"Mr Branding" is a blog based on RSS for everything related to website branding and website design, it collects its posts from many sites in order to facilitate the updating to the latest technology.
To suggest any source, please contact me: Taha.baba@consultant.com
Friday, February 28, 2025
Microsoft to Discontinue Skype on May 5, 2025, Urges Users to Switch to Teams
Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion, making it the company’s largest purchase at the time. Over the years, the service was integrated into various Microsoft products, including Office and the now-defunct Windows Phone platform.
Despite a brief resurgence during the pandemic, Skype has steadily lost ground to competitors such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Cisco Webex. Additionally, Apple’s FaceTime and Meta’s WhatsApp further diminished its relevance. Meanwhile, Microsoft has invested heavily in Teams, which offers similar communication features and was introduced in 2017.
Skype was founded in Estonia in 2003 and quickly gained traction as a free alternative to expensive international calls. Its success led to eBay acquiring the company for $2.6 billion in 2005. However, that deal proved unfruitful, and eBay sold 65% of its stake to investors for $1.9 billion in 2009, before Microsoft’s full acquisition in 2011.
As the May 2025 shutdown approaches, Microsoft encourages users to transition to Teams (free) to maintain access to their conversations and contacts.
Image: Microsoft
Read next:
• Global Smart Glasses Shipments are Expected to Grow in 2025 After the Success of Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses
• New Survey Shows that Most of the Users Feel that Google’s Search Results Quality has Deteriorated
by Asim BN via Digital Information World
New Survey Shows that Most of the Users Feel that Google’s Search Results Quality has Deteriorated
76% of the respondents said that when they search on Google, more than a quarter of the results are promoted or sponsored and only 14% of them said that those results are helpful. 55% said that they prefer getting information more from their community than Google search, because it never gives quality information, while 52% said that they are using alternative search engines and AI chatbots for getting information. 66% of the respondents said that Google's quality has decreased a lot and that's why they are unable to find reliable sources there.
Read next: Instagram Beats Facebook in Q1 2025 as Brands’ Preferred Platform for Marketing
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World
Meta’s Transparency Report Reveals Decline in External Links, Rising Engagement With Lighthearted Content
The latest ordeal entails a new arrangement of stats with notes on what users see on the app, what they report, and what is taking up most of their time. For instance, the latest content report on this front entails how the majority of feed posts across Facebook in the US didn’t entail an external-link. It’s quite different from the past where the figure stood at 86%.
It means that getting organic referrals from Facebook has become even more difficult now than before. We are also seeing the platform de-prioritize links as a means to move one step away from the domain of news. However, the recent changes made to the app are signaling more towards the return of politics on the platform.
The top ten viewed links last quarter had to do with junk topics that made many in the Facebook viewers happy. You’ll see people in space celebrating holidays, Neil Patrick singing festive tunes, and even an image of Mark Wahlberg.
You will get a bigger idea of the usual array of tabloid headlines from supermarket dominating the entire Facebook discussion, along with tales of holiday sentiments. Meanwhile, the most shared posts are also on a different level. You'll see a child asking Santa for help for his mother, rather than the usual list of toys.
As far as violations are concerned, there aren’t any major spikes during the time, but the company did share a rise in Violent and Graphic Content on the app. This is all thanks to adjustments it made to the proactive detection tech program.
Meta claims fake accounts stood for nearly 3% of the MAU for Facebook last quarter. That’s a great feature as there is really no way to figure out the real value but Meta continues to revise it down. This does mean the firm has more belief in the process of detection or it just altered the base figure.
The report doesn’t entail any data linked to the policy changes done for January this year. They are monitoring things and they’ve not seen any major impact of the rate of violence, although it’s not being proactive towards content removal. Some enforcement errors have declined with the new method being used.
The change on Meta’s controversial end towards Community Notes is drastic. We’re talking about third party fact checkers not being present anymore. They’ve similarly altered policies such as those linked to hate speech that are more in tune with what the Trump administration wants.
Yes, violations are rising but Meta feels that at least it’s not banning accounts by error. That’s what Facebook’s parent firm feels, but critics argue whether or not the right actions remain the same as it transforms to a less strict model for supervision.
As far as threats and attacks are concerned, Meta took pride in saying they encountered a few small-scale attempts during the last quarter. Most of them arose from China, Benin, and Ghana. Another major one was based in Russia called Doppleganger that has been observed for years.
Beginning in the middle of November, operators put a pause on targeting America, Poland, Ukraine through Meta’s apps. However, it does tend to target those in France, Israel, and Germany. Moreover, it does appear that after the recent US elections, Russian operations are no longer interested in impacting US sentiments and those in Ukraine, which is a unique shift.
Read next: ChatGPT Identifies Medical Emergency Doctors Missed, Helping Woman Get Critical Care
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World
ChatGPT Identifies Medical Emergency Doctors Missed, Helping Woman Get Critical Care
She was still feeling unwell so Bethany told ChatGPT her blood work results and ChatGPT warned her about her platelet count being dangerously low, and asked her to go to the ER immediately. At first, she dismissed it but then decided to go because no one had reviewed her blood work results yet. When she messaged her doctor, she got a response that they would get back to her in two days, but the red spots were spreading. ChatGPT asked her to seek medical help urgently and provided a step-by-step instruction about things she has to explain to the doctor so they can understand her condition.
Bethany Crystal said that ChatGPT simplified complex medical terms for her so she understood her condition well. ChatGPT saved her life because when she went to the hospital, she was diagnosed with an extremely low platelet count, which was a dangerous and rare condition. When doctors asked what made her come to the ER, she told them how she had used ChatGPT. Bethany also used ChatGPT to understand different procedures to her. She was taking help from ChatGPT at every step of her recovery and she didn't have to ask doctors to explain everything to her and that made her feel informed and at ease.
While ChatGPT helped Bethany, it’s important to remember that AI isn’t a doctor with practical experience. It can simplify medical jargon, highlight concerns, and offer insights, but it doesn’t replace professional medical advice. AI models don’t have full patient context, and relying on them alone can be risky. If something feels off, always cross-check with a real expert doctor. ChatGPT is a tool—useful, but not infallible.
Image: DIW-Aigen
Read next:
• New Report Confirms Nearly All Undergraduate Students are Using AI
• Instagram Beats Facebook in Q1 2025 as Brands’ Preferred Platform for Marketing
• Influencers Are Instilling Fear On Social Media to Promote Controversial Medical Tests, New Study Claims
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World
Thursday, February 27, 2025
Influencers Are Instilling Fear On Social Media to Promote Controversial Medical Tests, New Study Claims
A new study is shedding light on the role of influencers who continue to instill fear on social media about highly debatable medical tests. The information is not only misleading but also does not highlight the great harm that such actions can produce.
The news comes to us thanks to a new study shared by the University of Sydney in the AMA journal JAMA Network Open. They were seen investigating five different tests that were shared in detail online despite the evidence being limited on the benefits of healthy individuals and the limitations of overdiagnosis.
These included so many kinds of tests. Of special note were full MRI scans and genetic tests, which could detect the early signs of more than 50 kinds of cancers. Then there was even an egg timer test that could determine a female’s reproductive egg count.
The study showed how there were more than 100 posts published for every test through apps like TikTok and Instagram between 2015 to 2024. And some of the followers of these influencers were in the hundreds of millions. So you can only imagine the damage that they were doing, willingly.
The lead author for the study, Dr. Brooke Nickel says that the tests ranged from users with different accounts and some of them were big names while others were on a more low scale. Whatever the case might be, it’s sad that such information keeps getting promoted misleadingly.
Health experts claim that such tests are not only harmful but give rise to unnecessary information or diagnosis which could again mean useless medical treatments or dangerous effects on your mental health.
Some of the posts were really intriguing and it started to instill fear that if a test wasn’t done, it would mean you’re compromising on your health and long life.
One user with over 65k followers spoke about the gut microbiome test being done in the early stage and if not, you’ll never know the specific illness that you’re suffering from.
As per the study’s results, more than 87% of the tests featured its benefits but less than 15% spoke about the dangers of the tests. Only 6% shared the harm of overusing or overdiagnosis.
So the question is why these tests are being promoted so much. Well, it’s simple. Where there are financial incentives involved, you’re likely to see an influencer take on the project to mint more money, even if it comes at a serious cost to people’s health.
One medical expert shared how early detection tests including multi-screening for cancer were necessary as you get older so doing the test every year was important to detect cancer. That is not true as some tests are invasive and doing them every two or three years is enough.
So the take-home message from this study is that not everything you read online should be tried and tested without evidence. Overdiagnosis can give rise to more mental stress and unnecessary treatments such as huge surgery.
Image: DIW-Aigen
Read next: Trump Administration Investigates If UK Broke Bilateral Agreement When Privately Demanding Apple Design Global Backdoor in iCloud
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World
YouTube Celebrates Podcasts Hitting Over One Billion Monthly Active Viewers On the App
The platform is mostly focused on visual content but did you also know that figures for podcast listening are also soaring to new highs? More and more podcasters are looking to host video versions of their episodes on the platform.
Today, the app has shared how podcasts see more than one billion monthly active viewers on YouTube. That’s a huge figure in terms of engagement for a certain kind of audio format.
The platform’s audio-only feature for listening is solely limited to paying Premium users. This combined with the high number of celebrity-led podcasts entails more engaging video elements. We’ve seen more and more individuals turn to the app for the latest content related to podcasts. Believe it or not, it’s transformed into a new world of engagement on YouTube.
The app recently shared more insights on this front through a blog post where it said podcasts with video are more than a simple trend. They can meet audiences wherever they’re located on the YouTube platform. It’s also making it simpler for users to make the most of the podcast experience for fans to search for what they love while discovering new topics and watching or hearing whatever they desire.
We’re similarly seeing more podcasters added to the list and it’s doing wonders when combined with the app’s Partner Program. This makes YouTube a frequently used platform for podcast listeners in the US.
There’s also a unique means for finding searches and recommendations that assist users in discovering the next best podcast. Podcasts on the app and YouTube Music are located around the globe. So no matter where you might be, you can get access to it through your YouTube app on smartphones, TVs, and even the desktop.
Stats from 2024 show how viewers were watching more than 400 million hours of podcasts every month on devices inside their living rooms and that’s really a unique feat.
It’s something different as many would consider the app as a leading video app but this is certainly giving rise to greater audio engagement. Today, many celebrities and creators are getting into podcasts as a secondary means for connection streaming. We’ve got more stars on the app and this particular format doesn’t align with the company’s broader approach that’s related to posting content online.
This might also give rise to more chances for advertisers to benefit from. You can simply put out ads on the app’s podcasts through Google Ads. At the same time, you can partner up with similar creators to your domain for marketing products or carrying out live reads.
The fact that the platform can reach a major high in terms of reach, this is all worth a consideration. There are a host of options for entering podcast content and also for connecting with audiences. There are a billion viewers and listeners worthy of taking notice and that’s exactly why creators might want to switch to this stream to broaden their outreach.
Image: DIW-Aigen
Read next: Meta’s Oversight Board Prepares To Weigh in On CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s Recent Changes Related to Hate Speech
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World
Meta’s Oversight Board Prepares To Weigh in On CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s Recent Changes Related to Hate Speech
The recent changes across Instagram, Threads, and Facebook were related to combating hate speech and many were concerned in terms of how they would play out. Now, we’re learning that its Oversight Board is gearing up to weigh in on the changes.
The independent group was created to assist with any sensitive decisions and policy-making so we can see where all of this is coming from. A few weeks back, the Facebook owner shared an array of policies for moderating content online. This was right before Donald Trump took charge as America’s head of state.
The initiative was designed to enable more speech across different Meta apps. Now, we can conclude that this effort includes Meta rolling back rules related to hate speech that once kept minorities, immigrants, and those belonging to the LGBTQ community safe across all of its apps.
The fact that these would no longer exist and there would be no fact-checkers in place was worrisome and certainly controversial. Now, the Oversight Board is rolling out four new cases featuring hate speech. The board is planning to use them to investigate the firm’s latest policies as per tech media outlet Endgadget who was the first to break the news.
The organization has a mixed track record for taking the board’s recommendations. Moreover, Meta needs to follow the firm’s decisions on separate posts as per the organization’s own rules and regulations. However, the group only has a limited say on policies in general.
Image: DIW-Aigen
Read next: Google Makes New Changes To Search Including Option to Remove Personal Information Online
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World
Google Makes New Changes To Search Including Option to Remove Personal Information Online
The initiative allows users to look for more personal data online and also enables requests to get that information removed.
Today, the company is sharing a series of changes such as a new and improved redesigned hub and the chance to update outdated results on search that reflect such changes greatly.
The redesign is not only for display purposes but gives users the chance to enable removal requests directly through Search with limited actions. All users need to do is press or tap on the three dots located near the search result.
If do get the information about you deleted or altered from a certain page but Google has yet to notice the change, you can also refresh your search. This enables recrawling on pages and getting the latest data. So simply, you’ll witness the latest search results for you.
We agree that this feature will be so much more useful, they’re nothing major in terms of change. The update from 2023 was bigger and more relevant which rolled out proactive searches entailing information and the chance to delete consensual explicit pictures as a whole.
While the Android maker railed to roll out any major changes to the results about you feature in 2024, it did go live in places like Australia and South Africa last year in the summer. However, we have to add that this useful privacy endeavor still is inaccessible in so many nations such as Malaysia.
For now, Google is yet to share where it is located so you need to keep on checking the Google account to see what works for you right now.
Read next:
• New Study Says More Than 50% of American Workers Worry About the Impact of AI on Their Jobs
• Poor Sleep Quality Fuels Inflammation, Study Reveals New Health Risks
• Apple Retains Smartwatch Lead at 28% in Q4 2024, Huawei and Xiaomi Gain
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Apple Retains Smartwatch Lead at 28% in Q4 2024, Huawei and Xiaomi Gain
In Q4 2024, the highest share of global smartwatch shipments went to China, followed by India. There was also a 29% YoY shipment growth in China because of Xiaomi, Huawei, and BBK. HLOS smartwatches had the highest shares (88%) in North America which were mostly because of Samsung, Apple, and Garmin. Apple had a 31% market share in Q4 2023 which decreased to 28% in Q4 2024. Other smartwatch brands had 69% market share in Q4 2023 which increased to 72% in Q4 2024.
Read next: Global In-App Purchases Hit $39.4B in Q4 2024, Fastest Growth in Three Years
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World
Nine American States Consider Holding Apple and Google Responsible For Age Verification
Many apps continue to struggle today in terms of verifying the exact age of users, to try and keep those below the minimum age bracket away. This is why up to nine different American states are rolling out more laws to ensure both Apple and Google realize the great responsibility resting on their shoulders.
In case you're wondering, that responsibility rests on the shoulders of developers today. With the latest change, it would be shifted to tech giants who need to verify the age before providing access to platforms having age restrictions.
The problem is usually applicable to several different social media apps that usually have a minimal age limit bracket of 13. It’s an approach promoted by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. So many platforms were accused of forcing teens to become addicted to the platforms. Therefore, they failed to take the right steps to make sure users met the respective age requirements.
The problem right now is that it’s becoming more and more of an issue as laws are trying to impose legal requirements for age. At the same time, some want to enforce parental control for using social media.
Right now, so many app developers need to ensure the right age requirements continue to be met. However, Meta did argue in 2023 that plenty of app stores do exist and are in better positions to carry on with this.
The company was able to lobby against a law in Louisiana that would force app stores to have greater responsibility for verifying user age. Now, many different American states want to propose something similar.
Several states including the likes of Utah and South Carolina recently put out bills that would force app-store owners to confirm the ages of users first and even attain parental consent before enabling minors to install platforms. Today, up to 60 different advocates for child safety are producing a new coalition to push for the passage of the laws around the country.
Before we saw states like Utah and South Carolina on the list but quite a few others were added including Alaska, Kentucky, South Dakota, New Mexico, West Virginia, Alabama, and Hawaii. They’ve all shared laws in the past several months and are aimed at the app stores.
There are several arguments in favor of the laws including apps to perform age verification that forces them to collect date of birth when a person registers to use social media platforms.
Many argue that privacy ends up being a risk for kids. Having both these tech giants in charge would mean less risk. They’re bound to serve as stronger protective entities when it comes to ensuring user safety.
The matter happens to be so much more practical for a few organizations like Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon. They always carry out the necessary checks and feature the right details on file for authentication and matters such as Family Sharing. This means the company also has signals indicating that some users are kids.
We’ve already seen that iOS 18.4 ensures age verification is an integral part of its setup. You need to select a certain age range of the user who uses this device. The iPhone maker shared how this data will assist with putting out the necessary parental controls and safety offerings.
While no verification of this kind of selection is done, it’s another battle altogether that Apple is currently in the right position to carry out such checks.
For now, Meta is trying to shun its responsibilities by putting the blame on app stores but they’re not wrong as the more privacy and protection, the better for users in the long run.
Image: DIW-Aigen
Read next: YouTube Shares It’s Making Changes to Mid-Roll Ads To Better User Viewing Experience
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World
YouTube Shares It’s Making Changes to Mid-Roll Ads To Better User Viewing Experience
The change will come into play beginning May 12, as the platform will display fewer ads during instances that feel like interruptions or result in viewers abandoning videos. Instead, they plan to share more ads in the middle that serve as natural break instances during the video. So it will appear more like a short pause or a transition.
The app plans to update older variants launched before February 24 to automatically entail advertising slots. Therefore, creators can choose to opt out of the endeavor on the YouTube Studio if they want to manage ads in a manual method. However, videos featuring ad slots that are more interruptive in nature could end up earning less after the May 12 date.
The platform is well aware that creators adding ads in the middle manually might need to think about ads deemed interruptive to viewers. To assist, it’s now sharing a new feature that gives creators oversight about when and where to put ads that are less disruptive in terms of timing.
Furthermore, the app wants to give creators the chance to make the most of a 5% rise in the app’s revenue when compared to ads placed manually inside slots. So as you can tell, the goal remains providing more data and better options.
The platform shared how users will always remain in control of displaying mid-roll ads on content and where they’d like its placement. It also shared that limiting interruptive ads will give them the chance to keep more viewers glued to their screens.
Read next: Global In-App Purchases Hit $39.4B in Q4 2024, Fastest Growth in Three Years
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World
Global In-App Purchases Hit $39.4B in Q4 2024, Fastest Growth in Three Years
$39 billion in revenue for IAP on Google Play and iOS came from Q4 2024, while it was $150 billion overall. There was a 12.5% increase from 2023 in global IAP revenue in 2024. Most of the IAP revenue was from non-gaming apps with 28.2% YoY which reached $19.2 billion. There was only a $1 billion difference between IAP revenue from gaming and non-gaming apps. On the other hand, gaming apps had $5 billion more IAP revenue than non-gaming apps in Q4 2023. Mobile app revenue reached $20.2 billion in 2024 on Google Play and iOS. It saw some decline in past years but has stabilized with 2% to 4% YoY.
The app that reached $6 billion in IAP revenue in 2024 was TikTok, while it reached $4.4 billion in 2023. TikTok got $1.9 billion in IAP revenue in Q4 2024. YouTube and Google One were trailing behind while ChatGPT raised some spots in Q4 2024 and made it to the top 10. Instagram was the top downloaded app globally, followed by TikTok and WhatsApp. ChatGPT also quickly became the sixth most downloaded app globally in Q4 2024. The global IAP revenue increased 46% YoY while global downloads increased by 17% YoY.
The digital ad spend in the USA across desktop, mobile, and OTT reached $34 billion in Q4 2024, with a 9% increase YoY. Ad spending in the digital advertising market peaked in Q4 because demand for shopping increased during the holiday season. Digital ad spend in France and Canada also saw a 10% YoY growth, while it saw a 7% YoY growth in the UK. Japan and South Korea also emerged as the newest markets in the global digital ad market.
Read next:
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
AI vs. Human Content: Study Finds Minimal Ranking Differences on Google
Users were also surveyed so they can share their experiences when it comes to their page rankings on Google search. 31% said that their rankings are the same for human and AI generated content, while 27% were not sure about it. 23% said that their AI generated content performs better than human written content while 10% said it performs much better on search engine rankings. Only 9% of the respondents said that their AI content performs worse than human written content. 30% said that they found no noticeable change in their organic traffic after publishing AI content, while 39% saw an increase in their organic traffic. Only 4.8% said that they experienced a traffic decrease after publishing AI content.
68% said that AI helps them create content faster which helps them boost SEO and content ROI and 57% said it helps them save time so they can use it somewhere else. AI content also helps them save money on writing and editing (48%) as well as helps generate more engagements with the content (34%). This all means that AI can be used for content generation as long as it is high-quality and that's what makes it rank among human written content. 39% of the respondents said that they combine human written and AI generated content for their website while 34% write the content themselves and only use AI for assistance. 5% only use AI generated content while 18% still don't use AI at all.
When respondents were asked how they incorporate AI into content creation, 62% said they use it for their topic research and idea generation, 51% each use it for editing and rewriting, optimizing content for SEO and generating content outlines. Long form articles and blog posts (70%), meta descriptions (55%) and product descriptions (42%). Marketers are using AI to make their content more engaging, interesting and readable to users by using human editors to refine AI generated content (69%), humanising the AI generated content (60%) and only using AI to create the initial draft and then adding more content (48%).
Upon asking marketers how they make their content more original and expertise driven, they answered by conducting original research (55%), adding useful statistics to content (53%) and sharing personal experiences in the content (49%).
Read next: Office Workers Struggle With Communication Overload, AI Users Report Increased Efficiency
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World
Apple Makes Major Splash With $500B Investment in US to Support American Innovation
The company says its goal right now is to support innovation in the country including state-of-the-art manufacturing and producing more jobs involving high tech. This will take place over the next four years, it shared. The gesture appears to be a thoughtful one but experts are still questioning the move.
There are no doubts about Apple taking part in this maneuver, after all, their yearly revenues hit the $400B mark in the past couple of years. However, it hopes to be spending more funds domestically now to help its nation. But the real thought of the matter has to do with how trade politics plays a role here. Remember, they’ve made similar commitments on a huge scale in the past so this shouldn’t be too surprising, right?
Now the question is what the mega $500B actually includes. As per the iPhone maker, it’s aligned with other similar alerts linked to worldly infrastructure spending that other arch rivals are making. Amazon said it would be spending $100B in 2025 while Microsoft has set out a $80B budget. Alphabet stands at $75B while Meta wants to spend $60 to $65B in 2025.
The total $500B budget from Apple is in line with the amount pledged by other leading companies including Oracle, OpenAI, Stargate, and SoftBank. Will we see that level of investment take place? Well, only time can tell as the figures are huge and it’s not easy to verify.
Now so many questions remain in terms of the math behind Apple’s major commitments. It’s not because there’s not going to be a single line item in this filing or any shareholders' yearly report that can be highlighted if we want to see it follow the pledge after that. This has to do with the mere fact that Apple wishes to break up AI investments across both CapEx and OpEx through materials from its big cloud service providers. Today’s announcement is also linked to what it hopes to attain through partners and suppliers.
Image: DIW-Aigen
Read next: New Study Shows People are Still Reluctant to Use AI in High-Stakes Decision-Making
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World
New Study Shows People are Still Reluctant to Use AI in High-Stakes Decision-Making
The study analyzed responses from 2000 participants from 20 different countries and found that people trust AI based on their knowledge of its systems like how AI algorithms work. They know that AI gives its responses through pattern based predictions so there are a lot of biases and errors too so they try not to use it for making critical decisions. The study also found that people from highly industrialized countries like the US, Japan and UK were less likely to trust AI in making critical decisions, as did men and older people.
The study also showed that 72% of the organizations are now using AI so it is important to understand when people trust AI and why its adoption is increasing so much. The lead author of the study, Dr. Fernando Marmolejo-Ramos, said that even though AI technologies are being incorporated into society, we still do not know how to effectively make them function as they can have a lot of impact on us. If we are going to use AI for making decisions, we have to trust their reliability and that's why we also have to understand how they are influencing people’s trust in decision-making.
Image: DIW-Aigen
Read next: Office Workers Struggle With Communication Overload, AI Users Report Increased Efficiency
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World
Monday, February 24, 2025
Office Workers Struggle With Communication Overload, AI Users Report Increased Efficiency
However, this made the researchers think about the rest of the 40% who didn’t report any problems in their focus during work. How are they managing communications in their professional lives so that they can also stay focused on their work? The study categorized the respondents into two groups, Knowledge workers who were general employees (1302) and business leaders who were bosses of general employees (254). Then these people were classified as AI-avoidant and AI-fluent according to their AI usage habits at work.
It was found that workers who were classified as AI-fluent seemed satisfied and happier (96%) than workers who were AI-avoidant (81%). AI-fluent professionals are saving 25.2 hours per week on average by using AI tools. These professionals are using AI for different types of tasks like editing, ideation, and drafting communication. They are using tools like CoPilot, Google Gemini and ChatGPT to write and edit their messages and save a good portion of their time.
The second most common thing that many professionals are using AI for is research which is reducing their burden immensely. Samsung’s Galaxy S25 has an AI assistant that can help search for information on Gemini and then text a friend or write it in the Notes app. 77% of the professionals said that they use AI as a collaborative tool but 88% said that they would let AI handle tasks on its own if it becomes capable of doing so. OpenAI, Nvidia, and Microsoft are working on these autonomous AI agents which would be able to perform tasks on their own. Business leaders (33%) felt change due to AI use more than employees (7%). Even though AI is being used for a lot of tasks in professional settings, there are also complaints about it hallucinating or giving undesirable results.
Read next:
• Top Skills for 2025: AI, Web Development, and Marketing Expertise in High Demand
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World
$69 Billion Spent on Non-Gaming Apps in 2024, Entertainment Apps See $4.4 Billion Surge
As app time increases, developers are also seeing an increase in revenue. The consumer spend on non-gaming apps was $3.5 billion in 2014, which increased to $69 billion in 2024, and saw a $13.7 billion YoY increase from 2023 to 2024. Entertainment apps saw a $4.4 billion increase in spending from 2023 to 2024 in categories like photo and video, social networking, and productivity apps. There was a 44% YoY growth in the food and drink category, while shopping, finance, and travel apps saw a 20% increase in 2024. The report also mentioned that AI has become an important part of advertising strategies, content recommendations, and app discovery, and marketers are focusing on AI-driven personalization.
The mobile game market is very competitive, and after seeing some dips in growth in 2020 and 2021, mobile game developers have adjusted their strategies. There was less than a 5% decline in downloads in tier-one markets of mobile gaming like Japan, the US, South Korea, and Germany. Pakistan saw a 12% increase in downloads of mobile games between 2023 and 2024, while countries like Indonesia, Mexico, and the Philippines saw a 5% growth. Overall, there was a 1% decline in IAP (in-app purchase) revenue for mobile games, but casino games saw a 4% growth in IAP revenue, and mid-core games saw a 5% decline.
The report also surveyed consumers from different countries to compare the stats between 2023 and 2024. It was found that more than 50% of the respondents agreed that the industry is in good shape compared to 2023, while 80% said that it's the same or better in 2024. 85% of respondents from LATAM and North America agreed that the industry is better or the same right now. 86% of non-gaming marketers said that the industry is in better shape compared to 44% of gaming marketers who think that it is better in 2024 compared to 2023. 90% said that they have met or approached their KPIs, while more than 50% said that they are experiencing more aggressive KPIs year over year. 80% said that they have higher expectations for 2025, and 60% report expecting higher budgets in the new year.
Read next: The World’s Most (and Least) Cyber-Secure Countries: Where Does Yours Stand?
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World
Sunday, February 23, 2025
Gmail Users Could See Changes in Authentication as Google Explores Alternatives to SMS Codes
Google currently uses SMS-based authentication for both security verification and abuse prevention. The system helps confirm returning users and prevents large-scale fraudulent activity, including mass account creation for spam and malware distribution. However, SMS verification remains susceptible to phishing, and its effectiveness depends on the security protocols of mobile carriers. If attackers manipulate a carrier into transferring control of a phone number, SMS-based security loses its reliability. Company representatives cite this as a major reason for shifting away from text-based authentication, stating that fraudsters have increasingly leveraged weaknesses in the system to bypass security measures.
One emerging scam involves a method known as traffic pumping, where cybercriminals exploit SMS verification by triggering mass authentication messages to numbers under their control. Each delivered message generates revenue for the attackers, leading to financial losses for service providers. This type of abuse has become a growing concern, accelerating efforts to implement stronger authentication methods.
In the coming months, Gmail users will no longer receive six-digit SMS verification codes. Instead, a QR code will appear on the screen during authentication, requiring users to scan it with their phone’s camera to complete the process. The shift aims to eliminate phishing risks associated with text-based codes and reduce dependency on mobile carriers for account security. Google has not provided a specific timeline for the rollout but indicates that additional details will be shared soon.
Image: DIW-Aigen
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The World’s Most (and Least) Cyber-Secure Countries: Where Does Yours Stand?
Cybercrime is growing, putting millions at risk. There are nations with strong defense and others with weak security. Cybersecurity Country Rankings 2025 case study by Proxyrack tells us which nations are most secured and which remain vulnerable.
A country's cybersecurity strength impacts businesses, financial systems, and citizens' data. Effective policies and advanced technology minimize vulnerabilities, but poor systems leave people at the mercy of cyberattacks.
What Cybersecurity Country Rankings Mean
Cybersecurity rankings mean the quality of a country's protection of its cyberspace. Cyber security ratings compare countries to key factors like levels of cybercrime, government policies, cyber infrastructure, and public awareness.
Nations with good cybersecurity policy, top technology, and well-funded security forces receive higher ratings.
Those with weak policies and outdated systems are most vulnerable to cyber attacks.
Exposure to cyber crime is also factored in, which measures instances of attack and countries' ability to respond to them.
Most Cyber-Secure Countries in the World
These are the nations so reported on, which have thus formidable defenses built against hacking and thus are safest to use surfing the net. The Proxyrack report mentions Nordic countries of Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, among others.
Spending huge on info security, strict data-protection legislation, and acclimatizing the public to become acquainted with Internet safety.
Successively, the other ones are the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, France, and the United States with good digital infrastructure, effective government policy, and powerful law enforcement agencies that actively take part in the surveillance and regulation of cybercrime.
This dedication to cybersecurity, therefore, protects individuals and enterprises from cyberattacks.
The Least Cyber-Secure Countries: Who Is Most at Risk?
While some countries have adequate, good defenses against them, others suffer from weak security vulnerabilities that pose irresistible temptations for cyber attackers. Among them are Panama, Thailand, and Belarus, which Scanner.com has declared to be the most highly prone to cyber risks.
Weak security laws, outdated technology, and a very low awareness of the ongoing cybercrime challenges beset all three.
Countries: Chile, Costa Rica, and Uruguay shot to top positions too, between the Latin American countries. Also, middle eastern ones, such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, deploy strong cybersecurity policies but are completely unprotected from the possibility of a cyber attack.
The absence of enough strictness in law and measures leaves businesses and individuals alive in almost open spaces concerning cybercrimes!
How Cybersecurity Rankings Affect Individuals and Businesses
The level of a nation's security affects, therefore, governments, businesses, and ordinary internet users. People from less secure states are further likely to get involved in identity theft, financial scams, and data loss.
Weak infrastructure, moot laws,& public ignorance are the fertile grounds from which cyber thieves steal personal data and create Interruption on the internet.
Most of the action usually happens in countries considered high-risk. Businesses may erode customer goodwill, suffer financial losses or become the prey of repeated ransomware attacks. Foreign net security controversies also serve as a deterrent to investments. In the absence of adequate protection, cybercrime could wreck economies and expose millions of people to risk.
The Role of Account Suspensions in Cybersecurity
Online platforms spare no effort in ensuring that safety is an utmost priority. The increasing number of cyber threats strongly warrants companies to guard their systems and users from fraud, abuse, and hacking attempts. Such statistics come from data pertaining to the denial and suspension rates per advertised jurisdiction on how different regions are handling various security issues.
That being said, there are several reasons for rejections or suspensions:
- Trial abuse: Multiple sign-ups by users to subscribe for free trials.
- Links to bad accounts: Involvement of suspicious activity related to unbanned users.
- KYC (Know Your Customer) issues: Failure to verify the identity of customers.
- Disposable emails: Using temporary emails to spam or defraud customers.
- High-risk transaction: Payments for unreasonably high or atypical amounts that require approval.
Strengthening Cybersecurity with Automation and the Zero Trust Model
The implementation of automated security protocols allows businesses to detect, monitor, and take immediate actions pertaining to these risks.
Many companies now follow a Zero Trust model, which means every user and device must be verified before they gain access to a platform. This, in turn, prevents hackers from infiltrating and exploiting the weak links in digital security.
Nevertheless, some cybersecurity challenges exist:
- Only 50% of companies in the US hold full cyber insurance.
- There is a global shortfall of professionals in cybersecurity to fight against increasing threats.
In order to combat risks with limited resources, AI-led security to a great extent and automated account suspensions are embraced by businesses.
Combining this with robust identity verification and fraud detection, these measures help with safeguarding users while maintaining platform integrity.
Diligent enforcement of security protocols helps address cyber threats and create a safer digital ecosystem for businesses and individuals alike.
The Future of Cybersecurity: What Can Countries Do to Improve?
Less cyber-defensive countries may execute a variety of measures in order to avert risks pertaining to cybersecurity.
Law and order and their enforcement, as well as investment in new technology for securing national interests, go a long way in actually improving national defenses.
Similarly, governments should establish campaigns to inform the general public about online threats as well as best practices.
Alternatively, it may embrace artificial intelligence and automation in order to detect or block such attacks promptly. Collaboration with international organizations in the sphere of cybersecurity also plays a major role.
The countries that invest into training for cyber-defense teams, cyber-infrastructure, and innovation will be in a much better position to counter themselves against the evolving digital threats that can be expected in the future.
Global Indices That Shape Cybersecurity and Digital Safety
Various global indices raise concerns over cyber defence, governance and their risk exposures. Its goal is to measure the preparedness of various countries towards fraud and financial crimes concerning certain cyber threats.
Human Development Index and Cyber Security
The HDI tries to quantify the performance of a citizen in measures of health, education and income. Countries with a relatively high HDI would allow for appropriate responses towards investments in digital literacy and a security infrastructure.
As the country began to understand the extent of their danger of being open to other further cyber threats, the risk scores began showing as a part of looser security policies.
Basel AML Index: Financial Crime and Cyber Security Risks
Basel AML Index aims to examine that if a nation scores well on money laundering and corruption risk, and the financing of all the alleged ‘threats’ based on relaxed regulation in finance. Whereas countries with poor financial regulations would inevitably be sucked in like prey by these Cybercriminals through the various digital platforms which they exploit.
Relative to their cyber score, Countries scoring low enjoy stricter anti-fraud laws and enforcements.
Cyber Exposure Index: Index for Measuring Digital Vulnerability
The Cybersecurity Exposure Index sorts the nations according to how prone they are to potential attacks, such as phishing, malware attacks, and data breaches. Higher exposure scores suggest that the policies with regard to security are outdated and systems are not up to date. Countries that spend on their employees and educate them concerning cybersecurity have lower risk scores.
National Cyber Security Index ( NCSI ): Digital Defense Strategies
The NCSI evaluates modern countries’ concern towards cyber security programs and their readiness to avert and eliminate cyber risks. Stronger nations possess basic laws of cyber security, well financed IT security response units, and public awareness campaigns.
These lower ranking countries tend to lack such protective measures and patterns, making them perfect bait for the cyber criminals.
Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI): Cyber Resilience Score
The GCI created by the International Telecommunication Union (ITC) measures the commitment countries have towards the issues of cybersecurity.
Top-ranking countries such as the US, UK and Nordic countries tend to have strong laws, carry out regular audits and work with other countries.
The State of Global Cybersecurity in 2025
Cybersecurity now is not only a concern for businesses and governments, but for every individual as well. Some countries are already ahead in protecting their digital infrastructure while some lack behind which draws remarkable contrasts as per the case study.
Some countries have taken the initiative to implement strong public policies for sophisticated cybersecurity technologies and awareness programs, while others continue to be weak in enforcement, systems, and financial crimes.
Indices such as the HDI, Basel AML Index, Cybersecurity Exposure Index, NCSI and GCI are measuring proxies of ability to defend against cyber threats inflicted on countries.
Countries with public cyber education programs, security legal frameworks, and investments on security infrastructure consistently perform better in protecting citizens’ personal information.
Despite this, there is no denying that cyber risks keep changing and even the most secure countries need to brace themselves for the ever evolving threat landscape of Zbot AI powered mega cyber attacks, ransomware and cyber surveillance espionage.
For the provision of a safer digital environment, stronger laws, international collaboration and improved awareness around cybersecurity are some of the critical measures that need to be undertaken.
It has certainly become more critical for businesses and countries to improve cooperation in ensuring adequate protection against cybercrime, where the so-called ‘one world – one internet’ phenomenon can bring such great benefits if properly harnessed.
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Analysis Shows Even though ChatGPT is Sending a Lot of Referral Traffic to News Websites, It Still Remains Small
In January, Perplexity was leading the referral traffic to news sites. The most referrals were 139,000 to CNN, 146,000 to The New York Times, and 117,000 to India Times in January 2025. Overall in six months, ChatGPT led the referral traffic to news websites. Most of the traffic went to Forbes (1.7 million), followed by The Guardian and the New York Times (1.6 million each).
OpenAI has also introduced web search on ChatGPT which links and cites to publishers, but is optional. Perplexity didn’t have any consistent month-over-month growth even though it has sent referral traffic of 850,000 and 450,000 visits per month to same the 14 news websites as ChatGPT has.
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Saturday, February 22, 2025
Fake ‘Sadcore’ Posts on Facebook Monetize Sympathy Through Stars and Ads
Some of these posts earn revenue from Facebook’s star system where each star is worth a penny. Even though the star system doesn’t generate much on individual posts, it can collectively get real income through thousands of comments on hundreds of posts. Some posts also drive traffic to ad-heavy websites while some sell guest posts to spammers on websites like Fiverr. AI spam posts build a content page and when it is well received by users, they sell their services to other AI spammers. Facebook users who cannot differentiate AI-slope from real, are being exploited.
Image: newslttrs
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New Analysis Shows Rankings on AI Overviews are More Unstable than Rankings on Traditional Google Search Results
The analysis also mentioned that ranking in the top ten organic search results doesn’t mean that your website will also rank on AI Overviews. Both have different criteria and systems and are independent in the way they work. However, the analysis has found that the top ten results in organic search appear 60% of the time on AI Overviews, while a page that isn’t ranked in the top ten appears 40% of the time on AI Overviews.
The text snippets on Google AI Overviews are also unstable and tend to change over time, even though the sources that are cited there remain stable. Monitoring these changes is the best way to see the trends in user intent. It is important to monitor AI Overviews because it is here to stay, so keeping up with its changes is the best way to make your website get cited there. It is very different from traditional SEO, so monitoring AI Overviews for keywords you care about is a good move.
The volatility of AI-generated rankings varies across industries, with sectors like marketing, non-profits, and real estate experiencing the most fluctuation. Compared to organic search, generative results show consistently higher instability, highlighting the unpredictability of AI-driven visibility. Categories such as healthcare and finance exhibit comparatively lower volatility, suggesting more stable ranking patterns. Understanding these variations is crucial for businesses aiming to maintain search visibility in an evolving digital landscape.
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X and Meta Under Fire For Approving Ads Targeting Germans with Violent Anti-Muslim and Anti-Jew Hate Speech
The news was shared after a new research firm called Eko went public with its findings on the matter.
Researchers tested whether or not both platforms’ ad review systems could approve or reject submissions linked to ads featuring violent terminology and hate speech themes. The fact that they were targeting the minorities in the country before the election just goes to show how they are playing along with the theme of immigration which has been a subject of debate during this time.
When both platforms’ ad review systems were tested to see if they would approve or reject those submissions, the final result was shocking, to say the least. There were so many calls for migrants to get jailed inside concentration camps or gassed. Similarly, shocking AI pictures of holy sites getting torched were on the rise.
Most of these test ads went unnoticed and were approved without hours of their submissions in the middle of February. Moreover, the elections begin this Sunday so the timing appears to be strategic indeed.
The study showed how all 10 of the ads featuring hate speech under discussion were approved by X while Meta also approved half of them for its Facebook app. Thankfully, the latter rejected the other half. The reason could be related to political sensitivity that it felt might impact voting.
The five ads that Meta said yes to included hate speech linking Muslims to viruses and rodents and branding them as those involved in the assault. Meta also said yes to ads responding to synagogues being burned to prevent the rat agenda of the Jews perceived globally.
None of the AI pictures showing disturbing actions were labeled as AI by either social media app which again raises the question on the issue. Still, seeing Meta approve 50% of the ads even though its policy needs disclosure of use for AI images is again alarming.
The additional approved ads featured messages attacking immigrants as rodents who keep flooding the nation to steal democracy. There are similar anti-semitic slurs that suggest how more and more Jews keep lying about matters related to climate change to destroy the entire EU industry and economic powers.
What is surprising is how X owner Musk has also used his app to intervene and speak on the German elections. He wished to persuade his users in the country to show support to the far-right AfD party so Germany could be saved. And the fact that he has millions of followers again says a lot about his influence.
Image: DIW-Aigen
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