United News of Bangladesh

Amazon’s smart doorbell brand Ring has ended its planned partnership with police surveillance technology firm Flock Safety, following criticism sparked by a Super Bowl commercial. The backlash came after a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl showed a lost dog being located through a network of cameras, raising concerns among viewers about the risks of an overly monitored society. However, the feature highlighted in the ad, called “Search Party,” was not connected to Flock, and Ring did not cite the advertisement as the reason for ending the collaboration. Ring said the companies jointly decided to cancel the integration after a review found that the project would need far more time and resources than initially expected. The company added that the integration was never launched and that no customer video footage was ever shared with Flock. Flock also confirmed that it never received any Ring customer data and described the decision as mutual, saying it would allow both firms to better focus on serving their own users. The company said it remains committed to helping law enforcement with tools that comply with local laws and policies. Flock operates one of the largest automated license-plate reader networks in the United States, with cameras installed in thousands of communities capturing billions of images monthly. The firm has faced criticism amid tougher immigration enforcement policies, though it says it does not directly partner with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and previously paused pilot programmes with border and homeland security units. Privacy concerns around Ring’s devices have resurfaced due to the ad, which used artificial intelligence to track the dog across a neighbourhood. Critics on social media warned the same technology could be used to monitor people. Russia blocks WhatsApp, urges citizens to switch to state-backed Max app The Electronic Frontier Foundation said Americans should be concerned about possible privacy erosion, noting Ring already uses facial recognition through its “Familiar Faces” feature. Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Edward Markey urged Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy to discontinue that technology, saying the reaction to the commercial shows strong public opposition to constant monitoring and invasive image recognition tools.

Russia has confirmed it has blocked the popular messaging app WhatsApp, directing citizens to use the government-backed Max app instead. The move comes shortly after authorities began restricting access to Telegram, another widely used messaging platform in Russia, relied upon by millions including military personnel, senior officials, state media, and government agencies such as the Kremlin and communications regulator Roskomnadzor. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the decision to block WhatsApp was due to alleged legal violations by its parent company, Meta, which also owns Facebook and Instagram. He described Max as an “affordable alternative” and a “developing national messenger.” Peskov added that the authorities acted because WhatsApp had allegedly refused to comply with Russian law. Earlier on Thursday, WhatsApp released a statement saying the Russian government had “attempted to fully block” the service, calling the move an effort to “drive people to a state-owned surveillance app.” The company warned that isolating over 100 million users from secure and private communication is a “backwards step” that could reduce safety for people in Russia, and pledged to continue efforts to keep its users connected.  #With inputs from CNN

Adam Mosseri, head of Meta’s Instagram, testified Wednesday in a landmark social media trial in Los Angeles that he does not believe people can become clinically addicted to social media. The question of addiction is central to the case, in which plaintiffs are seeking to hold social media companies accountable for alleged harms to children. Meta and Google’s YouTube remain the two active defendants, while TikTok and Snap have already settled. The lawsuit at the heart of the trial involves a 20-year-old identified as “KGM,” whose case could influence thousands of similar lawsuits. KGM and two other plaintiffs were chosen for bellwether trials to test arguments before a jury. Mosseri, who has led Instagram since 2018, said there is a distinction between clinical addiction and what he described as “problematic use.” A plaintiff’s attorney cited Mosseri’s earlier podcast remarks using the term “addiction,” but he said he had likely used the term casually. “I’m not a medical expert, but someone very close to me has struggled with clinical addiction, which is why I’m careful with my words,” he said. He added that “problematic use” occurs when someone spends more time on Instagram than they feel comfortable with, which he acknowledged does happen. “It’s not good for the company long-term to make decisions that benefit us but harm people’s well-being,” Mosseri said. During testimony, Mosseri and plaintiff attorney Mark Lanier debated cosmetic filters on Instagram that alter appearances in ways some say encourage cosmetic surgery. Mosseri said the company aims to keep the platform as safe as possible while limiting censorship. Bereaved parents in the courtroom appeared visibly emotional during the discussion on body image and filters. On cross-examination, Mosseri rejected suggestions that Instagram targets teens for profit. He said teens generate less revenue than other demographics because they click fewer ads and often lack disposable income. Lanier cited research showing that users who join social media at a young age are more likely to remain active, creating long-term profit potential. “Often people frame it as safety versus revenue,” Mosseri said. “It’s hard to imagine a case where prioritizing safety isn’t also good for revenue.” Instagram has introduced features aimed at improving safety for young users, but reports last year found teen accounts were recommended age-inappropriate sexual content and material related to self-harm and body image issues. Meta called the findings “misleading and dangerously speculative.” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify next week. The company is also facing a separate trial in New Mexico that began this week.

Russian authorities have started limiting access to Telegram, one of the country’s most widely used messaging apps, as part of efforts to steer citizens toward state-controlled digital platforms. On Tuesday, the government announced it was restricting Telegram to “protect Russian citizens,” accusing the platform of failing to remove content officials describe as criminal and extremist. Russia’s communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, said in a statement that restrictions on Telegram would remain in place “until violations of Russian law are eliminated.” The regulator claimed that users’ personal data was not adequately protected and that the platform lacked effective measures to prevent fraud and the use of the service for criminal or extremist activities. Telegram has denied the allegations, saying it actively works to prevent abuse of its platform. State news agency TASS reported that Telegram is facing fines totaling 64 million rubles, about 828,000 US dollars, for allegedly refusing to delete banned content and failing to comply with self-regulation requirements. After the restrictions took effect on Tuesday, users across Russia reported significant disruptions. According to the monitoring website Downdetector, more than 11,000 complaints were filed in the past 24 hours, with many users saying the app was either inaccessible or operating more slowly than usual. YouTube rolls out auto-dubbing globally with expanded language support Telegram is widely used in Russia by millions of people, including members of the military, senior officials, state media and government institutions such as the Kremlin and Roskomnadzor itself. Pavel Durov, Telegram’s Russian-born founder, said in a statement that the attempt to restrict the app would not succeed. He said Telegram stands for freedom of speech and privacy regardless of pressure. Durov accused the Russian government of trying to push citizens toward a state-run messaging service designed for surveillance and political censorship. He noted that Iran had attempted a similar move eight years ago by banning Telegram in an effort to promote a government-backed alternative, but the strategy ultimately failed.

Bitcoin prices have dropped to their lowest level in about 16 months, despite strong public support for cryptocurrency from US President Donald Trump. At one point, Bitcoin fell to around $60,000, the lowest since September 2024, before recovering slightly. The fall came after a long rally that pushed the digital currency to a record high of $122,200 in October 2025. Joshua Chu, co-chair of the Hong Kong Web3 Association, said Reuters that investors who took big risks are now facing the reality of market ups and downs. He said the current situation is a reminder of how important risk management is in volatile markets. Bitcoin had gained strong momentum over the past year, helped by Trump’s vocal backing of crypto and his promise to ease regulations on the sector. However, after Thursday’s drop, Bitcoin is now down about 32% over the past 12 months and is moving closer to price levels seen in early 2024 and 2021. Bitcoin is the world’s largest and most well-known cryptocurrency. It is a form of digital money that is not controlled by any central bank or government. Bitcoin surges past $118,000 for first time as Crypto momentum grows According to the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), about 8% of UK adults invested in crypto in 2025, down from the previous year. However, the average amount invested has increased, with many people now holding between £1,000 and £5,000 worth of digital assets. After returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump signed an executive order aiming to make the US the world’s leading hub for cryptocurrency. He also launched his own crypto-related business ventures and continued involvement in family-owned crypto investment firms. During his current term, the Trump administration has taken several pro-crypto steps, including reducing regulatory enforcement. Democrats, however, have criticised his approach, saying Trump has personally gained billions of dollars from crypto holdings and transactions. Bitcoin briefly slips below $85,000 amid broad crypto downturn Analysts say Bitcoin’s latest fall may be linked to Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh as the new head of the US Federal Reserve. Some investors expect tighter monetary policy, which usually puts pressure on assets like cryptocurrencies. Deutsche Bank said Bitcoin has been falling for four months, with growing negative sentiment as traditional investors lose interest. While the bank does not expect crypto to disappear, it also does not see a quick return to past highs. Other major cryptocurrencies, including Ethereum and Solana, have also fallen by about 37% so far this year. CoinGecko reports that the overall crypto market has lost more than $2 trillion in value since peaking in October.   With inputs from BBC.

YouTube has expanded its auto-dubbing feature worldwide, allowing creators to reach a broader global audience as the platform added support for 27 languages and introduced new tools to improve translated audio quality. The video-sharing platform said auto-dubbing is now available to all users, marking a major step in reducing language barriers on YouTube. The company reported that in December 2025 alone, about six million daily viewers watched at least 10 minutes of auto-dubbed content, indicating growing adoption of the feature. Under the expanded system, videos can now be automatically dubbed into English from a wide range of languages, including Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Malayalam, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tamil, Telugu, Turkish, Urdu and Vietnamese, among others. Dubbing from English is currently supported in 20 languages, including Bengali, Hindi, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish. YouTube has also launched an “expressive speech” feature for channels in eight languages – English, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. The company said this tool is designed to better capture the original tone, emotion and energy of the speaker, making dubbed audio sound more natural. Microsoft unveils AI Content Marketplace In addition, YouTube has introduced a “preferred language” setting that gives users more control over how they consume content. While the platform still defaults language selection based on viewing history, users can now choose preferred languages so that videos originally uploaded in those languages will play without translation. Acknowledging that dubbed videos may sometimes appear unnatural due to mismatched lip movements, YouTube said it is testing a lip-sync pilot feature that aligns translated audio with a speaker’s lip movements to create a more realistic viewing experience. The company said creators have also been considered in the rollout. YouTube’s smart filtering technology can identify content that should not be dubbed, such as music videos or silent vlogs. According to the platform, auto-dubbing will not negatively affect a video’s discoverability and could help creators reach new audiences in other languages.  #With inputs from Hindustan Times

Malaysia has announced an immediate and complete ban on the import of electronic waste, declaring it will no longer allow itself to become a dumping ground for hazardous waste from abroad. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said late Wednesday that all electronic waste, or e-waste, has been reclassified under the “absolute prohibition” category with immediate effect. The move removes the discretion previously held by the Department of Environment to approve exemptions for importing certain types of e-waste. MACC chief Azam Baki said e-waste imports are now strictly prohibited and pledged firm and coordinated enforcement to prevent illegal shipments from entering the country. Malaysia has struggled for years with large volumes of imported e-waste, much of it suspected to be illegal and harmful to both human health and the environment. Authorities have seized hundreds of containers at ports in recent years and ordered many shipments to be returned to their countries of origin. Spain moves to ban social media use for children under 16 Environmental groups have repeatedly called for tougher measures, warning that e-waste such as discarded computers, mobile phones and household appliances often contains toxic substances and heavy metals, including lead, mercury and cadmium, which can contaminate soil and water if mishandled. The ban comes as authorities expand a corruption investigation linked to e-waste management. Last week, the MACC detained and remanded the director-general of the Department of Environment and his deputy over alleged abuse of power and corruption related to e-waste oversight. Investigators have also frozen bank accounts and seized cash connected to the case. Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Home Ministry said in a social media post that the government would step up efforts to curb e-waste smuggling. “Malaysia is not a dumping ground for the world’s waste,” the ministry said, adding that e-waste poses a serious threat to the environment, public health and national security.

Microsoft has launched a pilot platform that allows artificial intelligence developers to pay publishers for using licensed “premium content” to train their AI models, aiming to create a new revenue stream for media organisations while improving the quality of AI-generated responses. The platform, called the Publisher Content Marketplace (PCM), will enable publishers to set their own pricing and licensing terms, according to a Microsoft blog post released on Tuesday. The voluntary marketplace is open to all types of publishers and is designed to give AI developers scaled access to authorised training data. Microsoft said PCM will also provide publishers with insights into how their content is used for AI training, helping them better understand its value and determine appropriate licensing conditions. The company stressed that publishers will retain ownership of their content as well as full editorial independence. Microsoft tops Wall Street assumption with $81.3B in revenue The initiative comes amid growing tensions between publishers and big technology companies over the use of copyrighted material for training large language models. Many AI systems have been developed using vast amounts of online data, including news content, often without explicit permission. Several publishers have responded with legal action. The New York Times has filed copyright infringement lawsuits against Microsoft and OpenAI, while in India, members of the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA), including The Indian Express, have challenged OpenAI over what they describe as the unlawful use of copyrighted material. At the same time, some major publishers have signed licensing agreements with AI companies to monetise their content. Microsoft acknowledged that traditional models of content distribution are being disrupted by the rise of AI-powered search and conversational tools. “The open web was built on an implicit value exchange where publishers made content accessible, and distribution channels like search helped people find it,” the company said, adding that this model does not easily translate to an AI-first environment. The technology giant said much authoritative content remains behind paywalls or within specialised archives, making sustainable and transparent licensing mechanisms increasingly important as AI adoption grows. Microsoft to invest $17.5 billion in India for AI and Cloud infrastructure Microsoft said PCM has been developed in partnership with several US-based publishers, including Vox Media, The Associated Press, Condé Nast and People. To assess the impact of licensed material, the company tested its Copilot AI chatbot using premium content and found that it significantly improved the quality of responses. The company added that it plans to continue piloting the platform and is looking to onboard additional partners, including Yahoo, in the coming months. #With inputs from Indian Express

French authorities have launched a sweeping investigation into Elon Musk’s social media platform X, raiding its offices on February 3 as part of a probe into the company’s algorithms and its artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok. French prosecutors have summoned Musk and former X chief executive Linda Yaccarino to appear at hearings on April 20. Several other X employees have also been called to testify as witnesses during the same week. The cybercrime division of the Paris prosecutor’s office is examining X over seven separate allegations, including complicity in the distribution of child sexual abuse imagery, dissemination of content denying crimes against humanity, and fraudulent extraction of data. The details were outlined in a February 3 statement by Paris chief prosecutor Laure Beccuau, cited by The New York Times. The raid follows a year-long investigation into the alleged misuse of X’s content-ranking algorithms, alongside claims that data may have been improperly extracted by the platform or its executives. The inquiry was initially opened in January 2025 after concerns emerged about how X’s algorithm promotes and circulates content, report NDTV. Prosecutors later expanded the scope of the case following accusations that Grok had generated Holocaust denial content and sexual deepfakes. Authorities also alleged that X had discontinued a tool designed to limit the spread of child sexual abuse material, raising fears that such content was being allowed to circulate unchecked. Read More: Elon Musk tops $700bn net worth milestone after Tesla pay package reinstated In addition, investigators said Grok may have enabled users to create sexualised versions of existing images without the consent of those depicted. French officials further accused X of refusing to provide subscriber information linked to suspected criminal activity, deepening tensions between the platform and law enforcement. The raid came a day after Musk announced plans to merge his artificial intelligence company, xAI, with his rocket firm SpaceX. Responding to the action, X said it “categorically denies any wrongdoing,” describing the investigation as politically motivated and claiming it misapplies French law, bypasses due process, and threatens freedom of expression. Separately, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office said on February 3 that it has opened its own formal investigation into Grok, focusing on how personal data is processed and reports that the chatbot was used to generate non-consensual sexual imagery, including involving children.

Paris prosecutors have summoned X owner Elon Musk for questioning after conducting a raid on the platform’s offices in the French capital as part of an investigation into the alleged spread of sexual deepfakes, child abuse images and Holocaust denial content. The Paris prosecutor’s office said the search was carried out early Tuesday by its cybercrime unit in cooperation with the French police cybercrime division and Europol. Authorities have issued voluntary summonses for Musk and former X chief executive Linda Yaccarino to appear and answer questions about the platform’s compliance with French law. Prosecutors said the investigation covers several suspected criminal offenses, including complicity in the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material, violations of personal rights through the creation of sexual deepfakes, denial of crimes against humanity and the alleged fraudulent extraction of data from an automated processing system as part of an organized group. “The voluntary interviews with the managers should allow them to explain their position on the facts and, where applicable, the compliance measures envisaged,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. Musk and Yaccarino have been asked to appear in Paris during the week of April 20, although it remains unclear whether prosecutors have the legal authority to compel their attendance. Meta faces trial in New Mexico after undercover investigation The Paris prosecutor’s office also announced it was closing its official X account and would instead communicate through LinkedIn and Instagram. Europol later said the probe relates to “a range of suspected criminal offences linked to the functioning and use of the platform, including the dissemination of illegal content and other forms of online criminal activity.” X did not immediately respond to media requests for comment. However, the company’s global government affairs account criticized the move, calling the raid an abuse of law enforcement intended to serve political objectives rather than impartial justice. Musk echoed that view in a post on his personal X account, describing the investigation as “a political attack.” X has faced growing scrutiny and political pressure from European governments and the European Union over its role in spreading harmful or illegal content and its potential influence on elections. #From Agencies