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More Than 200 Million People Now Use Facebook Lite Monthly

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Facebook is announcing that its Lite version of the app is being used by over 200 million people monthly. “In many areas, networks can be slow and not able to support everything found in other Facebook apps. To help make sure everyone can have a great Facebook experience regardless of where they connect, we rolled out Facebook Lite as a standalone, native app designed for lower end Android devices on spotty network connections to give people a reliable Facebook experience when bandwidth is low. We want to deliver the power of a native app, with features such as News Feed, status updates, push notifications, and camera/photo integration, while still being lightweight,” said the company in a statement.

The company claims it has made lots of improvements to the service over the past year, including:

  • Improving performance: The company has been working hard to make sure FB Lite is fast and reliable, regardless of where you connect.
  • Improving look and feel: Facebook wants to make sure people can have an easy and good experience, so have integrated more features that other Facebook apps have, while keeping it simple. For example, you can now like, comment, and share posts.
  • Easier onboarding: Facebook has found that people who use FB Lite are also those that share devices. So we’ve made it easier for people to log on and off their accounts.

“When we rolled out FB Lite for a handful of countries in 2015, people started using it, and we’re excited about the growth we’ve had. We understand that a lot of the features of FB Lite are a good fit for emerging markets, but we’ve seen interest in other countries as well — specifically when people want a lightweight, simple experience,” continued the company.

Since people are using FB Lite and Facebook hears from its community that they want more options, the company will be rolling out the service in additional countries such as South Korea, UAE, Italy, and others.

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Microsoft Intros Copilot Pro

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Microsoft today announced the expansion of its Copilot Pro subscription, empowering individuals across the Middle East, to further enhance their productivity and creativity. The announcement forms part of Microsoft’s mission to enable every person on the planet to achieve more, with Copilot Pro now available in all 222 countries where Copilot was available.

Copilot Pro is the advanced version of Microsoft’s Copilot platform, designed for individuals, creators, and power users who want to take their Copilot experience to the next level. The premium subscription allows users access to numerous features such as priority access to the latest OpenAI models such as GPT-4 and GPT-4 Turbo, even during peak times for faster performance. Copilot Pro users will also be able to build and share their own Copilot GPTs that are tailored to their specific needs, as well as generate unique images, which can be enhanced with 100 daily boosts in Microsoft Designer.

Zubin Chagpar, Senior Director and Business Group Leader, Modern Work and Surface Devices, at Microsoft CEMA

As part of the expansion of the Copilot Pro subscription, users will now be able to access Copilot within the free Microsoft 365 web apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, without the requirement of an additional Microsoft 365 subscription. However, a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription is still required to unlock Copilot in the desktop apps for PC and Mac.

Zubin Chagpar, Senior Director and Business Group Leader, Modern Work and Surface Devices, at Microsoft CEMA, said that it has been inspiring to observe how individuals and organizations have been leveraging Copilot in their daily routines to help them improve their productivity and unleash their creativity. “From clearing up overflowing inboxes to catching up on missed meetings, finishing complicated reports, and even suggesting recipes to make a delicious dinner, Copilot is helping to drive a new era of efficiency. And now, with Copilot Pro, individual users – in addition to business users – can take these experiences to the next level and even create their personalised Copilots to assist them with various tasks,” he added.

To make it easier for users to get started on their Copilot Pro experience, Microsoft has announced a one-month free trial for those who install the Copilot mobile app on iOS or Android. Microsoft is also extending the availability of Copilot for Microsoft 365 to more businesses of all sizes and across all industries. Customers who have Microsoft 365 F3 and F1, Office 365 E1, Business Basic, and more will be eligible to purchase Copilot for Microsoft 365 in the coming weeks.

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Level Infinite and Esports World Cup Foundation Sign a 3-Year Partnership

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Level Infinite, Tencent’s global gaming brand has reached a 3-year partnership with the Esports World Cup Foundation to drive the PUBG MOBILE and Honor of Kings esports ecosystems forward. The Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to nurturing the development and expansion of the esports and gaming sectors, is the body organising the inaugural Esports World Cup 2024.

According to the companies, this partnership will see two of Level Infinite’s flagship games, PUBG MOBILE and Honor of Kings’ esports synergise with the Esports World Cup esports ecosystems. It also represents Level Infinite’s commitment to bolster the esports infrastructure for both titles, fostering competitive esports opportunities worldwide. The collaboration will unlock avenues for talent across all facets of the industry, from gamers and content creators to production professionals and more, underscoring the commitment to nurturing the future of gaming and esports.

As part of this commitment, over 1,000 esports events will be hosted globally for PUBG MOBILE and Honor of Kings in 2024, creating ample opportunities for players across all skill levels to compete. Level Infinite and the Esports World Cup Foundation will also streamline the player experience to cultivate a competitive, player-centric environment.

Commenting on the partnership, Vincent Wang, General Manager of Global Publishing and Global Esports, Tencent Games, representing Level Infinite stated, “The global esports sector is experiencing exponential growth. As a brand, we are committed to facilitating game development and nurturing the next generation of game titles and esports athletes, fostering a community centered around inclusivity, connectivity, and accessibility.”

“At the Esports World Cup Foundation, one of our core missions is to build a  sustainable global esports infrastructure so fans can enjoy our sport for generations to come,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO, Esports World Cup Foundation. “Our partnership with Level Infinite directly supports that mission, adding two of the most-played games to the Esports World Cup program for players and fans across the globe.”

As part of this partnership, PUBG MOBILE will unveil the all-new PUBG MOBILE World Cup with Esports World Cup, featuring a $3 million prize pool for competing teams. The new competition will build on the success of the previous PUBG MOBILE World Invitational (PMWI) as the new premier summer event, with a performance-led team selection process that facilitates the highest level of competition.

Furthermore, we will see 12 teams from around the world battling it out for a $3 million prize pool in the inaugural Honor of Kings Invitational Midseason | Esports World Cup, with the opportunity to secure spots in the Honor of Kings Invitational Championship later this year. The MENA region stands as a thriving market for esports, with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia emerging as an international esports hub, hosting a myriad of events. Noteworthy gaming events have already drawn over 1.4 million visitors to Riyadh. The inaugural Esports World Cup will take place this summer in Riyadh, and will crown the very first Esports World Cup Club Champion.

PUBG MOBILE, one of the most popular mobile games in the world, is co-developed by LIGHTSPEED STUDIOS of Tencent Games and KRAFTON, Inc. Honor of Kings is the world’s most-played mobile MOBA, developed by TiMi Studio Group.

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Kaspersky Warns of Android Malware Exhibiting Diverse Features

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Three new dangerous Android malware variants have been analyzed by Kaspersky researchers. The Tambir, Dwphon, and Gigabud malicious programs exhibit diverse features, ranging from downloading other programs and credential theft to bypassing two-factor authentication and screen recording, jeopardizing user privacy and security.

In 2023, Kaspersky Solutions blocked nearly 33.8 million attacks on mobile devices from malware, adware, and riskware, highlighting a 50% global increase in such attacks from the previous year’s figures. Android malware and riskware activity surged in 2023 after two years of relative calm, returning to early 2021 levels by the end of the year. That said, the number of unique installation packages dropped from 2022, suggesting that malicious actors were more frequently using the same packages to infect different victims: last year Kaspersky detected more than 1.3 million unique malicious installation packages targeting the Android platform and distributed in various ways. Among these were Tambir, Dwphon and Gigabud malicious programs with the diverse features below described.

Tambir is a spyware application disguised as an IPTV app. It collects sensitive user information, such as SMS messages and keystrokes, after obtaining the appropriate permissions. The malware supports over 30 commands retrieved from its Command and Control server and has been compared to the GodFather malware, both targeting users mainly in Turkey, though several other countries were also affected.

Gigabud, active since mid-2022, was initially focused on stealing banking credentials from users in Southeast Asia, but later crossed borders into other countries and regions. It has since evolved into fake loan malware and is capable of screen recording and mimicking tapping by users to bypass two-factor authentication.

Dwphon, discovered in November 2023, targets cell phones from Chinese OEM manufacturers, primarily targeting the Russian market. The same malware earlier had been found in the firmware of a kids’ smartwatch by an Israeli manufacturer distributed mainly in Europe and the Middle East. Dwphon is distributed as a component of a system update application and collects information about the device as well as personal data. It also gathers information regarding installed third-party applications and is capable of downloading, installing and deleting other applications on the device. One of the analyzed samples also included the Triada trojan, one of the most widespread mobile trojans of 2023, which suggests that Dwphon modules are Triada-related.

“As Kaspersky’s mobile threats report shows, Android malware and riskware activity surged in 2023 after two years of relative calm, returning to levels seen in 2021 by the end of the year. Users should exercise caution and should avoid downloading apps from unofficial sources, meticulously reviewing app permissions. Frequently, these apps lack exploitation functionality and depend solely on permissions granted by the user. Furthermore, using anti-malware tools can help preserve the integrity of your Android device,” comments Jornt van der Wiel, senior security researcher at Kaspersky’s GReAT.

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