iWorld
Facebook to launch much-awaited ‘Clear History’ tool later this year
MUMBAI: While social media giant Facebook promised to prioritise user data privacy amid widespread controversy, the company is going to launch its much-awaited privacy tool titled 'Clear History' later this year. This new feature would enable users to delete their information collected by Facebook through third-party apps and websites.
The step has been taken at a time when Facebook is under scrutiny by regulators as well as facing backlash worldwide for lack of data security. Following Cambridge Analytica scandal, the feature was announced in May 2018.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg described the tool as a "simple control to clear your browsing history on Facebook—what a user has clicked on, what websites they visited etc". Facebook's chief financial officer David Wehner revealed that the Clear History tool was in development and could be expected to launch later this at the Morgan Stanley, Media and Telecom Conference in Barcelona.
Wehner said the new feature would give Facebook headwinds affecting its ability to target users with adverts. "We want to make sure this works the way it should for everyone on Facebook, which is taking longer than expected," the social media giant said according to media reports.
"In your web browser, you have a simple way to clear your cookies and history. The idea is a lot of sites need cookies to work, but you should still be able to flush your history whenever you want. We're building a version of this for Facebook too," Zuckerberg wrote earlier in a personal post on Facebook after the announcement.
iWorld
Telcos push for unified rules as spam shifts to OTT platforms
Over 80 per cent fraud moves online, operators seek common framework.
MUMBAI: The spam may have left your phone network but it hasn’t left you alone. India’s telecom operators are once again dialling up the pressure for a unified regulatory framework, warning that fraud is rapidly migrating to internet-based platforms where oversight remains far looser. According to industry communication, a leading operator has written to multiple arms of the government including the Department of Telecommunications, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Finance arguing that tighter controls on traditional telecom networks are inadvertently pushing bad actors towards over-the-top (OTT) communication platforms.
The concern is not new, but the framing has sharpened. What was once an industry grievance is now being positioned as a consumer protection issue. Operators say that tackling spam in silos no longer works, as fraudsters seamlessly shift across platforms, exploiting regulatory gaps. The result: a moving target that traditional safeguards struggle to contain.
Executives point to a clear shift in fraud patterns. OTT platforms are increasingly being used for phishing links, impersonation scams and bulk unsolicited messaging, with industry estimates suggesting that over 80 per cent of spam activity has now migrated online. In this environment, the lines between telecom networks, messaging apps and financial fraud are blurring fast.
At the heart of the industry’s demand is a call for a technology-neutral regulatory framework, one that applies consistently across telecom and internet-based communication services. Operators argue that the absence of uniform safeguards, such as sender verification systems, robust spam filters and clearly defined accountability mechanisms, has created enforcement blind spots that fraudsters are quick to exploit.
The proposal is straightforward but far-reaching. Telcos are pushing for baseline anti-fraud measures across all communication platforms, alongside faster response systems and deeper coordination between ministries. Given the interconnected nature of telecom networks, digital platforms and financial systems, they argue that fragmented oversight only weakens the overall defence.
The broader issue is regulatory arbitrage, the ability of bad actors to hop between platforms based on which is least regulated at any given time. Without harmonised rules, operators say, efforts to curb fraud risk becoming a game of whack-a-mole.
As digital communication continues to expand, the debate is shifting from who regulates what to how consistently it is regulated. For now, telecom operators are making their case clear: in a world where spam travels freely, regulation cannot afford to stay fragmented.
