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Youths aged between 13 and 17 were given tips on how they should behave online in order to have a positive experience on Facebook and Instagram.

Malta ranks in at second place across all EU countries in terms of the number of internet users that engage is social media activity.

The BeSmartOnline! project is implemented by the Malta Communications Authority, the Foundation for Social Welfare Services and the Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education.

Representatives from Facebooks safety team and BeSmartOnline! visited students at St Michaels Church School, Higher Secondary in Naxxar and the Youth Caf group in Cottonera, which is managed by Aenzija gaag.

Youths aged between 13 and 17 were given tips on how they should behave online in order to have a positive experience on Facebook and Instagram. A number of resources were distributed, including a booklet specifically designed and developed by Facebook, which was also translated to Maltese.

On the second day, over 140 educators from various schools across Malta and Gozo were given an explanation of the measures Facebook takes to contribute to the well-being of youth.

They were introduced to Facebook's internal mechanism that deals with reports received and the difficulties and restrictions they encounter; the difficulties brought about by the complex nature of some of the reports received, either by ethical and/or legislative restrictions; and the sheer number of reports and data exchanged.

Moreover, they were given a thorough explanation of the resources Facebook produce specifically for educators and how these can be adapted in schools.

The rise of social media has sparked numerous discussions on the impact it is having on personal and social relationships. Regardless of the potential negative perceptions, one cannot ignore the opportunities offered through the positive use of social media tools.

Facebook has undertaken various initiatives to exploit its unique position of having such an extensive and complex networked community and has been very active in the field of missing children through initiatives such as Child Rescue Alert and Amber Alert recently launched in Malta.

Most recently Facebook has introduced suicide prevention tools, which exploit the intricacies of friends in order to connect a person in distress with people who can support them. These, and other initiatives, are undertaken as part of Facebook's drive to help build a safe community both online and offline.

Laura Bononcini, Head of Public Policy for Italy, Greece and Malta, said that Facebook believes safety is the shared responsibility of all social media user.

This is why we provide tools that help you stay safe while using Facebook, we want to educate people on Facebook and encourage them to use our safety features, she said.

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Facebook and BeSmartOnline! highlight safety concerns of social networking - MaltaToday

The initiative is part of enhancing transparency and regulating the practice of offering products and services for sale on social media. e-Trader provides an added marketing channel and ecommerce platform to the business community in Dubai and underlines DEDs commitment to enhance ease of doing business as well as overall competitiveness and sustainability in Dubai.

We are delighted to launch e-Trader as it will have a significant role in promoting consumer confidence in shopping for products and services on social networking sites. Through this initiative, we aim to promote and facilitate doing business in Dubai and introduce new solutions capable of contributing to economic development in Dubai, and the UAE in general, said Omar Bushahab, CEO of BRL sector in DED.

Bushahab explained that e-Trader not only eliminates obstacles for social media users but also improves accountability and intellectual property protection. Licencing a business activity enhances consumer confidence on one hand and on the other it removes the risk of infringement on a reserved trade name or other intellectual property. A licence guarantees the rights of everyone concerned and defines the legal accountability of the merchant.

The e-Trader licence can be registered under the name of a single owner only and the owner must be an Emirati or GCC citizen aged 18 or above and residing in Dubai. The e-Trader cannot open a shop or issue visas and in case of a legal dispute, the licensee alone will be held responsible.

Abdul Aziz Bin Hathboor, Director of Customer Relations in BRL, said the e-Trader licence offers varied privileges to the merchant, most notably a detailed user feedback and observations on the merchants products and services.

Bin Hathboor said the first phase of the initiative will include creating awareness among traders and owners of social networking sites on the benefits of e-Trader. Nearly 3,000 e-Traders are expected to be licenced in Dubai in 2017.

"Those who wish to obtain an e-Trader licence can complete the registration by visiting the site http://www.etradr.ae and entering their details, such as proof of identity, type of business activity and the account through which products and services will be displayed. Once the entries are validated and payment completed, the licence will be electronically issued, said Bin Hathboor.

Link:
DED launches 'e-Trader' to licence business activities across social networking accounts - CPI Financial

The Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection, CCCP, sector in the Department of Economic Development, DED, Dubai, has ordered closure of 8,894 social networking accounts that were used to peddle counterfeit goods in 2016.

The crackdown was part of protecting trademarks and eliminating practices that are harmful to e-commerce and the sustainability of businesses in Dubai.

The Electronic Compliance section in CCCP tracked the fraud and closed down the accounts in collaboration with owners and representatives of the brands that were subject to the infringement. Together the accounts were found to have over 94.5 million followers and 80 percent were Instagram accounts although other platforms including Facebook and Twitter were also used by the violators.

Ibrahim Behzad, Director of Intellectual Property Rights Protection Management in CCCP, commented: "Social networking accounts have come in handy for many who trade in counterfeit goods nowadays but the Electronic Compliance section maintain tight vigil to prevent such misuse of modern technology and protect the reputation of Dubai as a competitive business hub."

Behzad said the number of social networking accounts closed down in 2016 was 200 per cent higher compared to 2015 as more violators resorted to social media in 2016 thinking such sites are safe. "However, the Department of Economic Development promptly maintained round-the-clock vigil and acted on complaints from trademark owners. A variety of counterfeit goods including bags, perfumes, watches, cosmetics, phones and accessories were being displayed on the social networking sites."

A number of villas, warehouses and apartments used to stock counterfeits were raided and the goods confiscated in 2016 after reinforced monitoring efforts by the DED team. Behzad urged consumers, especially women, not to fall prey to social networking accounts promoting counterfeit products.

Read more:
DED closes down 8894 social network accounts for peddling counterfeits - Emirates 24|7

New Hope social networking company MeetMe Inc. will pay $60 million to acquire if(we), a San Francisco-based social and mobile technology company.

If(we) is the company behind Tagged and hi5, two mobile brands that, like MeetMe, connect users to others based on shared interests and location.

MeetMe said the acquisition would boost the number of mobile monthly active users by 28 percent to 10.6 million; daily users would increase 40 percent to 2.8 million.

Tagged and hi5 will remain separate brands and standalone mobile applications, and if(we) will remain headquartered in San Francisco. MeetMe said it has offered employment to 87 of if(we)'s 100 employees, and CEO Dash Gopinath will stay on for a year after the deal closes.

MeetMe CEO Geoff Cook said the deal "provides a clear pathway" to $150 million in annual revenue, with $50 million in adjusted earnings. The deal will be funded through cash and a $30 million bank loan from J.P. Morgan Chase.

"We are very excited to add if(we) and its flagship brands Tagged and hi5 to our portfolio of mobile apps for meeting and chatting with new people," Cook said in a statement.

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New Hope social networking company acquires San Francisco firm - The Intelligencer

How much is too much while trying to stop a person determined to commit suicide?

This question has been debated upon since social network site, Facebook, introduced an algorithm on March 1 to scan posts of users and their friends for tell-tale signs of suicidal thoughts (the algorithm is in use only in the United States at present). The company's algorithm is being trained to intervene during live video streams by offering assistance and resources to the person.

Mumbai psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty said, "At first, it may seem intrusive but it should be appreciated that the social network site is acting as a mental health soldier." The doctor said while mental health professionals wait for patients to come to them, social networks seem to be proactively helping out patients who display suicidal tendencies.

"It would be unethical for a doctor or other mental health professionals to be intrusive, but not so for a mental health soldier,'' explained Dr Shetty. "Public health mechanism gets active when we are tackling infectious diseases such as dengue, but we seem to be doing little in terms of public health interventions for suicides even though it claims more lives than traffic accidents," he added.

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Can social networking sites check suicidal tendencies? - Times of India