YouTube Begins Testing New Creator Donation Feature ‘Super Thanks’ In Shorts

 YouTube has recently spoken about how it's very keen on allowing its creators to earn more funds on the app through its popular short-form video feature called Shorts.

In addition to the company’s urge to launch a brand new revenue program for ads on Shorts, it’s also decided to begin beta testing for its creator donation program. Here, fans get the chance to buy comments highlighted on the app, in-stream.

YouTube recently went public with the next phase of this particular expansion and even gave examples related to showing it will work in Shorts too.

As can be seen via a series of screenshots put out by the Creator Insider on its video, viewers get a glimpse of their purchases on Super Thanks. These are messages put up by other creators that have the featured already enabled.

You can find it now on demand in particular markets belonging to creators that are already a part of YouTube’s Partnership initiative. But if you wish to qualify for this, you need to have at least 4000 watch hours in the past year, including 1000 new subscribers across the app.

If you do happen to meet these types of thresholds and happen to be located in a region where it’s active, well, you’re in luck. You can now accept donations through Shorts which will also now put up a highlighted message seen on the chatting stream.

For now, it’s not up for grabs for everyone yet. As YouTube mentioned yesterday, they’re super excited for the testing to commence further and with the launch of its beta to a series of creators, they’re interested in seeing the response. And in the next few months, more and more people can avail the opportunity.

It’s currently still in the early phase of testing but with time, it’s going to provide a major pathway for monetization of Shorts creators across the platform. The app hopes this will add a bigger edge over archrivals like TikTok but is yet to create the right process for monetization for all of its content creators.

But let’s not forget how TikTok does indeed have some form of a new donation feature up for grabs related to top creators. People with more than 100,000 followers on the app can also now get Gifts that are exchanged for cash, giving a direct form of support from their fans and well-wishers.

This is certainly a higher qualification than the classic YPP of YouTube. But you can expect some apps to work hard and bring down their threshold for monetization. This will allow for more creators to get tapped into such chances on their platforms.

This is the next big thing in the world of creator economy, winning hearts and top forms of talent with fans. And that allows them to pave the way for a better space.

YouTube currently stands at a much higher position in this regard. It has sent out over $50 billion already to its creators in the past three or more years. Yet, TikTok is being hailed as the competition to beat. But if YouTube continues to move ahead with brilliant offerings, we feel it really can sweeten today’s deal for some of its biggest stars. This way, YouTube could soon be a major front runner in the video ecosphere.

The only thing that’s lacking is the potential to earn more money on the app and that could really hurt TikTok’s leading stronghold in the market. For now, users of TikTok are very content with its offerings, as they are with Reels as their supplementary channels, as the main focus is on YouTube.

If cross-posting is allowed easily, users may be keen on maximizing their potential to earn more. This means the app needs to get more stars on board for attaining exclusive contracts. For now, the app is doing great.

How Many Hours of Work Does It Take to Buy the iPhone 14?

 Apple’s dominance over the smartphone sector is astounding considering it offers almost exclusively premium phones, but in spite of the fact that this is the case it has managed to keep its growth steady over the past few years. However, one issue that some aspiring buyers face when they are trying you are located.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that the cheapest iPhone available will always be in the United States since this is where the parent company is headquartered.

An American earning an average salary would need to work just 50 hours to be able to afford this phone, so the low price coupled with the high average income makes this product highly affordable in that market. That means that US citizens would need to work around 6 full days before they have the money for this phone.

While this is definitely a potent combination, the iPhone 14 is still more affordable in two countries namely Switzerland and Luxembourg. That’s mostly thanks to the very high salaries that people in these nations earn. In the US, the latest iPhone will set you back around $830, while in Switzerland it would cost $966 and in Luxembourg $982. Despite that, people in these countries earn a lot more so the phone is more affordable to them as a result.

Moving on to the other end of the spectrum, the country where the iPhone 14 is most expensive is Turkey. This nation has been experiencing a lot of devaluation in its currency which drives the price up because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making their own currency worth less. However, the iPhone is also far more expensive in dollar terms, costing just under $1,700 which makes it twice as expensive in Turkey than it would be in the US.

If you live in Turkey and earn an average salary, you would need to work a whopping 765 hours to have enough money for the latest Apple flagship with all things having been considered and taken into account. That comes up to 95 working days, so the Turkish people might find this phone to be out of their reach right now.

The Philippines are also a bad place for people that want to buy the iPhone 14. Filipinos have it almost as bad as Turkey, requiring around 756 hours at an average rate of pay for the asking price. Interestingly, the iPhone is not nearly as expensive in this nation as it is in Turkey. The standard iPhone 14 asking price in this island nation is $997 which is comparable to Austria and Hungary. The reason why it takes so many hours to be able to afford one is that the Philippines is a very poor country and people there usually don’t earn a lot.

Global inflationary pressures as well as a series of economic mishaps are making iPhones quite difficult for people to buy. They are often making do with older models, and it will be interesting to see if this impacts Apple’s business strategy moving forward since it wouldn’t want to alienate so many buyers.

H/T: Nukeni

TikTok Takes Inspiration From BeReal And Launches Experimental ‘Now’ Feature

It appears as if Instagram is not the only one to hop onto the daily image-sharing trend. And that’s because we’ve got more news about TikTok taking inspiration from BeReal and launching a new experiment.

The feature will ask users to put up a new image through any of their cameras. The other option is to put up a 10-second video to inform friends about your daily chores or routine. All users are going to get a very small and discreet window to share their details after getting the randomly-timed prompt.

You can look at it as your next update regarding visual status.

This new test is designed to take place over the next few weeks, as confirmed by the app this week. Moreover, it’s going to be available via the usual American app. However, you just might find it your next favorite dedicated app across different nations.

What isn’t surprising is how quite a few features are very limited for teenagers Therefore, anyone seen on the app that’s between the age group 13 to 15 will get comments from their close pals. Meanwhile, until you’re 18, you won’t be given a chance to share content through Explore.

We won’t lie; the news is definitely a very interesting one. After all, archrivals for the popular short video app are often seen taking inspiration from TikTok. Now, the roles appear to be reversed, and it’s thrilling to see.

We definitely see why the app has chosen to go down this path. Taking on BeReal’s core concept means putting up daily posts, and that will have users returning to the app for more content. What more can a platform want?

Similarly, you get the chance to value your social circle and friends more with this idea called Now. Who knows, it might turn out to be a massive game-changer for the platform.

Snapchat For Web Is Finally Out For Users Worldwide

Snap fans are going to fall in love with this next piece of news.

Snapchat for the web is out for different users worldwide. And while it may have been a long time coming, considering the high anticipation involved, it’s time for the app’s fans to celebrate.

The app’s features related to video chats and standard messaging were made available to different browsers in July of this year. But the launch was restricted to a selected few, such as a limited part of the market or those with a paid subscription.

But things are changing for the better, and the feature is up for grabs to those avid users that adore typing or have a bucketload of texts to send out. After all, there’s a much bigger screen involved, not to mention complete access to a whole keyboard too.

While the company says the interface for the web is straight and to the point, you may also utilize it to send images. Did we mention the feasibility of making both video and audio calls?

One of the app’s spokespersons mentioned that many people had loved the video call functionality in recent times. And that fact that it’s being available on the web, too, will be loved more. Just think about video calls of longer duration.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson added that several other core features may arise on the web too. It all depends on how things go and what demands come forward from users.

But that’s not the only happening launch on the app. Snap has recently released its series of widgets for lock screens. This is solely restricted to the iPhone for now. This is right after the company unveiled its iOS 16 for users.

With this new launch, you can create shortcuts for chats you’d like or for those conversations made with those you adore more. Using a single tap firing up your conversations has never been easier than now.

Since we’re still on the subject of shortcuts, we’d also like to inform you that the app will soon entail some more shortcuts located at the topmost part of the chat page.

This is designed to add further convenience so you can now get to your unread Snaps, conversations, or your replies instantly. You’ll be given reminders for other special occasions like birthdays or chats you are yet to open.

Lastly, the app has introduced the Question Sticker feature. You can put them on stories or any choice of Snaps.


In terms of the rollout of these new features, they’ll be coming your way soon.

Pinterest Rolls Out Promotional Campaign That Frames The App In A More Positive Space

 Pinterest just recently launched its latest promotional campaign. The company has decided to frame the app in a more positive light and that means creating distance from anything and everything that was once called its roots.

Today, the app wants to be known as a platform that is free of all forms of judgment and also one that isn’t criticized like the way ‘other’ social media apps are in today’s time.

The new campaign is called ‘Don’t Don’t Yourself’ and as bizarre as it may sound, it’s definitely something worth looking out for. And that’s because we found the concept to be rather unique and interesting.

The campaign was seen highlighting ‘inner saboteurs’ that the app feels are those that hold so many of us back from progressing. So you can see how keen the app is on being an antidote to the concept linked to doubt.

But why is the platform behaving like this and what makes it any more unique than others saying something similar has a lot of critics confused.

In its own words, the company mentioned in its recent blog post how it was collaborating with the UK”s famous studio called ‘Uncommon Creative Studio’ to make the app be perceived as one that’s inspiring people to freely express thoughts. And while we’re being very clear cut about it, the app had a nice spin to it by adding its own puns like ‘anti-don’t’.

But to each, their own, and what really grabbed our attention is how the initiative is quite interesting. And it’s definitely helpful in putting the platform forward as one that’s more creative, not to mention willing to experiment.

For years now, we’ve been seeing the app trying to keep a distance from the world of social networks and the label that comes with it. It's like to call itself a venture that is like a catalog full of ideas and inspiration.

It also has been proven on many occasions that the main focus on the platform is nothing but the content. And that’s remarkably different from other social media apps whose main objective is engagement with the audiences involved.

It’s without a doubt an app that many deem to be a valuable addition to their lives, considering the great amount of creativity and diverse listings involved. But we’re not really sure if we call it space to express your thoughts freely.

For now, let’s just enjoy the campaign that can be found soon in places like Germany, the US, and the UK.

Most Instagram Reels Users Don’t Receive Any Engagement At All, Says New Internal Report

 For a while now, Instagram spoke about how keen it was on competing with its fellow archrival TikTok. And they planned on doing just that through the introduction of short video content such as Reels.

But a new internal report that has been critiqued by WSJ says Reels isn't standing where the tech giant had envisioned it to be. To put it simply, it’s just lagging far behind all forms of competition.

The document went on to detail how most Reels' users on the app are failing to get any engagement. Seeing the news of the platform falling flat on the ground is generally concerning for Meta and the experts feel it’s got a long way to go if it plans on affecting TikTok’s share of the competitive market.

On average, the document went on to prove how out of 11 million content creators that use the app, only 21% are involved in putting up Reels on a monthly basis. And out of those, there has been zero to no engagement at all.

The report that is titled Creators x Reels State of the Union, also proved how TikTok users as a whole tend to spend 197.8 million hours witnessing content on the app daily. On the other hand, users on Instagram are spending nearly one-tenth of that amount, which is about 17 million hours daily.

But seeing this report published really had Meta in a bad mood. The company’s spokesperson was quick to call the report an outdated feature that not only featured incorrect information but also was designed to paint a fake narrative of what the progress for Reels has turned out to be.

Although Meta did admit that it’s got plenty of work to do still on its Reels, it was happy with the progress so far. They also elaborated how promising results are up for grabs while monetization across the platform is also seeing new growth at a faster pace.

Meta concluded by highlighting how more and more people are connecting, watching, and engaging with Reels than what the firm saw previously.

But the reports say otherwise. It claims that the biggest reason why the Reel content is failing on the platform has to do with how there is so much non-original content. Moreover, stats proved how most videos seen have been posted on other apps and then shared on Instagram too. And that causes a general loss of interest from the users’ point of view. After all, who wants to see repetitive content?

One way that the report says you can find recycled videos is by searching for a watermark that can be spotted immediately. And while the firm does try its best to downrank such repetitive content on the app, they do somehow pass the barriers and make its way forward.

The Meta spokesperson says that recycled videos are also not recommended on the app because so many viewers have told them that they’re not a fan of seeing old Reels. Instead, they would much rather prefer to see new and unique content that’s solely designed for the platform. And it makes sense because it’s just so much more inspiring and even entertaining.

The timing of this report is rather unique. It arises shortly after one of the app’s attempts to display more video content on the platform failed miserably.

A lot of celebs and the majority of users on the app protested against the idea of testing full-screen displays of Instagram. Similarly, they weren’t in favor of Facebook’s algorithm being like TikTok’s.

So as you can see, Instagram has been through a lot in recent times and this report isn’t comforting either.

Google Releases New Digital Tools Aimed To Assist Small Scale Businesses

 Google is on a mission to participate in Europe’s Small Scale Business Week by launching an array of features.

These arise in the form of digital tools that really allow SMBs to succeed in today’s competitive environment.

Remember, any help that SMBs can get after being drastically affected by the pandemic is always welcomed. And this seems to be hitting the target greatly in that respect.

Google recently quoted stats from the European Commission relating to how 99% of firms operating in the EU were actually small scale. And they’re famous for employing nearly 100 million individuals, which adds to the economy’s backbone.

Therefore, the new support program is designed to provide great value in assisting such small firms up and running in the business game again. It also hopes they can tune back into the digital realm so they’re more focused and stay informed at all times.

For starters, the tech giant spoke about introducing free-of-cost training features for all SMBs scattered across the European Union.

Google also made it a point to highlight where it’s currently working in Spain, offering scholarships to different SMBs. This is designed to fuel various chances that their business and overall workforce can benefit from.

In the same way, there was much chit-chat about Germany and how Google is busy with the launch of free training conducted online. This will assist small firms in gaining access to better digital skills and also allow them to expand online.

Google sees these chances are golden opportunities to create valuable pathways that enable firms in the EU to build and grow their presence online. And by taking insights from the search engine giant’s team of marketing experts directly, what could possibly be better?

Similarly, the company also highlighted how it was creating the best support programs for various firms scattered across Ireland, Spain, and Germany. These were highlighted to entail access to Google Workspace for three months, free of cost. Other than that, there were options to attain the Chromebook at discounted rates, and also two whole months of free access to Shopify.

And in Germany only, there will be up to 40% off of Google Domains. How’s that for some exciting ventures? Google says all of the features can be taken advantage of through the firm’s website for Small Business Week.

Meanwhile, it boldly outlined how all of its assistance packages on offer will be granted only to those SMBs that meet the company’s criteria for eligibility. And that deadline is September 16th.

Last but not least, the company is also launching its ‘Heroes of Small Business. This is where users get the chance to send in their picks for the best SMBs in Spain and they could end up winning greater chances of getting help from Google.

Google also says that all SMBs across Europe can now verify Business profiles through its search feature and also through its Google Map application.

Moreover, those in search of a little added push and help should definitely avail this great opportunity of assistance packages. After all, there’s nothing better than a little added insight from the experts of the industry. Do you agree?

How Many Top Apps Make Use Of Apple Search Ads? The Findings Of This Study May Surprise You

 In the past year, Search Ads from tech giant Apple have turned into an increasingly popular venture. You’ll be amazed to learn how so many huge firms have set aside giant budgets that ensure the right spending takes place on the App Store.

And then we had the app tracking transparency from WhatsApp come forward, which really helped a lot.

But how many leading iOS apps actually make use of search ads? Well, a new App Intelligence study by AF used state-of-the-art suite tools to find the answer. And according to that analysis, the results are surprising.

To keep it short and sweet, the answer is a lot! The top 100 biggest earning applications were analyzed in each subject on the App store. They were then ranked according to the number of apps they were running through Search Ads.

And that’s when they found out that 61% of top iOS apps ran Apple’s search ads, wow!

As far as categories are concerned, well, it’s education that people appear to show the greatest investments upon. Nearly 70% of those earning the most revenue were related to this niche. It couldn’t make more sense than this, considering the timing at the moment.

Remember, it’s back-to-school season and such applications are definitely in popular demand.

But closely following that niche comes the world of health and fitness. You’d be amazed at how so many people are willing to get back on track with their health and are turning to apps to do just that.

Other commonly inquired-about categories included the world of business, music, graphics, design, games, and even navigation. But what exactly do these stats mean? Does it actually hint that apps use search ads from Apple if they wish to make money across the App Store? Perhaps you’re wondering such leading apps use the money they generate to spend on getting Search Ads.

Well, the answer is that both these scenarios take place. Some of the applications continue to be in demand thanks to the company’s Search Ads. Meanwhile, so many famous apps continue to use ads so they can compete with other archrivals in the industry.

This is definitely defining the real purpose of such ads. It’s much better when they happen to be located in the search results too.

For a while now, we saw the leading iPhone maker have their leg up against all other ad networks, thanks to these ad placements. They managed to serve their intended audiences perfectly.

And since advertisers actually don’t end up gaining access to many of its features, well, we know the company has plenty of hidden tricks up its sleeve that it fails to show publicly. But we do hope to see them arise in the near future.

The reason for this behavior could be simple. It has to do with the fact that ad placements do not need interactions from users. They’re magical in every sense.

There is even a massive debate circulating whether Apple’s rule of ridding third parties from targeting users was fair or not. So it’s a sticky mess.

YouTube Tests New Analytics Options For Its Creator Studio So Users Gain More Insights

 Popular video search engine YouTube is busy testing a set of analytics options for its Creator Studio. The company says its goal is to help provide users with more insights that could assist them in better creating their content strategy.

The platform even previewed some of the options at hand that highlight how users engage, search, and carry out different activities on the app. It also showed how they were currently testing various topics seen across the platform.

All in all, these new functionalities are going to be incorporated into the app’s Search Insights which was heard of last year. Meanwhile, the feature’s first phase was launched in April of this year.

This was the first time that creators got a better idea of what people are loving on their channels and across others’ channels.

The firm adds how the new launch could really be so helpful in terms of planning. But to see the app take more interest in giving that approach some more depth is truly wonderful. This way, so many creators get the chance to see what’s trending and which topics are floating people’s boats. Hence, what more do you need to create the ultimate search strategy than this?

The newest addition being added first is called Watch Interest. This is available only on desktop and puts plenty of information on display as what is trending in the world of search on the app. But now there is more news about the addition of Watch Activity for any topic.

For you’re targeting a particular topic, it’s always a great idea to see what’s new in that particular niche, the company adds. So if we really had to summaries it all, well, you can now get the greatest idea of what your viewers are watching with interest and how they’re moving from one particular video content to the next, depending on the recommendations at hand.

It’s amazing how technology can now tell you how users are jumping from one video to another with a single tap. And that too, it’s without the entrance of any key term. We feel there’s no better way to add value to your strategy than this.

But that’s not all. The platform wishes to include some more insights linked to what your audience is watching on any particular topic. This information will end up showing users a guide on how to base their new strategy for content effectively.

Similarly, the analytics will also give users some added details about what’s interesting in terms of a certain topic. And that could end up giving you great returns in the long term. After all, you’re maximizing appeals to your specific users.

Last but not least, we’ve got some interesting information about how the feature will also entail personalized insights linked to what your target viewers are loving and saving.

Experts say that saving a video is a very wonderful indication of what sparks a user’s interest. So you certainly want to pick up on that. Similarly, we’ve heard the app speak about getting your planning straight through engagement data. This will put certain interests on display regarding specific niches.

You can think of it as a manner of shining light linked to gaining the best chances out there to grow and become a better creator.

So as you can see, you can now bid farewell to older approaches and adopt newer ones linked to real trends out there, instead of simply putting heavy emphasis on promotions.

The insights feature is being tested now but the platform hopes to roll it out soon to all creators so they can benefit in the future.

What Is The Current State Of The Global Creator Economy? This New Study Reveals It All

 A new study is shedding light on the current state of the creator economy around the globe. And after surveying around 9000 different creators, some facts are definitely worth a glance.

Just when you thought content creators only wanted to be famous influencers, here comes a new study to prove that theory wrong. Today, many are aligning themselves in a manner where they’re looked upon as business owners.

Today’s current state of the economy has made us realize one thing. More than 50% of firms in the US are planning to terminate jobs because they simply can’t pull through with this much recession. Even the tech industry has hit rock bottom in this regard.

But despite these facts, you’ll be intrigued to learn that there are still more and more content creators arising in the market. A total of 165 million people globally identify themselves as creators, over the last two years.

In America alone, we’re seeing the uprising of 35 million creators ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began, as proven by Adobe’s data.

Around 9000 creators underwent a recent survey in May and the sample size comprised mostly online creators hailing from Gen z. These came under the 16 to 24-year age bracket. And whatever estimates were released had to do with the sample size of the survey at hand.

We saw the firm enter into a partnership alongside Edelman Data and Intelligence for this particular study that arose across nearly 9 different nations. From Span and Japan to the US and Brazil, the list is quite long.

A creator was defined as a person above the 18-year age group that indulges in creative activities like writing, graphic designing, photography, and more. All of their posts are updated on a daily basis across an online platform.

On the other hand, the report highlighted the difference that stood out between an influencer and a creator. The former is the name given to creators that have a fan base greater than 5000 people across their social media platforms. Moreover, they earn money from whatever content that’s regularly posted.

Some important highlights of the Adobe report included how creators of today are more fond of being entrepreneurs as compared to attaining that influencer status. Yes, brands and their associated affiliate marketing definitely comprise a huge part of the income that creators get but nearly half of these people don’t want wish to be an influencer.

That’s just not what their end target is. There is more interest in having a business that they can call their own. And interestingly, nearly 17% of these people already have one that they’re focusing on.

So many creators want to follow the path taken by moguls in the world of social media. Common names like Emma Chamberlain and Jackie Aina were included. These women, one whose business is coffee and the other whose goods include candles, have great things going for them.

Other than that, the report spoke about how much revenue was being generated by creators. Yes, they work hard and stats prove that it’s definitely paying off for them. As far as figures are concerned, influencers make around $4700 while creators can attain up to $3000 each month.

For their work schedule, well, it’s around 15 hours a week for influencers while creators worked just 9 hours. And the money would be allotted on an hourly basis. Other than that, they’re combining their full-time job with this social media gig so the money is plenty.

Adobe also showed how the majority of creators were actually millennials but Gen Z did have a minority representation. And lastly, many creators found their job to be mentally pleasing and a break from hectic work life.

TikTok Surpasses Facebook and Instagram Among British Users

 The rise of TikTok has been nothing short of meteoric, and while the social media platform has faced controversies related to potentially harvesting data for the Chinese government, its popularity continues to increase unabated. For example, the British legislative assembly recently suspended its own TikTok account for fear of leaking sensitive data to a foreign power, but in spite of the fact that this is the case the citizens of the island nation have been using TikTok more and more frequently as of late.

TikTok is now the best performing social media platform out there in terms of average time spent by users, with British consumers spending an average of 49 minutes on it per day. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that this has put it in the lead ahead of Facebook, whose average time spent fell to 43 minutes this year after reaching a high of 47 minutes in 2020.

TikTok has also turned into yet another competitor that is giving Snapchat a run for its money, turning into the third most popular social media platform in the UK after taking this position from Snapchat. Both Instagram and Snapchat have seen a muted rate of growth in terms of average user time spent, with both platforms being stuck at 29 and 25 minutes per day respectively.

It is estimated that the total number of British users who use TikTok will go up to 21.1 million by 2026, which would represent about half of all mobile users in the island nation. This is resulting in a whopping 192% increase in TikTok’s in app revenue from British users, and as it enters the social commerce arena this rate of revenue will have nowhere to go but up.

The UK is lagging behind in social commerce, which leaves TikTok well poised to introduce the concept to the market before its better established competitors such as Facebook and Instagram get the chance to. Britain is only behind China in terms of ecommerce adoption, and that creates the perfect storm for TikTok to make its entry.

H/T: InsiderIntelligence

MFA is Powerless Against This Vicious New Hacking Tool

 Countless security protocols have been put into place in order to stave off potential cyberattacks, but in spite of the fact that this is the case hackers, malicious actors and cybercriminals only keep upping the ante. This has resulted in a cyber arms race, with cybersecurity professionals often playing catchup with the aforementioned malicious actors once all has been said and is now out of the way.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that a brand new hacking tool has just been noted which might topple the current cybersecurity infrastructure that so many rely on to keep themselves safe online. This tool is called EvilProxy, and it can potentially steal authentication tokens used for MFA on websites with all things having been considered and taken into account.

The most concerning thing about this hacking tool is how easy it is to use because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up turning inexperienced newbie hackers into seasoned professionals who can pose a major threat. A cybersecurity research firm by the name of Resecurity is first discovered this hacking tool which was going by the name of Moloch at that time. They found it widely available on the dark web as PaaS platform which stands for Phishing as a Service.

This hacking tool can significantly improve the efficacy of phishing attacks. It works by taking you to a legitimate login page, one that would not contain any of the red flags that may have made users aware that their information is about to be stolen. The hacking tool then redirects the information that is put in, and that can result in even the most cautious of users having their log in data end up in the wrong hands.

Cybercrime is turning into an industry in its own right, and cybersecurity researchers will have to figure out a way to get ahead of the curve. Until that happens, the risks that are found on the internet will continue to multiply and become more pronounced.

What Country Has the Fastest Internet?

 Access to high speed internet is essential because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up helping people to stay fully connected with one another. However, some countries have managed to create vastly superior internet infrastructure, and this has allowed their citizens to enjoy a higher standard of living than might have been the case otherwise.

Cable.co.uk recently put out some data that revealed which country has the fastest speed of all. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Taiwan is the winner in this race with an average broadband speed of over 135 Mbps, or 135.88 to be precise. Taiwan is about twelve Mbps faster than the second country on this list, namely Japan. Japan’s average internet speed hovers at around the 122 Mbps mark, and several other countries are close at its heels.

One thing that many might notice about this list is that East Asian countries feature rather prominently with all things having been considered and taken into account. Singapore comes in fifth, with its 116 Mbps average speeds being quite close to those of other high speed internet countries. In spite of the fact that this is the case, the US and France surpass Singapore, with internet speeds of 118 and 120 Mbps respectively.

Unsurprisingly, a number of European countries have seen massive improvements in average internet speeds over the past few years. Spain, the Netherlands as well as Romania all have impressive internet speeds of 115.6, 113.98 and 112.39 Mbps respectively. Canada is somewhat short of its neighboring country, but this northern nation also has excellent speeds of around 106.8 on average.

Rounding out the top ten list is Hong Kong where the average speed is just above 100 Mbps, and that just goes to show that North America, Europe and East Asia are the world leaders when it comes to internet speeds. These are the parts of the world with the highest levels of human development, and their excellent internet speeds definitely have a role to play in that.

H/T: Statista.

Al Baqarah-Verse 214

 Yes! Certainly, the help of ALLAH [SWT] is near! 

WhatsApp is moving Communities to iOS and is bringing back another long lost feature

 Launched in 2009 the Whatsapp blew up and has been gaining users ever since. It was only very recently that the app was bought by the tech giant and parent company of Facebook, Meta.

When we hear the word communities, the thing that comes to mind is a group of living organisms living together right, but now there is a digital version of it as well. Do you know how we create groups on WhatsApp, well WhatsApp’s new feature is just a bit more extended version of that?

Presenting to you, Communities. What is that? Well, it is a new WhatsApp feature that will let users create huge groups that are related to a specific topic. This feature has not started rolling out yet but has become available to some fortunate people on the Android Beta version of the app and has started coming to iOS beta users as well.

According to a screenshot posted by WABetainfo to check if this feature has been made available for you, you just need to see if your camera option has been replaced with another one that looks like the image of 3 people standing side by side.

In this raw version, you can add up to 10 groups when you create a community; later, however, you will be able to add as many as 50 groups in one community. All these other groups are known as subgroups and members have the choice to see which subgroup they join based solely on their interests. Admins can also set the community to be read only by turning on the only admins can send messages option.

Now, moving on, whenever the need arouses for us to check older messages from a specific date often have to keep scrolling and scrolling until we reach it, which is quite a tedious task unless we remember the particular message or its contents to put into the search box.

Well not anymore, with this feature whenever users would want to search for a message from a specific date all they would have to do is to go to the search bar, and right above the keyboard they would see a small calendar option. This option will have a rolling ball that will allow users to set the date and month from which they want to see the messages. And voilà there you have it.

8 Out of 10 Websites Will Leak Your Search Data to Google According to This Study

 Cybersecurity is a top priority these days, and much of the focus in this arena goes towards mitigating the attempts of malicious actors to hack into user accounts and the like. In spite of the fact that this is the case, major websites are also contributing to the leaking of sensitive user information to online advertisers such as Google. Security experts at Norton Labs recently conducted a study that revealed that about 80% of top websites leak search terms to Google and other similar platforms.

These websites all possess a search bar because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up allowing users to navigate their pages more efficiently. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that they often send the search terms that users put in to Google for the purposes of earning commissions through third party tracking which has become difficult through applications these days.

A lot of these websites claim that they inform users that their search data will be sold to advertising platforms, but this information is usually contained in the user policy which most people don’t end up reading. 81.3% of the search results that Norton researchers used ended up being referred to third parties, which might make it difficult for users to maintain control over their personal data.

Additionally, the user policies don’t specify what kind of data they will be sharing with third parties. They often use generic terms that will understate the sheer extent of data sharing that is occurring. This leads to a confusing system that the vast majority of users will face a lot of difficulties in parsing.

It is becoming increasingly difficult for the average internet user to maintain an appreciable amount of privacy in their digital lives, and websites that are collaborating with Google and other third parties are making matters worse. Users need to start blocking third party tracking from their browsers or consider switching to more privacy friendly browsers and search engines.

This Influencer Ran a Crypto Scam to Educate Consumers

 Crypto investments have been on the rise as of late, and that has resulted in a huge uptick in the number of scams that try to use them to trick people with all things having been considered and taken into account. An influencer by the name of FatMan Terra recently came under fire for trying to run a crypto scam of his own, but with all of that having been said and now out of the way it is important to note that the purpose of this scam was not to defraud people.

Rather, this scam was meant to educate consumers about the pitfalls of investing in crypto schemes that they have not yet done the requisite due diligence for. According to FatMan Terra, he recently saw a scam being run by a Twitter account under the name of Lady of Crypto. He used this as an opportunity to run a similar kind of scam, and this revealed just how little research people do before investing their money into the scams.

Just two hours after announcing his investment scheme, prior to revealing that it was not actually legitimate, the influencer managed to acquire around 5.45 bitcoin worth of investments from Twitter and Discord. These investments totaled around $100,000, and the speed at which the money came in showed that people are too gullible when investing in this space.

The basic premise of the argument that FatMan Terra was trying to make is that nobody is going to give you free money. Anyone that is claiming that they can do so is lying because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making it easier for them to defraud people.

In spite of the fact that this is the case, some are criticizing the influencer for attempting to take money in the first place. It remains to be seen whether this was an awareness campaign or a scam attempt gone awry, but the information that it has made clear is hard to dispute. Crypto scams are rife online, and consumers should be wary of them.

Amazon and Instagram Face Off For the Title of Most Popular Ad Environment

 Different social media platforms and digital platforms can offer their own unique benefits to brands who are placing ads on their servers. TikTok has seen a huge increase in terms of user receptiveness to ads, but in spite of the fact that this is the case the success of this platform has been eclipsed by that of Amazon with all things having been considered and taken into account. Amazon is relatively new to the digital ad game, but that hasn’t stopped them from overtaking TikTok for the top spot.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that marketers tend to tell a different story as far as their preferred ad channels are concerned. The most popular platform for marketers turned out to be Instagram, although TikTok has seen tremendous growth to bring it into fourth place just behind YouTube and Google, as highlighted by Kantar.

This information comes from a series of surveys conducted across 29 markets which asked questions of over 18,000 consumers. It also involved surveys of 400 major brands which represent 90% of the digital ad spend that will be seen throughout 2022.

Surprisingly, Spotify has been making a name for itself as a great resource for digital ads as well. The music streaming platform has a very receptive audience, and that makes it an excellent option for marketers because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up bringing more eyes to their marketing campaigns.

Video based ads are the most preferred marketing channel for professionals in the industry, so it is rather surprising that Amazon managed to supplant TikTok and reach the highest position on this list. Interestingly, the platforms that have the highest level of user receptiveness are not automatically popular among marketers. That suggests that marketing professionals have a different metric for gauging the various platforms that they are placing ads on. Instagram might be the most user friendly digital ad channel for marketers to use, especially since it prioritizes video clips and images to such a great extent.

What’s the Best Fast Charger on the Market? Here’s What We Found

 Most major smartphone companies including Apple and Samsung have stopped including charges in their product packaging because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up reducing electronic waste and helping them improve profit margins. This has created a new problem for consumers to solve, namely that of figuring out which fast charger they should buy. The folks over at Engadget recently ran a series of tests to uncover the best product of all.

The first thing to discuss about these tests is the methodology that was used to conduct them, and with all of that having been said and now out of the way it is important to note that these tests involved draining the battery until only ten percent of the power was remaining. The devices were then plugged into a fast charging brick, and the increments in battery life every ten minutes was then recorded.

Power strips and extension cords were not used since they might have distorted the test results. Instead, the researchers plugged the charges directly into a 120 volt power outlet with all things having been considered and taken into account. One thing that was noted in this research was that the battery charged slower when it was still in the 10 to 20 percent range. The charging speed then increases until the 80% mark is reached, after which it slows down to reduce the chances of overcharging and damaging the battery.

Five devices were included as parts of this study, namely the iPhone 13 and M1 Max Macbook Pro from Apple, the Galaxy S22 Ultra from Samsung, the 2017 launch model of the Nintendo Switch as well as the latest model of the Dell XPS 13. Without further ado, here are the best performing fast charges based on all of these tests.

1. Anker 711 Nano II

This 30 watt charger falls comfortably into the category of most popular chargers, and it is the best option by far for smaller devices. It fully charged the iPhone 13 in as little as ninety minutes, and it only needed an hour or so to fully charge the Galaxy S22 Ultra. While this model failed to quickly charge the laptops, in spite of the fact that this is the case it still outperformed Apple’s own 20 watt charging brick once all has been said and is now out of the way.

2. Anker 715 Nano II

Anker has been making a lot of waves by offering products that balance affordability and quality, which makes it unsurprising that both the top spots are occupied by charges from this brand. The 715 Nano II is a 65 watt charger so it is far better suited to charging laptops than its 20 watt counterpart. Anker’s charger is particularly effective at charging the Galaxy device, perhaps as a result of it communicating effectively with the device in question.

3. Razer USB-C 130 Watt

Sometimes you need a high power charger, and this product from Razer would be your best bet based on the tests that were conducted. The Razer provided the fastest charging out of all of the 100 watt products that were tested, although its high power did not provide an appreciable or noticeable increase in the charging speeds for the MacBook Pro.

Conclusion

And there you have it! These chargers represent the cream of the crop in the current market, and it is interesting to see companies outside of the Apple-Samsung duopoly performing so well. An interesting thing to note here is that Apple is the winner in the 140 watt category, but all other categories saw unique brands like Anker giving a good showing that confirms the worth of their products.