Whatsapp

Responding to a ruling that spyware maker NSO Group must pay more than USD167 million in damages to Whatsapp, Rebecca White, Amnesty International’s researcher on targeted surveillance, said: “This is a momentous win in the fight against spyware abuse. NSO Group, which develops the notorious and highly invasive Pegasus spyware, has been implicated in severe human rights violations against civil society, including journalists and activists, globally.  “For years, Amnesty International and civil society partners have documented how spyware companies, like NSO Group, have enabled human rights abuses on a massive scale. The surveillance industry has failed to act. We trust that this victory will deter the spyware industry, its investors and its government customers worldwide. We hope this judgement offers some measure of solace to Pegasus’ thousands of victims. Let this be a signal, loud and clear, that change is imminent. Those who misuse spyware to infringe on human rights will be held accountable and cannot act with impunity. We trust that this victory will deter the spyware industry, its investors and its government customers worldwide. Rebecca White, Amnesty International researcher on targeted surveillance “This decision should serve as a wake-up call to governments to take proactive, concrete steps to

ISTANBUL  A US federal jury ordered Israeli spyware company NSO Group to pay more than $167 million in damages for hacking the devices of approximately 1,400 WhatsApp users in 2019 using its Pegasus software. The verdict delivered Tuesday after a five-year legal battle includes $167.25 million in punitive damages and $445,000 in compensatory damages to WhatsApp and its parent company, Meta. The US District Court for the Northern District of California rejected NSO Group's claim of sovereign immunity as a private company, finding that the Pegasus spyware exploited vulnerabilities in WhatsApp's platform. The Pegasus tool enabled "zero-click" attacks that could infect devices without any user interaction, a capability governments allegedly used to surveil journalists, dissidents and activists worldwide. Meta hailed the ruling as "the first victory against illegal spyware that threatens the safety and privacy of everyone." "The jury's decision to force NSO to pay damages is a critical deterrent to this malicious industry against their illegal acts aimed at American companies and our users worldwide," it said in a statement. Evidence presented during the trial revealed WhatsApp was not NSO's only target. Meta noted that while it stopped the attack vector that exploited the company’s calling system in 2019

WhatsApp introduced these changes on the 5th of May WhatsApp will no longer function on three iPhone models. This joins a list of other models no longer supported by the app. According to The Sun, this happens because certain models are “too low to justify updating them or because they’re too old to handle new features.” A spokesperson for WhatsApp said: “Every year we look at which devices and software are the oldest and have the fewest users. These devices also might not have the latest security updates, or might lack the functionality required to run WhatsApp.” The app, owned by Meta, is no longer compatible with iPhones that have an IOS version lower than 15, including: iPhone 5s iPhone 6 iPhone 6 Plus This means if you are using a phone part of this list, you cannot communicate through WhatsApp or be able to use any app features. To continue using WhatsApp, iPhones must have an IOS version of 15.1 or higher. Metro reports that WhatsApp will also no longer function on the following Android phones from 1st January 2025: Samsung: Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Ace 3, Galaxy S4 Mini Motorola: Moto G (1st Gen), Razr HD

WhatsApp introduced these changes on the 5th of May WhatsApp will no longer function on three iPhone models. This joins a list of other models no longer supported by the app. According to The Sun, this happens because certain models are “too low to justify updating them or because they’re too old to handle new features.” A spokesperson for WhatsApp said: “Every year we look at which devices and software are the oldest and have the fewest users. These devices also might not have the latest security updates, or might lack the functionality required to run WhatsApp.” The app, owned by Meta, is no longer compatible with iPhones that have an IOS version lower than 15, including: iPhone 5s iPhone 6 iPhone 6 Plus This means if you are using a phone part of this list, you cannot communicate through WhatsApp or be able to use any app features. To continue using WhatsApp, iPhones must have an IOS version of 15.1 or higher. Metro reports that WhatsApp will also no longer function on the following Android phones from 1st January 2025: Samsung: Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Ace 3, Galaxy S4 Mini Motorola: Moto G (1st Gen), Razr HD

Vijayawada: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has said the people should avail all government services through mobile phone-linked WhatsApp governance only. He directed the officials on Monday to take up an extensive awareness programme among the people to enable them to do so. This system would limit the need for people to visit government offices to get things done. Naidu reviewed the activities of the Real Time Governance Society with senior officials at the Secretariat here. He said, “People should not scout around government offices to avail government services. Instead, they should get them through the Mani Mitra WhatsApp online governance system.” The CM asked officials to take up Data Lake works in an expeditious manner and ensure that farmers and others use drones in an extensive manner. Officials must create awareness among the people on how many use cases could be provided through drones. “Arrange a workshop,” he said. The CM asked the officials from the municipal administration and public health departments to use drones to control mosquito menace. He also called all to promote the ‘Work From Home’ concept in a planned manner. Naidu asked officials to help people find out how jobs could be available, how many

WhatsApp has become an essential part of our daily lives. We use it to chat, send photos and videos, and share documents. We can even make calls with it. It is so indispensable that any news about its operation, generates immediate concern. Beyond compatibility, however, there is another problem silently affecting millions of users: storage space. The problem of the “Hidden Trash Can” in WhatsApp With constant use, WhatsApp accumulates hundreds (or even thousands) of multimedia files. Even after deleting messages, photos, videos, and documents often remain in the phone’s memory. This phenomenon is popularly called the “hidden trash can,” though it is not a literal garbage can. Rather, it is an accumulation of invisible files that can occupy tens of gigabytes. Even if you no longer see them in your chats, they are still stored on your device. This accumulation not only consumes storage space, but it can also slow down your phone. Full screen In this photo illustration a WhatsApp logo is displayed on a smartphone screen in Athens, Greece on January 9, 2023. (Photo by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images) NurPhoto Getty How can you free up space without deleting important chats? Fortunately, WhatsApp offers a useful

Meta AI, the cutting-edge artificial intelligence developed by the tech giant Meta, is finally making its way to WhatsApp in Europe. If you’ve recently noticed a blue circle appearing on your WhatsApp app, congratulations — you’ve just gained access to this exciting new feature. However, as with all technological innovations, this launch brings both excitement and concerns. Let’s dive into what this means for European users. The Blue Circle: A New Chapter for WhatsApp The appearance of a blue circle on your screen is no accident. It marks the arrival of Meta AI in Europe after a series of delays due to stringent regulations in the region. Meta’s answer to the widely popular ChatGPT from OpenAI, Meta AI is directly integrated into WhatsApp, which means no extra downloads are necessary. This ease of access is undoubtedly a win for users who are keen to explore new tech without complications. The primary advantage of Meta AI lies in its versatility. From the chat interface, users can ask questions on virtually any topic, ranging from historical facts to specific recipes. Need to know a quick date or want a step-by-step recipe for a dish? Meta AI provides instant answers. A Content Creator’s

Who’d have predicted that social media would become a vector for misinformation powerful enough to spur along revolutions, coups, genocides, and all the darkest urges of humanity? Misinformation is carried along its electrical pulses like dandelion fluff on the wind, spreading out far beyond its origin and planting new seeds of doubt, anger, and confusion wherever it lands. The sheer volume of it is matched only by its speed. How’s a person supposed to keep up, to know what’s fakery designed to manipulate and distort? Vet everything. But that’s a tall order for any one person, and it isn’t enough for when you’re not down for a thorough info search, and you just want to skip past all the junk to see photos of your neighborhood chat. Videos by VICE Whether you pay much attention to it or not, misinfo can seep into your consciousness even from a cursory glance. WhatsApp has integrated an AI tool into the app that functions as a labor-saving (if inevitably imperfect and immature) tool to help quickly sort the fakery from the truth from the most dangerous misinfo out there: the half-truths. You’ve just gotta dial +1 (833) 436-3285 in the WhatsApp app to

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Perplexity Perplexity AI's new WhatsApp integration offers instant fact-checking without leaving the app Perplexity responds with fast, sourced explanations in over 20 languages The feature aims to help navigate misleading posts in private group threads AI conversational search engine Perplexity and its new WhatsApp integration can provide more than just idle conversation. It can help you figure out the truth amid the rumors and half-remembered anecdotes that might appear in a group chat. You can get Perplexity to immediately fact-check your group chats. Perplexity's real-time provision of truth is easy to get. You just forward any questionable WhatsApp message to Perplexity's number, +1 (833) 436-3285, and the AI will explain in seconds whether the claim holds up or belongs in the digital trash. You can forward screenshots, messages, images with a quote that Einstein definitely said, and any other bit of suspicious information. Just save the number to your contacts, open WhatsApp, forward the message you want checked, and hit send. The feature works in over 20 languages, and, because it's Perplexity, you'll get links to the sources for the facts, providing

A startling revelation has emerged from the Dhari region of Amreli, Gujarat, where a Maulvi from a local madrasa has come under the police scanner for alleged links to Pakistan. The man in question, Mohammad Fazal Abdul Aziz Sheikh, was found to be part of eight WhatsApp groups connected to Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. The content of these groups, mostly in Arabic, raised red flags due to the nature of the conversations. Adding to the suspicion, the Maulvi could not produce any proof of residence or Indian citizenship when questioned by police. His phone has since been seized by the Special Operations Group (SOG), and a deeper investigation is underway to trace the origin and intent of these communications. This discovery comes amid an ongoing crackdown in Amreli, where police have been conducting a five-day operation targeting illegal residents from Bangladesh and Pakistan. During a search in the remote area of Himkhimdipara, the authorities found the Maulvi conducting religious classes at a madrasa. A detailed probe into his mobile phone revealed the presence of the eight groups, which are suspected to be operated from across the border. Investigators also uncovered that the Maulvi had deleted several messages around the time