WhatsApp Reinforces Security and Privacy with Locked Chats on Web and Automated Account Reports

Whatsapp is coming up with a new feature that will enable the user to lock their chats on WhatsApp web, as spotted by WBI.

Users have been demanding locked chats on WhatsApp web and now Meta's messaging platform has already started working on it. The locked chats will have a separate tab for them that will greatly protect the user’s privacy. Anything about tab placement and its design is too soon to discuss as WhatsApp hasn’t said (officially) anything about it. What some experts are anticipating is that the tab is likely to have a code that will help the user to hide their private chats.

Keep in mind that a lock for chats on WhatsApp is already available on its iOS and Android. There are a lot of advantages to locking your chats on WhatsApp in terms of privacy and security. The biggest advantage of locking the chats on WhatsApp web will be when the user will be working among other people and wants to protect their privacy. WhatsApp is working hard to add new features on the app and on Web WhatsApp so users can easily use it without worrying about their privacy and security.

This new feature shows that WhatsApp wants users to feel secure while chatting with people on their platform.

On the other hand, WhatsApp is also working on automating account reports in an upcoming update. The beta version for Android 2.24.3.30 reveals a feature that will generate monthly reports for user accounts and channels automatically. This promises users a hassle-free way to stay informed about their account activities without manual intervention, enhancing convenience and efficiency. The development aims to streamline the process initiated in 2018, allowing users to effortlessly track changes in their account information over time. Further details on this feature will be shared as the update progresses.

Read next: Content creators on YouTube can now highlight their top clips, reaching more viewers with a new feature
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Content creators on YouTube can now highlight their top clips, reaching more viewers with a new feature

Last year, Creator Insider talked about the research tab on YouTube that included content gaps on shorts. The search tab gives a summary of what the audience on the platform are searching for. The summary on the research tab can give viewers ideas about content gaps and what type of content users want on YouTube. A content gap topic appears when users cannot find exactly what they are searching for. The content creators on YouTube can take help from those content gaps to create content that doesn’t exist or could be improved. All of these updates are available on Studio Desktop (that was previously just limited to mobile) with more improvements.

Another feature Creator Insider discussed was how many users discover new clips on Reddit or Discord, but cannot find them on YouTube. Now, YouTube has launched the feature that will enable content creators to highlight their top clips on their channel so more viewers can discover and interact with them. To use this feature, the users have to enable it by going to the YouTube Studio’s customization tab.

A new analytics feature for playlists is also being introduced on YouTube. If you have a channel and want to see your playlist’s analytics, just click on the playlist and YouTube will show you grouped analytics for videos in the playlist. This feature is similar to the analytics feature on advanced mode, but it is for the playlists. Another feature that YouTube is adding for content creators is automatic early access. Till now, creators had to manually change it but now they can automatically set a date on which the Members First video has to be released to the public in later days. This means that creators can release the video just as Members first but can set a date to release it publicly later. When the video is available for members, they will receive a notification and when it’s available for the public, the general subscribers will then receive a notification as well.

Read next: Q4 2023: Google's Ad Revenue Surges by $6.48 Billion, YouTube Ads Cash In at $9.2 Billion
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

OpenAI Faces Legal Issues in Europe Over Data Privacy Concerns

OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT, might have to pay big fines. Italy's main technology authority has accused them of not following Europe's data privacy laws. The issue seems to be about not controlling the content for young users.

In Italy, the Data Protection Authority, called the Garante, informed OpenAI they might have broken data protection rules. They did not give details on what OpenAI did wrong or what actions they might take.

The Italian regulators are worried about young users seeing bad content on the chatbot. OpenAI's website says users should be at least 13 years old and those under 18 need permission from a parent or guardian.

The Italian agency is also looking at how OpenAI collects data from users to train the chatbot. The Garante thinks OpenAI might have broken rules in the EU's General Data Protection Regulation.

Italy had banned ChatGPT before, the first time in Europe, but they allowed it again after OpenAI answered their privacy concerns.

The EU law says companies can be fined a lot of money if they break these rules.

It's not clear if OpenAI will face another ban because of this new issue. The Garante has not made any comments yet.

OpenAI disagrees with the Italian agency. They say they follow the GDPR and other privacy laws.

They are also trying to use less personal data in their systems. OpenAI wants to keep working with Garante to solve these problems.

This is not the only trouble for OpenAI. They are facing legal and regulatory issues in the US too. In the US and Europe, authorities are looking at OpenAI's relationship with Microsoft for potential competition issues.

This attention grew after Microsoft helped bring back OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, who was briefly fired.

OpenAI is also dealing with a lawsuit from the New York Times. The newspaper says OpenAI used its articles to train ChatGPT without permission or payment.

Image: DIW

Read next: Microsoft Sees Revenue Growth in Latest Financial Quarter
by Mahrukh Shahid via Digital Information World

Microsoft Sees Revenue Growth in Latest Financial Quarter

Microsoft has reached a big milestone. It is now a $3 trillion company. Its latest financial quarter was the strongest so far.

The money it made from search and news ads grew by 8%. Though, this is a bit less than the 10% growth in the previous quarter.

LinkedIn, which is part of Microsoft, also did well. Its revenue went up by 9%.

The total revenue in Microsoft's productivity and business area was $19.2 billion. This is a 13% increase.

For the quarter ending December 31, 2023, Microsoft's total sales were $62 billion. This is 18% more than last year.

The company's net income also went up a lot. It was 33% higher at $21.9 billion.

A big part of this success was due to Office and cloud services. These areas make up about 60% of Microsoft's total revenue.

The gaming side, especially Xbox, also did well. Xbox's revenue went up 61% because it bought Activision Blizzard. This helped increase the total gaming revenue by 49%.

Even though Microsoft did well overall, the growth in search and news ads was not as big as other areas.

LinkedIn's steady growth might mean it's doing better than other parts of Microsoft. Microsoft is using AI in many ways to get new customers and improve productivity.

Satya Nadella, the leader of Microsoft, shared some thoughts. He said they are now using AI a lot, not just talking about it.

They put AI into every part of their technology. This is helping them get new customers. It's also making things better and more productive in many areas.

Image: DIW - AIGen

Read next: Microsoft Edge In Hot Waters Again After Being Accused Of Data Theft
by Mahrukh Shahid via Digital Information World

Apple Fears UK Government Will Quietly Veto Tech Changes Made By Leading Companies

iPhone maker Apple is worried about the power that the UK government holds in terms of pre-approving any kind of changes in store for security features by leading tech giants.

A series of proposals for changes required for updating the 2016 IPA was discussed recently where the Home Office claimed it showed massive support for any kind of tech that was based upon privacy as the goal was to keep the nation safe.

A spokesperson for the government mentioned how they were always on the lookout to update modern technology in the best way imaginable to make sure everything remained updated at all times.

Another statement from the UK government added how there was a clear need to support innovation but if it was coming at the cost of users’ privacy then that was necessary to look at in detail as the main goal was to ensure the nation’s safety.

In cases when the government refused to make any changes for updates made by tech giants like Apple, it wouldn’t be released in other nations too as the public wouldn’t be informed about any of this.

At the moment, the country’s government is looking to make updates as they do support innovation but not at the cost of security. They have always been super clear about the support that tech innovation and privacy brings to the table which entails E2E encryption.

All such changes would be debated at the House of Lords on Wednesday as the tech giant feels it’s quite an overreach by the British Government.

It would not be wrong to mention how a host of people are all concerned about what changes people can expect to arise so soon. The goal is to secretly veto protections of users from all over the globe and stop them from giving them to clients.

Speaking to the BBC recently, the Home Office says it understands what’s going on right now and there are a series of issues like terrorism and abuse that’s at peak and it’s time that those responsible are brought to justice.

Meanwhile, the current law in place has been called out by critics as a total snoopers chart but that’s not the first time that the iPhone maker has lashed out against a host of proposals to enhance the scope.

In July of last year, we saw the leading tech firm mention how its goal was to pull out services like Facetime and iMessage from the United Kingdom instead of compromising the security of the future.

Through such law proposals, things would go above and beyond the usual iMessage and FaceTime as it entails a host of products.

During the start of January, plenty of civil liberties such as the Big Brother and Open Rights Group as well as Privacy International were out and about, showing great support as well as opposition for leading parts of the bill.

The groups mentioned how they were so worried that such changes would force technology and firms including those located abroad to keep the government aware of plans for better security and privacy. In this way, the government would put out notices to stop changes like these from taking place.

This would work to quietly but effectively convert private firms into areas of surveillance and erode security belonging to both the web and devices.

Such changes would be in line with reviews of the currently existing laws and entail a wide array of updates around data collection and making use of records about internet connection.

Photo: Digital Information World - AIgen

Read next: New Study Shows that AI Will Help in Increasing US GDP to About $1 Trillion in Coming Years
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

New Study Shows that AI Will Help in Increasing US GDP to About $1 Trillion in Coming Years

According to a study conducted by Cognizant, AI could bring a lot of change in the US economy in the coming years. It is predicted that AI could bring about $1 trillion to the US economy in the coming decade. But it’s not all, because many US workers will also lose their jobs because AI will take over those. The study took help from a model to demonstrate how AI could impact low, middle and high businesses. The first model revealed that AI is quickly taking over many businesses.

2023 was a year when companies were experimenting with AI but in the coming years, all work load will be shifted to them. 13% of the companies in the US are going to adopt the AI tech for work with in the next 3 to 4 years. This will increase up to 31% in the next four to 8 years and up to 50% in a decade. After 10 years, the AI adoption will slow down a little bit but won’t completely stop. Companies will soon adapt AI in work in the next 20 years.

The researchers studied all the tasks that run the US economy like content generation, market analysis, reports and emails. They then compared all this work to generative AI’s and found out that 90% of the jobs related to the US economy will do about 50% of their tasks with the help of AI. 52% of the jobs will be affected by work done by AI one way or another. This means that about 9% of the employees related to the US economy will lose their jobs in the next 10 years.

In the next few years, the US economy is set to change with the increase in US GDP to $1 trillion, all driven by productivity under AI tools. AI will impact different types of jobs and will take over credit analysis, computer programming, data administration and graphic designing jobs. This doesn’t mean all people will lose their jobs. The employees who possess great critical thinking and knowledge skills will be highly appreciated in the upcoming era of artificial intelligence.

Read next: CenterView Founder Highlights Critical Thinking as Key Amidst AI's Potential Skill Replication
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

CenterView Founder Highlights Critical Thinking as Key Amidst AI's Potential Skill Replication

AI is getting popular day by day, especially among young people. Many youngsters are using AI for doing their work, especially coding. But one of the New York’s top bankers say that AI wasn't made so that kids could use it for developing coding skills. It was made so the kids can learn good judgment and critical skills. The co-founder of Centerview Partners LLC, Blair Effron said that I am not sure if I have ever advised my kids that learning coding is going to be a good skill in the coming 10 years. What I advise my kids is that critical thinking and judgment skills are going to help them a lot in the next few years.

Blair Effron is known as someone who had the largest corporate deal in the history of the US and that's why his opinion about these things matter. He said that critical thinking skills are a lot important in banking investments. And AI models do not possess these types of skills. AI is set to replace many skills but critical thinking is something it cannot replace no matter what. A Nobel Prize winner economist, Christopher Pissarides, said that new employees should look for positions that want them to use their empathetic skills, instead of skills that would be dominated by AI in the coming years.

Now the business schools are asking their students to make their own business models and review them. The business firm of Effron is responsible for arranging 12% global deals, all based on the critical skills. He said that there is no reason to believe that we cannot top the $4 trillion market of the past five years in 2024. He is sure that he can do that because of his optimism. There are going to be risks to the US economy if Donald Trump beats Joe Biden in the election. It is going to be a big downfall. He said that there should be a good relationship with allies and adversaries if you want to protect the corporate world of the US.

Photo: Digital Information World - AIgen

Read next: Will AI Create Jobs? This Staffing Agency Says Yes
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World