TikTok’s Latest Review Depicts Mega 62% Rise In Fake Accounts On The App

While many may have spoken about how positive of a year TikTok has had and how its dominant market share has resulted in so many top platforms losing screen time against the archrival, well, there is some bad news too.

The company was seen publishing its latest review of Q2 this year in terms of responses linked to Community Guidelines. And that entails all forms of videos and profiles that were either deleted or taken action against.

And as the famous saying goes, the more users, the greater the problems. And that seems to have taken place right now.

TikTok is being extra stringent in terms of action taken by its board against those violating the community guidelines. This could include those breaking rules or those coming up with fake accounts. Either way, they’re removed from the platform but to see a mega 62% rise in the number is appalling, to say the least.

For starters, let’s begin with the amount of video content that made its way off of the platform. Think along the lines of 113 million that took place between the months of April to June. This was an 11% rise from the previous quarter. But the trend does make some sense as it came with steady growth in viewers as well.

As can be witnessed in a recent chat of the overview put up by the app, there is plenty of misuse, and how this particular challenge manages to increase with time on the app.

What we love is how the app manages to get rid of content that breaks violations, right before anyone gets a peek so this fast action behavior is always recommended.

TikTok is really doing plenty to have its users be safeguarded against harmful exposures but critics aren’t too happy with the way it’s handling misinformation.

A new study put up by NewsGuard says 1 in 5 search results on the app is definitely misleading, including one topic linked to an mRNA vaccine.

This is super interesting because it doesn’t seem to be getting better with time and it’s causing a concern as seen with other platforms.

According to a recent study conducted by NewsGuard, up to 1 in 5 search results in the app contains misinformation, including searches for ‘2022 election’ to ‘mRNA vaccine’. Which is an interesting counter to TikTok’s own data, which would suggest, in isolation, that TikTok’s getting much, much better on this front.

There was also plenty of talk about how one of the app’s most important concerns is linked to the safety of minors. The fact that the platform has so many users means there are allegations that it might be putting up more content belonging to young females so as to try and lure people to continue scrolling on the feed.

As we get deeper into the matter, it was revealed by TikTok how explicit content and nudity were one of the major reasons for content removal on the app. And this continues to be an area of growing concern for so many people. TikTok says it’s trying hard to get rid of such content but experts feel its algorithms do promote such content too.

But the biggest for eliminating accounts has to do with fake profiles and seeing the 62% rise is just mind-blowing as stats are compared with the previous quarter.

The mere fact that we’re seeing such fake profiles come into existence makes one realize the great value that today’s content creator industry holds and how the market filled with fake users is on the rise.

TikTok also revealed how it’s testing a new program for fact-checking so false content is flagged immediately on the web.

Read next: TikTok is the Least Trusted News Source According to This Survey
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Manifest V3 Is Chrome’s Next Best Extension And Here's Google's Timeline For Its Transition

Google is shedding more light on its latest extension called the Manifest V3 and that includes a new update on when users can expect the transition to occur.

Right now, it’s Manifest V2 that’s taking center stage but users can expect Manifest V3 to arrive with a bang by next year. For those that may not be aware, there is already plenty of criticism surrounding it.

It’s facing hatred for affecting ad blockers. But the tech giant says it's been left with no better decision than this because user privacy is definitely the key goal right now in terms of its design. But wait, in 2021, the firm predicted that the V2 extension would be eliminated by the year 2023. So as you can see, we’re close.

But right before that, we’re hearing more details on how Google is shedding light on the slow experimental approach related to switching off V2. This will entail a smoother transition into V3 during the process.

We should see the transition roll out by early 2023. This will also be the time period that Chrome carries out trials to remove support for V2 extensions across Beta channels and even Canary Dev. By this time, Manifest V2 will carry the smoothest phasing-out maneuver.

This is also when we might be seeing a new Featured Badge that’s located across the Chrome Web Store. The trials should carry on to the Stable Channel via Chrome 115 across the month of June. And that’s also when V2 might be unlisted publicly. So now such items would be published.

The end result will be enterprise domains and giving them more time. However, an exemption like that would be removed by 2024’s start when we’ll see Manifest V2 deleted from the Google Store.

But what guidance is Google really giving its developers in this regard? Well, it’s mostly related to switching to Manifest V3, much before the release occurs. And that’s because such extensions could be prevented from working at any given moment in time after the dates outlined.

There has been a lot of talk about work taking place with the company’s developers regarding the extension and how the new V3 could be enhanced via community feedback. And Google says it’s always open for criticism and has used that to include new APIs and various platform changes.

Read next: Google Chrome is getting its own root certificate stores
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Facebook Experiments With New Option That Restricts Posts To Subscribers Only

Facebook is busy experimenting with a new feature that could restrict access to creator posts. Hence, this way, only those who are subscribers would end up taking a glimpse of the post while the others are barred from doing so.

We find the feature to be rather interesting and it is said to be limited to only the initial period after a post gets published. So that could vary between as short as one day or as long as a week.

An example of the feature was put up and shared by social media expert Matt Navarra (via Jonah Manzano). He showed how some users could gain early access to a feature that’s limited to Subscribers only by clicking on the toggle option. This limits access to that particular post for a fixed period of time.

Obviously, you’ll be required to have a few subscribers but we do see how it may end up turning into a handy feature. Remember, Meta is keen on having an expansion of the appeal of its creators. This is just so they can get a lot more of these individuals to post across more apps on a frequent basis, not to mention always having fans come back for more.

Instagram says one of its top priorities is marketing creators and it's on a mission to add a series of posts based on its AI recommendations to users’ feeds. This is being done to produce more exposure when it comes to rising talent on the app.

In the same way, we’re seeing Facebook add in a series of tools for its creators and that entails updates on the Facebook page and even ad alerts that show support for fellow creators, assist top fans, and more such features.

On the other hand, there is also some news about how Meta is previewing a better option that allows its creators to share certain posts only with those they deem to be top fans and even those that are subscribers to the app. So as you can see, it’s quite similar to the new option that’s up for grabs in terms of ‘new subscriber’ selections.

We can see how the ability to keep certain posts restricted for a short period of time can enhance this particular feature, proving a better way to boost subscribers’ value. Moreover, it would also end up attracting greater interest.

Imagine a visitor lands on your profile and sees there’s a post that’s exclusively solely for subscribers. When they try to view it, they’re locked out from doing so and can’t witness the content immediately. Hence, it’s definitely great at adding value and proving to subscribers that their loyalty is being appreciated.

Who knows, you might end up getting more people to release funds to witness your newest updates. See, it's all about how great or intriguing the post is and whether or not the viewer is willing to splurge a little extra to see what's in store for them.

Read next: Meta Is Working On A New Profile ‘Switching Tool’ That Allows Users To Jump Between Instagram And Facebook
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

TikTok is the Least Trusted News Source According to This Survey

Social media can be useful place to gather news, but in spite of the fact that this is the case most people don’t seem to trust tech platforms for news. These platforms have become notorious due to the high quantity of misinformation and fake news that is present on them, although Google seems to be more trustworthy than most other platforms that are out there. A survey recently conducted by Reuters shed some light on which platforms are trusted and which aren’t with all things having been considered and taken into account.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that trust in news in general is on the decline. Around 46% of British respondents to this survey stated that they don’t like to read the news anymore. 52% said that they trusted Google as a source of news, but only 20% said the same for TikTok.

Meta’s platforms including Facebook and Instagram also performed really poorly based on this survey. Only 27% of the people that responded to this survey said that they trusted news that they got from Facebook, and only 24% said the same for Instagram.

In the US, only 49% of people trust the overall news cycle, but they tended to trust news more than might have been the case otherwise if they got it from Google. 53% of American respondents to this survey said that they trusted news from Google, which suggests that Google is a far more trustworthy outlet than the wider news industry.

There is also quite a bit of disparity based on the ages of the people who were interviewed and surveyed. For example, only 3% of people aged over 55 trusted news from TikTok, but for people under the age of 35 this number jumped to around 40%. Hence, younger people are more trusting of social media platforms likely due to their ability to navigate the landscape of fake news and their higher degree of knowledge that helps them spot misinformation and avoid giving it any credence while they consume news.

Read next: Users Don’t Trust Social Media Platforms Anymore According to New Study
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Google Announces Exciting Plans To Revamp Its Classic Search Experience

If you’re getting tired of the same old Google Search experience, well, the company has some great news for users like you.

Google says it’s revamping the age-old search experience so that its users can explore more data on the leading search engine through a natural flow.

To get this up and running, the firm is putting forward a set of new features that entail different tools that are going to be used to dig deeper into a topic. There will also be some more changes related to making the overall search experience a pleasurable one. From more visually appealing snippets to better imagery and more videos, there’s a lot in store. And we’re excited just thinking of it.

This new update comes at a time when the tech giant mentioned during the early part of this year how internal research showed that so many of its users were now resorting to apps like TikTok and even Instagram to get answers to common queries. So as you can imagine, there’s more competition and that means the firm has to up its game somehow before things began slipping away.

So by the looks of it, Google may have begun taking inspiration from the younger generation to use the internet. This allows for easy access and visually appealing content, including more guidance as they start to ask questions.

For starters, there’s a new feature that entails shortcuts for some of the search engine’s useful tools. These will be seen in the search box for easier access and be allowed to perform quick actions like translation, screenshots, identifying a song, or solutions to math-based homework.

Some of the changes seem to be hinted at the younger lot or those who adore the new technology of today such as Google Lens. And remember, the shortcuts won’t be having any links to innovative features but they’ll be getting the attention they deserve.

Secondly, Google is on a mission to better refine its search through tools that allow text queries to be solved via the expansion of a list of suggestions. These will arise through buttons seen on the search box. You can drill into various sub-topics while taking part in your search.

So it’s like searching for one thing but being recommended a few others, in case you’re interested.

But one of the mightiest changes of them all is the emphasis on visual search. While we aren’t saying you’re no longer going to see the classic blue links, you’ll be provided with a new form of visual makeover where boxes of Knowledge Panels will be seen.

This is where Google plans to pull in an entire array of different information across so many sources in all sorts of formats.



There will be scenarios where visual searches will be highlighting content from different apps too, the company confirmed.

We’re hearing about the tech giant showcasing content for a while now and it appears the time has finally come for the grand makeover.

Content belonging to leading apps like TikTok and YouTube are indexable and they rank videos from all across the board. Hence, when needed for purposes like a search, you get it, and when not, it’s returned.

So the goal is to be more modern and appealing like platforms such as TikTok. There’s no limit to content creation there and in case you weren’t already aware, there’s plenty of good information out there.

Remember, the platform says that the new visual display isn’t going to change all results of Google Search. But it will surely show up on your results page where you can find the visual content to be more accommodating such as the travel niche.

The changes went public today at Google’s famous Search On event today where a lot of new great projects were discussed.

Read next: Google Launches New Shopping Tools That Links Buyers To Shops Selling Their Favorite Products
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Reddit’s New Report Highlights Major Engagement Trends for Brands

Brands need to diversify the social media platforms that they are visible on because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up getting them into as many users’ heads as possible. Reddit has been a popular choice, but it has historically underperformed when compared to larger rivals such as Facebook and Twitter. The social media platform recently conducted a survey of 2,000 randomly selected users to tell brands what engagement trend they can leverage to boost their renown.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that community is a big part of its overall appeal. People that prefer Reddit tend to feel a lack of sense of community on other major social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok as well as Twitter. Snapchat and Pinterest offer a bit of emotional security that is comparable to Reddit, but even they fall well short of Reddit when it comes to community building.

Reddit is also unique in that it is one of the only platforms that gives users visible negative engagement options in the form of the downvote. This might seem risky to some brands, but it also makes Reddit a much more honest place for opinions and discourse than might have been the case otherwise.

There is also a lot of value in the self moderation of most communities both large and small. Reddit users can be studied more easily because their behaviors, moderation and preferences are not hidden behind complex algorithms and protocols.

According to this report, it appears that Reddit may be one of the only social media platforms that don’t have a negative impact on user mental health. The sense of inclusion that the platform creates is quite useful on that front, but it should also be mentioned that this report was created by Reddit itself. Its findings would have to be vetted by independent third parties before a consensus can be reached regarding their veracity, so this data should be taken with a grain of salt until that finally occurs.

Read next: New Infographic Shares The Mind-Blowing Amount of Data Swirling On The Internet In One Minute
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

New Study Proves Voice Assistants Like Alexa And Siri Can Have Negative Effects On A Child’s Development

Voice assistants have really made so many of our lives easier. Be it, Alexa or Siri, the race is on for the best smart device to take a controlling approach to our routine.

But you’ll be amazed at the results of a new study that proves the dramatic side-effects that come with the endeavor.

Think along the lines of such smart technology negatively impacting a child’s growth. Be it physical or emotional, the research says voice assistants can stunt their growth.

Remember, most of the phones that kids utilize today have voice apps. Whether it's the breakthrough technology from Apple or Amazon, it’s definitely in there somewhere. But now, scientists are ringing the alarm on how these features can prevent the development of skills like empathy, compassion, and even critical thinking. Overall, it impedes their learning too.

This lack of ability to take part in non-verbal forms of communication really affects the social interactions of young kids. The news comes to us through the University of Cambridge’s latest media release.

In terms of normal interactions, a young kid would end up getting constructive feedback in cases when they didn’t behave properly. But that can’t be done through this smart device. It’s just beyond the scope of it.

The research is preliminary in regards to these voice assistants that serve as social companions for adults that are mostly lonely. They’ve been proven to be great for them but we’re not sure if that implies the same for kids too, especially those that are still young and growing.

Researchers claim such incidents are important if a child has been through COVID-19 and due to the lockdown, they’ve been spending more time at home and in isolation with such devices.

Authors of such research claim that so many gadgets can serve as friends for younger people and older ones too. They boost both the reading and interactive skills of such people, thanks to AI technology. But the long-term effects these have on young minds at this pivotal time in growth are definitely alarming.

The leading areas that need to be evaluated that have shown to have detrimental effects include social development, learning, and producing inappropriate responses. To help better shed light on the seriousness of the matter, well, one device even went as far as telling the child to touch the plug of their lamp. So as you can see, parental control over such products is needed to prevent such negative outcomes.

Other than that, researchers are outlining how such products aren’t teaching kids manners. Then there’s the matter pertaining to privacy matters. Think along the lines of having your most intimate or private chats recorded.

There are zero expectations of being polite from the device so kids are allowed to talk in whichever manner they wish. It’s almost as if please and thank you have been omitted from the child’s vocabulary. Also, there’s no consideration given to the tone of voice being used.

Voice assistants are ultimately there to help provide users with the information that they’ve requested. They’re supposed to be there for short and to-the-point answers. But the way kids pick up things and absorb information through such means is definitely not recommended to have good effects on their development.

It also prevents kids from thinking logically, added a few researchers.

More research is definitely required to assess the long-term effects of kids interacting with such products. So it’s best to act now before it’s too late.

Read next: The World Of AR Technology Is Years Away From Mass Consumer Adoption, Confirms IDC
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World