TRAI Exploring Emergency Ban on WhatsApp and Facebook

TRAI releases Consultation Paper on Regulatory Mechanism for Over-The-Top (OTT) Communication Services, and Selective Banning of OTT Services.

India's telecom services regulator, TRAI, has floated a consultation paper to explore a framework for internet-based calls and messaging apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Apple's FaceTime etc. and selectively ban their services during emergency situations.

Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has requested TRAI to suggest a suitable regulatory mechanism for OTTs, including issues relating to 'selective banning of O1T services' as part of its recommendations to DoT.

Further, a parliamentary panel has recommended the DoT to examine the recommendation of TRAI and come out with a policy which will enable the selective banning of OTT services such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram during unrest and crisis as these apps are prone to be used by terrorists or anti-national elements in specified regions.

In December 2021, a Parliament’s Standing Committee on Communication and Information Technology submitted its 26th report titled ‘Suspension of telecom services/ Internet and its impact’.

The Committee feels that it will be of great relief if the DoT can explore the option of banning selective services, such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram etc. instead of banning the Internet as a whole. This will allow financial services, health, education, and various other services to continue to operate for business as usual thereby minimizing inconvenience and suffering to the general public and also help in controlling spreading of misinformation during unrest.

Through the letter dated 7th September 2022, DoT has also mentioned that "in view of the humongous growth of services in the recent past and these services having reached a matured stage, there is a need to holistically look into the various aspects of these services induding regulatory, economic, security, privacy, and safety aspects. This is also in keeping with para 2.2 of the National Digital Communications Policy - 2018 which mentions the policy goal for "Ensuring a holitic and harmonal approach for harnessing Emerging Technologies' It has been mentioned therein that a policy framework for 'Over the Top' services will be developed."

The consultation paper mentions — "In some use cases such as messaging, consumer preferences have switched from traditional telecommunication services to OTTs. With OTTs used increasingly for messaging and to some extent for voice communication, globally, the general trend is a transition from voice and SMS towards data as a primary source of revenue for telecom service providers. In India, composition of the revenue basket of wireless access service providers has undergone a sea-change in the period from the year 2013 to 2022.

Cloud based OTTs : An Issue for Selective Banning

DoT has informed committee that services hosted on cloud are difficult to ban selectively since they operate from multiple locations in multiple countries and continuously shift from one service to the other. However, websites operating through fixed URLs can be banned.

The websites that use dynamic IP addresses and are hosted on cloud servers can pose a challenge to conventional methods of blocking – said the consultation paper. In such situations, such situations, alternative methods may be necessary to effectively control internet filtering. Advanced techniques can be employed to identify and block access to such websites.

Further, there may be scenarios where the targeted websites use Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (https) protocol. HTTPS protocol provides encryption and security for websites, making it difficult for service providers to block content on these sites. However, there are still ways to block or filter content at a network level, such as using a firewall or content filtering software. As far as area specific barring is concerned, it also needs to be carried out at network level, for which effective methods are required to be worked out.

The Department have also informed the parliamentary committee that Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram etc. are basically categorized as OTT services in short. These OTT services are riding over the existing telecom service provider's network.

In the consultation paper, the regulator has sought views on the requirement of a framework for OTTs encompassing lawful interception, privacy and security, customer verification, pesky calls and messages, technical challenges in banning specific service etc.

In the past several consultation papers, TRAI has set aside the demand for regulating internet-based calling and messaging apps.

TRAI has set August 4 as the last date for comments on the paper and August 18 for counter comments.

Meta (Facebook) Launching New Twitter Rival 'Threads'

Meta, the parent of Facebook and Instagram, is unveiling a new app that appears to directly compete with Twitter, a micro-blogging platform owned by Elon Musk.

Named "Instagram Threads", the app is expected to be launched on July 6, according to the App Store listing of the upcoming app showing a version ready for Apple’s iPhone.

A new Wikipedia page of Thread also appeared saying — "Designed as a platform for real-time conversations and sharing, Threads aims to provide users with a similar experience to Twitter, with an emphasis on public, text-based posts and conversations (also known as microblogging), and is closely linked to and based on sister social networking service Instagram."

Existing Instagram users will be able to keep their user names and follow the same accounts on the new app, according to screenshots displayed on the App Store listing.

Of late, a number of Twitter competitors have emerged including former Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey’s Blueskey, and Donald Trump’s Mastadon.

The choice of the name Thread is also interesting as a Thread, is one of the features of Twitter that is — a linked series of tweets, which was introduced as an official feature in 2017.

However, few reports suggest that 'Threads' was originally the name of a 2019 app Meta launched to compete with the popular messaging app Snapchat. The product was later abandoned but Meta retained the branding.

Mishi Choudhary, Technology Lawyer & Online Civil Rights Activist, and founder of SFLC.in, said, "The current state of mayhem at Twitter presents a great opportunity for Meta to offer an alternative to users. But Meta's abysmal privacy record is bound to raise concerns. Threads is perfectly capable of acquiring a large user base considering it's based on Instagram that boasts of over 2 billion users."

German Data Protection Commissioner Orders Govt Authorities and Agencies To Leave Facebook By the End of the Year

All German authorities and government agencies have to leave Facebook by the end of the year as a data protection-compliant operation of a fan page is not possible on the American online platform, orders the Federal Data Protection Commissioner (Golem).

In a letter to government departments and agencies earlier this month, commissioner Ulrich Kelber said Facebook had provided no way to run pages for institutions, whose feed users can subscribe to by clicking "like", in an EU-compliant way.

Kelber said it was impossible to run a fan page in such a way that followers' personal data was not transmitted to the United States. Under EU law, personal data can only leave the EU for a jurisdiction with equivalently strict data protection rules, something that is not the case for the United States.

"Given the continuing violation of personal data protection, there is no time to waste," Kelber wrote to the government organisations. "If you have a fan page, I strongly recommend you switch it off by the end of the year."

Besides Facebook, Kelber would also begin auditing other social media apps such as Facebook-owned Instagram,  TikTok, and Clubhouse. Pointing to data privacy concern, Kelber has advised authorities to remove accounts from these sites as well.

This move from Data Protection Commissioner comes as pressure from European regulators on Big Tech intensifies. Last week, Germany’s antitrust watchdog launched an investigation into Apple, after similar probes into Facebook, Google and Amazon.

Facebook Launching Smartwatch with Two Cameras and Heart Rate Monitor, Next Year

Tech giant Facebook could launch its first smartwatch in the market soon. The social networking giant is gearing up to unveil its smartwatch with dual cameras and heart rate monitor by next summer.

According to The Verge report, the upcoming device will feature a display with two cameras that can be detached from the wrist for taking pictures and videos that can be shared across Facebook's suite of apps, including Instagram.

The Facebook smartwatch will have a display that has two cameras. It will be detachable from the wrist so users can take pictures and videos with it, and share them on Facebook apps including Instagram from the smartwatch. A camera on the front of the watch display exists primarily for video calling, while a 1080p, auto-focus camera on the back can be used for capturing footage when detached from the stainless steel frame on the wrist.

Facebook is tapping other companies to create accessories for attaching the camera hub to things like backpacks, according to two people privy with the project, both of whom requested anonymity to speak without Facebook's permission.

The idea is to encourage owners of the watch to use it in ways that smartphones are used now. It's part of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's plan to build more consumer devices that circumvent Apple and Google, the two dominant mobile phone platform creators.

Facebook is working with the top wireless carriers in the US to support LTE connectivity in the watch, meaning it won't need to be paired with a phone to work, and sell it in their stores, the people familiar with the matter said.

Colors - The smartwatch will come in white, black, and gold.

In future versions of the watch, Facebook is planning for it to serve as a key input device for its planned augmented reality glasses. The company plans to use technology it acquired from CTRL-labs, a US-based startup that has demonstrated armbands capable of controlling a computer through wrist movements.

Launch - Facebook aiming to release the first version of the watch in the summer of 2022 and is already working on second and third generations for subsequent years.

About the cost of upcoming smartwatch, The Verge report said that the smartwatch could be priced around US$400 (Rs 29,000 roughly). However, nothing has been officially confirmed so far.

Facebook Launches 'BARS' - A TikTok-like App for Creating, Sharing Raps

To take on Chinese short-video platform TikTok, Facebook has launched a new content creation app called 'BARS', specifically designed for budding rappers. 

However unlike TikTok, BARS app does not focus on transitions and lip-syncing to make content. The new app designed by the social networking giant’s New Product Experimentation (NPE) R&D team allows budding rappers to focus on the lyrics rather than investing their time on expensive equipment, studio bookings etc.

Currently under closed beta testing, the BARS app is currently available only in the Apple App Store in the US region only and makes it easy to create and share raps so that rappers can focus on and experiment with the content, "rather than investing heavily in equipment and production".

"Audio production tools can be complicated, expensive and difficult to use. With BARS, you can select one of our professionally-created beats, write lyrics and record yourself dropping bars," Facebook said in a statement on Friday.

"BARS auto-suggests rhymes as you're writing to keep your flow going. You can also jump into Challenge mode and freestyle with auto-suggested word cues. Choose from a variety of audio and visual filters to take your creations to the next level," the company added.

Simplilearn Announces Collaboration with Facebook to Offer Facebook's Digital Marketing Associate Certification

- Learners to get free voucher for the Facebook Certified Digital Marketing Associate exam

- Masterclasses conducted by Facebook trainers

BANGALORE, India, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Simplilearn, world's number one online bootcamp for digital economy skills training, today announced its collaboration with Facebook to integrate the Facebook Blueprint Digital Marketing Associate Certification into its Digital Marketing courses. As part of this collaboration, Simplilearn will make a Facebook Blueprint certification exam voucher available to graduates of Simplilearn's Digital Marketing Specialist Program and the PG Program in Digital Marketing. On completion of these learning programs, users can avail the voucher free of cost, and experience Facebook trainers. The certification is ideal for fresh graduates, job aspirants and marketing professionals. 

Facebook Blueprint is one of the top and most popular Digital Marketing certifications globally. The certification allows digital marketing aspirants to showcase their expertise in advertising across Facebook platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. Facebook Blueprint Certification badges can be easily shared on Facebook and other social media platforms, enhancing one's job portfolio with a competitive edge.

Speaking about the partnership, Anand Narayanan, Chief Product Officer, Simplilearn said, "With more people consuming information online, digital marketing has become a lifeline for brands as they seek to reduce marketing spends, drive greater ROI, and follow their customers online. In turn, this is creating a demand for PPC practitioners, digital brand managers, content & SEO experts, CRM, and email marketing specialists. Digital marketing is today exploding with new opportunities, opening growth avenues and indicating the need for aspirants to have an extra edge to stand out of the crowd. We are happy to collaborate with Facebook and bring to learners the opportunity to acquire a Facebook Blueprint certification. Through our digital marketing programs and the Facebook partnership, we aim to enable future marketers with a skillset which brings a significant value-add to potential employers.''

About Simplilearn

Simplilearn is the world's #1 online Bootcamp for digital economy skills training focused on helping people acquire the skills they need to thrive in the digital economy. Simplilearn provides outcome-based online training across technologies and applications in Data Science, AI and Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, Cyber Security, Digital Marketing, DevOps, Project Management, and other critical digital disciplines. Through individual courses, comprehensive certification programs, and partnerships with world-renowned universities, Simplilearn provides millions of professionals and thousands of corporate training organizations with the work-ready skills they need to excel in their careers. Based in San Francisco, CA, and Bangalore, India, Simplilearn has helped more than one million professionals and 2,000 companies across 150 countries to get trained, acquire certifications, and reach their business and career goals. With over 1,000 live classes each month, real-world projects, and more, professionals learn by doing at Simplilearn. Ongoing industry recognition for the company includes the 2020 Aegis Graham Bell Award for Innovation in EdTech and the 2020 Stevie® Gold Award for Customer Service Success. For more information, please visit www.simplilearn.com .

Facebook Acquires CRM Platform Kustomer for $1 Billion

Facebook has acquired New York-based Kustomer, a startup specializing in customer-service CRM platforms and chatbots, for a reported sum of $1 billion. However, officially Kustomer said that the acquisition transaction will be subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approval. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Started in August 2015, Kustomer is an omnichannel Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) CRM platform specializing in customer service.

"Kustomer businesses will continue to own the data that comes from interactions with their customers. Facebook eventually expects to host Kustomer data on secure Facebook infrastructure. In doing so, Facebook will act as a service provider at the instruction of business customers. This is an industry standard practice among many companies that offer service solutions", read the Kustomer website's announcement by Brad Birnbaum, CEO and Co-Founder, Kustomer.

"While Facebook will not automatically use Kustomer data to inform the ads that a user sees, businesses will have the option to use their data at Kustomer for their own marketing purposes, which may include separate advertising services on Facebook," it added.

Post acquisition, Kustomer will work closely with Facebook. In particular, Kustomer will enhance the messaging experience which is one of the fastest growing ways for people and businesses to engage.

Kustomer was last valued at $710 million in a private funding round and it raised $60 million in Series E round this month only.

Indian Govt wants Tech Giants Google, Amazon and Facebook to Provide Source Code and algorithms

India’s government is working on a policy which include tough rule that will require tech giants like Google, Amazon and Facebook to provide source code and algorithms, said a report by Bloomberg.

The proposed rules aims to build a wall against unfair monopolistic practices and create a more competitive business environment for local businesses.

The proposed 15-page policy draft (as seen by Bloomberg), prepared by DPIIT, includes a mandate that allows government to access online companies’ source codes and algorithms, which the ministry of commerce says would help ensure against “digitally induced biases” by competitors.

The proposed draft also talks of ascertaining whether e-commerce businesses have “explainable AI,” referring to the use of artificial intelligence.

The draft further states - "There’s a tendency among some of the leading companies to exercise control over most of the information repository"

E-commerce companies will be required to make data available to the government within 72 hours, which could include information related to national security, taxation and law and order, the proposed draft said.

The report by Bloomberg states that -- for at least last two years the government of India has been working on the e-commerce policy in order to fulfill calls of local businesses/startups, wherein they wants to reduce the dominance of global tech giants like Amazon, Google and Facebook.

Notably, in the previous drafts the data localization was the primary point but it got criticism for being insensitive towards local startups and businesses. Surprisingly, the new draft leaves the question -- as which e-commerce platforms would have to keep data locally -- unanswered.

Facebook Co-Founder's B Capital Group Closes $820 Mn 2nd Fund to Invest in Growth-Stage startups

B Capital Group, a VC fund founded by Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin and Ex-Bain Capital executive Raj Ganguly, has announced the close of its second fund, an $820 million vehicle, to invest in growth-stage startups .

Launched five years ago (2014), B Capital now has total assets under management at $1.44 billion, with close of its second fund.

The San Francisco headquartered B Capital Group invests in B2B and B2B2C companies in Enterprise technology (including SaaS, infrastructure AI/ML and security), Fintech, Healthcare Tech, Consumer enablement technology, and Transportation and Logistics.

B Capital typically invests between $10 and $60 million in companies at Series B, C and D stages that are positioned for rapid expansion.

In most recent investments by B Capital bringing several new companies to the portfolio, the firm invested in Synack, a crowdsourced cybersecurity testing platform powered by the world’s most skilled ethical hackers, and Khatabook, the Bangalore-based startup that digitizes local businesses through bookkeeping and online payments.

Last year in April, B Capital invested in Bangalore-based Wicked Ride Adventure Services Pvt. Ltd, which operates 'Bounce' app, an online rental service for scooters and motorcycles. In the same month, the firm had closed $406 Million Fund.

Facebook Launching its Own VC Fund to Invest in Tech Startups

Facebook is launching its own venture capital fund aimed at making small investments in tech startups and for same, the social network has been hiring seasoned tech investors and has even hired at least one veteran investor already to lead a new "multimillion dollar" investment fund within its experimental apps team, reported The Axios.

According to Axios, Facebook has confirmed that it has hired someone for the role of "head of investments", for which Facebook has posted a job opening recently. The role is for its New Product Experimentation (NPE) team, Facebook has however declined to name the person or say how large the fund would be.

The report further said that to help manage the new fund Facebook's NPE team has Shabih Rizvi, a Google and Kleiner Perkins veteran who was most recently at Gradient Ventures, one of the corporate venture firms owned by Alphabet, Google's parent company.

It is to be recalled that in 2007, Facebook in partnership with VC firms Accel and Founders Fund had debuted fbFund, which is a seed fund providing micro-seed investments for companies developing websites and applications related to Facebook. Its portfolio included GeckoGo and Lyft's precursor, Zimride.

Notably, many big tech companies have their own internal venture funds. Intel was one of the first, which is gradually followed by Microsoft, Google, Qualcomm and others.

Razorpay to Facilitate Donations for Facebook Fundraisers

Stepping up its efforts in the COVID-19 battlefield, Razorpay, India's leading FinTech company made an announcement today, about its support for Facebook Fundraisers in India, by enabling users with a swift, secure and seamless customer experience.

The FinTech major will facilitate donations for the Facebook Fundraiser platform, allowing people to raise money for charitable organisations, health and medical institutes, underprivileged women workers, animal welfare, personal emergencies and social communities. In an effort to encourage people, Facebook's Social for Good Live-athon has already seen India's leading celebrities, creators and public figures raise funds for charities. Since its launch on April 24th, more than 100 influencers across the country have participated in this initiative and raised money for charities and causes they care for.

Encouraging companies and people to offer support, Harshil Mathur, CEO and Co-founder, Razorpay said, "We are excited to facilitate online donations for people using Facebook Fundraisers and make their transactions seamless and hassle-free, while raising support for charities that are working to bring India back to its feet. We hope to provide them with a flawless customer experience and help people fight against COVID."

He added, "In times like these, it is important for organisations and individuals to continue to come together and improve our response to this situation. While everything looks uncertain to all of us at the moment, the best we can do is to support, so let's continue to do so."

Manish Chopra, Head and Director of Partnerships, Facebook India said, "As we continue to fight the pandemic, communities around the country need help. With the launch of Facebook Fundraisers, we are making it easy for people to contribute to relief efforts. We are happy that Razorpay will be facilitating donations on Facebook and enable users from across the country."

This announcement is also a part of Razorpay's continued efforts to help people battling against COVID-19. Over the last month, the company, with its 'COVID-19 Relief Fund' campaign successfully mobilised individuals and organisations across the nation to support people battling this situation on the frontline. Till date Razorpay has raised over 12 Crore Rupees.

While the world is hoping for a quick recovery from the current situation, Razorpay urges every company and individual to comply with all precautions and measures, and offer relentless support to ensure the well-being of one and all.

Razorpay, the leading full-stack financial services company, helps Indian businesses with comprehensive and innovative solutions built over robust technology to address the entire length and breadth of the payment journey for any business. Established in 2014, the company provides technology payment solutions to over 1,000,000 businesses.

Founded by alumni of IIT Roorkee, Shashank Kumar and Harshil Mathur, Razorpay is the second Indian company to be a part of Silicon Valley's largest tech accelerator, Y Combinator. Marquee investors such as Tiger Global, Matrix Partners, Y Combinator, Sequoia India, Ribbit Capital and MasterCard have invested a total of $106.5 million through Series A, B and C funding. Around 33 angel investors have invested in Razorpay's mission to simplify payments. Known to be a developer oriented payment gateway, Razorpay focuses on essentials such as 24x7 support, one-line integration code and superior checkout experiences.

~ Newsvoir

Saregama, Facebook Ink Global Licensing Deal

Saregama on Wednesday announced a global deal with Facebook to license its music for video and other social experiences across Facebook and Instagram.

This partnership will allow users to choose from a wide variety of music to add to their social experiences such as videos, stories via music stickers and other creative content, a statement said.

Users will also be able to add songs to their Facebook profile, it added.

"...Now millions of Facebook users will be able to add music from our vast catalogue to stories and videos they create and share," Saregama India Managing Director Vikram Mehra said.

Saregama has a catalogue of over one lakh songs across many different genres including film songs, devotional music, ghazals and indipop in more than 25 languages.

Saregama will allow people, globally, to use their favourite retro Indian music to further enrich their content on our platforms, Manish Chopra, Director and Head of Partnerships at Facebook India, said. PTI SR

Facebook Acquires Animated GIF Search Engine GIPHY

Facebook has just acquired the animated GIF and/or short looping videos search engine GIPHY and it would integrate it in Instagram.

New York-based GIPHY is an online database and search engine that allows users to search for and share short looping videos with no sound, that resemble animated GIF files.

"We will continue to make Giphy openly available to the wider ecosystem," Giphy said in a post on blogging website Medium.

We’re so excited to share some news – GIPHY has been acquired by @Facebook and is joining the @Instagram team! 🎉

Read more here: https://t.co/U6AYQ16cEQ pic.twitter.com/ATjEY1VK3K

— GIPHY (@GIPHY) May 15, 2020

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the news site Axios said the California-based tech giant was paying $400 million. GIPHY is known for its use of stickers and other products using the graphics interchange format or GIFs.

Facebook’s blog post said 50% of Giphy’s traffic already comes from Facebook’s apps, with half of that coming from Instagram.

"GIPHY, a leader in visual expression and creation, is joining the Facebook company today as part of the Instagram team," Facebook said in a statement.

"GIPHY makes everyday conversations more entertaining, and so we plan to further integrate their GIF library into Instagram and our other apps so that people can find just the right way to express themselves," said Facebook to AFP.

Facebook Names Oversight Board, including Former Denmark PM

A year and a half after announcing its creation, Facebook has named the initial 20 members of its oversight board, a quasi-independent panel that is to make decisions on thorny issues.

The board's members were named by Facebook and hail from a broad swath of regions around the world. They include Tawakkol Karman, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate from Yemen, Alan Rusbridger, the former editor-in-chief of British newspaper The Guardian, and Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the former prime minister of Denmark.

The oversight panel is intended to rule on difficult content issues, such as whether Facebook or Instagram posts constitute hate speech. It will be empowered to make binding rulings on whether posts or ads violate the company's standards. Any other findings it makes will be considered “guidance” by Facebook.

Critics call the oversight board a bid by Facebook to forestall regulation or even an eventual breakup.

Facebook Picks up 10% Stake in Jio Platform for $5.7 Billion

Facebook on Wednesday announced an investment of USD 5.7 billion (Rs 43,574 crore) to buy a 10 per cent stake in the firm that houses billionaire Mukesh Ambani's telecom arm Jio as the social media giant looks to expand presence in its largest market in terms of subscriber base.

"Today we are announcing a USD 5.7 billion, or Rs 43,574 crore, investment in Jio Platforms Ltd, part of Reliance Industries Ltd, making Facebook its largest minority shareholder," the company said in a statement.

Reliance in a separate statement said the investment by Facebook values Jio Platforms at Rs 4.62 lakh crore pre-money enterprise value (USD 65.95 billion, assuming a conversion rate of Rs 70 to a US dollar).

"Facebook's investment will translate into a 9.99 per cent equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis," it said.

Jio Platforms, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), houses digital services of the group. Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, with 388 million subscribers, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jio Platforms.

The Facebook deal is part of value unlocking by RIL to cut debt. RIL has been seeking strategic partnerships across its businesses while targeting to deleverage its balance sheet.

It has been talking to Saudi Aramco for sale of a 20 per cent stake in its oil-to-chemical business for an asking of USD 15 billion. RIL has already tied up with BP Plc for fuel business as it targets to have a debt-free status by next year.

Jio had also been reportedly talking separately to Google but the fate of those discussions is not known.

The latest deal is a win-win for both Facebook and Jio. It would give Facebook deeper access to India, the second largest internet market after China.

Facebook already has 400-plus million Whatsapp users in India and is looking to launch a payment offering. Having a local partner could help it in navigating various regulatory issues, including those related to privacy and local storage.

Also, having a good telecom partner could help Facebook improve its reach to masses.

From an RIL perspective, it could leverage on Facebook's technology expertise and talent pool as well as help in its ambitions to make Jio a digital company. This apart, the deal would aid the company achieving zero debt status by March 2021.

Since launching Jio in 2016, RIL has emerged as the only Indian company capable of competing with US tech groups in the fast-growing Indian market, expanding from mobile telecom into everything from home broadband to e-commerce.

Jio has emerged as the number one telecom operator in India, both in terms of traffic as well as revenue in a virtual two-player market since the third player, Vodafone-Idea is struggling under regulatory burden. Jio's main competitor is Bharti Airtel.

Facebook said the investment "underscores our commitment to India, and our excitement for the dramatic transformation that Jio has spurred in the country".

"In less than four years, Jio has brought more than 388 million people online, fueling the creation of innovative new enterprises and connecting people in new ways. We are committed to connecting more people in India together with Jio," it added.

Together with WhatsApp and Instagram, Facebook overall is estimated to have more users in India than any other single country.

The number of internet users in India is projected to rise to about 850 million in 2022, according to consultancy PwC, up from 450 million in 2017.

"The partnership between Facebook and Jio is unprecedented in many ways. This is the largest investment for a minority stake by a technology company anywhere in the world and the largest FDI in the technology sector in India," RIL said.

"The investment values Jio Platforms amongst the top 5 listed companies in India by market capitalisation, within just three-and-a-half years of launch of commercial services, validating RIL's capability in incubating and building disruptive next-generation businesses, while delivering market defining shareholder value," the statement said.

RIL said that concurrent with the investment, Jio Platforms, Reliance Retail Ltd and WhatsApp have also entered into a commercial partnership agreement. This is to further accelerate Reliance Retail's new commerce business on the JioMart platform using WhatsApp and to support small businesses on WhatsApp.

JioMart provides consumer access to the nearest small merchant and kirana shops.

Commenting on the partnership with Facebook, RIL Chairman and Managin Director Mukesh Ambani said, "when Reliance launched Jio in 2016, we were driven by the dream of India's Digital Sarvodaya – India's Inclusive Digital Rise to improve the quality of life of every single Indian and to propel India as the world's leading Digital Society".

The synergy between Jio and Facebook will help realise the goal of 'Digital  India', he said. "In the post-corona era, I am confident of India's economic recovery and resurgence in the shortest period of time," he added.

The transaction, RIL said, is subject to regulatory and other customary approvals.

Morgan Stanley as a financial advisor and AZB & Partners and Davis Polk & Wardwell as counsels advised RIL on the transaction. PTI ANZ

COVID-19: Facebook launches Online Resource for Educators, Partners UNESCO

Social media giant Facebook on Monday said it has launched an online resource guide on how to collaborate and continue the learning process using Facebook products, tools and programs amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Titled 'Supporting Education Communities: An Online Learning Resources Guide', the online resource will guide education communities on how to collaborate and continue the learning process using Facebook products, tools and programs like Facebook Pages, Facebook Groups, Facebook Live, Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram, a statement said.

The guide, which will also provide information related to COVID-19 from authentic sources, is currently available in English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Kannada, it added.

In its first phase, Facebook has partnered with UNESCO who will support in ensuring the guide reaches learners, educational institutions and teachers across India besides supporting with the updation and curation of the guide with relevant learning resources, the statement said.

"In these difficult times, it is even more important for people to stay connected and have access to credible information about COVID-19. Through our online learning resource guide, we want to equip teachers, parents and relevant government officials with ample resources and tools to help them stay connected and collaborate digitally to facilitate remote learning," Manish Chopra, director and head of partnerships at Facebook India, said.

Eric Falt, director and UNESCO representative, UNESCO New Delhi Cluster Office for Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka said the COVID-19 outbreak has caused not only a health crisis but also a learning crisis.

"More than 90 per cent of the world's learners are affected by the school and university closures. In line with the global efforts, UNESCO New Delhi will focus on mobilising the national and state-level actors and resources in order to develop an effective and unified response avoiding overlaps for maximum impact," Falt said.

Further, the on-ground needs will be matched with context-appropriate solutions to provide education remotely, leveraging hi-tech, low-tech and no-tech approaches with a special focus on ensuring access for women learners, he said.

"Technology will be the key enabler for all such efforts. The partnership between UNESCO New Delhi and Facebook will therefore play an important role in providing an online platform for all stakeholders to come together and act in tandem to end the learning disruption," Falt added.

Facebook had also launched the Coronavirus Information Centre last week that provides the latest news and updates from MyGov Corona Hub, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and global health organisations, as well as helpful content about social distancing and preventing the spread of COVID-19. PTI SR

Facebook Sues Indian Techie for Running Deceptive Ads, Fake News on Coronavirus

Facebook has filed a lawsuit against an Indian man for running a software company that pushed deceptive advertisements and misinformation about coronavirus outbreak on social media platforms by bypassing its advertising review process. The suit, filed in federal court in California, alleges that Basant.

Gajjar's company LeadCloak provided ad-cloaking software designed to sneak fake news and scams related to COVID-19, cryptocurrency, diet pills and more past Facebook and Instagram's automated advertising review process.

Using the name “LeadCloak,” Gajjar, said to be based in Thailand, violated Facebook Terms and Policies by providing cloaking software and services designed to circumvent automated ad review systems, and ultimately run deceptive ads on Facebook and Instagram, Jessica Romero, Director of Platform Enforcement and Litigation at Facebook said in a statement.

LeadCloak's software also targeted a number of other technology companies including Google, Oath, WordPress, Shopify, and others, Romero said.

Cloaking is a malicious technique that impairs ad review systems by concealing the nature of the website linked to an ad.

When ads are cloaked, a company's advertisement review system may see a website showing an innocuous product such as a sweater, but a user will see a different website, promoting deceptive products and services which, in many cases, are not allowed.

In this case, Leadcloak's software was used to conceal websites featuring scams related to global health crisis COVID-19, cryptocurrency, pharmaceuticals, diet pills, and fake news pages. Some of these cloaked websites also included images of celebrities, the social media giant said in the statement.

In addition to the filing, Facebook has taken technical enforcement measures against Leadcloak and accounts that the company has determined have used their software, including disabling personal and ad accounts on Facebook and Instagram.

This suit will also further our efforts to identify Leadcloak's customers and take additional enforcement actions against them, the statement added. PTI PMS

Facebook providing Users' Data like Movements, Relationships to Help Researchers Fight Coronavirus

Facebook on Monday said it is providing anonymous data about users' movements and relationships to help researchers better anticipate where the coronavirus might spread.

The leading online social network is augmenting maps on "population movement" with tools to glean insights in ways that still protect people's privacy, according to a post by Facebook head of health KX Jin and Laura McGorman of its Data for Good arm.

"Hospitals are working to get the right resources, and public health systems are looking to put the right guidelines in place," Jin and McGorman said.

"To do that, they need better information on whether preventive measures are working and how the virus may spread."

Google last week announced a similar move, saying it would provide a snapshot of users' location data around the world to help governments gauge the effectiveness of social distancing measures, implemented to stem the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tools that Facebook is providing for researchers include "co-location maps" to show probabilities of people in one specific place coming into contact with those in another, perhaps signaling where new COVID-19 cases might appear.

Data about "movement range" trends will show whether people are staying close to home as advised or venturing to other parts of town, potentially exacerbating coronavirus spread.

Facebook is also providing an index of friendships crossing state or national borders to allow epidemiologists to forecast how the virus might spread given where people might seek support or sanctuary.

"Mobility data from Facebook's Data for Good program provides a near real-time view of important correlates of disease transmission," Institute for Disease Modelling senior research manager Daniel Klein said in the post.

"This data, in combination with other sources, allows us to make better models to inform public health decisions."

Facebook will also display links in news feeds on the platform inviting people to take part in a Carnegie Mellon University survey intended to help researchers monitor and forecast the spread of the virus.

Information about people's identities would not be disclosed to researchers, the social network promised.

Facebook has struggled in the past with assuaging concerns over how the internet titan handles private user data, particularly after a massive 2018 data breach that exposed millions of users around the world.

If the survey proves to be helpful, Facebook will make similar efforts outside the US, according to Jin and McGorman. (AFP)

Facebook Launches Messenger Chatbot to Share Coronavirus info, counter fake news

Facebook has launched Messenger Chatbot to share information about coronavirus, as part of efforts to help people access authentic information about the pandemic, and counter fake news.

"Together with the Ministry of Health and MyGov, Facebook has facilitated Corona Helpdesk Chatbot on Messenger to raise awareness, provide authentic and accurate information and bust fake news about coronavirus. 

"Facebook users can start accessing the Corona Helpdesk Chatbot and reach out to the Ministry of Health for authentic news, official updates, precautionary measures and emergency helpline numbers through this chatbot," a Facebook statement said on Friday.

The chatbot comes with English and Hindi language capabilities.

To contact the chatbot, users can go to the Facebook page on MyGov Corona Hub and then start a chat by typing ‘Get Started', which will prompt them to either type in a query or choose from a list of frequently asked questions.

Depending on the question, users will receive verified information in the form of a video, infographic or text, it added. 

"This combined effort by Ministry of Health, MyGov and Facebook will help contribute to the safety and well-being while providing information from reliable and credible sources," the statement added.

Commenting on the latest move, Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director of Facebook India said, "We are grateful for the opportunity to support the government across ministries with communications tools and resources to share timely, accurate information on coronavirus to keep people safe and informed. We will continue to do everything we can to help the country's efforts." PTI MBI

Facebook in Talks to Acquire Multi-Billion Dollar Stake in Reliance Jio

Social networking giant Facebook is reportedly in talks to acquire a stake in Mukesh Ambani-led telecom operator, Reliance Jio Infocomm.

According to a report by The Financial Times, Facebook is in talks to acquire a 10% stake in Reliance Jio, a three-and-a-half-year-old subsidiary of India’s most valued firm Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), which is valued at more than $60 billion by Analysts at Bernstein.

The report, which cited two people privy to the developments, said that Facebook was close to an initial agreement to pick up a 10% stake but discussions hadn’t moved forward on account of the global disruption following the coronavirus outbreak.

The FT report also said that in addition to Facebook, Google was also in talks to acquire stake in Jio.

The acquisition deal, if materialize, would help Mukesh Ambani accomplish his ambition of cutting parent company Reliance Industries Ltd’s (RIL) debt to zero by March 2021. In addition, RIL also reportedly aims to sell a 20% stake in its refining business to Saudi Aramco.

The international financial daily said that the lockdown may have an impact on the timing of the deal.

Reliance Industries (RIL) in October had announced to set up a new subsidiary to bring all its digital initiatives and apps under a single entity, and infuse Rs 1.08 lakh crore equity into this new unit.

Jio apps like JioTV, JioCinema, JioNews etc are to be brought under this new entity in a move to consolidate digital platforms into an elegant capital structure to increase the attractiveness and simplify the structure for possible strategic investors.

On March 18, RIL took over some of the debt of Reliance Jio but the company neither disclosed financial details of the transaction nor the names of creditors.

In March last year, assets worth about Rs 1.25 lakh crore were demerged from RJIL to Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) aimed at optimising operational efficiencies and better monetisation of core digital connectivity platform, tower and fibre passive infrastructure.