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  • Facebook hosts AI for social good summit, announces key initiatives

    Facebook hosts AI for social good summit, announces key initiatives

    MUMBAI: Facebook has announced a host of initiatives dedicated to delivering social and inclusive growth by harnessing the power of emerging technologies led by Artificial Intelligence (AI). The announcements were made at Facebook's inaugural AI for India Summit held in Bengaluru that focused on AI for Social Good. The summit was attended by AI thought-leaders, start-ups, NGOs, and the developer community. 

    Kicking-off the day long summit, Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, Facebook India, said, “At Facebook, we are developing and leveraging cutting-edge technologies for products we develop around the world. From developing a tool to swiftly connect blood banks and hospitals with blood donors to utilizing Disaster Maps to aid the relief work during the 2018 Kerala Floods, we have always sought opportunities to deploy the best of our expertise in the service of India. We are an ally for India's economic growth and social development and this summit is our effort to understand how we can contribute to the development of deep tech in India, as well as corral resources to use these technologies to develop impactful solutions for tough and persistent problems.”

    Talking about AI for Social Good, Facebook spoke about its Blood Donation tool, which helps connect blood banks and hospitals to blood donors who have registered themselves on the platform. Facebook said that to date, more than 35 million people have signed up to be donors globally. In order to understand its impact, Facebook partnered with blood banks in India and Brazil to conduct in-person surveys and found that one in five people said that Facebook influenced their decision to donate blood. 

    Facebook also spoke about how AI can play a crucial role in times of crisis, and cited its efforts during the 2018 Kerala Floods when in partnership with SEEDS India, an NGO, it quickly prepared disaster maps for the state. The maps use aggregated and de-identified Facebook data to track people’s movement and were able to demarcate between the flood-hit and safe zones. This information helped SEEDS and other humanitarian organizations appropriately time their early recovery and relief operations. 

    “At Facebook we are also committed to growing the local AI ecosystem, which can be achieved by providing support to start-ups, to the student community, and by ensuring diversity within the ecosystem itself. That's the thought behind our key announcements today around AI for India Accelerator, trainings and scholarships for students and developers, and 'Women in AI' hackathons,”  added Mohan.

    India Innovation Accelerator: Facebook announced the India Innovation Accelerator program with a focus on AI for Social Good. Under this program Facebook will extend mentorship and support to promising startups that are leveraging AI to address gaps within the high social impact areas of women safety, agriculture, education, healthcare, climate change, and resilient cities, among many others.

    100 Scholarships for students and developers: Facebook also announced 100 scholarships for students and developers focused on nurturing their ideas for utilizing AI for social good. The scholarships will enable the students to gain access to advanced courses on Deep Learning. 

    'Women in AI' Hackathons: Determined to encourage diversity within the ecosystem, Facebook has announced AI Hackathons that are aimed at encouraging women developers and women-led start-ups focused on AI. The winners will be provided courses on AI and ML by professors of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras.

    AI Trainings: Under Facebook's recently announced, Facebook Hubs program, it will conduct extensive, application-based AI trainings with a host of startups across 20 locations in India. Aimed at helping startups and entrepreneurs scale their businesses, Facebook Hubs will extend support for the community by hosting mentor hours and conducting training and workshops.

    Ragavan Srinivasan, Product Director, Facebook AI said, “The AI for India Summit is our first step in what we hope to be a fruitful journey of applying AI to solve India specific needs. We've raised awareness for Facebook's AI vision and strategy. More importantly, we've listened and learned from the local think-tanks, NGOs, and developers. We're excited about advancing AI in a responsible and inclusive manner to build products and experiences tailored for India."

    The day-long summit held on March 26th saw discussions on how AI could be utilized to make advancements in healthcare, education, agriculture, and crisis/disaster mitigation in line with the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence that was outlined by NITI Aayog last year. The summit was attended by Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog, and members from academia, leading think-tanks, NGOs, students, and developer community.

  • TRAI may introduce lighter form of regulation on OTT communication services

    TRAI may introduce lighter form of regulation on OTT communication services

    MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) may impose a lighter form of regulation on over-the-top (OTT) players such as Skype and WhatsApp. While there have been several debates on the issue, the regulatory body has scheduled its first open house session on Monday, 1 April 2019. According to media reports, the recommendations are expected to come out by May.

    “There is a need for a light-touch regulation. A final decision will be taken after discussion in the open house. By May, TRAI should be able to come out with its views,” a senior TRAI official said as quoted by DNA Money.

    TRAI released a new consultation paper last November on OTT services seeking to expand the definition of the sector and also the regulator’s jurisdiction over the sector. However, the present consultation paper is more focussed on OTT voice or communications services (OTTs) like WhatsApp, Facebook’s Messenger and similar Indian products like Hike.

    The consultation paper mainly revolves around the topic of level playing field between telecom service providers and OTTs. With the fall in data prices, OTT communication services have emerged as important mediums of communication. While TSPs are highly regulated, the main point of the debate is whether there is regulatory imbalance.

    In response to the paper, major broadcasters, as well as OTT platforms, did not favour any further regulatory intervention on OTTs. Most of the players clearly depicted their view that OTTs should not be seen as a substitute to Television Service Providers (TSPs). However, some of the cable operators and DTH platforms spoke in favour of the regulation.

  • Facebook announces AI for social good summit

    Facebook announces AI for social good summit

    MUMBAI: With a vision to leverage the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to deliver social good, Facebook has announced its inaugural 'AI for India Summit' focused on discussing inclusive growth and solutions to the most enduring social challenges. The one-day summit will be held on March 26th, 2019 in Bangalore.

    The Summit will bring together key representatives from the AI community in India such as policy makers, start-ups, and the developer community. It will also be attended by Facebook's global AI teams, which are keen to listen and learn from the thought-leaders and experts on the future of AI technologies in India, especially those that aspire to aid social change.

    Over the past decade, AI has emerged as a transformative technology for developing scalable social solutions that address the challenges of access, affordability, and skill shortage. Facebook continuously works on AI projects for social good for the benefit of people and communities. One of the examples of Facebook's application of AI for social good in India has been the work around Blood Donations, which helps hospitals and blood banks connect with blood donors quickly.

    Facebook is committed to the growth of India, and wants to be an ally to India for developing an expertise in AI. The Summit has been conceptualized to serve as a platform for thought-leaders from across domains to discourse on the possible applications of AI to drive advancements across healthcare, education, agriculture, and crisis/disaster mitigation, in line with the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence that was outlined by NITI Aayog last year.

  • Kubrra Sait to host an interactive Bollywood quiz show on Facebook

    Kubrra Sait to host an interactive Bollywood quiz show on Facebook

    MUMBAI: Internet's latest sensation, Kubbra Sait is all set to host Jhacaaash, an interactive Bollywood quiz show on Facebook Live. The show will make its debut on March 18, 2019 and will test the viewers’ Bollywood prowess, allowing them a golden chance to win a cash prize of Rs. 50 000 every episode.

    Kubbra Sait-Indian actress and TV Host has appeared in films like Sultan, Ready and City Of Life and has been highly praised for her performance in the web series, Sacred Games recently. Jhacaaash will see Kubbra pose viewers with 10 interesting questions for which they will have 10 seconds to respond and get lucky. 

    Viewers can catch the live action by tuning in to the Facebook page of Jhacaaash ( https://www.facebook.com/jhacaaash/) every Monday and Thursday 6:00 pm.

  • Facebook chief product officer Chris Cox, WhatsApp head Chris Daniels step down

    Facebook chief product officer Chris Cox, WhatsApp head Chris Daniels step down

    MUMBAI: Social media giant Facebook has announced the departure of two high profile executives. The company’s chief product officer Chris Cox and its messaging app WhatsApp head Chris Daniels are leaving. In the last two years, the firm has lost several top notch executives.

    Cox had been with Facebook for more than a decade as he joined the firm in 2005, one year after the company was founded. He also helped helped to build several key features of the platform including News Feed. But WhatsApp head Daniels took up his responsibility just one year ago.  

    The move comes at a time when a week after Facebook CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg announced that the platform is focusing more on private messaging and ephemeral content. "This is an important change as we begin the next chapter of our work building the privacy-focused social foundation for the future," Zuckerberg said in the note.

    Daniels will be replaced by Will Cathcart, current head of Facebook's mobile app. But, Facebook has not announced Cox’s replacement yet.

  • Facebook teams up with Indian music labels

    Facebook teams up with Indian music labels

    MUMBAI: Facebook today, announced partnerships with top music labels including T-Series Music, Zee Music Company and Yash Raj Films, licensing their music for use in social experiences such as videos, messages, stories and other creative content on Facebook and Instagram. 

    Music has always occupied a central place in the imagination of Indians and also, an incredible vehicle to express emotion. At Facebook, we have been partnering with the music community around the world to bring music into the ways people can share moments and express themselves on Facebook. 

    Starting today, people in India can include hundreds of thousands of licensed Indian music in the videos and posts they share on Facebook, making their moments more meaningful and personal. Through these partnerships, users can include their favorite tracks from popular films including the latest hits like Apna Time Aayega from Gully Boy, Aankh Marey from Simmba, Swag Se Swagat from Tiger Zinda Hai, as well as regional hits like Lahore by Guru Randhawa, Zingaat from Sairat plus old classics like Bas Ek Sanam Chaahiye from Aashiqui.

    Commenting on the development, Bhushan Kumar, T- Series chairman and managing director said, “We're living at a time when we're talking to one another from across the globe using audio-visual language. One video with music and lyrics connects with billions across India and the planet. There's nothing more to be said. And where do they connect? Social Media. So, the idea to officially make available rights of Bollywood songs, which can be heard in every corner of the globe, to Facebook users so they can express their feelings through their posts, memes and messages with added masala and tadka, is an inevitable stroke of genius. Now, just say it with a Bollywood song. Even better, make it a T-Series song!”

    Neeraj Kalyan, T-Series President and Digital head of the music major added, “When Facebook came to us with this idea of users adding licensed music to their videos and photos, it was music to our ears. We knew this is the next logical step in the T-Series growth story. Bollywood music is loved by all, so why not use it to communicate your thoughts and feelings? We have one of the largest catalog of songs and T-Series, today, is India's leading music label, digitally. Today's digitally savvy consumers are ultra-creative and it will be interesting to see how they re-purpose our music and videos to say what they want the world to hear."

    Commenting on the association, Anurag Bedi, Business Head, Zee Music Company said “We are excited to partner with Facebook to introduce newer ways for users to express themselves with music. By such associations, it is our endeavor to bring innovative musical experiences from across the globe to our social media savvy audiences.” 

    Anand Gurnani, Vice President – Digital, Yash Raj Films said, “For a nation that has music and cinema firmly ingrained in its soul, our association with Facebook offers a chance for audiences to experiment and express themselves through music and share the same with their friends. This further strengthens our approach of community building using music as an enable.”

    Manish Chopra, Director and Head of Partnerships, Facebook India said “Music has always been a powerful medium of expression. We are excited about partnering with the music industry in India and the idea that people here will be now be able to include music in their videos on Facebook and Instagram, opening up more options for more ways to express and sharing memories with friends and family.”

  • Facebook reaffirms commitment to India’s startup ecosystem, sets up Facebook Hubs across 9 cities

    Facebook reaffirms commitment to India’s startup ecosystem, sets up Facebook Hubs across 9 cities

    MUMBAI: Facebook today, launched Facebook Hubs with a vision to further enable India's startup ecosystem. Announced last year at Facebook India Startup Day, Facebook has partnered with 91springboard, for a yearlong program, which will include co working community hosting, planning and organizing structured activities like learning and skill development programs for startups and entrepreneurs to help scale their businesses.

    Facebook Hubs will help foster innovation and support for the community, by hosting mentor hours and trainings, workshops, roundtable discussions across 20 locations in nine cities including Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Navi Mumbai and Goa .

    Satyajeet Singh, Head of Product Partnerships, Facebook India and South Asia said “Facebook Hubs stem from our mission to provide startups with the infrastructure, mentorship and support they need to grow and scale their operations ethically and sustainably. We have already worked with hundreds of startups through our various programs and by teaming up with 91springboard we hope to reach out to more, to fuel India’s startup ecosystem with a vision to build businesses of tomorrow.”

    “Facebook Hubs are in line with our vision of developing robust, sustainable programs, conducive places and meaningful partnerships with relevant ecosystem partners to boost India’s dynamic startup engine and enable it to provide a further push to India's entrepreneurial zeal.” he added.

    Facebook Hubs will be part of a global network for training and mentoring facilities for startups, developers, SMBs, creators, and job seekers. Designed as catalysts to facilitate community learning, Facebook Hubs are part of Facebook's vision to empower innovators everywhere to drive economic growth, build robust ecosystems, and create social value.

    Anand Vemuri, CEO, 91springboard said “We are truly proud and delighted to join forces with Facebook. India has some incredible things happening in the startup ecosystem and our partnership to enable Facebook Hubs will provide entrepreneurs access to knowledge, tools and resources that will give them a massive competitive edge.”

  • Digital agency execs approve stricter social media control for upcoming general election

    Digital agency execs approve stricter social media control for upcoming general election

    MUMBAI: Digital media has taken the world by storm. The last elections of the two biggest democracies of the world – India and the US – showed the power of efficient digital campaigns in political battles. However, as easy as it is to use social media platforms for campaigning, it is equally capable of being misused.

    With the general elections of India just a month away, the doubt about the power of programmatic advertising on election results is obviously bothering everyone. The involvement of Facebook in the manipulation of election results in the US only thickens the clouds of uncertainty.

    Indiantelevision.com asked a few people in the industry what these measures would mean to the political parties and the election process. Ethinos Digital Marketing MD Siddharth Hegde said, "This is a much-needed move. Most countries across the world already have such policies in place and this will be a first for India for its forthcoming elections. We are likely to see more transparent conversations and campaigns and a decrease in the number of companies/ pseudo-individuals who were earlier running fake campaigns. Fake news has been a huge challenge for social media and such policies will serve as a huge deterrent.”

    To assuage growing criticism from users and investors, global digital media giants, Facebook, Twitter, and Google recently announced new policies to make political advertising more transparent and reliable. Measures like not allowing anonymous ads to run on user feed, making the acquisition of a pre-certificate issued by the Election Commission of India or a source it authorises and getting valid authorisations are a bid to solve a few of these problems.

    TRA Research CEO N Chandramouli called for stronger governmental control on false information. He said, “The ability to manipulate voters with messages that create fear, uncertainty and doubt (known as FUD in communication) has grown manifold after the proliferation of social media. Such messages polarise voters with strong, often inflammatory messages that seem to audiences to be from authentic sources. The need for all social media regulation at a governmental level on areas of misinformation and false information is necessary. This is especially needed when elections and other important events are due in a country, but also needed in all other times when incorrectly motivated citizens can be aroused by false news to cause harm to their own country and society.”

    On the other hand, Monk Media Networks founder and CEO Ashish Patkar felt the measures are being implemented too late. He said, “We are heading into an era where a Facebook 'Like' today will be an equivalent of an EVM machine button tomorrow. Social media on the positive side has politically engaged the millennial generation which has till now stayed away from voting but on the flip side, the Us V/s Them debate is being fuelled by fake media at all levels. The new controls by Facebook, Google, and Twitter is a small start towards putting out endorsed and verified messages but, frankly, I believe it is too little too late. In terms of spending, the official spending will go down but the unaccounted spends through supporter accounts and influencer accounts will continue unabated and in my view actually go up.”

    With over 556 million Indians on the internet this time around, the spectacle will be one to witness as to how political parties harness the power of the medium while at the same time ensure its fair usage.

  • Indian political parties focus on FB ads before election

    Indian political parties focus on FB ads before election

    MUMBAI: All political parties have started taking digital seriously and are spending on Facebook ads before the upcoming elections. The social media giant has revealed some data on ad spends of political parties for the month of February. According to a report by The Economic Times, BJP and its affiliates made up for over 50 per cent of the total spend. Congress and its affiliates came third, behind regional parties. BJP is miles ahead of the rest in political ad spend on Facebook.

    BJP and its affiliates spent Rs 2.37 crore in February on Facebook ads. Regional parties spent about Rs 19.8 lakh, while Congress and its affiliates spent around Rs 10.6 lakh. 

    Among regional parties, the big spenders were Biju Janata Dal, Nationalist Congress Party, Telugu Desam Party, YSR Congress Party and Shiv Sena. 

    The social media will account for 20-25 per cent of the party’s total ad spend by the time campaigning is over. Facebook and its photo-sharing platform Instagram are expected to corner a significant chunk of BJP’s social media ad budget, party leaders said. 

    Government departments such as MyGov and campaigns like Digital India have spent over Rs 35 lakh on Facebook, the data revealed. 

    Facebook has begun instituting what it claims are stricter rules for political advertisements before the model code of conduct for the 2019 general election kicks in. All Facebook ads related to Indian politics now have to abide by the company’s authorisation process launched in December. Political advertisements have to display details of their publishers and funders. 

    The social media company’s political ad portal archives all Indian political ads along with audience demographics and funding details for seven years. Facebook, according to business intelligence portal Statista, had over 294 million monthly active users in India as of October 2018. 

    Among the prominent Facebook ads is an official BJP campaign through a page called ‘Bharat Ke Mann Ki Baat’, for which the party spend Rs 1.1 crore in February. The advertiser disclaimer on the page carries the address of the party’s office on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg in New Delhi. There’s also a Facebook page called ‘Nation With Namo’, which has spent over Rs 60 lakh in February.

  • Facebook to launch much-awaited ‘Clear History’ tool later this year

    Facebook to launch much-awaited ‘Clear History’ tool later this year

    MUMBAI: While social media giant Facebook promised to prioritise user data privacy amid widespread controversy, the company is going to launch its much-awaited privacy tool titled 'Clear History' later this year. This new feature would enable users to delete their information collected by Facebook through third-party apps and websites.

    The step has been taken at a time when Facebook is under scrutiny by regulators as well as facing backlash worldwide for lack of data security. Following Cambridge Analytica scandal, the feature was announced in May 2018.

    Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg described the tool as a "simple control to clear your browsing history on Facebook—what a user has clicked on, what websites they visited etc". Facebook's chief financial officer David Wehner revealed that the Clear History tool was in development and could be expected to launch later this at the Morgan Stanley, Media and Telecom Conference in Barcelona.

    Wehner said the new feature would give Facebook headwinds affecting its ability to target users with adverts. "We want to make sure this works the way it should for everyone on Facebook, which is taking longer than expected," the social media giant said according to media reports.

    "In your web browser, you have a simple way to clear your cookies and history. The idea is a lot of sites need cookies to work, but you should still be able to flush your history whenever you want. We're building a version of this for Facebook too," Zuckerberg wrote earlier in a personal post on Facebook after the announcement.