Elon Musk Says Twitter Would Soon Allow Companies To Identify Which Other Accounts Are Linked With Them

Currently, we see Twitter’s paid Blue account walking on thin ice as the firm tries to figure out how it can control the non-stop attack and abuse conducted by so many impersonators.

Still, the app means business and it’s really trying hard to create a new stream of revenue that would be less reliable on ads and more on subscriptions.

Yesterday, we saw Musk speak in his Tweet about how the firm would be enabling organizations to identify which other Twitter accounts are linked to them. And by that, he meant the organization would be given so much more control over various affiliated accounts while Twitter is in charge.

It is yet to be clear if this tool would be paid for by the firm or would be an exclusive privilege provided to those having the paid Blue tier. As it is, so much uncertainty surrounds the topic of Twitter verification and the blue ticks as it’s put on hold thanks to the controversies arising for so long. People are literally so confused as to what is going on and they don’t even know where to begin.

If things do go as scheduled, Twitter’s plan as set out in tweets is linked to Twitter Blue and other such services that are paused thanks to impersonation to be reinstated by the end of this week. So the waiting game begins.

Twitter and its new owners have really cast a lot of doubts in people's minds about how much chaos surrounds the future of the platform. Today, it’s working with half the number of employees after the workforce was reduced by a significant margin.

There is a new business model in place that is linked to subscriptions, ads, and paywalls too. Hence, a lot is being done and some are publicized while others are not so much. We’ve seen Twitter expand to new highs, then be trolled, and finally, be abused. In the span of just a week.

So we are now waiting for Musk to roll this out and when it does, we’d love to see the response of firms regarding the new affiliated verification and whether or not it’s being accepted with positivity or not.

This feature would make it easier to track those and report others who are unaffiliated on the app. And when it’s a success, Twitter would charge organizations as a premium service.

Read next: Necessity Of Subscribers For Augmentation Of Twitter
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

A New Fraud Site, Fangxiao, Is Doing Brand Impersonating With Over 42,000 Sites

A fraudulent group named Fangxiao has created over 42,000 malicious websites and domains which impersonate many well-known brands. But in reality, this impersonation is used for directing users to many dating apps, adware apps, and giveaways. This is a scheme to generate traffic to the websites and produce revenues for Fangxiao. Cyjax made a detailed report about it which states that these website facilitators are based near China. The report also tells us that this company has been working since 2017 and they have been impersonating many brands which include the ones from retail, bank, pharmaceuticals, financial, and many others. They also include MacDonalds, Knorr, Emirates, Unilever, etc.

It was seen that many Fangxiao websites redirect visitors to sites that contain malware, especially Triada trojan.

Fangxiao registers about 300 brand-impersonating domains daily. These domains are used to bring more traffic to the sites. According to the statistics, about 24,000 domains have been registered since March 2022. Fangxiao mostly uses .top, TLD and then there's always something like .cn, .cyou, .xyz, and .tech present. This is the way to detect a malicious website. Another way to check about these websites is that they are introduced by Cloudfare and are mostly made on GoDaddy, Namecheap, and Wix.

Most of the users who stumble across these websites are because of the advertisements on their mobile and through WhatsApp groups by a link. Most of the time, the WhatsApp link tells the user that he has won something from a well-known brand. The user clicks on the links and that's how the malware is incorporated into the user's system. Then the users are asked to do a survey. Usually, these surveys are with a timer so the users do not get distracted and see that it's a fraud. Sometimes after the survey, users are asked to download an app that they have to launch on their mobiles.

The sign that you are using an unauthentic website is that you will be redirected to another website. And sometimes the website is marked as "suspicious" too. Another location where Fangxiao is seen is on the Play Store page of App Boaster Lite- RAM Booster. The interesting fact is that this app has over 10 million downloads. Cyjax has published an extensive study about Fangxiao that you should read about.

Read next: Email or Blackmail? Your Suspicious Emails are Just Popping ‘MALWARE’
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos All Set To Donate Most Of His Wealth To Charity During His Lifetime

Jeff Bezos who is the founder and ex-chief of Amazon has reportedly mentioned how keen he is to give back to society.

He is the latest Tech CEO who is now focusing a lot more on philanthropy than anything else and hence wants to be known for it too.

Speaking to CNN recently for his latest interview, Bezos says he hopes to donate most of his net worth back to the community, especially those charitable causes that he feels are the most deserving.

Most of the funds will end up being donated to causes like Climate Change or those uniting for the sake of humanity. Not a lot of details were shared by the billionaire in this regard but he is very keen on building the capacity with his partner to give to charity and make massive gains in the world of investments.

Right before this massive revelation, we saw Bezos set out $100 million in donations to the famous singer and literacy enthusiast Dolly Parton. Moreover, the executive had even pledged a massive $10 billion over the span of 10 years to the Bezos Earth Fund. This was reportedly aimed to make way for more solutions in terms of climate change. As it is, his former wife did give away $4 billion to various firms in the recent past.

In case you are wondering, this particular strategy was displayed by billionaire and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. He was also very family to make donations to various charities and some scientific research. He and his ex-wife find have a foundation together called the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. They even began the famous Giving Pledge initiative with the likes of Warren Buffett. The aim here was to donate funds for some great charitable causes.

In the year 2015, we saw Meta’s co-founder Mark Zuckerberg pledge to let go of 99% of his firm’s shares. At that time, it was worth nearly $45 billion and it was going to be allocated to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative with it being signed in the year 2010. And while Bezos is yet to sign the ordeal, his recent decision of letting his funds go might as well be a signal of what he hopes to achieve next.

Just like other tech CEOs in the industry that are known to let go of huge donations, Bezos is facing plenty of criticism in terms of the legacy that he would one day leave behind.

In case you didn’t know, Amazon has time after time fought for matters like Climate legislation. It even saw emissions rise in the year 2021 and that was without emissions peaking in the year 2021. This all took place without a massive commitment arising to reduce its effects on the environment.

Bezos was also seen arguing about how his firm really needs to enhance the working conditions of those members enrolled in its workforce. Despite such major claims, it was shocking to see how many issues like its warehouse working environment emerged, right under his nose.

Other questions on so many critics' minds are linked to why the billionaire had waited for so long to make this mega donation. Yes, he’s made plenty of pledges for charity, and we’ve seen him lay out funds for different side projects as well. And if you ask the experts, they haven’t done a lot in terms of making some major advancements in humanity, Let’s take the initiative to send out rich individuals into the world of space for instance using the Blue Origin spacecraft.

Now, the news is being looked upon as a way for Bezos to clear out his name and reputation by donating a significant portion of his wealth during his lifetime.

Read next: Older People Are Surprising Everyone by Caring More About Brand Purpose Than Gen Z
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Leading High-Speed Internet Providers Of 2022 Revealed

New research has shed light on the growing speed of American internet service providers. And when you look at the various years in perspective, it’s amazing to see the drastic change that time can make.

Recent analysis has shows that Google Fiber is the internet service provider having the fastest speed in the US. Moreover, its average speeds regarding uploads and downloads dominate over so many others by a huge margin. Let’s remember how this isn’t the only quick provider across America. When it comes to the top five firms providing the greatest speeds, names like Xfinity, MetroNet, and Verizon rank high on the list too.

So how are internet speeds analyzed is a question worth pondering. The data comes to us thanks to highspeedinternet.com which uses a unique tool to determine speed tests.

Google Fiber was also called out for giving quick internet connections that were the most consistent across the US. Some speeds went up to 2,000 Mbps and a year of average download speeds hit 167 Mbps. This makes the fiber internet service provider earn a score of 185.

It’s interesting to see how the service is only up for grabs in 19 different cities. And while it has been the country’s fastest ISP for the past four years, it was not shocking to see it beat out leading competitors each year, with this one being no exception.

But we can’t forget how so many other providers have also put out some majorly expressive scores. Xfinity is called out to be the second-fastest provider for internet services and the maximal advertised speeds were outlined to be 3000 Mbps. On the other hand, similar archrivals included the likes of AT&T, Verizon, and MetroNet.

They’re all coming in close with scores ranging between 145 to 155. With time, we’ve seen more providers for cable and fiber ISPs racing against the clock to boost up their plans in a few areas. Today, we’ve got firms such as Ziply and AT&T serving packages between 2000 and 5000 Mbps to a few highlighted areas.

On average, the goal of most ISPs is to offer speeds between 940 to 1000 Mbps. And if there’s something that goes faster than that, it’s not necessary for so many internet providers. Moreover, high prices and limited availability may turn such plans into an out-of-reach affair. But from this data one thing is for sure, high speeds and top bandwidth are the major selling factors for different internet users that spend more time across the internet each year.

Some more interesting findings had to do with long-term trends that have been in the spotlight since the year 2018.

With time, the speeds for internet connections kept on getting faster. There was a steady rise in all leading fiber, DSL, and cable ISPs. Next, so many ISPs are now putting out internet plans for residences with multigigabit speeds, Some go as far as hitting the 5,000 Mbps.

Trends also showed how the period between 2018 and 2021 had speeds go triple for some ISPs, where those fiber providers had the most gains. Lastly, as more and more ISPs moved away from the likes of DSL services, they were able to provide offerings that were fiber optic and affordable.

Firms showing the greatest gains included the likes of Google Fiber where download speeds going greater than the 90 Mbps target. And last year, that further peaked at 164 Mbps, which was so below the figure for the national average. It’s interesting to note how the cable is not as great as fiber but it’s still catching up.

Read next: The US and China Now Have More Household Wealth Than the Rest of the World
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Investments can be worrisome for three out of four Americans

According to a recent survey conducted by OnePoll in collaboration with Atom Finance, out of every four Americans, three believe they did something wrong while investing.

Americans think they have taken four big decisions they shouldn’t have. Out of two thousand survey participants, 31 of them think they made more than four big mistakes.

While responding to the hardest steps they have taken, investment topped at 38%, followed by a new place to stay at 33% and changing careers at 29%.

When asked whom they’d go to for suggestions on what step they should take, family and friends came in first, with 54 percent support. Taking advice from the web came in second with 40 percent, and surprisingly, informational shows and podcasts had the lowest numbers with 25% and 16%, respectively.

While 38 percent were not satisfied with the steps they took after investing, on the other hand, 71 percent agreed to be confused even after doing research on their end before making a move. The most common fear they get when the word "investment" pops up is losing their money, which can be seen in 76 percent of the respondents wanting to learn more before giving input in the investment world. 7 out of 10 participants are scared of taking the wrong steps with their money.

The word "investment" itself can generate three different responses at a time. Thirty-five percent show interest when they hear the term, while twenty-seven percent get inspired, and the same goes for getting anxious over it.

According to Eric Shoykhet, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Atom Finance, if anyone wants to invest, they should have access to all the information required to make their decision. Eric further added that his company is aiming to cover all the empty areas people have to face when getting themselves into the stock market and connect them with companies that can benefit them.

While 54% of them have already invested, the other 50% are still thinking about it. And another 57 percent kept themselves away from investing because they believe it was a game of risk.

Wendy Ivanoski, COO of Atom Finance, said that it is difficult for investors to decide where they should get their information about investments and whom they should have faith in. This is where such platforms come in and assist those who want to be a part of something big and make money out of it with complete information.

Read next: 54% of Freelancers Feel Pressured to Save for Retirement
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Older People Are Surprising Everyone by Caring More About Brand Purpose Than Gen Z

It’s no secret that the world is becoming increasingly polarized. We see it in the news, on social media, and in our everyday lives. There are a lot of discussions about younger generations viewing the brands on what they offer. But a recent study from Gfk amazed us when they found out older people are paying more attention to a brand purpose (the reason behind its existence).

There were significant variances between the responses of different generations because of their diverse perspectives regarding brands, at times as much as 20% points, with different brands like Dove performing highest among Gen Z or Post Millennials and H&M and Starbucks achieving the highest with older people or Gen X.

Many well-known companies like Colgate, Ben & Jerry’s, Seventh Generation, Toyota, and Patagonia have built incredible customer loyalty through their services. A Study was done based on these companies, where on the opinions of 2,400 American adults who saw 20 purpose-driven advertisements from these companies, and the ads were then graded according to how pleasingly they might "fascinate, imprint, and activate viewers." To gauge people's reactions, the study also used logical and sentimental brand loyalty criteria.

GfK then categorized the advertisements with either revolutionary commercials or traditional purpose messaging, which helps promote the brand's beliefs and accomplishments. This work was done in collaboration with Thomas Kolster and Goodvertising Agency. Instead of emphasizing the brand itself, these buildups focus on what customers can achieve.

These brands target Gen Z by making them watch these emotional transformational ads, which strongly and directly create a psychological impact on their mind and create a significant difference in their life. They target this age group because of their strongest emotional reaction among all the age groups. They believe in the brand listening to their concerns and love it.

Which advertisements throughout all generations produced the most powerful branding? Tom's, Pepsi, Apple, Colgate, and H&M.

Consumer attention appears to be influenced by the perceived "quality of fit" between the company values and its goals. Dove, Colgate, Pepsi, and Patagonia perform the best in this regard for younger consumers.

Because of incredible services and targeting Gen Z preaching something motivated, these companies like Toyota, Samsung, Apple, Hiring Chain, Dove, Seventh Generation, H&M, Fed Ex, Patagonia, and Soda Stream have the highest success reaching Gen X consumers.

Due to the growth from "nothing to everything" and maintaining the brand name by providing the promised quality companies like Hiring Chain, CleanCut, Seventh Generation, H&M, and Starbucks, on the other hand, received the best responses from boomers in the form of feedback.

Read next: Email or Blackmail? Your Suspicious Emails are Just Popping ‘MALWARE’
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Google Vows To Better Disclosures With Controls Linked To Location Tracking Of Android Users

A major privacy investigation has brought Google back to the reality that things aren’t going to get better themselves in the world of location tracking unless changes are implemented.

Hence, the tech giant is now vowing to enhance disclosures with controls related to location tracking. This is for both Android users and all account holders. And it comes as the search engine giant prepares to settle a mega $392 million dollar lawsuit.

Google is settling a new ongoing investigation involving up to 40 different US states and how it’s tracking the locations of so many users as well.

After reaching the settlement, the company did publish a new press release that spoke of its plans to eliminate three changes for the firm’s products that would provide more controls and transparency linked to a user's location data. The changes would appear by early next year.

The initial changes would involve adding a set of new disclosures linked to location data and Activity Controls. This would go on expanding to data and privacy features too. Meanwhile, the company is also planning to roll out a new hub related to location data that puts some of the main location settings on display.

There will even be added convenience that gives users the chance to disguise their location history and delete any relevant details of the user in a simple flow. On the other hand, Google would also be disclosing more web and app activity settings when the initial setup takes place.

The changes arise after a few other privacy settings were made by the organization in the past few years. In the past year, we’ve seen Google launch the ability for users to get rid of data in an automatic manner. This would be done on the optional basis of 3 months, 18 months, and 36 months. On the other hand, we’re seeing the search engine giant put out an option that deletes 15 minutes of the user’s account history. And that too, with the help of a single click. If that’s not what you call convenience, then we’re not quite sure what is.

From all of this, we can clearly see that Google wants to learn from its mistakes and prevent them from happening in the future too.

Read next: Apple Is Still Far Behind In Terms Of Finding A Replacement For Google Search On iOS Devices
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World