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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

Millions of people watched NFL games on Twitter last season, and now sports fans will have the opportunity to live stream the other type of football, on Facebook.

Major League Soccer and Spanish-language TV network Univision Deportes has inked a deal with Facebook to live stream all 2017 MLS regular-season games on the social network. If your Spanish is a little rusty, though, soccer lovers will be able to watch all the matches (there will be at least 22) on the Univision Deportes Facebook page in English.

The live-streamed matches will be optimized for viewing on mobile devices and feature Facebook-specific commentators. Viewers will be able to engage with commenters throughout the matches and ask questions, answer polls, and explore interactive graphics.

The first match to be streamed on Facebook will be Atlanta United hosting the Chicago Fire on March 18 at 4 p.m. ET.

MLS is also planning to air 40 exclusive "Matchday Live" shows on its Facebook page on game days. These shows will feature highlights and analysts from around the League and a preview of the day's upcoming matches. The pilot episode ran on MLS opening weekend, and the next episode will air this weekend.

"As the undisputed home of soccer in the US, Univision Deportes, together with MLS and Facebook, is committed to growing the sport across platforms and regardless of language," Univision Deportes President Juan Carlos Rodriguez said in a statement. "Further engaging the more than 18 million English-language viewers that have watched soccer on Univision coupled with the continued success of our MLS broadcasts, including our record-setting season opener, is a natural path in this new era of content consumption."

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Major League Soccer Games Headed to Facebook Live - PCMag India

Officials at the Department of Economic Development (DED) were able to track and close down 8,894 accounts on various social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for peddling counterfeit goods last year.

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

If the followers of those accounts would be accounted, it would sum up to more than 94.5 million social media users, said the report.

More than 80% of them subscribed to Instagram accounts selling fake products, cited in departments Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection (CCCP) report.

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

Behzad said the number of social networking accounts closed down in last year was 200% higher compared to 2015 as more violators resorted to social media in 2016 thinking such sites are safe.

A number of villas, warehouses and apartments used to stock counterfeits were also raided through the reinforced monitoring efforts of DED.

Behzad urged the public not to fall prey to social networking accounts promoting counterfeit products.

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DED closed down 8894 social media accounts for peddling fake products - The Filipino Times (press release)

ABU DHABI: The UAE Ministry of Interior has warned of suspicious messages through social networking that promote narcotic drugs.

In a statement, the ministry said that it has recently noticed that some UAE residents have been receiving random calls on their personal phones and messages via WhatsApp.

"These contacts from foreign countries include messages from Pakistan that carry pictures of narcotic drugs, and ask for money transfers in order to receive them," it added.

The ministry stated that it is confident about public awareness and dealing with anonymous sources and calls, which promote illicit trade and profit. "In fact, it is a fraud to seize funds from others. As such, those who get involved in this bogus trade will be legally accountable, in accordance with the Anti-Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act and Cyber Crimes."

It urged the public not to respond to those messages or reply them, adding that relevant authorities should be informed immediately about such suspicious messages.

Colonel Saeed Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the Anti-Drug Federal Directorate General at the Ministry of Interior, said that the messages have been monitored while stressing that work is underway in co-ordination with counterpart agencies in friendly and sisterly countries to monitor all forms of false communications, and to access their source in any location.

He emphasised that police and security authorities in the UAE were capable of paralysing such attempts, through their special relations with counterpart agencies in the relevant countries, to track down perpetrators.

Al Suwaidi urged the public not to hesitate to report any suspicious numbers, or people trying to sell contraband goods or committing illegal activities. The public should communicate with the relevant agencies through the telephone number, 80044.

WAM

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Ministry of Interior warns of fraudulent messages through social networking - Gulf Today