New Anti-Malware Testing Report Names Microsoft’s Defender, Kaspersky, Bitdefender, And Total Defense As The Best Against Web Threats

The evolving world of technology means saying hello to new kinds of threats on the web and that’s why researchers are always on the lookout for the best ways to keep users safe.

This past week, we witnessed AV-TEST unveiling an assessment report for this year’s start. And that is where it was found that the company did fairly well at detecting malicious files. And that too, with a low false positivity rate. But when it came down to performance impact, the score was far from impressive.

The leading firm is setting out its own report for the period of Feb to March of this year. It took into consideration the great threats from the web and also happens to be quite dissimilar to the test designed for malware protection.

The results were certainly in Microsoft’s favor as the computational giant’s Defender ended up barring 100% of the samples tested and that only had false positives that came out to be just two in number. As a whole, 260 live tests were observed, and that in turn reveals how the percentage of false positives is close to nil.

In terms of which firm had the most flawless results in this particular test, it was Kaspersky. The famous anti-virus manufacturer that hails from Russia ended up blocking 100% of all such threats and each of those had just one fake positive result.

Moreover, others including Total Defense had really done a great job in terms of performance and it was able to restrict 100% of the growing threats. Each of those only had one false positive.

Moving on to those that performed the worst and had the highest number of false positives were names such as Trend Micro. It produced a staggering 27 figures for false positives while in second place, Panda stood with around 19. The latter also ended up poorly blocking some of the test cases.

Such reports are designed to help businesses get ahead of the game by blocking out all threats and any targeted attacks. This is one of the main reasons why experts feel great endpoint protection should turn out to be the basis of users’ online protection.

For now, the companies listed above are doing a great job but who knows, there might be others that withstand the test of time in the future.

Read next: IT Leaders Told to Maintain Data Breach Confidentiality Despite Possible Repercussions
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

TikTok's US Downloads Take a Hit: What's Behind the Drop?

As per a recent AppFigures analysis, the popular short-form video platform TikTok has encountered a noticeable decline in installations, with a substantial thirty-eight percent decrease recorded in the United States alone. This development has raised questions about the factors contributing to this decline and the potential implications for the platform's future growth and user engagement.

According to the latest data, the platform has witnessed a significant drop in downloads within the US market which accounts for approx. thirteen percent of this app's installs globally. The figures indicate a substantial decline in app installations compared to the previous year. This fall has caught the attention of industry experts and analysts, sparking discussions on the reasons behind this downward trend.

Several factors could be contributing to this platform's decline in downloads. One key aspect that may have impacted it is the growing competition in the social media landscape. With the rise of new and innovative platforms, users have a wider range of options to choose from, diverting their attention and potentially leading to a decrease in TikTok's customer acquisition.

Additionally, recent controversies surrounding data privacy and security concerns might have affected consumer confidence in the platform. Heightened scrutiny from regulatory bodies and public debates surrounding TikTok's handling of consumer data has raised skepticism among some potential users, influencing their decision to download and engage with the app.

Furthermore, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be overlooked. As restrictions ease and people's daily routines normalize, the surge in this app's popularity witnessed during the height of the pandemic may have waned. With individuals returning to work, school, and other activities, their time and attention may be distributed across various platforms, leading to a decline in TikTok's downloads.

• Also read: Generative AI is Disrupting the Digital Marketing Sector, Here’s What You Need to Know

To address these issues, the platform's management team is likely to employ various strategies to regain momentum and attract new users. This may involve launching targeted marketing campaigns, collaborating with influential content creators, and introducing new features to enhance user experience and retention.

Moreover, its global presence and a strong foothold in other regions could offset the decline in the US market. The platform continues to thrive in many countries worldwide, demonstrating its resilience and potential for growth beyond any short-term setbacks.

While the platform's installations have experienced a significant decline in the US, the full implications of this decline remain to be seen. The platform's response, coupled with evolving user preferences and market dynamics, will shape its future trajectory. Despite the challenges, it remains a prominent player in the social media landscape, constantly adapting and striving to deliver captivating and engaging content to its vast user base.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Generative AI is Disrupting the Digital Marketing Sector, Here’s What You Need to Know

The stunning rise of ChatGPT 3 disrupted numerous markets around the world, and with the recent release of ChatGPT 4, these disruptions are likely to get even more pronounced. One of the many industries that are facing seismic changes due to the presence of generative AI is that of marketing, and there are multiple ways in which it can make your ad campaigns more effective than might have been the case otherwise. A report released by Goodfirms highlights some of the more prevalent trends in this arena.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that around 45.3% of businesses are planning to start utilizing generative AI like ChatGPT in the future. This is going to lead to rapid growth in the market, with an astonishing CAGR of 34.6% predicted for the rest of the decade.

A lot of this growth is coming from the media and entertainment industry. Approximately 41.7% of the revenue generated by this AI came from this niche, and the growth rate for this specific revenue stream is expected to be around 33.9% CAGR within the next eight to ten years.

In spite of the fact that this is the case, 55.7% of businesses still say that they are unsure of what benefits Generative AI can bring. Also, while 17.4% have already begun using generative AI, 29.8% consider it to be a form of spam. The question of guideline adherence comes into play, as does the potential for generative AI being used for misinformation campaigns and other malicious activities that can do a tremendous amount of harm.

Regardless of these concerns, there are several benefits to generative AI that are nonetheless turning it into an enticing prospect for various marketing professionals. 81.8% of people in the advertising and marketing industry stated that it helps reduce the amount of time they need to get a campaign up and running, with 74.1% mentioning that it makes it easier for them to scale up their campaigns.

For one thing, generative AI can create usable content in an instant. This saves time that would have otherwise gone towards a lengthy creation process. Even if you don’t really entirely on AI for all of your content, you can still use it to come up with cues and ideas that can then be expanded upon.

The fast paced nature of generative AI boosts scalability by offering abundant content volume, and recent advancements have made this content a lot more personalized.

A majority of marketers, or 58.2% to be precise, agreed that using generative AI allows them to make better campaigns for less money. This uptick in cost effectiveness could greatly expand a marketing firm’s ability to meet the needs of its clients with all things having been considered and taken into account.

This is closely interlinked to the aforementioned benefits of content creation. Hiring creators can be a cost intensive endeavor, but generative AI gives markets the chance to take things into their own hands. The content might not be of the same quality, but it won’t be long before generative AI is able to make artwork that is on par with the best human artists.

Read next: ChatGPT Users Need to Be Careful About What They Say
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

The Internet’s Archives Are Being Deleted as Users Scramble to Save What They Can

A common adage that people often refer to is that anything that you put on the internet is likely going to stay there forever. In spite of the fact that this is the case, it seems that the internet is being purged, which means that all of the memories that people were hoping to hold on to suddenly seem less safe than might have been the case otherwise.

A recent tweet that was put out by outgoing Twitter CEO Elon Musk stated that his company will be purging so called inactive user accounts. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that only accounts that have remained unused for a period of several years will end up being purged, but this still raises the question of how safe your data will be in the long run.

However, this is not the only thing that is prompting internet historians and archivers alike to attempt to save whatever they can. Imgur recently stated that it will be deleting all content that is pornographic in nature, but it will also be removing content that is unused, excessively old or belongs to accounts that have lain dormant for an extended period of time.

Some are comparing these events to the burning of the Library of Alexandria or the Baghdad House of Wisdom because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up removing important information and cherished memories.

Content that was posted a long time ago might not be as obsolete as these companies are assuming. Many are pointing to old pictures posted on Imgur that still get interacted with, and that is just one of the many examples of content that people might want to preserve with all things having been considered and taken into account.

One thing to note here is that this is by no means a new issue. Link rot has been a problem for quite some time now, with old websites that could no longer afford to pay server rates ending up on the chopping block. Saved tabs and the like have become obsolete so frequently that storing the data however you can might be a useful thing to try to do.

There are many ways in which users can elect to preserve content that means a lot to them. Saving images on their own devices is a great way to make sure that you can access this content in the future, and you should also back your devices up just in case you lose that data due to unforeseen accidents.

While cloud storage can help you in these situations, it is essential that you don’t rely solely on it. It’s best to diversify the cloud storage options that you end up using, since even though the companies that own these platforms are not in danger of closing up shop, you never know when things might go sideways.

All in all, the internet’s status as an archive of history is quickly starting to come under threat. Twitter and Imgur’s recent announcements are just the tip of the iceberg and point to greater deletions down the line.



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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

WhatsApp Gets Heavily Fined By Russian Authorities For Failing To Remove Banned Content

Meta is not going to be happy with the recent reports of its leading global texting platform getting a massive fine by Russian officials.

WhatsApp is being punished heavily with the imposition of a huge fine that comprises RUB 4 million after authorities in the country accused the firm of not removing content that was banned. This was confirmed by the Russian top media outlet RIA which cited documents from a court filing in Moscow.

This past year, Meta was called out by Russian authorities as a firm that was banned because it felt the company supported extremist behavior and activities. But despite those harsh calls, we never saw any form of ban or threats come forward with legal activity as it failed to get rid of data that had been prohibited.

This particular RIA report failed to specify which data was being collected by the app and it also failed to outline which form of banned data was being deleted as well.

All we do know is that it’s an administrative case that had been filed by a leading regulator in Russia.

When the war against Ukraine broke out, we saw Russia setting forth some very severe strategies in the world of media and publishing that included harsh regulations for the likes of censorship. And so many firms like Google, Wikipedia, and more had been involved.

Then during the month’s start, we saw how the court in Russia was filing Google for not removing video posts on YouTube that it felt were strongly promoting the concept of LGBT and fake data related to Russia’s military campaign.

Then in the month of April, we saw Russian officials target Wikimedia who happened to be the owner of various kinds of encyclopedias that it failed at removing content that was extremist in nature as Moscow tried to crack down against links that were putting out new data sources.

While some feel the various fines set forward might be overturned, we’re not quite sure that would be the case against WhatsApp. As days go by, the figure of cases continues to increase, and provided the huge number of articles seen on platforms like Wikipedia about the war Russia began, it’s not going to stop anytime soon.

In the month of July 2022, another court in the country’s capital was seen putting out a major fine of RUB 18 million regarding chat services and another RUB 1 million for a feature that Snapchat allowed where messages would disappear.

The fines arose when we heard so many complaints about Russian state communications and how the regulators were not happy with the way things were taking place in the country.

These reports are definitely shocking to some who feel the worst kind of propaganda that comes from all over the world is usually through the likes of Russia and especially the way the Kremlin portrays reports in the country to its own citizens.

Read next: WhatsApp users will soon be able react to messages with just a double tap
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Meta Gears Up To Launch Its New Twitter Competitor With Selected Creators

Meta is making sure it gives Twitter plenty of chances to remain at the tip of its toes after previously announcing the launch of a new app that would seemingly compete with it.

And now, we’re hearing more about Twitter’s competitor inching closer to a launch with several leading creators. Right now, they’re being briefed about how this text-based app from Instagram would be called Barcelona and how exactly it hopes to function.

As can be seen in such pictures that were published by Lia Haberman, such an app is basically another simplified version of this Twitter platform and it’s getting aligned with a feed that’s based on chat.

This change is not something that was done by accident. It was very deliberate and in the recent past, we’ve seen how the chats on this app continue to alter toward the likes of Direct Messages. The main newsfeed is slowly but surely turning into this platform for discovering new things and exploring new endeavors. Moreover, people are trying to move away from the usual posts of the public for something like this.

With something like this launching, such a platform is created to be like huge group chats that nearly anyone can take on and it’s actually quite similar in functioning to Twitter in terms of concept. However, we see how this has a more specific tilt based on the Instagram platform including things such as the username.

Users can even sync followers from their accounts on the Instagram platform and even add updates that based on the text that is nearly 500 characters. Similarly, this will include the addition of images, links, and even videos that last for a good five minutes.

As can be seen in pictures for the main feed, there will be posts seen in-stream where you can reply, react, and even repost as per your liking.

This new platform is getting designed on the likes of a decentralized end and this happens to be Meta’s first-ever solo decentralized project. It confirmed how it would be making users’ profiles more compatible than other rivals in the tech world.

So many people on rival platforms including Mastodon can look for, interact with, and even follow a profile and the content if you happen to be in the public eye. Even if you are private, you can similarly approve those as followers. And this is what allows users to reach some new audiences without the addition of work. Moreover, you can even find creators that are eligible and could be recommended to those that aren’t following them yet.

So as you can probably tell by now, this won’t only be a competitor of Twitter but it would also pave the way to attain Meta’s attempt at aligning with all the various types of usage trends. It can even experiment so well with things such as decentralization and the ability to make use of systems that are more open and work at serving users of the app on so many different fronts.

Read next: Instagram users will soon be able to listen to voice messages outside of chat at their own preferred speed (just like Whatsapp)
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Twitter’s Decision To Replace Musk With New CEO Causes World’s Biggest Ad Agency To Remove The Firm's High-Risk Label

Twitter has a new CEO and she’s none other than Linda Yaccarino from NBC.

The chief of NBCUniversal’s advertising unit is all set to take charge by early next month and so far, it’s proving to be a great decision.

Thanks to sources who recently spoke to the Financial Times, we now know how the world’s biggest advertising agency is no longer calling the platform a high-risk firm. The news comes as sources reported to the Financial Times how GroupM did not hesitate in removing that classification and is now referring to it as a cautiously optimistic company.

The dubious and infamous label of Twitter being high risk came last year in November and that’s when a warning was sent out against purchasing ads across the platform after Musk took on the decision to purchase Twitter.

During that time, the advertising agency spoke about how it had a lot of concerns regarding the long list of verified users seen pretending to be someone else on the app. Let’s not forget how the long list of Twitter executives ended up leaving or getting fired from the firm.

Meanwhile, a host of other leading ad agencies even told their clients to take a break or a pause from spending a lot of money across the app for advertisements during this moment.

As reported by The Financial Times, we’ve been seeing GroupM express a lot of concern on this front for a while now. They’ve been reportedly waiting for a long time under the leadership of Musk to get things back to normal.

For now, we know more about how GroupM is working closely with Twitter to enhance things like brand safety to stop ads from popping up along with content that’s deemed to be problematic.

As of this moment in time, there are no comments being made by the leading advertising agency but we’ll keep you updated on that front.

Read next: Encrypted DMs on Twitter Might Not Be as Safe As You Think
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World