Pakistani Government Forms Committee to Track and Boycott Companies Funding Israel's Military in Gaza

Pakistani Government has announced a committee's formation to track companies funding Israel's military activities in Gaza and recommend banning their products. This update was conveyed by a close associate of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday.

Political adviser Rana Sanaullah disclosed this decision after resolving a protest led by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a religious group demanding a product ban on companies aiding Israel and increased humanitarian aid for Palestinians.

Following an agreement with the government, the TLP concluded its week-long demonstration. They had also insisted on officially declaring Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a terrorist. The information ministry confirmed the cessation of the protest post-agreement.

At a press briefing in Islamabad, Sanaullah accused Israel, under Netanyahu’s administration, of perpetrating war crimes. He highlighted Pakistan’s vehement denunciation of these cruel actions, emphasized during the Shanghai conference, and reiterated the government’s pledge to support Palestinians.

Sanaullah outlined the committee’s task of identifying and boycotting products from companies linked to Israel's genocide on Gaza and Palestine. He underscored the necessity of cutting financial support to those responsible for violence against Palestinians.

Calls for boycotting foreign companies suspected of supporting Israel have grown in Pakistan since the conflict's onset. Social media campaigns and influential figures have encouraged consumers to choose alternative products.

The conflict has resulted in substantial casualties, with over 39,000 lives lost, many being women and children. This has sparked worldwide outrage and demonstrations, with Pakistan’s civil society and political groups consistently leading pro-Palestine rallies.

The TLP established its protest camp at the Faizabad Interchange, a crucial traffic hub between Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Known for its rigid stance on blasphemy laws, the party has held similar protests at this location before, causing significant traffic disruptions between the two cities.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: Meta Faces a $220 Million Fine in Nigeria for Breaching Data Protection and Consumer Rights Laws

by Web Desk via Digital Information World

Meta Faces a $220 Million Fine in Nigeria for Breaching Data Protection and Consumer Rights Laws

Nigeria has fined Meta $220 million for breaking data protection and consumer rights laws on Facebook and WhatsApp.

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) found that Meta shared Nigerians' data without permission, denied consumers control over their data, and abused its market power.

Despite having the chance to defend itself, Meta couldn't convince the FCCPC, which then issued the fine. Meta hasn't commented yet.

Nigeria, with its 154 million internet users, requires companies to follow its Data Protection Regulation. Meta has failed to do so, not hiring a Data Protection Compliance Organization or submitting necessary reports for two years.

The investigation started in May 2021 with WhatsApp’s privacy policy update. Meta's proposed solutions didn’t address the FCCPC’s concerns, leading to the hefty fine and a demand for compliance with local laws.

Image: DIW-Aigen

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by Asim BN via Digital Information World

Most of the Gen-Z in America Has Purchased Products After Seeing a Creator-Generated Content on Social Media

According to a new report by NCSolutions, a CPG and measurement company, 48% of Americans have purchased a product after watching creator generated content on different social media apps. The most Americans who did this were Gen-Z (66%) and this shows that many Americans, especially Gen-Z are easily influenced by creators on social media apps. 1124 Americans were surveyed and the results of the survey showed that Millennials (55%) were also similar to Gen-Z for purchasing products from creator-generated content.

We all know that Gen-Z are currently ruling social media. 37% of the Gen-Z said that they like when creators show the personal side of their lives while 27% said that they feel connected to social media influencers like they are their friends. These feelings were lower in other generations. 21% of the Gen-Z also said that they trust influencers about their recommendations and over the quarter of them said that they feel creators and influencers always say things that are in best interests to their viewers.

Money also plays an important part in making Americans buy a product from a creator-made ad. 52% of the American consumers who make this type of purchase earn more than $100k annually while 46% consumers who earn between $50k and $99k have also made a purchase. 41% of those who were earning less than $50k have also made a purchase through a creator made content.

When asked what makes them purchase a product after seeing a creator made ad, 50% of consumers chose humor while 40% said ‘how-to’ videos made them interested in the product. Music (37%), Storytelling (33%) and connection with influencers (12%) were also some reasons to buy a product.

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Ookla Ranked T-Mobile the Best Mobile Network In Terms of Speed, Consistency, Download Speed and Customer Satisfaction

According to the H1 2024 US Connectivity Report by Ookla, T-Mobile is the best network in terms of highest customer ratings, upload speed, consistency and download speed. T-Mobile is performing way better than other networks like AT&T and Verizon. Ookla gathered data from millions of measurements to determine which 5G network is performing the best in the US.

According to the data, T-Mobile has a performance score of 205.98 in speed, while Verizon is at 112.28 and AT&T is at 107.77. The download speed of T-Mobile is 234.82 while 13.30 Mbps is its upload speed. T-Mobile was also the best in 5G Speed, with Verizon closely behind. 228.24 is the 5G speed of T-Mobile while Verizon’s 5G speed is 191.56.

The consistency score of these three mobile networks was almost alike but T-Mobile was still the best in consistency(86.6%). Verizon(83.3%) and AT&T(80.8%) were also good in consistency. No mobile network scored five star ratings in customer satisfaction. But T-Mobile had the best ratings among other networks. T-Mobile had 3.73 ratings out of 5, while Verizon had 3.29 and AT&T had 3.14 ratings. T-Mobile also had the best video and gaming experience. Overall, T-Mobile was the fastest network in most of the populated cities and states.

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iPhone 15 Demand Weakens As Sales For iPhone 14 Continues To Grow

At the start of this year, we saw a new report related to the CIRP that featured a decline in the adoption of the iPhone 15 lineup across the US. On the other end, the sales for iPhone 14 and its respective counterparts were on the rise during Q1.

Now, new data for Q2 of 2024 has again displayed similar stats, clearly revealing the declining demand for iPhone 15 as sales for iPhone 14 grow.

In Q1, the stats for iPhone 15 proved it held 68% of all sales related to iPhones in the US. This was a 7% drop from that seen in the same quarter last year which stood at 75%. Looking at the second quarter of this year, it’s proving to be the year of iPhone 14 all over again as adoption for the latter keeps increasing.

The stats have also highlighted how the only iPhone model from this year that matched the adoption rates of 2023 was the Pro Max version of iPhone 15 which stood at 22%, similar to its iPhone 14 counterpart in 2023.

When you look at the figures for iPhone 15, Plus, and Pro - you’ll be amazed at how they all had lower adoption rates when compared to iPhone 14 variants.

As reported by the CIRP lately, the fall in sales for iPhone 15 was mostly due to the old iPhone 14 Plus versions.

The news comes as another leading data figure signals a drop in client spending top dollar on the newest and best iPhones as more hardware upgrades become a norm.

All in all, people are hesitant to invest in the latest expensive models, especially when there is little difference from that seen in older flagship variants.

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Survey Shows How Much People Are Satisfied or Dissatisfied From the Democracy of Their Countries

Pew Research Center conducted a survey and did over 900 interviews in each country to find out how satisfied and dissatisfied citizens are with the democracy of their countries. Many of the executive or legislative elections were held and are going to be held in many countries in 2024 so this was a good chance to know how people feel about the democracy in their countries.

According to the survey, the satisfaction rate in democracy has declined in high income countries. 9 out of 12 countries are dissatisfied with democracy, which shows that the satisfaction rate is way lower than what it was in 2021. Only 31% of people are satisfied with democracy in the USA while 68% are dissatisfied. Many past events have made people lose their trust in US democracy. Trump’s assassination attempt, his conviction in the hush money case and his charges against felony have made people confused about his presidential run. Biden’s debate debacle has also made people lose faith in him as a presidential candidate.

The USA used to be a role model for democracy but now respondents from more than 34 countries believe that the USA is no longer a good example for democracy, according to Pew Research Center. Respondents from the UK, Canada, Germany and Japan said that the USA used to be a good example for democracy but it is no longer that. Respondents from Mexico and France said it has never been a good example for democracy.

The countries in which citizens are most dissatisfied with democracy are Japan (67%), South Korea (63%), Spain (68%), Italy (67%), and Colombia (77%). Countries with the most satisfied citizens in terms of democracy are Sweden (75%), India (77%), Australia (60%) and Singapore (80%). Most of the respondents said that they perceive democracy according to how the economy of the country is doing. The governing party is also a factor for satisfaction or dissatisfaction in democracy.

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Meta Responds To Brazil’s New Privacy Policy By Suspending All AI Tools

Tech giant Meta has given a fierce response to Brazil’s latest privacy policy by suspending all of its Generative AI tools.

The news comes after the Brazilian government objected to Meta’s offerings and how they were impinging on users’ personal data rights.

It’s not too shocking as the Brazilian market features close to 200M individuals and therefore is deemed to be a crucial target region for the company. It’s also the second biggest userbase of WhatsApp, falling closely behind the Indian userbase.

We saw Meta roll out an event in the Brazilian capital last month where it spoke about launching its first advertising program based on breakthrough technology so that organizations using AI could benefit.

However, with time, tensions grew as the country opted to suspend Meta’s new privacy regulations regarding personal data use for AI training in the nation.

The ANPD group in Brazil ruled how the organization would require a privacy policy to get rid of a section linked to personalized data processing for the sake of AI training.

Therefore, Meta has given a strong response to show the country that it does value its laws, and therefore suspension of its tools has begun as they begin talks to find a solution linked to addressing the government’s doubts related to generative AI.

Meta has time after time been very clear on how transparency related to its products is necessary to ensure good working relations. Therefore, it hopes to clear any doubts the Brazilian government and activist groups might have regarding AI tools and using the personal data of users to equip them efficiently.

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