Telegram chief Durov announces ‘new features’ to combat illicit content

Pavel Durov, CEO and co-founder of Telegram speaks onstage during day one of TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2015 at Pier 70 on September 21, 2015 in San Francisco, California. (AFP)
Pavel Durov, CEO and co-founder of Telegram speaks onstage during day one of TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2015 at Pier 70 on September 21, 2015 in San Francisco, California. (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 07 September 2024
Follow

Telegram chief Durov announces ‘new features’ to combat illicit content

Telegram chief Durov announces ‘new features’ to combat illicit content
  • Durov said Telegram had removed the “people nearby” feature, which allowed users to locate other Telegram users but he said “was used by less than 0.1 percent of Telegram users, but had issues with bots and scammers”

PARIS: Telegram founder and chief executive Pavel Durov on Friday announced a range of new features aimed at combating illicit content, bots and scammers, a week after he was arrested and charged by French authorities over violations on the messaging app.
Durov had on Thursday broken his silence with his first public comments following his arrest, which he slammed as “misguided” and “surprising.”
But he had also acknowledged that Telegram was “not perfect” and would take more action against illegal content which he argues comes from a tiny proportion of its 950 million users.
“While 99.999 percent of Telegram users have nothing to do with crime, the 0.001 percent involved in illicit activities create a bad image for the entire platform, putting the interests of our almost billion users at risk,” he wrote in his new statement on Telegram Friday.
“That’s why this year we are committed to turn moderation on Telegram from an area of criticism into one of praise,” he added.
Durov said Telegram had removed the “people nearby” feature, which allowed users to locate other Telegram users but he said “was used by less than 0.1 percent of Telegram users, but had issues with bots and scammers.”
In its place, Telegram is launching “businesses nearby” to showcase “legitimate, verified businesses.”
He said Telegram had also disabled new media uploads to Telegraph, its standalone blogging tool, “which seems to have been misused by anonymous actors,” he said.
Following four days of detention, Durov, 39, was charged on several counts of failing to curb extremist and illegal content on Telegram.
He had been arrested August 24 at Le Bourget airport outside Paris after arriving aboard a private jet and was questioned in the subsequent days by investigators.
Durov was granted bail of five million euros ($5.5 million) on the condition that he must report to a police station twice a week as well as remain in France.
On Thursday, he defiantly said that France was wrong to hold him accountable for “crimes committed by third parties on the platform.”
An enigmatic figure who rarely speaks in public, Durov is a citizen of Russia, France and the United Arab Emirates, where Telegram is based.
Forbes magazine estimates his current fortune at $15.5 billion, though he proudly promotes the virtues of an ascetic life that includes ice baths and not drinking alcohol or coffee.
 

 


US court rejects Tiktok request to temporarily halt pending US ban

US court rejects Tiktok request to temporarily halt pending US ban
Updated 14 December 2024
Follow

US court rejects Tiktok request to temporarily halt pending US ban

US court rejects Tiktok request to temporarily halt pending US ban
  • TikTok and ByteDance on Monday filed the emergency motion with the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, asking for more time to make its case to the US Supreme Court

WASHINGTON: A US appeals court on Friday rejected an emergency bid by TikTok to temporarily block a law that would require its Chinese parent company ByteDance to divest the short-video app by Jan. 19 or face a ban.
TikTok and ByteDance on Monday filed the emergency motion with the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, asking for more time to make its case to the US Supreme Court.
The companies warned that without court action the law will “shut down TikTok — one of the nation’s most popular speech platforms — for its more than 170 million domestic monthly users.”


Dubai Lynx announces 2025 jury president lineup

Dubai Lynx announces 2025 jury president lineup
Updated 13 December 2024
Follow

Dubai Lynx announces 2025 jury president lineup

Dubai Lynx announces 2025 jury president lineup
  • Festival to evolve beyond annual event, host year-round sessions
  • Award categories updated to better reflect ‘current state of play’Award categories updated to better reflect ‘current state of play’

DUBAI: Dubai Lynx, a prominent creative festival and awards program organized by Cannes Lions, has announced the jury presidents for the 2025 awards.

They will gather in Dubai early next year, along with the jury panelists, to judge the entries. The deadline for entries is Jan. 23 and winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on April 9.

Jury presidents “play a pivotal role” in upholding the festival’s values of creativity and innovation “bringing their unparalleled expertise and unique perspectives to the judging process,” said Dubai Lynx chairman Philip Thomas.

They come from creative and advertising agencies in different markets including the UK, US, India, Australia and Germany.

The jury presidents for the 2025 edition include Chris Beresford-Hill, global chief creative officer of BBDO; Ryan McManus, chief creative officer of VML UK; Chioma Aduba, president of Droga5 New York; Mayuri Nikumbh, head of design at Conran Design Mumbai, India; Mihnea Gheorghiu, global chief creative officer of LePub; and Neo Mashigo, chief creative officer of The Up&Up Group, South Africa.

The others are Matt Murphy, global chief creative officer of 72andSunny; Aisha Blackwell, head of production services, Serviceplan MAKE Germany; Roberta Raduan, managing director, Klick Health, Latin America; Fiona Johnston, CEO of media, client and commercial at dentsu Australia; and Vanessa Ho Nikolovski, chief client and growth officer for Asia Pacific at Weber Shandwick.

The festival recently announced changes to its structure “designed to support the evolution of the industry across the Middle East and North Africa,” said Kamille Marchant, director of Dubai Lynx.

One change is the introduction of a mandatory requirement to provide cultural context when submitting an entry.

“This is something that we’ve seen play an increasingly important role in the jury rooms,” Marchant told Arab News.

“The question is designed to help the jury understand the cultural nuances, but also how the brand connects with this particular cultural insight and why it’s relevant at that particular moment in time,” she explained.

Additionally, instead of hosting one event a year, the festival will feature a year-round program offering “more intimate, focused, and high-impact experiences that cater to our community’s needs year-round,” Marchant said.

Based on roundtable discussions at Dubai Lynx 2024, the festival team has identified key areas that will inform the topics of upcoming meetups, C-suite roundtables, brand breakfasts and talent and training programs hosted by the festival.

“Our audience is looking for more than just a standalone event; they want opportunities to engage, learn, and celebrate throughout the year,” Marchant said.

The 2025 Dubai Lynx awards will also see changes to some categories such as the evolution of the Digital Lynx category to the Digital Craft Lynx.

This change is meant to celebrate “technological artistry” and reflects “the rapid shifts in the digital landscape, where groundbreaking ideas are infused with high-level craft to create impactful and immersive experiences across a growing range of digital platforms,” Marchant explained.

Other changes include an update to the Audio & Radio category to reflect the expansion of audio work beyond radio.

There will also be tweaks to the PR Lynx category to accurately reflect the current PR industry “not only in amplifying brand and campaign messages, but also in managing perceptions and connecting brands with culture,” she added.

Dubai Lynx has also introduced a Use of Humor sub-category in the Culture & Context category in response to feedback from the industry “who wanted us to create space for work that uses humor to engage audiences to be championed,” Marchant said.

“Over the past couple of years there has been a shift in (the) tone of the work that has been winning — with a lot more irreverence and playfulness — so the timing felt right to create a category where this kind of work can compete,” she added.

Lastly, new sub-categories have been added to the Social & Influencer category to “recognize the increasingly significant role creators play in shaping and amplifying brand messages,” Marchant said.

The changes to the awards are a result of industry collaboration. Dubai Lynx has an awards research and development team that speaks to experts across industries and countries to gather their input on “the current state of play while also previewing the future direction of the industry,” she added.

 


StarzPlay partners with Falcon Films to bring over 50 exclusive titles to the platform

StarzPlay partners with Falcon Films to bring over 50 exclusive titles to the platform
Updated 12 December 2024
Follow

StarzPlay partners with Falcon Films to bring over 50 exclusive titles to the platform

StarzPlay partners with Falcon Films to bring over 50 exclusive titles to the platform
  • New content will be added in 2025
  • Lineup includes ‘Weekend in Taipei,’ ‘The Surfer,’ ‘Oh, Canada’ 

DUBAI: Streaming company StarzPlay has partnered with independent movie distributor and producer Falcon Films to bring the latter’s library of films to the platform.

The partnership will see StarzPlay add more than 50 exclusive titles from Falcon Films’ roster throughout 2025. The titles will be available in all 22 Middle East markets in which StarzPlay is available.

StarzPlay CEO Maaz Sheikh said: “With this strategic partnership, Falcon Films’ movies — including blockbuster hits and upcoming releases — will join our library, reinforcing StarzPlay’s status as the go-to platform for premium content in the region.

“With over 3 million subscribers across 22 countries, and through collaborations like this, we are expanding our portfolio of exclusive offerings, while simultaneously strengthening the local entertainment system to meet the evolving demands of our audience.”

The lineup includes films like “Weekend in Taipei,” “The Surfer,” “Oh, Canada,” starring Richard Gere, and “Monster Summer,” with Mel Gibson.


Media watchdogs call on new Syrian authorities to safeguard journalists

Media watchdogs call on new Syrian authorities to safeguard journalists
Updated 12 December 2024
Follow

Media watchdogs call on new Syrian authorities to safeguard journalists

Media watchdogs call on new Syrian authorities to safeguard journalists
  • Syria ranks 179 out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index
  • Demands for perpetrators to face justice over deaths, detention of media workers

DUBAI: Media watchdogs have called on Syria’s new leaders to ensure the safety of all journalists in the country, and bring to justice those responsible for killing, imprisoning, and harassing media workers during Bashar Assad’s regime.

“While we wait for the missing to return and the imprisoned to be released, we call on the new authorities to hold the perpetrators to account for the crimes of killing, abducting, or jailing reporters,” said Carlos Martinez de la Serna, program director of the Committee to Protect Journalists.

CPJ is also urging the new government to allow journalists and media workers access to information and locations without the fear or risk of being detained or questioned.

Syria is among the most dangerous countries for journalists ranking in 179th place out of 180 countries in the latest World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders.

Since 2011, more than 181 journalists have been killed — 161 by regime forces and 17 by Russian airstrikes — in addition to multiple others tortured and imprisoned by the Syrian regime and its supporters, according to RSF data.

Jonathan Dagher, head of RSF’s Middle East desk, said: “We demand that Bashar Assad be prosecuted for his crimes. Justice, long overdue, must finally be served for all victims of his abuses.”

He added that RSF is also aware of crimes against journalists committed by the Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham, which has taken control in Syria, and called on the Islamist group to “hold their responsible members accountable, and to release all journalists still detained in the country, including those they have taken hostage.”

Dagher added: “Syria’s future leaders, whoever they may be, must ensure the safety of journalists and allow a free press to flourish.”

CPJ’s Global Impunity Index, which calculates the percentage of unsolved journalist murders in each country relative to its population, has seen Syria make the list for the last 11 years, including as the top offender in 2023.

Since the Assad regime’s collapse, HTS has been releasing prisoners, with RSF confirming the release of two journalists: Syria Media Monitor’s Hanin Gebran, who was detained in June 2024, and blogger Tal Al-Mallouhi, who was detained in 2009.


Award-winning Syrian filmmaker Waad Al-Kateab says ‘chapter of Assad has finished’

Award-winning Syrian filmmaker Waad Al-Kateab says ‘chapter of Assad has finished’
Updated 12 December 2024
Follow

Award-winning Syrian filmmaker Waad Al-Kateab says ‘chapter of Assad has finished’

Award-winning Syrian filmmaker Waad Al-Kateab says ‘chapter of Assad has finished’

DUBAI: Waad Al-Kateab, activist and award-winning Syrian director of the film, “For Sama,” has spoken out since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad.

“The past couple of days have been so emotional for me and so many other Syrians,” Al-Kateab said in an Instagram post.

She continued: “We carry a pain bigger than this world, and because of our trauma, we don’t know how to celebrate, and we cannot believe that tomorrow might really hold something better.

“Today, there’s a huge joy but it doesn’t feel real.”

Her film, “For Sama,” won several awards at the BAFTA and British Independent Film Awards and was nominated at multiple prestigious international film festivals including the Oscars.

The film documents her family life in Aleppo over five years, including her marriage and the birth of her first child, Sama, who the film is named after.

“The greatest heartbreak of my life is that I can’t take my daughters to live in or even visit the place where they should belong to; the place where they should grow up,” Al-Kateab said.

“For Sama” was a “promise to myself and my daughters that I will never forget Aleppo.”

In 2016, Al-Kateab and her husband fled to the UK.

She said: “Before we left, we said goodbye to everything. We left our hearts and moved forward, terrified that we might not even make it out.”

The collapse of Assad’s regime is a monumental event for many Syrians living abroad.

Al-Kateab has been disconnected from her family in Syria because contacting them could put them at risk, but now she looks forward to visiting her home country, she told The Times.

She said: “This was the first time I called my auntie (and) uncle. I managed to talk to my cousins, who were five or six years old when I left, and now they are teenagers.

“We are waiting to get British citizenship — without the British passport I won’t be able to travel for that.”

Looking forward, Al-Kateab added: “The chapter of Assad has finished and I don’t want anything for his system or mentality or rules to be taken with us to the next chapter.”

She called for foreign powers to leave Syria saying: “I really hope to see the minimizing of outside intervention.”

Al-Kateab also appealed to the international community to implement a no-fly zone to protect civilians.

“Everyone who has different fears agrees that the biggest risk and the threat is coming from the sky — the Syrian and Russian airstrike attacks. And for that, the international community needs to prioritize protecting civilians from such attacks,” she said on Instagram.

Al-Kateab’s other work includes “We Dare to Dream” and “Death Without Mercy”.