iWorld
WhatsApp alerts ‘suspicious link’ to reduce spam
MUMBAI: In a recent development, WhatsApp has launched a new feature which shows ‘suspicious link’ label on the message to crack down on false information being spread through its platform.
According to the company, the check would be performed automatically on a user’s device and reiterated that WhatsApp cannot see contents of the message because of its end-to-end encryption technology. (Read WhatsApp’s statement here
If a link is marked suspicious, a user can tap the link and a pop-up message will appear highlighting the unusual characters within the link. The user can choose to open the link or go back to the chat.
Take for instance the URL
The first character looks like the letter “w” but is instead the character “w”, a ploy that might be used by spammers to trick a user to visit a website that wasn’t actually related to WhatsApp.
A spokesperson for the company told BOOM that the feature should not be confused with finding fake domains.
Earlier this month, it announced that it was limiting the number of contacts a message could be forwarded to five at a time.
This year nearly 24 people were killed in India in separate incidents fuelled by fake messages of child abductors. Last week, New Delhi wrote a second warning letter that it might face legal action if it failed to take effective steps to curb the flow of false information on its platform.
“When rumours and fake news get propagated by mischief mongers, the medium used for such propagation cannot evade responsibility and accountability. If they remain mute spectators they are liable to be treated as abettors and thereafter face consequent legal action,” the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had said in the letter.
iWorld
Jio IPO faces delay as India yet to clear listing rule changes
Proposed rule change allows mega IPOs to float just 2.5 per cent
MUMBAI: The Indian government’s delay in formalising changes to listing rules may derail the targeted timeline for the initial public offering (IPO) of Jio Platforms, the digital arm of Reliance Industries controlled by billionaire Mukesh Ambani.
According to media reports, Reliance is awaiting formal notification of regulatory amendments before appointing investment bankers and filing a draft IPO prospectus. The company is now aiming to submit the draft prospectus before April, depending on when the government issues the notification.
Jio, which owns India’s largest wireless operator, is widely seen as one of the crown jewels of Ambani’s business empire. Its listing, the first public offering of a major Reliance unit in nearly two decades, could become the country’s biggest ever IPO.
Investment bankers have proposed a valuation of as much as $170 billion for the company. Even the minimum stake sale could raise roughly $4.3 billion, potentially placing Jio among India’s most valuable listed companies.
Ambani had earlier said that Reliance was targeting a listing of Jio in the first half of 2026, a plan first outlined in 2019 with a five-year timeline. In 2020, global technology groups Meta Platforms and Alphabet invested more than $10 billion combined in the company.
The delay stems from pending regulatory changes approved by the Securities and Exchange Board of India in September. The amendments allow companies with a post-issue market capitalisation exceeding Rs 5 trillion (about $55 billion) to float as little as 2.5 per cent of equity in an IPO, compared with the current 5 per cent minimum.
Such changes are expected to enable mega listings, including potential offerings by Jio and the National Stock Exchange of India. However, the reforms still require formal notification from the government.
Meanwhile, the National Stock Exchange is moving ahead with plans to raise as much as $2.5 billion through its own IPO and has recently invited banks to pitch for roles in the offering.
