Nepal has banned several social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, for failing to register with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology. The ban affects millions of Nepalese citizens and has drawn criticism from journalists and freedom of expression advocates.
Calls from Viber to other users of the app are already free.
Viber, the mobile communications app offering free messaging and HD-quality calls, has announced that iconic cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's public chat has become the first to exceed one million followers.
Women behind the wheel, movie theatres and now snowmen! Everyday things in the outside world are prohibited in Saudi Arabia's incredibly conservative society. Rediff.com compiles a list
The Sri Lankan government on Sunday lifted the ban it had imposed on social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram after declaring a nationwide public emergency and effecting a 36-hour curfew ahead of a planned anti-government rally over the worst economic crisis in the island nation.
The move is aimed at preventing masses from gathering in Colombo to protest the government's failure to provide relief to the public suffering from shortages of food, essentials, fuel and medicine amidst hours-long power cuts, the Colombo Page newspaper reported.
Telecom operators are not opposed to over-the-top service providers like Skype, Viber, WhatsApp but looking to work in synergy with them, Bharti Enterprises Vice Chairman Akhil Gupta said on Wednesday.
Some of the 89 apps are among those which the Centre has already banned stating "they are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state and public order".
The government's poor handling of the economic crisis where people currently endure long hours of power outages and scarcity of essentials has angered the public which planned country-wide protests on Sunday.
VoIP services include communications applications such as Skype, Line and Viber
The gains came on expectations that the company will post strong growth given its presence in application to peer services and the fast-growing communication platform as a service segment.
Ppolitical experts in Colombo said the ministers came under intense pressure from the public over the government's alleged "mishandling" of the economic crisis, triggered by the shortage in the foreign exchange reserve.
WhatsApp competes with messaging apps like LINE, Viber and Hike in India.
Telecom operators slash call rates to quake-hit Nepal
The Crime Branch of Delhi Police on Monday said that ISI agent Kafaitullah Khan was invited to Pakistan by the handler and was told that he would be given assistance by their people at the Pakistan high commission.
TRAI seeks views to regulate net-based calling, messaging apps
'Sholay wallah kahani hai: 'Gabbar Singh aayega, Gabbar Singh aayega.' 'But what is inside Gabbar Singh nobody knows.'
WhatsApp is the factory where data gets collected for Facebook. And, the cost of that data collection is insignificant as against the monetisation happening on the Facebook platform
It said the petitioner could also approach Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal with his plea.
WeChat fastest growing at 2,364%, though WhatsApp still dominates, reveals a study by GlobalWebIndex.
The representative body said there is regulatory imbalance.
For Rs 39, customers can talk for 300 minutes anywhere in India and worldwide
The late entrant Jio Chat has launched with both video and voice calling services.
Has the advent of technology made it easier, or more difficult, for brands to communicate with you and your valentine?
Home grown chat application, Hike Messenger on Thursday said it has acquired US-based voice-calling company Zip Phone for an undisclosed amount.
Internet.org is a Facebook-led initiative
The Facebook-owned company has been under pressure for months now to put in place a mechanism to curb fake messages on its platform.
Zuckerberg says internet.org can co-exist with net neutrality
DoT will have wider consultations with all stakeholders.
The govt withdrew the draft encryption policy which made it mandatory for storage of all messages, including social media, for 90 days.
Telcos demanding OTT players to come under some sort of regulation as they are eating into their SMS and voice revenues.
Homegrown chat application Hike messenger on Wednesday said it will offer free voice calls to its users over 2G, 3G and wi-fi services across the globe in over 200 countries.
New inventions allow Tencent Holdings' WeChat users to book taxis, top up phone credit, while Clone Algo's YAY App users are able to talk and chat free besides being able to apply for online for micro loans and use Clone Algo trading algorithms.
The Internet is too important to let a few private telecom players decide what the rules will be for consumers, says Rajeev Chandrasekhar, independent member of Parliament who was one of the key petitioners seeking the scrapping of Section 66A of the Information Technology Act.
'Is the tech wonder of our times headed for trouble?' asks Ajit Balakrishnan.
The accused persons had hatched a criminal conspiracy to propagate the ideology, recruit persons, raise funds and facilitate the travel of those recruited to Syria to join the IS and further its activities.
Bharti Airtel had planned to charge separately for internet-based voice calls provided by Skype.
Of late, net neutrality has generated much debate.
The ISI network of spies has been operating in India for over a decade.
Shortly after a controversy erupted over government's plans to snoop on every message sent through WhatsApp, SMS, e-mail or any such service, the Department of Electronics and Information Technology clarified that social media websites and applications will be exempted from the purview of the draft National Encryption Policy.
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