Tech Tok: Meta rolls out subscription service

To be rolled out in Australia and New Zealand this week initially

Hyderabad: Remember the time when social media platforms were free of cost and all we had to worry about was what picture to post or what caption to write? Well, it wasn’t long ago. But with the pace at which every platform is looking to monetise anything and everything, it sure feels like an eternity.

Headlining this week’s changing landscape of the tech industry is Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta. Perhaps in a bid to outdo its counterpart Twitter, the tech giant has launched a paid verification subscription service called ‘Meta Verified’. This will be rolled out in Australia and New Zealand this week, and will soon be introduced in most of the countries.

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So here’s the deal. Pay $11.99 per month if you are using the application on the web and $14.99 if you are on iOS, and get your accounts verified and receive the much-acclaimed blue badges. Plus, you will have direct customer access to customer support. Bravo, Meta!

Although Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the move is to increase “authenticity and security across its services”, it becomes clearer than ever that the social networking sites that once existed only to connect and bring people closer to each other are today primarily a platform to create a brand image, monetise and market.

Twitter Blue, Snapchat , and now Meta Verified, all tell the same story.

Tesla recalls 363,000 cars:

All seems not well with the self-driving Tesla cars as the company recently recalled around 3,63,000 cars. The move came in as a result of the concerns raised by US safety officials that it could allow drivers to exceed speed limits or travel through intersections unsafely.

This is a second such incident of a recall involving the firm’s self-driving technology. Last year, Tesla recalled nearly 54,000 vehicles because the system let the cars roll through stop signs.
Meanwhile, Tesla CEO Elon Musk defended the company as he tweeted, “The word “recall” for an over-the-air software update is anachronistic and just flat wrong!”

Google’s 360-degree video backgrounds:

Alphabet-owned Google has come up with yet another feature for video calls this past week. The company’s video communication service Google Meet now has new 360-degree video backgrounds.

“These backgrounds — which include a beach and a temple — use your device’s gyroscope to create a dynamic experience that moves with you,” said Google in a blog. The feature is available for both Android and iOS mobile devices.

Twitter to charge for text-message authentication:

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a way of verifying identity by presenting two or more pieces of evidence for authentication. This is a standard practice, and one that Twitter is now planning to charge.

Through a tweet on Saturday, the Twitter Support account tweeted that only Twitter Blue subscribers would be able to use text-message authentication from 20 March.

Panasonic drops LUMIX S5II and S5IIX cameras:

Japanese conglomerate Panasonic on Monday unveiled its latest hybrid full-frame mirror-less camera Lumix S5II, adding to its Lumix S series in India. Highlight features of the camera include Phase Hybrid auto-focus and image stabilisation technology.

The company also introduced Lumix S5IIX, which comes with a more extensive video feature set along with a new 14-28mm ultrawide L-mount half-macro zoom lens.

– Epsita Gunti with agency inputs