Meta says India most significant country for all new things across its platforms
Kolkata (PTI): India is the most significant country for Meta in terms of all the new things that feature across its platforms -- Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, a top company official said.
Meta has also provided a great opportunity for numerous brands and millions of creators to express their creativity and build audiences in India through short-form videos, said Manish Chopra, Director and Head of Partnerships for Facebook India (Meta).
"India is a very critical market for our platforms from multiple dimensions. A lot of new product learning and incubation is done here, and 'Reels' is an example of that... this is the market where we have done the most amount of testing of new product features.
"India is the most significant market where the focus is for all the new things that we are doing across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp," he told PTI.
Chopra was speaking on the sidelines of Meta's annual 'Creator Day', which was recently held for the first time in Kolkata.
The event celebrates creators and gives them a chance to create, collaborate and learn from each other, he said.
Chopra said 'Reels' (short-from videos), which was launched two years back, has gained massive popularity in India, including tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
"India is the lighthouse country for 'Reels' for Meta globally. As per a new research report, around 200 million people are spending about 45 mins per day on short-form videos, and this figure is estimated to go up to 600 million people.
"Reels is helping creators express their creativity, passion, and build audiences and followers that relate with them through the content," he said.
Short-form videos have also become a potent medium for brands to promote their products on Facebook and Instagram, the official said.
'Reels' provide a different and authentic kind of voice for brands to engage with users, he said.
"Digital advertising is a highly performing means for brands (large and small). It's an efficient way to grow... In India, more than 50 per cent of the followers for the businesses that are on Instagram are coming from tier-2 and tier-3 cities; so a company can reach out to these markets by being on Instagram and Facebook," Chopra said.
He also said that a lot of music trends have been happening through short-form videos, as artistes make use of the '1 Minute Music' format on Instagram to get "tremendous" distribution.
"We believe that cricket, Bollywood and music define a lot of culture in India. So, we continue to invest closely with partners who create these IPs (intellectual property)," he said.
Meta had recently announced a partnership with the ICC that would enable people to watch the best match moments and highlights of the Men's T20 World Cup, through clips on 'Reels' on Instagram and Facebook.
On fake profiles and the spread of misinformation on Meta platforms, Chopra said the tech conglomerate takes constant measures to rein in such menace.
"Putting a check on fake profiles and spread of misinformation is a constant area of investment for us. We are proactively taking down millions of fake accounts, and have a large organisation that ensures we are responding appropriately to complaints. We also help users become more secure about their own accounts through new security features," he said.
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Will SC conduct further inquiry, asks Surjewala after Pegasus spyware case verdict in US
New Delhi, Dec 22: Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala on Sunday claimed that the Pegasus spyware case verdict in the US proved how 300 WhatsApp numbers of Indians were targeted and asked if the Supreme Court would now conduct a further inquiry in view of the judgment.
Surjewala shared a media report which said that, for the first time, a court in the US had held Israel's NSO Group liable for its intrusive spyware Pegasus.
"The Pegasus spyware case verdict proves how 300 WhatsApp numbers of Indians were targeted in the illegal spyware racket," Surjewala said in a post on X.
He said it was time for the Narendra Modi government to answer who the 300 names targeted were.
"Who are the two Union ministers? Who are the three opposition leaders? Who is the constitutional authority? Who are the journalists? Who are the business persons? What information was retrieved by the BJP government and agencies? How was it used - misused and to what consequence?" the Congress leader asked.
He also questioned if appropriate criminal cases would now be lodged against the political executive or officers in the present government and the company owning NSO.
"Will the Supreme Court take note of the judgment of the US court in Meta v/s NSO? Will the Supreme Court proceed to make public the report of the Committee of Technical Experts on Pegasus Spyware, submitted to it in 2021-22?" Surjewala said.
Questioning if the Supreme Court would now conduct a further inquiry in view of the judgment affirming the targeting of 1,400 WhatsApp numbers, including 300 from India, he asked, "Will the Supreme Court now ask Meta to submit to itself the 300 names to meet the ends of justice in the Pegasus case?"
"Shouldn't Facebook (now Meta) now have responsibility to release the names of 300 Indians targeted by Pegasus, considering WhatsApp and Facebook have the biggest subscriber base in India and they have 'duty of care and disclosure' to its clients in India?" the Congress leader asked.
