iWorld
Sony LIV turns 3; announces the release date of SCAM 2003: The Telgi Story
Mumbai: Sony LIV 2.0 celebrates the 3rd anniversary of its relaunch by announcing the release date of Scam 2003: The Telgi Story. The much-awaited series will begin streaming from 2 September 2023 on the platform.
The series is adapted from the Hindi book ‘Reporter ki Diary’ authored by journalistnews reporter Sanjay Singh, who is credited with breaking the story of the scam back in the time.
Scam 2003 brings the story of the 2003 Stamp Paper Scam by Abdul Karim Telgi. The series promises to be an intriguing watch as it will capture the life of Telgi, born in Khanapur in Karnataka, and his journey to becoming the mastermind behind one of India’s most ingenious scams spread across 18 states which shook the entire country. It is estimated that the scam value was around Rs 20,000 crores.
The show features Kiran Yadnyopavit, known for his contribution to the Marathi film industry, to write and develop the story along with Singh.
Scam 2003 is produced by Applause Entertainment in association with Studio Next. The series is helmed by Hansal Mehta and directed by Tushar Hiranandani.
iWorld
WhatsApp may soon let users to pick who sees their status updates
The messaging giant is borrowing a page from Instagram’s playbook as it pushes to give users finer control over their social circles.
CALIFORNIA: WhatsApp is quietly working on a feature that could make its Status function considerably smarter and considerably more private.
According to reports from beta tracking platforms, the app is testing a tool called Status lists, which would allow users to create named groups such as close friends, family and colleagues, and control precisely which group sees each update. It is a meaningful step up from the platform’s current blunt instruments, which offer only three options: share with all contacts, exclude specific people, or manually select individuals each time.
The new feature draws an obvious comparison with Instagram’s Close Friends function, and the resemblance is unlikely to be accidental. Both platforms sit within Meta’s family, and the company has been nudging them toward a common logic of audience segmentation for some time.
The move also fits neatly into WhatsApp’s broader privacy push. The platform has been rolling out enhanced chat protections and is exploring the introduction of usernames, which would allow users to connect without exchanging phone numbers. Status lists extend that philosophy from messaging into broadcasting.
Meanwhile, Status itself has been evolving well beyond its origins as a simple photo-and-text slideshow. The feature now supports music stickers, collages, longer videos and interactive elements, pushing it closer to the social-media-style story format pioneered by Snapchat and refined by Instagram. In that context, finer audience controls are not merely a privacy feature. They are a precondition for people sharing more.
The feature remains in development and has not been confirmed for release. WhatsApp routinely tests tools that are later modified or quietly shelved. But the direction of travel is clear: the app wants Status to be a destination, not an afterthought. Letting users decide exactly who is in the audience is how it gets there.
