able to avail this feature by clicking on the link sent by imo team through text to generate an Annual Report consisting of the last year's total number of calls, most calls made, most chats and more.  “Users can now easily relive their best moments of last year on imo through this Annual Report and share it with friends, families and close ones on the occasion of Eid while exchanging Eid wishes and pleasantries,” the press release reads.   On this occasion, Mehran Kabir, Business Director at imo, said: "At imo, we focus on innovating meaningful features to our platform that will enhance connections at all levels.” We hope that our newest “Annual Report” feature will add a new dimension to the Eid festivities and make communication more wholesome. Through this feature, imo has yet again proven to be a powerful tool in safeguarding and empowering bonds with loved ones," he said.    

Nowadays, millions of people around the world create YouTube channels and publish videos for diverse purposes like recreation, knowledge-sharing, experience-sharing, brand promotion, and earning. Hackers target successful channels which may waste the time, passion, and hard work of talented YouTubers. However, YouTube channels can be protected from hackers, by following a few simple steps. Let’s find out the ways to ensure a YouTube channel’s security. 14 Effective Tips to Protect YouTube Channel’s Security and Prevent Hacking Create Dedicated Google Accounts Multiple YouTube channels can be created using one Google account. Though it saves time, it is the least secure way to manage multiple YouTube channels. If a hacker gains access to that specific Google account, all YouTube channels connected to that account may get hacked. Therefore, it is recommended to create a separate Google account for each YouTube channel to prevent hacking. Opening a YouTube channel with one’s regular Google account can be risky too. However, if someone’s YouTube channel is created using his or her regular Google ID, then it would be wise to switch the YouTube channel to a separate Google account. Read More: Somoy TV regains control of YouTube channel after it got hacked Keep the email ID Private Many people have a tendency to use the same email address for several related online business accounts. For instance, many Youtube channel owners create business-related accounts with the same Gmail IDs that have been used to create their primary YouTube channels. This practice enhances the risks of hacking. When one uses an email address on any other website, there is a high risk of a breach of privacy and security. As hackers may attempt to access the email address, the Google account may be in danger. Having said that, a YouTube channel owner or manager should never divulge the email address (which is used to manage a YouTube account) to anyone or anywhere. Set a Strong Password There is a great chance of being hacked if one uses the same password across multiple apps, websites, and online platforms. A hacker can access someone’s Google account by obtaining the password from a less secure website where the user has previously applied it. Read More: YouTube Affiliate Marketing: Tips to build a successful channel One should use different passwords for each website one registers with and each account one creates. A unique and strong password needs to be created while opening a new channel under a dedicated Google account. The passwords should be stored somewhere safe; it can be saved in memory or documents. Under no circumstances, the password should be shared with anyone else or reused again. To assure security to a higher level, encryption programs can be used to encrypt the password and save it safely digitally. To decode the password from its encrypted form, all it needs is to remember the decrypt private key. Only the Google account’s real owner can interpret the original password because it is encrypted with a secret key. Use Password Managers Carefully Password managers can store passwords safely in one place. However, relying on password manager apps blindly can be risky. Not every password manager app or tool is secured. Still, today, storing passwords offline is the best way to preserve a YouTube channel's Google account password safely.  Read More: How to Increase YouTube subscribers for free If the YouTube account’s manager wants to sync and store across multiple devices, the Google Password Manager can be used. This default feature of Chrome browser has lots of facilities. Chrome Password Manager notifies the account holder if any password gets compromised. Furthermore, offline passwords can be imported into Google Password Manager. Before using a third-party password manager, don’t forget to check reviews in different forums, and communities about any security breach news. Change Account Password Regularly It is crucial to routinely change the passwords of Google accounts. There is always a danger that one’s credentials can be exposed online or on the dark web. If someone uses the same password for a very long time and it is accidentally disclosed online, he or she may not find time or scope to protect the Google account and YouTube channel from hacking. Read More: Best YouTube Channels to Learn English One can create their own highly safe password using a combination of numbers, symbols, small letters, and capital letters. Different apps and software can be used to generate strong and secure passwords randomly.  Use Two Factor Authentication Two-factor authentication (2FA) is the top-level protection one can give to one’s Google account apart from the password. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google (Alphabet Inc.), has recently revealed his trust in 2FA as the best measure to protect his accounts. If someone’s YouTube channel’s dedicated Google account is not secured with a 2FA, it is high time for the channel owner to enable it. One can easily step up the Google account security with the Authenticator app from Google. It’s recommended to use a dedicated app and not your mobile number for 2FA. Hackers might clone your SIM card and get access to your 2FA codes if they already have access to your password. Read More: Top YouTube Movie Channels to Watch Full Length Movies Online Free When 2FA is enabled on a Google account, for every signing attempt, the system will verify the confirmation code sent on the account owner’s primary phone. Thus, hackers will fail to hack that Google account even if they somehow get the password.

As lawmakers debate whether to ban TikTok nationwide, its Chinese parent company has introduced a new app that's already getting some traction. The app, called Lemon8, is likely to face some of the same scrutiny as TikTok, which has been dogged by claims the Chinese government could force its parent company ByteDance to hand over U.S. user data or push misinformation on the platform. TikTok maintains that hasn't happened. And it's attempting to convince lawmakers it can keep user data safe. Meanwhile, ByteDance is pressing ahead with its expansion plans. Here's what you need to know about the company's new app: WHAT IS LEMON8? Lemon8 is a photo-based app that resembles a mixture of Instagram and Pinterest, and is sprinkled with videos that look like the ones posted on TikTok. Social marketing experts say the app is also reminiscent of the Chinese social media and e-commerce giant Xiaohongshu, which translates to "little red book." Like TikTok, Lemon8's main feed features a "following" section that lets users look at content from creators they follow, as well as a "For You" section that recommends other posts. It also segments posts under different categories, like fashion, beauty and food, and allows users to explore content in other ways. Similar to TikTok and other social media sites, Lemon8 collects user data, such as IP address, browsing history, device identifiers and other information. Both the Apple and Google Play app stores list its owner as Heliophilia Pte. Ltd., a Singapore-based company that shares the same address as ByteDance and TikTok. HOW POPULAR IS IT? Lemon8 was first launched in Asian markets in 2020 and has already made headway in countries like Thailand and Japan, with roughly 7.4 million and 5 million downloads respectively, according to the app analytics company data.ai. It was introduced in the U.S. in February with little fanfare, but all that changed when media organizations started paying closer attention and some TikTok influencers began promoting it. As of Sunday, the app had 290,000 downloads in the U.S., the vast majority of which happened in late March, according to data.ai. It's also listed as one of the most popular apps on Apple's app store. Nicla Bartoli, the vice president of sales at Influencer Marketing Factory, said ByteDance reached out to her company in late February and gave a lengthy presentation about the app and how influencers can use it. She said the agency, which connects brands with influencers, is recommending that influencers try out the app but isn't doing the same with brands since Lemon8's user base is still relatively small. It also remains to be seen if the app will take off more organically or flop. The last five years have been littered with social media platforms that got a lot of hype, only to vanish in the end, said Brendan Gahan, partner and chief social officer at the creative agency Mekanism. He pointed to examples like BeReal and Clubhouse, which garnered a lot of attention in the past two years before users turned their attention elsewhere. "Social app success is difficult to achieve and harder to maintain," Gahan said. WHAT HAS BYTEDANCE SAID ABOUT THE APP? ByteDance did not reply to a request for an interview about how it plans to grow Lemon8. But the company's general counsel Erich Andersen noted in an interview with the Associated Press at a cybersecurity conference last week that it will continue to develop the app. "We're obviously going to do our best with the Lemon8 app to comply with U.S. law and to make sure we do the right thing here," said Andersen, who also serves as TikTok's general counsel. "But I think we got a long way to go with that application — it's pretty much a startup phase." As part of that work, ByteDance is already seeking job applicants for a few U.S.-based roles that will help grow the app's partnerships with influencers on beauty, food, health and other topics. WHAT ELSE IS BYTEDANCE DOING? Another app owned by ByteDance, called CapCut, is also listed on Apple's app store as one of the most popular apps in the U.S. CapCut markets itself as an "all-in-one" video editing tool that allows users to cut or speed up their content, and do other things like add filters and music. Data.ai, the app analytics company, said that app was released globally in April 2020, roughly a year after it was introduced in China. As of Sunday, the group said the editing tool had been downloaded 60 million times in the U.S. and 940 million globally. ARE LAWMAKERS ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT THE OTHER APPS? There is support for a bipartisan bill in the Senate, called the RESTRICT Act, that does not call out TikTok but would give the Commerce Department power to review and potentially restrict foreign threats to technology platforms. But it has faced some pushback from privacy advocates and ring-wing commentators who argue the legislation is too vague and could be abused. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, who sponsored the bill along with Republican Sen. John Thune, said in a prepared statement that the legislation would make it easier to go after other risky apps like Lemon8. "For too long, our government has been playing a game of Whac-A-Mole when it comes to addressing the various foreign technology threats popping up all around us," said Warner, D-Va. "The RESTRICT Act would establish a risk-based, intelligence-informed process to evaluate and mitigate the risks posed by tech from adversarial nations, whether that be Huawei, TikTok, Lemon8, or the next viral technology product pushed by an authoritarian nation."  

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg today (March 23, 2023) announced the launching of a new WhatsApp desktop app for Windows. “Now you can make E2E encrypted video calls with up to 8 people and audio calls with up to 32 people,” Zuckerberg posted on his verified Facebook profile. In a recent blog post, Meta said: “We’ll continue to increase these limits over time so you can always stay connected with friends, family, and coworkers.” The tech giant also announced that its instant messaging app for Windows has got a revamped look with new features. Read More: Meta slashes another 10,000 jobs “The new WhatsApp app for Windows will load faster and is built with an interface similar to the mobile version of the app,” the blog post reads. “We’ve made improvements to device linking and better syncing across multiple devices,” Meta said. To avail the new features, the users have to install the latest update of the WhatsApp Windows desktop app. Once updated, A call option in the chat box – similar to the call icon available in WhatsApp app on Android or iOS – will be visible to the users Meta also announced the new Mac desktop version of the app, which is currently in beta testing. Read More: WhatsApp Communities: Here’s what the latest feature offers Prioritizing the privacy of the users in mind, WhatsApp has rolled out a new feature that gives group admins more control over their group privacy. “As more people join communities, we want to give group admins more control over their group privacy, so we’ve built a simple tool that gives admins the ability to decide who is able to join a group,” Meta said in another blog post.

TikTok has become one of the world's most popular social media platforms, with millions of users generating billions of views daily. The app provides a unique opportunity for people to connect with others, showcase their talents, and even make money. With its unique feature to create and share short videos by adding a few texts, graphics, and music, the platform  Let's find out the most effective ways to make money on TikTok in 2023. 9 Best Ways to Make Money on TikTok in 2023 Developing Videos for TikTok Making interesting and shareable movies might be one of the simplest ways to earn money on TikTok. When you have built up a sizable audience, you can begin to monetize your material by forming partnerships with companies in exchange for paid adverts or sponsored articles. Suppose you want your TikTok videos to be successful. In that case, you should utilize popular music, interact with the people who follow you, and produce fresh material on a continuous basis. This is normally the first stage for all the other ways to make money on TikTok. You must make lots of videos to grow your audience. The larger the audience, the more potential for earning money will create. Read Money: How to Earn Money from YouTube Channel Marketing Based on Influence You may also earn money on TikTok by working with businesses and becoming an influencer if you have a huge audience engaged with your content. Brands are continuously seeking prominent users on TikTok to cooperate with so that they may advertise their goods or services to a larger audience and reach more people. You may make direct contact with businesses, or you can utilize platforms that are specifically designed for influencer marketing. TikTok Live TikTok Live is a tool that gives users the ability to stream live videos to their respective followers. Going live allows you to interact with your audience in real time, increasing the likelihood that you will win presents that can afterward be traded in for monetary compensation. Read More: How to Earn Money from Instagram Make sure to connect with your viewers, answer any questions they may have, and keep your broadcast exciting and entertaining if you want to get the most out of TikTok Live.