Outlook’s social snafu

IN Media Watch Briefs | 11/09/2016

Outlook magazine was seriously embarrassed on Sunday when its OSM (Outlook Social Media) app users reported that the app had gained access to their Twitter accounts and was sending out unauthorised tweets in their names. For example, Rahul Mahajan, son of late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan, seemed to have tweeted this: “Inky pinky ponky, father had a donkey… that’s me”. Not everyone found the tweets funny. Those who had downloaded the app to vote for the Outlook Social Media awards, slated to be held on October 5, took to Twitter to slam Outlook for the breach. Later, Outlook Social Media issued an apology and said that their server had been hacked and that the problem had been fixed now.       

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The new term for self censorship is voluntary censorship, as proposed by companies like Netflix and Hotstar. ET reports that streaming video service Amazon Prime is opposing a move by its peers to adopt a voluntary censorship code in anticipation of the Indian government coming up with its own rules. Amazon is resisting because it fears that it may alienate paying subscribers.                   

Clearly, the run to the 2019 elections is on. A journalist received a call from someone saying they were from Aajtak channel and were conducting a survey, asking whom she was going to vote for in 2019. On being told that her vote was secret, the caller assumed she wasn't going to vote for 'Modiji'. The caller, a woman, also didn't identify herself. A month or two earlier the same journalist received a call, this time from a man, asking if she was going to vote for the BSP.                 

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