Instant messaging application WhatsApp has announced to launch three new privacy features including the ability to hide your online status from particular contacts.
According to details, the application would provide its users with the ability to exit WhatsApp groups silently, and block screenshots for “View Once” images.
WhatsApp head Cathcart and Meta Chief Mark Zuckerberg announced the new features.
The application has announced to provide its users with the ability to hide their online status. Previously, users had the ability to hide their ‘Last Seen’ which has now been extended to ‘online’ status too.
Moreover, the users will be able to hide their ‘online status from particular contacts too. Users could choose to completely hide the last seen online status from everyone, only unknown numbers, specific contacts, or from nobody.
A new “Who can see when i’m online” feature will be added under the last seen settings, with two options – ‘Everyone’ and ‘Same as Last Seen.’
Instagram will pause features that users have campaigned against and complained make the social network too much like TikTok, according to a report in the Platformer tech newsletter.
Celebrity sisters Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner were some of the most vocal users to have posted messages on social media this week calling for the company to “make Instagram Instagram again” and stop trying to be like TikTok.
The slogan sprang from a Change.org petition that had received more than 229,000 signatures as of late Thursday. “Let’s go back to our roots with Instagram and remember that the intention behind Instagram was to share photos, for Pete’s sake,” the petition read.
A survey revealed that TikTok has become the fastest-growing news source for adults in the United Kingdom (UK), reported The Guardian.
The UK’s communication watchdog reported that 7% of adults use the short video platform for news, while in 2020, the figure was 1%.
Ofcom’s annual report on the consumption of news in the country showed that teenagers aged 12-15 replaced BBCOne and BBC Two with TikTok and YouTube.
Ofcom’s director for strategy and research Yih-Choung Teh said that teenagers were highly unlikely to pick up a newspaper. They keep up-to-date by scrolling through social media platforms.
The most popular official news sources on the platform include the BBC,Sky News, and ITV.
With one billion users globally, TikTok is a huge platform owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance.
In the US as well, a quarter of adults say they always use TikTok for news. Almost half the millennial and Gen Z public do the same, an analysis by Forrester Research showed.
However, a senior research associate at the Reuters Institute for the Study Journalism said that people looking for news seriously did not use TikTok. He said that it was used to get news related to celebrities and other non-serious issues.
Even in the Ofcom survey, only three out of 10 people considered TikTok a trustworthy source of news.
The CEO of Instagram Adam Mosseri revealed that the application will shift towards video content over time, however, it will continue to support photos as well.
Mosseri’s statement came following the negative feedback from celebrities Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian, saying “make Instagram, Instagram again” and that it was becoming more like the famous video-sharing application TikTok.
“Now, I want to be clear, we’re going to continue to support photos. It’s a part of our heritage,” Mosseri said in the video message on Twitter.
“That said, I need to be honest, I do believe that more and more of Instagram is going to become video over time. We see this even if we change nothing,” he added.
Giving a clarification over concerns from the users, Mosseri said that the “Full-Screen Feed” is a test for a few percentages of people and it is not just for videos, but for photos too.
However, he said that this feature is “not yet good”.
“We have to take it to a good place if we’re going to ship it to the rest of the Instagram community,” added the CEO.
👋🏼 There’s a lot happening on Instagram right now.
I wanted to address a few things we’re working on to make Instagram a better experience.
WhatsApp, owned by Meta, is testing a new feature that will be rolled out in the near future. WhatsApp is working on allowing users to quit groups without informing other members, save for the group administrators, of their departure. In spite of this, all members of the group will still be able to access a feature called “previous participants.
All group members will be able to see who has left the group in the last 60 days by going to this new section in group info.
Because this feature is still in the process of being developed, it is not yet ready to be made available to beta users.
A previous rumor said that WhatsApp is working on a new feature that would enable users to send audio notes on their status updates. In the meanwhile, this development was brought to your attention.
The term “voice status” may be used to refer to a voice message that is posted as a status update.
This functionality will only be accessible to the contacts that you choose under the privacy settings of your status, and the voice note that you record will be end-to-end encrypted in the same manner as other photographs and videos that you post to your status.
Talent is highly prized around the world, and youthful talent is even more so. It’s incredible to be young and achieve significantly more than folks twice your age. Not everyone is meant to reach a certain level of fulfilment in their lives, but if you are ambitious and determined, you can attain your goals with hard work and devotion. Success is never easy, but it appears significantly more difficult and dangerous when you are young. When it comes to young people making a difference in society or introducing new ideas, the name of Subtain Zahid, a young man from Islamabad, Pakistan, must be mentioned. Being ambitious and beginning to work for your objectives at an early age might be a blessing in disguise,Despite this, many people only realise the worth of time after it has passed. Because they are afraid of the problems they will confront, most young people choose to daydream rather than move out of their comfort zone and work on their goals. Subtain Zahid, on the other hand, holds a different viewpoint. Once you’ve started down the road to success, he believes there’s no turning back. Falling and rising are natural parts of the process, and those who maintain their momentum are lucky. Subtain Zahid is a good example of this.
Who is Subtain Zahid?
Subtain Zahid is a 19-year-old young man. His born in 16th march,2003 in Sheikhupura Punjab. He currently resides in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital. He is now pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Economics at Bahria University Islamabad. His father works for the government. Since he was in fifth grade, he has wanted to become famous on social media. It was a significant risk, but it provided him the motivation he needed to work hard and try new things. He began blogging in 2019 and has over 200k Instagram followers (Subtain blogs). He also works as an influencer and content provider in addition to writing. He collaborated with a lot of Pakistani companies. He has also worked with global brands and campaigns. Finally, he got his big break when he became renowned on Instagram, Tiktok, and other social media platforms.
What does Subtain Zahid have to say about his success?
It wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows. Subtain experienced his first taste of disappointment at a young age, owing to his early achievement. He tells us of a period when he was on the verge of losing a year. He was 33 percent burned by high voltage current in 2016, spent a month in the ICU, and had to redo grade 9 because he wasn’t prepared for the tests. He understands the value of time and believes that if he didn’t waste it, he would be more senior in the class in which he is currently enrolled. However, everything happens for a reason. If he does not lose his one year, he would never see his helpful and loving friends again. He stated that he had received backing from family and friends is a blessing.
Advice to young Creators.
Subtain learned by trial and error when he first started working in social media and had no one to look up to in Pakistan. But now that he’s settled into his niche, he’s ready to offer some advise to those who are just getting started with social media.
If you want to do something in life, you must be determined. There will be many challenges ahead, and you must be bold enough to tackle them all. Just keep in mind that the path to your dream is not easy. So, even if there are no immediate benefits, staying on task and working hard is crucial.
Creating a strong team while creating content. Trusting the proper people will take you a long way, and in order to do so, you must carefully select your team. That does not include everyone you know, but only those who are qualified, hardworking, and skilled in their respective industries.
Time management, time management is very important. If you say, “I can’t give time to this social media for content creation,” then you are a very lazy person in my opinion, because it is impossible to be busy 24/7. If you look around the world, you will notice that people who are always on top manage their time and work hard.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced zero tax for registered IT freelancers. He said that Pakistan can increase its IT export up to Rs 50 billion.
He made these remarks while inaugurating E-Commerce Portal in Islamabad on Tuesday.
Imran Khan observed that the world is rapidly moving towards digitalization and Pakistan had to make progress at the same pace. He maintained that when they came into power, the condition of the country was very bad but I asked my cabinet members not to worry about it. The prime minister said that he had full understanding and realization of the circumstances.
He lauded the services of Bill Gates for Pakistan as he had spent a huge amount on the eradication of polio in the country. Bill Gates also gave us good advice about the promotion of Information Technology (IT) in Pakistan.
On the 10th March, 2021, Pakistan and Japan agreed to enhance cooperation in the field of information technology (IT) and the telecommunication sector.
According to details, a meeting was held between IT Minister Aminul Haq and Japanese Ambassador Kuninori Matsuda in which issues of mutual interest were discussed between the two.
In the meeting, Federal Minister Aminul Haq said that steps are being taken for the development of the IT and telecommunication sector in the country, adding that Pakistan’s IT and telecom sector is developing rapidly.
The Federal Minister said that Pakistan values its relations with Japan and wants to benefit from Japan’s experience in the field of technology. Islamabad: The environment is conducive for investment in Pakistan. Japanese companies should invest in the IT and telecom sector in Pakistan.
Amin-ul-Haq said that in the first half of the financial year, IT exports increased by 40 per cent.
On the occasion, the Japanese Ambassador said that the role of the Ministry of IT in the development of the IT and telecom sector was commendable.
This is the second round of investment raised by the Lahore-based startup after angel investment from Walled City Co. in 2018
Daftarkhwan currently houses more than 1,650+ professionals across 5 locations in 3 cities
Lahore (21 February 2022): In the latest series of funding rounds for Pakistani startups, Daftarkhwan has raised seed funding from regional classifieds giant EMPG.
EMPG owns and operates a staggering 10 brands across 16 countries in the property and classified spaces, and reached unicorn status in 2020. In Pakistan, EMPG leads the market with Zameen.com, Zameen Developments, OLX and Lamudi.pk.
Daftarkhwan kicked off operations in 2016 and is one of the pioneers of the coworking movement in Pakistan. What started off as an experimental 20-people coworking facility now has 5 distinct locations and hosts 1,650+ professionals across 3 cities on a daily basis. During COVID-19, Daftarkhwan grew 5X and expanded into 2 new cities. With the sites currently under development, Daftarkhwan is set to double in size once more and will host 3,000+ individuals across its facilities nationwide by Q3 2022.
In a lot of ways, the growth of Daftarkhwan has been reflective of the growth of the startup ecosystem in Pakistan. As tech startups have grown and become key players in mainstream Pakistani economy, so has Daftarkhwan and the coworking paradigm. Over the years, Daftarkhwan has been a core driver of the startup ecosystems of Lahore and has seen such stellar member companies as Airlift, Jugnu, Unlayer and Careem, among many others, take root and take-off. The superstar Pakistani and regional startups currently operating out of Daftarkhwan have raised $570 million in investments in 2021 alone.
“Since its inception, Daftarkhwan’s singular focus has been to help founders build and scale their businesses. Inadvertently, this has given us a front row seat to the phenomenal growth of the startup industry in Pakistan,” said Saad Idrees, the co-founder of Daftarkhwan.
“Daftarkhwan has always taken great pride in being more than just an office for its community of entrepreneurs and innovators, and we are excited to expand this community further,” Idrees added.
EMPG CEO Imran Ali Khan said Daftarkhwan represents Pakistani ingenuity at its best.
“One of the key drivers of EMPG’s own success has been its investment in the right people above all else, and the team at the helm of Daftarkhwan are some of the most hard-working, ambitious and dedicated people in Pakistan’s startup ecosystem,” said Khan.
With this seed round, EMPG joins Walled City Co as investors in Daftarkhwan as the company gears up to change how people work all over Pakistan.
RAWALPINDI: Commander Royal Navy of Oman Rear Admiral Saif Nasser Mohsen al Rahbi on Monday praised the Pakistan Navy’s contribution to maritime security.
He expressed these views during the meeting with Naval Chief Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi in Islamabad.
The meeting focused on issues of mutual interest and the advancement of bilateral naval cooperation.
The Pakistan Navy’s responsibilities and capabilities were explained to the visiting dignitary.
The visit of the Command Royal Navy Oman will assist promote bilateral collaboration, said the spokesperson for the Pakistan Navy.
Earlier in November last year, Oman’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Omar Ahmed al Marhoon, met with Pakistani Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and discussed the inauguration of a ferry service between the two nations as well as methods to encourage tourism.
Pakistan is considering launching a ferry service connecting Middle Eastern seaports to Karachi and Gwadar, foreign media reported.
The country has long dreamed of launching a service that connects Pakistani ports with Dubai, Oman, and Iran, making it easier for passengers to travel to these locations by giving different routes.
The private sector has also been encouraged to invest in this mode of transportation by the South Asian government.
Pakistani interior ministry quoted Ambassador Al-Marhoon as saying that Ferry service between Pakistan and Oman will commence soon and it will boost trade and tourism between Pakistan and Oman.
ISLAMABAD: National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has awarded the mandate for the deployment of Point-of-Sales (POS) terminals to HBL for the acceptance of credit and debit cards at NADRA Centers across the country.
These POS terminals are being deployed at all NADRA Centers on the directives and recommendation of the government of Pakistan and the State Bank of Pakistan said a news release issued here on Wednesday.
The agreement in this regard was signed between Tariq Malik, Chairman – NADRA, and Muhammad Aurangzeb, President, and CEO – HBL. Senior officials from both organizations were also present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Tariq Malik, Chairman – NADRA said that installing POS Terminals at NRCs would allow payment through debit and credit cards. NADRA Centers across the country have a massive public footfall every day and digitalizing payment systems would allow the citizens to have multiple payment options, offering them an easy and secure mode of payment while pivoting towards a Digital Pakistan, he said.
He said that the adoption of POS Terminals at the NRCs offers accounting efficiency and accuracy. He said that the NRCs will now be accepting more currencies as the applicants are often Overseas Pakistanis with foreign bank accounts and payment cards.
Through this partnership, HBL will be deploying its POS terminals at all NADRA Centers nationwide. This initiative is pivotal towards improving Pakistan’s digital infrastructure, enabling HBL to play its part in supporting NADRA to digitalize its identification systems at large. It will allow applicants at NADRA to have multiple payment options by offering the ease and convenience of service.
On the occasion, President and CEO HBL Muhammad Aurangzeb, said, “We are delighted to be awarded this mandate. HBL and NADRA have a longstanding relationship, spanning over many years. HBL as the Government of Pakistan’s primary bank has implemented many strategic programs in partnership with NADRA to bring convenience and ease for the public.
This partnership furthers HBL’s strategic priority of promoting digitalization across the country.”
Adan Fatima 