iWorld
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg on India, Internet.org, net neutrality
MUMBAI: Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has set his sights on the Indian market in a big way, which according to him is one of the key markets for the social networking company.
In his second visit this year to the country, the young entrepreneur visited the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, where close to 900 students attended the Question & Answer session.
Zuckerberg addressed issues such as Net Neutrality, internet access as well as Facebook’s initiatives to invest in India.
Speaking at the event, Zuckerberg said that his mission was to connect everyone in India to the internet.
According to a UK based consultancy We Are Social and Facebook India, of the 1.49 billion people who check Facebook at least once a month, more than 130 million are in India. It is more than anywhere outside the US and the number has been rising in recent years.Facebook had 118 million users in 2014 as compared to a year earlier, which was 93 million.
Zuckerberg explained that Facebook’s initiative Internet.org has nothing insidious but aims to provide connectivity for access to education, health care and financial services to millions of Indians. Internet.org was launched in 2013 for a global effort to provide web access to unconnected users in the developing nations.
Speaking on the investment on Artificial Intelligence Systems, Zuckerberg said, “AI is really exciting. We will be able to see smarter computers being built. With AI, it’s going to be less about products and making the existing ones smarter. We are working on a project where AI can describe photos to blind people. Second example, right now the best way to let people know you are safe in terms of a crisis is by yourself or through your friends. In the future maybe satellites and other technologies can help with this.”
He said that almost three million people said they were safe by using Facebook’s safety-check feature after the recent earthquake in Afghanistan. “When there’s a disaster all you want to know if your loved ones are safe,” he said.
He further spoke on Net Neutrality saying, “Most of the people pushing for net-neutrality already have access to Internet. But those who aren’t, can’t sign an online petition for an increase in the Internet. We all have a moral responsibility to look out for those who don’t have access and make sure the rules don’t get twisted to hurt those who don’t have a voice.”
Later, taking to his Facebook page, he posted an update about the Townhall Q&A in Delhi saying, “We just wrapped up our Townhall Q&A in Delhi! People asked great questions about how we can connect everyone in India to the internet, how we provide everyone with a great education and how to build a strong company. I really appreciate these Q&AS. Hearing what you care about makes Facebook better. Thanks to everyone who asked a question or tuned in!”
iWorld
X launches XChat messaging app on iOS with calls and encryption
Standalone app marks shift from “everything app” vision, adds E2E messaging.
MUMBAI: From one big app to many small chats, X seems to be splitting its ambitions. X has rolled out its standalone messaging app, XChat, to iOS users, opening up a new front in its evolving product strategy. The app allows users to connect with existing X contacts through private and group messages, file sharing, as well as audio and video calls. The launch follows a limited beta phase, where the platform tested the product with a smaller user base to refine the experience. Now available publicly, XChat marks a notable pivot from earlier ambitions championed by Elon Musk to turn X into a single “everything app” combining messaging, payments, commerce and more.
Instead, the company under xAI ownership and backed by SpaceX appears to be building a suite of standalone applications, each targeting specific use cases while expanding its broader ecosystem.
At launch, XChat includes end-to-end encrypted messaging, PIN-based access, disappearing messages, and features such as message editing, deletion for all participants, and screenshot blocking. The company has also said the app is free from advertisements and tracking mechanisms, positioning it as a privacy-first alternative in a crowded messaging space.
However, security claims around the platform are likely to face scrutiny. Earlier iterations of XChat drew criticism from experts who argued it fell short of established encrypted platforms like Signal. With the wider rollout, the app is expected to undergo fresh evaluation to assess whether those concerns have been addressed.
Beyond messaging, XChat will also house X’s Communities feature, which is being discontinued on the main platform due to low usage and spam concerns. Migrating these users could provide an early boost to adoption, effectively turning XChat into both a communication and community hub.
The move underscores a broader recalibration at X less about cramming everything into one app, and more about spreading bets across multiple touchpoints, one message at a time.
