Instagram's recommendation algorithms linked and encouraged a "vast network of paedophiles" seeking illicit underage sexual content and conduct, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). These algorithms also marketed the sale of unlawful "child-sex material" on the network, it said. The report is based on a joint investigation by the Wall Street Journal and researchers from Stanford University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst looking into child pornography on Meta's platform. Buyers might even "commission specific acts" or organize "meet ups" on some accounts. Also read: Instagram adds new tools to help content creators earn money "Pedophiles have long used the internet, but unlike the forums and file-transfer services that cater to people who have interest in illicit content, Instagram doesn't merely host these activities. Its algorithms promote them," the WSJ report said. "Instagram connects pedophiles and guides them to content sellers via recommendation systems that excel at linking those who share niche interests." According to the investigation, Instagram users may search for child-sex abuse hashtags. According to the researchers, these hashtags directed users to accounts that offered to sell paedophilic items and even included footage of minors harming themselves. Also read: Meta brings Facebook Reels to Bangladesh Anti-paedophile campaigners alerted the corporation to accounts purporting to belong to a girl selling underage sex content. The activists got automated answers that stated, "Because of the high volume of reports we receive, our team hasn't been able to review this post." In another situation, the message advised the user to conceal the account in order to avoid viewing its material, the report said. A Meta spokesperson confirmed receiving the reports but failing to act on them, attributing the failure to a technological glitch, it also said. Also read: Instagram adds new tools to help content creators earn money The company told the WSJ that it has repaired the flaw in its reporting system and is offering fresh training to its content moderators. "Child exploitation is a horrific crime. We're continuously investigating ways to actively defend against this behaviour," the spokesperson said. Meta claims to have shut down 27 paedophile networks in the last two years and is preparing more. It also stated that hundreds of hashtags that sexualize minors, some with millions of postings, had been banned, the report concluded. Read more: Wish you could tweak that text? WhatsApp is letting users edit messages

Twitter CEO Elon Musk has reportedly indicated that the social media platform is now valued at less than $20 billion. According to technology news websites Platformer and the Information, who broke the story first, the estimate of Twitter’s valuation was based on Musk’s offer of equity grants to employees, reports BBC. A poo emoji was automatically sent in response to a BBC request for comment via Twitter’s press office email account, after Musk’s announcement of the strategy in a tweet earlier this month. Read More: Elon Musk apologizes after mocking disabled Twitter employee Meanwhile, Twitter reports that parts of the source code that powers multi-billionaire Elon Musk’s social media platform have been leaked online. It claimed that the code was uploaded to the Microsoft-owned website GitHub, where developers share code, the report said. After Twitter made a request for its removal, it was taken down. Read More: Elon Musk hopes to have Twitter CEO toward the end of year After cutting more than a third of Twitter’s staff and dealing with a loss of advertising since acquiring the company in October of last year, the leak presented Musk with a new challenge, said the report.

Facebook has been an integral part of connecting people all over the globe. But the impact of Facebook is not limited to only connecting people. With over 2.8 billion monthly active users, Facebook is one of the strong platforms to reach out to prospective customers for your business. In Bangladesh, the utilization of this social networking platform in business has increased significantly since the pandemic.  The F commerce in Bangladesh has seen rapid growth in the last few years. The current market cap stands at around 312 crore BDT which contributes a significant amount to the e-commerce revenue. So, do you think you have something to sell online? Here’s our detailed guideline to get you going on your F-commerce venture.  Read GP Accelerator Program 3.0: Paving the Way for Successful Startups How to open a Facebook shop from Bangladesh? To keep things short and not make them boring, we won't be diving into the step-by-step process of opening a page itself. Rather we will focus on what most people miss or get wrong while opening a page. The process is pretty self-explanatory and intuitive.  A catchy name  Do you know what gets the attention of the potential customers right away? The name. Your business should have a unique and catchy name that grabs the attention of the customers. Something that the customers would remember for a long time.  Try and come up with something catchy and relevant to your product. Go along with something that creates a self-brand centering you or the product range. The end goal is to grab the attention of the customer. If it’s a niche-based business, try to go for something relevant to the niche.  Read:Pickaboo: Story of successful electronics eCommerce platform And if you own an established business with some form of customer base, you can stick with the ‘name’ that has already worked for your business.  Getting the Right Display/ Cover Picture   When you have got the name for your business, you have overcome a massive hurdle. Now let's talk about getting the page started.  After naming your Facebook shop page, you need to move on to choosing a display picture. Typically, everyone goes with the business logo. And if you don’t have one, get one. The logo can be something simple that embodies who you are and what you are trying to sell.  Read Best Business Ideas Amidst the Pandemic and New Normal Choosing an appropriate cover picture is equally important as well. Use it to highlight the customer-centric approach and all the other aspects of the business. Create a multipoint contact space for the customers and highlight them on the cover picture.  Adding Business Details  This is probably the most important aspect when it comes to setting up a page. Up until this point, whatever you did was either guided or intuitive, but things get a bit more intricate from here. Whatever you put forth from here it can either make or break your online business.  The first thing to sort is what type of business you are offering. This is important as Facebook has a set of algorithms that will promote your business to an industry-specific niche. Let's say you're a business that plans to sell ready-made clothes. Make sure to select "clothing line” from the list of businesses. Correct selection of the sector is important to reach the target customer.  Read How to Test and Validate Your Startup Idea? Business Description  Ever heard of a minute to win it? Well, this is something similar except you get 250 characters to showcase your business. Be crafty and decisive about your words as this is what your prospective clients will be seeing the first thing. The proverb goes, the first impression is the last impression. You need to be convincing about your business so that you can convert a prospective lead to a real buyer.  Categories  Categories are something similar to selecting your business niche. You get to add multiple categories depending on the services you’re offering. Now don't go overboard with the tags though. We suggest you be concise about your category selection as they play a huge role when you boost your page or post.  Read: E-commerce Scams: Ways to Protect Your Investment from Online Frauds Contact  This is also another important aspect. This is where the personal touch of your marketing comes into play. Typically, you should provide your phone number along with an email ID to tag along with the contact list. Make sure to have contacts active as this also acts as a first impression to the customer service.  Timing  When are your business hours? People often differ on this point. Many think an online business should follow the traditional business hours whereas others think it should cater around 24/7 since there virtually is no constraint when everything is online.  We think it's impossible to cater to your customer 24/7 unless you have a dedicated team for that. However, most mainstream businesses won't even need that sort of extreme timing. We suggest sticking with the schedule when you can ensure optimum customer support without personal disruption.  Read 7 Ways to Become a Genuine Expert in Your Chosen Field Follow a Theme  You should set up a theme for your business. What we mean is, whatever you're posting or sharing online from your page, make sure they follow the same structure or design elements. This will help to bring consistency across the page feed making it pleasing for potential customers. A theme also helps to stand out from the others creating a unique distinction for the business.  The key here is to stand out from the rest. The more the elements stand out, the more chances for the business to get noticed and create better customer traffic. Read: Agro-Tech Startups in Bangladesh: Tech revolution in Agriculture Sector Tell Your Story  Every business has a story to tell and this is your poetic moment of glory. Talk about your vision, your ideas, what prompted this business and where do you see your business in the near future. In short, tell stories to which the potential customers can relate. Make it engaging so that they feel a part of your business. The key here is to captivate the emotion of your potential customer and use it to expand on the sales front. Post Post Post  Keep your clients engaged with regular updates and posts. We cannot stress the importance of this point enough. You need to keep your customers hooked with your page so that they are constantly reminded of your presence. The more they think about you, the more they’ll be prompted to buy your product.  Read: Bangla QR Payment: The Contactless Payment System of EBL Self-Branding  Spread the word of your business yourself because no one else will. Invite friends and families to like your page to make it more engaging. That’s how a business grows, through word of mouth and exceptional service.  Final Thoughts  The influence of Facebook is immense. The traffic it holds is unprecedented and the opportunities are virtually untapped. There is no better time than now to take your business to the online platform through F-commerce and other social handles.  As you grow to get started with the entrepreneurial venture, Facebook can be your next big tool to expand the business to new dimensions. Read Truck Lagbe raises $4 mln Series A fund to transform trucking market of Bangladesh