News
WhatsApp delays new privacy policy by three months amid severe criticism
It has clarified that the update does not affect data sharing with Facebook with regard to personal conversations or other profile information and only addresses business chats in the event a user converses with a company’s customer service platform through WhatsApp.

NEW DELHI: WhatsApp announced delaying by three months the implementation of a new privacy policy that has faced massive backlash with tens of millions of its users moving from the platform to rivals like Signal and Telegram.
The policy change was originally scheduled to come into effect on February 8, the Facebook-owned company said.
It has clarified that the update does not affect data sharing with Facebook with regard to personal conversations or other profile information and only addresses business chats in the event a user converses with a company’s customer service platform through WhatsApp.
“We’ve heard from so many people how much confusion there is around our recent update. There’s been a lot of misinformation causing concern and we want to help everyone understand our principles and the facts,” WhatsApp said in a company blog.
“WhatsApp was built on a simple idea: what you share with your friends and family stays between you. This means we will always protect your personal conversations with end-to-end encryption, so that neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can see these private messages. It’s why we don’t keep logs of who everyone’s messaging or calling. We also can’t see your shared location and we don’t share your contacts with Facebook,” it said further.
Asserting that none of that changes, the company said, “The update includes new options people will have to message a business on WhatsApp, and provides further transparency about how we collect and use data. While not everyone shops with a business on WhatsApp today, we think that more people will choose to do so in the future and it’s important people are aware of these services. This update does not expand our ability to share data with Facebook.”
The company said it was moving back the date on which people will be asked to review and accept the terms.
“No one will have their account suspended or deleted on February 8. We’re also going to do a lot more to clear up the misinformation around how privacy and security works on WhatsApp. We’ll then go to people gradually to review the policy at their own pace before new business options are available on May 15,” it added.
The company released a separate blog post Friday trying to clear up the confusion, and it included a chart that specifies what information is protected when someone uses WhatsApp.
Facebook executives, including Instagram chief Adam Mosseri and WhatsApp head Will Cathcart, also used Twitter to try and clear up the confusion.
Facebook’s poor privacy track record, and the fact that WhatsApp has over time turned its sights on monetising the platform for its large international user base, has eroded trust in the chat app, which, in turn, has had the effect of turning a relatively mundane update into a worldwide controversy.
WhatsApp now says it is now going to use the three-month delay to better communicate both the changes in its new policy and its long-standing privacy practices around personal chats, location sharing, and other sensitive data.
“We’re now moving back the date on which people will be asked to review and accept the terms,” the blog post reads.
The company said no one will be losing access to the app if they didn’t agree to the new terms of service agreement that communicated the changes earlier this month.
“We’re also going to do a lot more to clear up the misinformation around how privacy and security works on WhatsApp. We’ll then go to people gradually to review the policy at their own pace before new business options are available on May 15,” it added.
Source: Press Trust of India
News
After OLED, its Google TV; Panasonic expands its TV Portfolio in India

NEW DELHI: Panasonic Life Solutions India – a diversified technology company, today announced the launch of its new range of Google TVs. This follows the successful launch of OLEDs recently. The company plans to introduce a total of 23 new models of television powered by the Google TV platform.
The latest range of Google TVs, featuring 4K HDR and Smart capabilities are designed to provide an immersive and unparalleled viewing experience to consumers. Panasonic’s new range of TVs are available in different display size options (including 32’, 43’, 55’, 65’, and 75’ inches) and ranges between Rs 19,990 to Rs 3,19,990. These will be available at Panasonic stores, dealer networks and key e-commerce platforms.
Commenting during the launch, Fumiyasu Fujimori, Managing Director, Panasonic Marketing India, Panasonic Life Solutions India, said, “As a leading consumer technology company, we are excited to introduce our new range of Google TVs to the Indian market. Our TVs are designed to deliver exceptional picture quality and immersive sound, providing customers with an unparalleled viewing experience. The addition of Google TV to our robust TV portfolio reinforces our commitment to providing the latest technology, and innovation to the customers.”
Fujimori san added, “With an intuitive interface, preference prompts, one can control their TV and search for content using voice commands with Google Assistant. The platform also allows users to customize their home screen with their favourite OTT apps and channels and make their own watchlist, enabling them to add shows and movies from their TV, mobile app or Google Web by simply clicking the watchlist icon. Moreover, the platform offers an easy-to-browse streaming experience across all apps, displaying everything the user stream on one screen. In addition, the TVs come with built-in Chromecast, allowing users to cast content from their phone or tablet directly to their TV.”
Panasonic’s Google TV series is designed to provide customers with the ultimate entertainment experience by enhancing the four key elements of television – Display, Sound, Connectivity, and Design.
News
White House meets Microsoft, Google CEOs on AI dangers

The White House is hosting CEOs of top artificial intelligence companies, including Alphabet Inc’s Google and Microsoft, on Thursday to discuss risks and safeguards as the technology catches the attention of governments and lawmakers globally. Generative artificial intelligence has become a buzzword this year, with apps such as ChatGPT capturing the public’s fancy, sparking a rush among companies to launch similar products they believe will change the nature of work.
Today, @POTUS and @VP met with CEOs to underscore the fundamental responsibility companies have to ensure their AI products are safe before they’re released, and the importance of responsible American innovation in AI that protect people’s rights and safety. pic.twitter.com/r6k9s3pGDU
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 5, 2023
Millions of users have begun testing such tools, which supporters say can make medical diagnoses, write screenplays, create legal briefs and debug software, leading to growing concern about how the technology could lead to privacy violations, skew employment decisions, and power scams and misinformation campaigns. President Joe Biden has also used ChatGPT, a White House official told Reuters. “He’s been extensively briefed on ChatGPT and (has) experimented with it,” said the official, who asked that they not be named.
Thursday’s two-hour meeting which began at 11:45 am ET (1545 GMT), will include Google’s Sundar Pichai, Microsoft Corp’s Satya Nadella, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, along with Vice President Kamala Harris and administration officials including Biden’s Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Director of the National Economic Council Lael Brainard and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “We aim to have a frank discussion about the risks we see in current and near-term AI development,” said a senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Our North Star here is this idea that if we’re going to seize these benefits, we have to start by managing the risks.”
Ahead of the meeting, OpenAI’s Altman told reporters the White House wants to “get it right.” “It’s good to try to get ahead of this,” he said when asked if the White House was moving quickly enough on AI regulation. “It’s definitely going to be a challenge, but it’s one I’m sure we can handle.”
The administration also announced a $140 million investment from the National Science Foundation to launch seven new AI research institutes and said the White House’s Office of Management and Budget would release policy guidance on the use of AI by the federal government. Leading AI developers, including Anthropic, Google, Hugging Face, NVIDIA Corp, OpenAI, and Stability AI, will participate in a public evaluation of their AI systems.
Shortly after Biden announced his reelection bid, the Republican National Committee produced a video featuring a dystopian future during a second Biden term, which was built entirely with AI imagery. Such political ads are expected to become more common as AI technology proliferates.
United States regulators have fallen short of the tough approach European governments have taken on tech regulation and in crafting strong rules on deepfakes and misinformation. “We don’t see this as a race,” the senior official said, adding that the administration is working closely with the U.S.-EU Trade & Technology Council on the issue.
In February, Biden signed an executive order directing federal agencies to eliminate bias in their AI use. The Biden administration has also released an AI Bill of Rights and a risk management framework. Last week, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division also said they would use their legal authorities to fight AI-related harm. Tech giants have vowed many times to combat propaganda around elections, fake news about the COVID-19 vaccines, pornography and child exploitation, and hateful messaging targeting ethnic groups.
But they have been unsuccessful, research and news events show. Just about one in five fake news articles in English on six major social media platforms were tagged as misleading or removed, a recent study by activist NGO Avaaz found.
Source: Reuters
5g
Airtel announces its largest ever 5G roll-out in 125 cities

NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel, India’s telecommunications services provider, today announced the launch of its ultra-fast 5G services in 125 cities. Airtel 5G Plus service is now available to customers in over 265 cities in the country.
Airtel 5G Plus has three compelling advantages for customers. First, it runs on a technology that has the widest acceptance in the world with the most developed ecosystem. This ensures that all 5G smartphones in India seamlessly work on the Airtel network. Second, the company promises to deliver the best experience – between 20 to 30 times higher speeds than today coupled with brilliant voice experience and super-fast call connect. Finally, Airtel 5G Plus network will also be kinder to the environment with its special power reduction solution. Powered by the reliable Airtel network infrastructure, Airtel 5G Plus will provide superfast access to High-Definition video streaming, gaming, multiple chatting, instant uploading of photos et all.
Commenting on the launch, Randeep Sekhon, CTO, Bharti Airtel said, “5G has revolutionized the world of internet, ushering new era of connectivity and communications that will prove to be a game-changer for the country. At Airtel, we remain committed to delivering the highest quality of network and service to our customers as we roll-out 125 more cities today. Airtel was the first in the country to offer 5G services in October 2022, and today’s mega launch is our promise to connect every Airtel customer in the country with ultra-fast Airtel 5G Plus. Our 5G rollout is on track to cover all towns and key rural areas by March 2024.”
Airtel 5G Plus service availability will continue to rapidly expand – including service in all towns and villages in the country soon – as the company is working towards offering nationwide coverage. Airtel is now offering its 5G services in every major city from the upper northern city of Jammu to the southern tip of Kanyakumari.
In the last one year, Airtel has demonstrated the power of 5G with a host of powerful use cases that will change the way customers lead their lives and do business. From India’s first live 5G network in Hyderabad to India’s first private 5G network at the BOSCH facility in Bengaluru to partnering with Mahindra & Mahindra to make its Chakan manufacturing facility, India’s first 5G enabled auto manufacturing unit, Airtel has been at the forefront of 5G innovation.
-
News6 months ago
Tech Mahindra Inks MoU with Digital Economy Promotion Agency
-
5g6 months ago
Apollo Hospitals, Bharti Airtel conduct industry’s first 5G/AI guided colonoscopy and more briefs
-
News6 months ago
India gets off the block in packaging semiconductors
-
News7 months ago
Mobile operators to lose $2.5 billion of business messaging revenue to OTT apps globally by 2023
-
News7 months ago
Naveen Patnaik inaugurates Happiest Minds Development Centre at Bhubaneswar
-
News6 months ago
Cyber crime threat to India’s progress, security: Pramod Sawant
-
Appointments5 months ago
Bharti Airtel appoints Naval Seth as head of investor relations
-
Appointments5 months ago
Asus India hires Tribhuwan Joshi