Tuesday, March 19

Tag: WhatsApp

US Govt Filed Antitrust  Lawsuits Against Facebook For Crushing Smaller Competitors
News

US Govt Filed Antitrust Lawsuits Against Facebook For Crushing Smaller Competitors

Washington, Dec 10, 2020: The US government and 48 states have filed parallel antitrust lawsuits against Facebook, accusing the social media giant of anti-competitive conduct by abusing its market power to create a monopoly and crushing smaller competitors, a move which may force it to sell WhatsApp and Instagram. Soon after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and 48 state attorney generals sued the California-headquartered company, Facebook shares fall significantly. The bipartisan coalition led by New York attorney general Letitia James alleged that Facebook has engaged in a systematic strategy to eliminate threats to its monopoly. This includes its 2012 acquisition of up-and-coming rival Instagram, its 2014 acquisition of the mobile messaging app WhatsApp and the imposition of ant...
Facebook Acquires Chatbot Startup Kustomer
ACQUISITION

Facebook Acquires Chatbot Startup Kustomer

Social media platform Facebook acquire Kustomer, a customer service chatbot for an undisclosed sum. But according to The Wall Street Journal sources the deal has valued the company around $1 billion. Kustomer is an omnichannel CRM platform that brings customer conversations from various channels together into a single-screen view. It helps businesses automate repetitive tasks so their agents can maximize the time and quality of interactions with customers. Facebook plans to use Kustomer’s bot in its Whatsapp and messenger service to scale the client's businesses and innovate its product offering via automation. Facebook in its press release said, "We’ve witnessed this shift firsthand as every day more than 175 million people contact businesses via WhatsApp. This number is growing...
WhatsApp added Shopping button in its App
News

WhatsApp added Shopping button in its App

New York, 11th Nov. 2020: Leading messenger platform WhatsApp has added a new shopping button on its app to make it easier for people to discover a business catalog to get information about the goods and services offered by the firm. More than 175 million people message a WhatsApp Business account every day and more than 40 million people view a business catalog each month. "And, we want to make the shopping experience even better especially as we get ready for a holiday shopping season unlike any other when people will need helpful ways to make purchases remotely and businesses want digital tools to close sales," WhatsApp said in a statement. The new shopping button is available now across the world and will replace the voice call button, it added. To find the voice call butt...
Brazil suspends Whatsapp Payment Service
News

Brazil suspends Whatsapp Payment Service

Brazil's central bank ordered Visa and Mastercard to suspend a joint project with WhatsApp to roll out digital payments within the popular messaging service, over fears it would be anti-competitive. Brazil, which has the second-most WhatsApp users worldwide after India, was the pilot country for the platform's new integrated payments feature, which it launched on June 15 with an eye to rolling it out worldwide. But the central bank, which regulates payment systems in Brazil, put the new feature on hold indefinitely. "The reason for the central bank's decision is to preserve an adequate competitive environment, ensuring an interoperable, fast, secure, transparent, open and economical payment system," it said in a statement. WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, is the most popu...
Facebook Launched WhatsApp Payment Service in Brazil
News

Facebook Launched WhatsApp Payment Service in Brazil

SAO PAULO, 15th June 2020 -- Facebook launched its WhatsApp payment service in Brazil today. With the addition of Visa’s trusted payment technology, WhatsApp users will now be able to swiftly and securely send and receive money to family and friends, and to make purchases from small businesses on the popular global messaging service. Payments on WhatsApp will allow users to send money to individuals or local businesses within a chat, attaching payment as they would a photo or video. WhatsApp tested the payment system in India beginning in 2018. The Brazil launch will be the first nationwide rollout and will introduce the ability to directly pay a business. The company has over 120 million individual users in Brazil, its second-largest market behind India. “WhatsApp is heav...
WhatsApp Video Call now supports up to 8 Participants
News

WhatsApp Video Call now supports up to 8 Participants

WhatsApp will now allow up to eight people to connect on a group video call as an increasing number of people turn to digital platforms to connect with friends and family amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Facebook-owned company said over the last month, people on average are spending over 15 billion minutes talking each day on WhatsApp calls, well above a typical day before the pandemic. "...we see that people all over the world are turning to voice and video calling on WhatsApp more than ever before. Group calling has been particularly useful and our users have asked to connect with more people at once," WhatsApp said in a blogpost. Starting Tuesday, the company is doubling the number of participants one can have on a WhatsApp video or voice call from 4 to 8 people at a time, it a...
Facebook buys Reliance Jio 9.9% Stake for $5.7 billion
ACQUISITION

Facebook buys Reliance Jio 9.9% Stake for $5.7 billion

Facebook announced an acquisition of a 9.9% stake in India's largest telecom operator Jio Platforms Ltd for USD 5.7 billion (Rs 43,574 crore). With this deal, the social media giant looks to expand its presence in its largest subscriber-based market. "Today, we are announcing a USD 5.7 billion, or Rs 43,574 crore, investment in Jio Platforms Limited, part of Reliance Industries Limited, making Facebook its largest minority shareholder," the fb said in a statement. Facebook's move to pick up about a 10 percent stake in Jio Platforms will accelerate Jio's digital monetization drive and put Reliance Industries (RIL) on course to turn net debt-free by March 2021, said Indian analysts. It said that Facebook's investment into this entity will further Reliance Industries' digital in...
Hackers Sending Coronavirus Map Link on Whatsapp to Steal Your data
News

Hackers Sending Coronavirus Map Link on Whatsapp to Steal Your data

Even as the whole world grapples with rising COVID-19 cases, cyber fraudsters have devised a malware called "coronavirus map" to steal confidential data, including bank account details and passwords. Pixr8 News team found out about the malware a week ago and urging people not to open any coronavirus-related links circulated on social messaging apps. Cyber fraudsters are using a malware called coronavirus map, which can compromise your confidential data. People are taking precautionary measures by spreading awareness about this unauthorized link, he added. The malware link, shared widely on messaging apps like WhatsApp, claims that it has important information about ways to prevent coronavirus infection, he said. If one clicks on the link, it installs a spy software, which c...
Coronavirus: How Pune School Using Technology to Teach its Students
INDIA

Coronavirus: How Pune School Using Technology to Teach its Students

Coronavirus may have led to the closure of schools and colleges in Maharashtra, but technology and social media apps have come to the rescue of students. A Phoneix world school at Kharadi, Pune is using WhatsApp and Gmail to send class assignments to its students. The local government had directed schools and colleges in the state to remain shut till March 31, due to the coronavirus outbreak in the state. Despite the lockdown, educators at Phoneix world school at Kharadi, Pune have ensured that there are no roadblocks in the process of learning, by giving class assignments on WhatsApp and Gmail. Teachers have formed class-wise WhatsApp groups to help students continue their studies without interruption. "I have been sending different subjects assignment for my students. I a...
WhatsApp Now Has 2 billion Users
News

WhatsApp Now Has 2 billion Users

The Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp now has more than two billion users around the world. WhatsApp, acquired by Facebook in 2014, has grown into one of the most-used services in the Facebook "family" of apps, offering free messaging along with voice and video calls. "Private conversations that once were only possible face-to-face can now take place across great distances through instant chats and video calling," a WhatsApp blog post said. "There are so many significant and special moments that take place over WhatsApp and we are humbled and honored to reach this milestone." The statement said WhatsApp remained committed to its "strong encryption" that enables users to connect privately even amid calls by law enforcement in the United States and elsewhere to provide more...
Facebook Launched Unified Payment System for Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp
News

Facebook Launched Unified Payment System for Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp

San Francisco, Nov 12: Zuckerberg led Facebook said it is consolidating the system that handles payments at the social network and in its family of messaging apps. The move comes in a climate of political rhetoric that includes calling for the California-based internet company to be broken up. Transactions such as payments or donations at Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp or the main social network will eventually be handled by a unified Facebook Pay system, according to marketplace and commerce vice president Deborah Liu. "People already use payments across our apps to shop, donate to causes and send money to each other," Liu said in an online post. "Facebook Pay will make these transactions easier while continuing to ensure your payment information is secure and protected." Fa...
Whatsapp Says Alerted Indian Govt of Spyware Attack in Sept Too
INDIA

Whatsapp Says Alerted Indian Govt of Spyware Attack in Sept Too

4th Nov, 2019: WhatsApp had informed the Indian government in September that 121 Indian users were targeted by the Israeli spyware Pegasus, but IT ministry has contended that the information received from the messaging app earlier was inadequate and incomplete, according to sources. Sources at WhatsApp said the messaging platform has now responded to the government’s last week’s query seeking an explanation on the Pegasus spyware incident that allegedly snooped on journalists and human rights activists across the world, including India. The IT ministry sources said they have received a reply from WhatsApp and are studying it, and that a view on it will be taken soon. While declining to comment on the details of the fresh response sent last week, sources in WhatsApp said the compa...