Report Wire

Tag: WhatsApp

  • Misinformation Spread Via Deepfakes Biggest Threat To Upcoming Polls In India: Tenable |

    New Delhi: Misinformation and disinformation spread through artificial intelligence (AI)-generated deepfakes and fake content are the biggest threats to the upcoming elections in India,” exposure management company Tenable said on Sunday.

    According to the company, these threats will be shared across social media and messaging platforms like WhatsApp, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others.

    “The biggest threats to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are misinformation and disinformation as part of influence operations conducted by malicious actors against the electorate,” said Satnam Narang, Senior Staff Research Engineer at Tenable, to IANS.

    A recent report by Tidal Cyber ​​highlighted that this year, 10 countries will face the highest levels of election cyber interference threats, including India.

    Recently, deepfake videos of former US President Bill Clinton and current President Joe Biden were fabricated and circulated to confuse citizens during the upcoming presidential elections. (Also Read: Woman Falls Victim To Investment Scam, Loses Jewelry And Over Rs 24 Lakh)

    Experts note that the proliferation of deepfake content surged in late 2017, with over 7,900 videos online. By early 2019, this number nearly doubled to 14,678, and the trend continues to escalate.

    “With the increase in generative AI tools and their use growing worldwide, we may see deepfakes, be it in images or video content, impersonating notable candidates seeking to retain their seats or those hoping to unseat incumbents in parliament,” Narang added.

    The Indian government has recently issued directives to social media platforms such as X and Meta (formerly Facebook), urging them to regulate the proliferation of AI-generated deepfake content.

    Additionally, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) has issued an advisory to these platforms to remove AI-generated deepfakes from their platforms. (Also Read: WhatsApp Allows To Pin Multiple Messages In Chat; Here's How to Pin Messages on Android, iOS, And Desktop)

    Tenable suggests that the easiest way to identify a deepfake image is to look for nonsensical text or language that looks almost alien-like in language.

  • WhatsApp’s New Feature Lets You Share Polls In Channels On iPhone Version |

    New Delhi: WhatsApp, owned by Meta, is reportedly introducing a new feature to some beta testers on iOS (iPhone Operating System), allowing users to share polls within channels. As evidenced in a shared screenshot by WABetaInfo, some beta testers can now explore a new poll option directly within their channels.

    To check if this feature is active for their account or not, channel owners can check by accessing the chat attachment menu within their channel.

    According to the report, this feature emphasizes the security and confidentiality of polls, ensuring that the choices made by channel followers remain protected and anonymous throughout the polling process. Participants will only be allowed to see the total number of votes, without access to information about individual contributors. (Also Read: List Of 5 Best Mobile Phones Under Rs 20000 in India)

    A post written by WhatsApp on Instagram suggests, “You can now turn your photos into stickers or edit existing stickers. In other news, you’ll likely have to show the entire group chat how you did it. Rolling out now on iOS.”

    Furthermore, you can customize stickers with text, drawings, and the ability to overlay other stickers with WhatsApp’s editing tools. When you send a custom sticker, it automatically saves in your sticker tray so you can reuse it whenever you want. (Also Read: Surprised! iPhone 15 Can Be Charged 9 Times With This Smartphone)

    “While creating a poll, channel owners can also restrict it to a single choice by disabling the multiple answers option, providing a flexible voting experience for channel followers,” the report said.”

    Notably, the feature has already begun to be rolled out to WhatsApp beta users on both iOS and Android. However, a stable build containing the feature for all users may be released soon.