53% of Users Say In-App Ads are Useful

An increase in mobile usage along with the shifting landscape of consumers in the aftermath of the pandemic is creating a huge uptick in ads that are present within apps. A recent study conducted by the B2B ranking platform known as GoodFirms revealed some key insights into the state of the mobile app advertising industry, and it turns out that it can be an effective tool for new apps that are attempting to establish a solid user base.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that these in-app ads are also seen quite favorably by users. As many as 56.5% of users end up downloading apps that they see in ads that are present on apps that they use on a daily basis. 42.6% even made a purchase after clicking on an in-add app which can help developers get higher rates of revenue than might have been the case otherwise.

Overall, just under 53% of users, or 52.8% to be precise, say that in-app ads are useful with all things having been considered and taken into account. 56.7% said that they are informative, even if they don’t necessarily find them useful.

In spite of the fact that this is the case, 65.9% of users said that they would skip an ad if it interrupts their video streaming. What’s more, over 43% of users still felt that these in-app ads were unwanted, although 54% of users also stated that they prefer to use ad powered apps because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up removing subscription fee requirements.

The type of ad that is placed can have a strong impact on whether or not users will be receptive towards it. Banner ads tend to win out in this regard, so it will be essential for app developers to utilize them moving forward. Obstructive ads can be perceived as rather annoying, and they can actually make users less likely to want to click on the ads which can be disastrous for click through and engagement rates.

Read next: Experts Raise The Alarm Against AI Voice Cloning As Scams Reach An All-Time High
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

What You Need to Know About Third-Party Risk Management

Working with third-party vendors or suppliers has become increasingly common in today's business world. However, it also poses a potential threat to companies' security, operations, and overall reputation.

Photo: Pexels

Organizations can monitor and evaluate the risk posed by third parties to determine whether it surpasses the bar set by the business by using third party risk management (TPRM). In today’s article, let’s explore what you should know about third-party risk management.

Third-Party Risk Management: An Introduction

The phrase "third-party risk management" is sometimes used synonymously with other widely used phrases in the business, such as vendor risk management, or supply chain risk management. However, TPRM is frequently seen as the all-encompassing discipline that covers all different kinds of risks and third parties.

This is a type of risk control, which is used to identify and minimize risks associated with the use of third parties such as suppliers, service providers, or contractors. The management is intended to help businesses comprehend the third parties they work with, how they work with them, and the security measures those parties have in place.

The organization determines the TPRM program's requirements and scope, which can be very different based on the sector, legal constraints, and other aspects. However, a lot of third-party risk management best practices are general and may be used by any company or organization.

How Important Is Third-Party Risk Management?

To ensure that the businesses you are affiliated with maintain pertinent laws, regulations, and industry standards, third-party risk management is essential. Usually, third-party risk management handles risks associated with data security, IT, or financial stability. Reputational and compliance risks, however, are equally crucial. When unethical behavior at a third party is exposed, customers can be harsh, and your business is likely to suffer as a result.

Governments have expanded their laws as third-party connections grow. Your third-party risk management procedure should incorporate elements of sophisticated supply chain risk management to help you handle the complexity.

A third-party risk management framework and a collection of cooperative plans for dealing with third-party risk occurrences are required to evaluate the criticality of risk objects. The three major steps of risk management include:

• Risk identification: identify critical parameters and know what to watch for
• Impact assessment: Assess prospective losses and criticality
• Risk mitigation: Involves creating proactive and defensive strategies

Benefits of Investing in Third-Party Risk Management

Investing in TPRM has many benefits for organizations, including:

Cost reduction: While implementing TPRM may require an initial investment, it ultimately saves money. With a successful TPRM plan in place, the likelihood of data breaches is significantly reduced.

Compliance with regulations: Many regulations, including FISMA, HITECH, GLBA, CPS, and the NIST, require third-party management. To evade being held accountable for security issues, organizations may be legally compelled to evaluate their third-party ecosystem depending on their industry and the type of data they manage. Non-compliance is not accepted by most industries.

Risk reduction: Conducting due diligence during the vendor onboarding process and continuously monitoring suppliers during their lifetimes helps reduce the possibility of data leaks and third-party security breaches.

Understanding and assurance: TPRM improves policymaking at all stages, from the primary assessment procedure through off-boarding, by increasing knowledge and visibility of the third-party providers.

Third-Party Risk Management Process

Establishing a strong risk management process with the following stages will help you create an efficient third-party risk management framework that can feed into your overall business risk management.

Analyze: To check whether the vendor's external security posture satisfies a minimum required score, it is becoming more and more common to employ security ratings. Determine the dangers you would be adding to your company and the level of due diligence needed before onboarding a third party.

Involvement: If the vendor has a high enough security rating, the next step is to request or have the company complete a security questionnaire that offers information about their security measures that are hidden from the public.

Cleanup: You can decide that you don't want to cooperate with the vendor until they address the security flaws you have discovered if the provider poses unacceptable risks. This is where a remediation tool comes in handy because, without one, it's simple to overlook crucial problems in Excel spreadsheets and email inboxes.

Acceptance: Based on your risk tolerance, the importance of the vendor, and any compliance needs you may have, your business can determine whether to onboard the vendor or not, depending on the results of remediation.

Observation: It's crucial to continue checking on a vendor's security even after they have been accepted. The fact that they now have access to your internal systems, and sensitive data, and are involved in your business activities makes monitoring them even more crucial.

Endnote

In today's interconnected world, third-party risk management is essential for every organization that works with external parties. A successful TPRM program can help reduce the likelihood of data breaches, ensure compliance with regulations, and improve decision-making

by Web Desk via Digital Information World

Google Search Exec Reveals Factors Impacting Indexing Speed

Getting your site indexed on Google is crucial because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up exposing the site to a larger number of users. However, there is often a lot of confusion about what factors can impact the speed with which your site may end up getting indexed. In a recent Q&A, Google Search team member Gary Ilyes attempted to demystify the factors that are at play to help site owners get indexed faster than might have been the case otherwise.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that the quality of the site in question would have an enormous role to play here. The higher the quality of the information presented on the site, the faster it would end up getting indexed. It should be mentioned that the popularity of the site can be instrumental as well, with more popular sites enjoying shorter wait times before the indexing process is completed.

This actually provides site owners with the opportunity to boost indexing speeds with all things having been considered and taken into account. Leveraging social media to improve engagement and user metrics can benefit your indexing speeds since it would elevate the popularity of your site in the eyes of Google’s web crawlers.

In spite of the fact that this is the case, no amount of social media marketing would work if your site’s structure is not up to scratch. Creating a logical framework for your site will be critical for attaining shorter indexing wait times, so this is a factor that site owners need to keep in mind.

Finally, optimizing your URL to make it as short as possible can also prove to be rather useful if done the proper way. All in all, indexing does not appear to be all that huge of a challenge so long as certain aspects of your site are of a high enough quality. Google is trying to prioritize only those sites that serve as quality sources of trustworthy information in order to improve its search results.

Read next: Top Google Exec Warns About Unfair Distribution of AI Tools Across Economic Spectrum
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Elon Musk Introduces New Changes On The Twitter App Including Voice Recordings In DMs And Cheaper Verification

Twitter is making an array of new changes on the app and we thought it would be interesting to reveal the news to our readers.

For starters, the app is trying to think about a new plan for verification that wouldn’t be costing a fortune. At the moment, it’s $1000 per month and as you can imagine, it’s not cheap.

But over the past few days, tech billionaire Elon Musk mentioned how the firm is on the lookout for cheaper options so that small firms can benefit but he failed to provide any idea of the cost.

Twitter’s chief said the firm is trying to find the right solution regarding the process to make sure firms are applying for the position of verification to ensure they’re not getting involved in the wrong activities.

At the moment, the brands are trying to spend a staggering $1000 each month for the sake of verification to attain that gold tick alongside $50 each month for every affiliate account. Meanwhile, for those firms that are small-scale, it might just be small spending to ensure a great Twitter performance.

For now, Elon Musk is yet to provide any other details regarding the plan’s cost and which firms would qualify for that. The same would be the case when the app is trying to roll out another new tier.

The social media platform is trying to push hard for things like paid verification. This is right after the deletion of legacy ticks in the past month and that is what forced so many firms to lose the status of being verified.

Furthermore, the app has begun sharing emails with so many accounts where they state how they need to subscribe to the Blue Platform or take part in plans regarding advertising through this platform.

It all starts on April 21, when users’ accounts would entail verified checkmarks or a subscription for the Verified Organization to ensure ads are running on the Twitter app.

Those spending nearly $1000 each month have golden-hued ticks and that would enable access to advertising without any type of advertising with interruptions during this period. This was confirmed through a recent email.

For now, organization verification isn’t limited solely to the likes of the Twitter app. But in the past week, we saw Gmail introduce the Blue verified ticks to make room for brand emailing and make sure that it’s actually authentic.

In other news, the app is considering opening up inactive accounts that have been lying dormant for quite some time now. And if that indeed pulls through, we could soon see it giving rise to around one billion accounts.

Chances are that if you have not logged into such an account for a while, you might be at risk of losing it. And in case you’ve been trying to wait for an account to get free, you just might be in luck.

Elon Musk who is the CEO of Twitter and Tesla mentioned in a tweet that was published on Monday how this app was trying hard to purge more accounts that had zero activity for years.

While the world’s second richest man has yet to outline any form of the timeline regarding when it will happen but did put out a new warning about post-expulsion. Therefore, you have to expect that the number of your followers is likely to fall.

Lastly, Twitter is expanding the voice recording feature to DMs on the app so more regions can benefit. In the past, we’ve seen the optional feature of adding voice memos to Messages so now that it’s happening is exciting.

Read next: Social Media Censorship in Pakistan, Facebook and Twitter Down Following PTI Protest
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Facebook Overtakes Instagram In Creator Popularity For 2023 But TikTok And YouTube Still Reign Supreme

A new report is shedding light on the top apps for 2023 in terms of creator favorites.

Today, the world of social media is bringing about advantages galore to those that understand its potential and make the most of the opportunities set out in front of them.

This new study has proven how Facebook continues to gain great popularity points and has even gone as far as surpassing Instagram as the favorite platform for creators in 2023.

The report was seen breaking down the statistics as 660 US-based creators were enrolled in the survey and it even outlined which app was giving creators the chance to make the most funds.

But the news may sound great for Meta but new data proves how it’s still not quite up to the mark to where we see YouTube and TikTok. The former and latter are still in the lead as creators can’t get enough.

So, does this mean Facebook is making a comeback? Well, actually yes. The Influencer Marketing Factory seems to be doing everything right as it featured the study that had American-based influencers that were surveyed in the month of April.

Today, it’s 17% of creators call the Facebook app their favorite and it’s above the previous status from the past where figures stood at just 14%. One leading content creator by the name of Veronica Cannady proved why it is that she calls Facebook her favorite over Instagram.

TikTok is heading the race as the most loved app of 2023 for creators but there was a point in time, nearly two years back when we saw TikTok and Instagram tie. But ever since they opted to alter their platform’s algorithm and tools for monetization, it’s been a game changer with people being skeptical about the innovation.

But the question is related to why are we witnessing a rise in the popularity of Facebook all of a sudden. A leading social media expert had her say, listing down three main reasons why the app is seeing a huge rise.

For starters, Meta brought the TikTok competitor called Reels to its Facebook application in the year 2021. This was right before the huge claim of Facebook had to do with content and engagement not being high enough as other leading social media platforms. Moreover, with Reels, there are quite a few videos that entail plenty of traction.

Secondly, the app provides creators with an array of monetization tools. As per the platform, quite a few other people began to roll out features for monetization with Facebook being no exception.

Today, Meta has made sure the app has a range of tools for money-making so creators can share in making money through ads related to short and long-form content. This also has to do with subscriptions and payments for engaging with posts on the app.

Lastly, creators are really enabling diversification of their target audiences and various content across several platforms. And that entails Facebook too. Plenty of young generations are on the rise in terms of making great content. And they were not too active in the past as they managed to create their own audience. These people turn to the app today to create their own audience and ensure back-up plans are in place including a possible ban on TikTok.

TikTok and YouTube still lead because this is where creators can make the most money and with good income options on offer, it’s hard to say no. And that’s exactly why creators are skipping Instagram and resorting to Facebook because that’s where they can make more funds.

Take a look at the infographic below for more insights on 2023's creator economy.

Read next: The World’s Most Downloaded Apps For April 2023 Revealed
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Experts Raise The Alarm Against AI Voice Cloning As Scams Reach An All-Time High

The world of AI is as good as it is bad and a new report by security experts is raising the alarm against voice scams supported by AI technology.

The ordeal appears to be super prevalent and very convincing to some people as it sounds like you might be speaking to a loved one. But in all reality, it’s far from that. The in-depth report has a lot of people at a standstill as it digs into how the entire cloning process works. Similarly, it talks about how scams such as these have become so common and the likelihood of falling into them is much easier now than before.

This includes some light on the average costs linked to it and how one can prevent it and steer clear of all voice scams built using AI technology.

Just last month, we really witnessed some shocking but so well-curated AI scams that many deemed to be frightening. One of those was linked to call spoofing where loved ones popped up on a victim’s device as the one initiating the call. Meanwhile, another one utilized an AI voice clone to extort random funds from the mother so the daughter would be released who was not kidnapped.

Therefore, experts feel it might just be a short while away before we’re seeing attackers bring together call spoofing with clones using AI technology. Therefore, this is right where the McAfee report has popped up.

It features AI voice scams that are designed to produce awareness of a threat with several methods to both stop it from happening and provide the necessary protection. But how does the world of AI voice cloning work.

Thanks to highlights from McAfee, voice scams are a combination of imposter scams that were around for so long. But they’re super convincing and it has to do with scammers making use of a person’s voice and asking them for funds in cases of emergency or acting like you’re holding someone for ransom purposes.

AI voice clone tools are cheap in cost and so readily available. It’s not only quite fast but also so simple as many malicious parties are now utilizing voice clones. They can simply get sample audio to enable this as people share voices across various social media apps. And the more that’s shared online, the simpler it is for actors to search for a voice and clone it too.

As one can expect, voice cloning might appear to be something new and we’ve witnessed some huge stories from the real world arise regarding such scams. But in all reality, the study by McAfee proved how they are indeed growing more common with time.

On average, around 25% of the world’s population who took part in the survey claim to have gone through such a scam related to the world of AI voice scam or they were aware of people who they personally knew that had been affected by such scams.

Nations like India really have been affected immensely where around 47% of people in the study claim to know an individual who was affected.

As far as the accuracy is concerned, well, you’ll be amazed at how they’re 95% accurate as so many cases from the public revealed how such voices sounded like a person was cloned. In a certain case, there was a cybercriminal demanding money for a kidnapping that never took place. Clearly, it’s become even harder now than ever to differentiate real from fake people.

Sadly, 77% of respondents claim that they lost money in such scams and the figures can range between $1000 to $15,000. In total, such imposter scams enabled a theft worth a whopping $2.6 billion.

Read next: AI Chatbots Are Taking Over The World As Downloads Reach Millions Across The App Store
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

LinkedIn Looks To Add More AI Elements Including Generative AI Feed Posts Through Its Suggestions

It appears the professional social media app LinkedIn is not just going to stop experimenting with AI elements.

The leading networking platform LinkedIn is keen on having trials related to generative AI feed posts. And that would be made possible through the suggestions seen by the composer.

The news comes to us thanks to a recent example that was put out by top researcher Nima Owji. He proved how the company’s AI update assistant was prompting a lot of people to share great ideas present across the system. This would get plenty of suggestions and give rise to a new draft through posts on the app.

And that appears to be not so great right now, considering how one of the suggestions has to do with what are users’ opinions about some new trends in the industry. Moreover, we’re seeing plenty of generative AI tools pick up the pace and turn out to be great opinion generators across the board. It’s a great pathway related to seeing a lot of bs on the feed of the app.

As it is, LinkedIn happens to be famous possessing a lot of wannabe entrepreneurs that share the hustle culture and provide enough advice too. This is further inspired by the likes of brave species including Gary Vaynerchuk. However, we failed to see some great charisma linked to a leader of the business world who is very stern in all of his dealings.

The allure that social media comes with has plenty of people talking and they are constantly posting simple highlights linked to their everyday life. And that’s probably the worst thing related to the world of LinkedIn. Some members are trying hard to present a professional version of themselves and that entails humorous-themed bad advice.

You are curious about how to move ahead of time and how to get your boss impressed. And that is what enables you to slay competition.

We cannot even start to imagine how generative AI offerings are going to assist in terms of making such huge improvements regarding this theme. But if people are starting to put out more and more opinions based on AI technology, then what is the point of all of this? Remember, we’re not going to be seeing real individuals share real insights on the app.

If people just put out comments that are machine-generated, it won’t assist in generating new prospects on who they really happen to be and what knowledge they possess, and what they’re bringing to the table in terms of a business relationship.

ChatGPT is most likely to do this as it puts out some major posts on social media that are suggestions based on what your activity has been like on the app.

But seeing how it gets integrated into the app will surely be so interesting. Computational giant Microsoft who is the owner of LinkedIn is very keen to wedge the world of generative AI across different apps that it owns and this does not seem to be an exception.

It’s keen to ride that early wave which continues to be the center of attention and has ended up making Bing the leading search engine so much more relevant again.

It does appear that this might not be the first tool of its kind. More are coming forward and whether we adore it or not, one thing is for sure. We’re going to be dealing with quite a few bots that continue to talk to one another while other people watch while giggling and imitating one another.

Read next: AI Chatbots Are Taking Over The World As Downloads Reach Millions Across The App Store
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World