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Economic Times
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
Russian Facebook VKontakte on fire as thousands of users accuse Trump of having dementia, call him a clown
Live Events What did Donald Trump say about Putin? Why are Russian bots turning on Donald Trump? How are individuals reacting? FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Donald Trump's criticism of Vladimir Putin has sparked outrage online, but not among Americans. Following Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, ties between the United States and Russia became extremely strained; however, they improved after Donald Trump took office in president of the United States has advocated for a ceasefire and urged his Russian counterpart to put an end to the Donald Trump slammed Vladimir Putin for "killing a lot of people" in Ukraine, thousands of Russian-linked VKontakte accounts flooded with mocking of posts on VKontakte, a Russian Facebook-like platform, have turned against Donald Trump, calling him a clown and accusing him of represents a significant shift from earlier pro-Kremlin neutrality. According to insiders, Donald Trump's abrupt shift in tone may have rattled Moscow even more than it appears, as per Trump reacted angrily to Russia's weekend bombardment of Ukraine with missiles and drones, which Putin's military has been doing since the start of the full-scale Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday that Putin had gone "absolutely CRAZY!" and was "needlessly killing a lot of people" in Ukraine, nearly 1,000 negative posts about Trump have appeared on the Russian social media site VKontakte, as per a report by Trump claimed that Putin "needlessly" killed a lot of people because "something has happened" to him. "And I'm not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever," he to a report published on Tuesday by Agentstvo, an independent investigative Russian news outlet, the accounts, which are "in the interests of the Kremlin," have called Trump a "clown.'After President Trump criticized Putin on Sunday, pro-Kremlin bots stopped being neutral in their remarks about him, according to a spokesperson for the bot-tracking project Trump's comments about Putin were minimized by the Kremlin, but pro-Kremlin bots have begun smearing the American may not be happy with Trump's abrupt change in tone, according to the online attacks, even though the U.S. president recently said their most recent phone conversation went "very well," as per a report by was accused of "acting like a child" and "getting so mad early in the morning, as if he wasn't given what he wanted" in the Russian bots' comments."He's really lost his mind" and "wants to sit on two chairs" a Russian expression for attempting to play both sides, were other bot wrote, "Trump is the one who has lost his mind, not Putin. It seems that dementia, along with the presidential chair, is a genetic gift for every American one bot called Trump a "showman," another called him a "clown.""What can you expect from a clown who threatens Russia instead of taking care of his own country?" wrote to Agentstvo, pro-Kremlin trolls had previously been noticeably quiet when discussing Trump, sticking to neutral or cautious Peskov, the spokesperson for the Kremlin, dismissed Trump's comments on Monday as the result of "emotional overstrain."Since he harshly criticized Putin's actions in Ukraine, labeling him "crazy" and accusing him of killing refer to Trump as a "clown," accuse him of dementia, and mock his emotional outbursts.
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Russian Facebook VKontakte on fire as thousands of users accuse Trump of having dementia, call him a clown
Live Events What did Donald Trump say about Putin? Why are Russian bots turning on Donald Trump? How are individuals reacting? FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Donald Trump's criticism of Vladimir Putin has sparked outrage online, but not among Americans. Following Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, ties between the United States and Russia became extremely strained; however, they improved after Donald Trump took office in president of the United States has advocated for a ceasefire and urged his Russian counterpart to put an end to the Donald Trump slammed Vladimir Putin for "killing a lot of people" in Ukraine, thousands of Russian-linked VKontakte accounts flooded with mocking of posts on VKontakte, a Russian Facebook-like platform, have turned against Donald Trump, calling him a clown and accusing him of represents a significant shift from earlier pro-Kremlin neutrality. According to insiders, Donald Trump's abrupt shift in tone may have rattled Moscow even more than it appears, as per Trump reacted angrily to Russia's weekend bombardment of Ukraine with missiles and drones, which Putin's military has been doing since the start of the full-scale Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday that Putin had gone "absolutely CRAZY!" and was "needlessly killing a lot of people" in Ukraine, nearly 1,000 negative posts about Trump have appeared on the Russian social media site VKontakte, as per a report by Trump claimed that Putin "needlessly" killed a lot of people because "something has happened" to him. "And I'm not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever," he to a report published on Tuesday by Agentstvo, an independent investigative Russian news outlet, the accounts, which are "in the interests of the Kremlin," have called Trump a "clown.'After President Trump criticized Putin on Sunday, pro-Kremlin bots stopped being neutral in their remarks about him, according to a spokesperson for the bot-tracking project Trump's comments about Putin were minimized by the Kremlin, but pro-Kremlin bots have begun smearing the American may not be happy with Trump's abrupt change in tone, according to the online attacks, even though the U.S. president recently said their most recent phone conversation went "very well," as per a report by was accused of "acting like a child" and "getting so mad early in the morning, as if he wasn't given what he wanted" in the Russian bots' comments."He's really lost his mind" and "wants to sit on two chairs" a Russian expression for attempting to play both sides, were other bot wrote, "Trump is the one who has lost his mind, not Putin. It seems that dementia, along with the presidential chair, is a genetic gift for every American one bot called Trump a "showman," another called him a "clown.""What can you expect from a clown who threatens Russia instead of taking care of his own country?" wrote to Agentstvo, pro-Kremlin trolls had previously been noticeably quiet when discussing Trump, sticking to neutral or cautious Peskov, the spokesperson for the Kremlin, dismissed Trump's comments on Monday as the result of "emotional overstrain."Since he harshly criticized Putin's actions in Ukraine, labeling him "crazy" and accusing him of killing refer to Trump as a "clown," accuse him of dementia, and mock his emotional outbursts.
Mint
21-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
WhatsApp co-founder says, ‘Never intended to be Facebook,' defends Meta in antitrust trial
Brian Acton, co-founder of WhatsApp, told a US federal court on Tuesday that the messaging platform never intended to build social networking features like Facebook. This claim bolsters Meta's defence in the ongoing antitrust trial brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). 'We had no ambition to build Facebook-like functionality like a feed or any Facebook-like features,' Acton stated during his testimony in Washington. He further suggested that WhatsApp could have remained viable as a subscription-based service rather than resorting to advertising, had it not been acquired by Facebook (now Meta). The testimony comes during the sixth week of a landmark antitrust trial in which the FTC accuses Meta Platforms Inc. of monopolising the social networking space through its acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram. The agency is seeking to break up Meta, alleging the company stifled competition by absorbing potential rivals. A central argument in the FTC's case is that Meta saw WhatsApp as a looming threat in the social networking arena, despite the app being a private messaging service at the time of its $19 billion acquisition in 2014. Citing internal messages, the agency has portrayed Meta executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, as concerned that WhatsApp could evolve into a broader social platform. In one 2013 email to Facebook's board, Zuckerberg warned of the risk posed by messaging apps transforming into full-fledged social networks. 'The biggest competitive vector for us is for some company to build out a messaging app for communicating with small groups of people, and then transforming that into a broader social network,' he wrote. However, Meta's legal team is pushing back against this narrative. During Tuesday's session, they presented a handwritten note from Acton himself, emblazoned with the message: 'No Ads! No Games! No Gimmicks!' as evidence of WhatsApp's core philosophy before the acquisition. Acton, who was called as a witness by Meta, affirmed that there were no plans to incorporate social media features or an advertising model into the app's roadmap. Under questioning from FTC lawyers, Acton admitted he was unaware of the specific factors behind Meta's offer but assumed that advertising potential factored into the valuation. He also acknowledged that WhatsApp would have likely continued expanding its feature set independently, though not in a way that mimicked Facebook's platform. Acton also expressed concern over Meta's decision to launch a business version of WhatsApp, criticising it for potentially compromising the app's end-to-end encryption. This commercial arm of WhatsApp was developed after Acton's departure from the company in 2018, a move he said he opposed while still at Meta. Despite the later divergence in values, Acton acknowledged that Meta's offer represented a 'fair valuation' given WhatsApp's user base at the time. He highlighted the app's success with its subscription model in several countries, suggesting there was scope to increase revenues through that route. Since his exit, Acton has publicly distanced himself from his former employer, most notably tweeting '#DeleteFacebook' in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018. Although he profited significantly from the sale — his net worth is estimated at $4.5 billion, according to Bloomberg — he has expressed regret over the deal, particularly as Meta moved towards monetising WhatsApp through ads. The case,Federal Trade Commission v. Meta Platforms Inc., is being heard in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. (With inputs from Bloomberg)
The Star
21-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
WhatsApp had no plans to vie with Facebook, co-founder says
The FTC alleges that Meta has created an illegal social networking monopoly thanks to its purchases of WhatsApp and Instagram more than a decade ago, and is seeking a breakup of the company. — Pixabay WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton said that his messaging company had no plans to build social networking features to compete with Facebook before he sold the company to Mark Zuckerberg, a claim that bolsters Meta's defence as it faces US federal antitrust allegations. "We had no ambition to build Facebook-like functionality like a feed or any Facebook-like features,' Acton said Tuesday during testimony at a federal courthouse in Washington. He also said that WhatsApp could have stuck with a subscription business instead of selling targeted ads if the service had remained independent. Acton's comments came as part of the US Federal Trade Commission's antitrust trial against Meta Platforms Inc, which is in its sixth week. The agency alleges that Meta has created an illegal social networking monopoly thanks to its purchases of WhatsApp and Instagram more than a decade ago, and is seeking a breakup of the company. Meta has disputed the allegations and argued that it faces vast competition from several rivals, including TikTok and Apple Inc, that the FTC is overlooking. Meta's acquisition of WhatsApp is a key part of the case, with FTC lawyers arguing that Meta viewed the messaging app as a legitimate social networking competitor before buying it in 2014 after a US$19bil offer. While WhatsApp didn't offer social-networking features at the time – it was a private messaging app akin to texting – lawyers for the FTC have said that several rival messaging apps were pushing into social networking around that time. It also surfaced private messages and emails from Meta executives fretting that WhatsApp may do the same. "The biggest competitive vector for us is for some company to build out a messaging app for communicating with small groups of people, and then transforming that into a broader social network,' Meta chief executive officer Zuckerberg wrote to the company's board of directors in February 2013, back when the company was called Facebook. Zuckerberg courted WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum for over a year before the deal while Meta tracked the growth and feature sets for several mobile messaging apps, including WhatsApp, documents show. Lawyers for Meta, meanwhile, have argued that WhatsApp had no plans to push into social networking, or launch a competitive advertising business. A handwritten note from Acton that read "No Ads! No Games! No Gimmicks!' was displayed in court earlier in the trial, and former employees and board members have testified that there were no plans for such features. Acton was called to the stand Tuesday by Meta in an effort to hammer home this point. During his testimony, Acton was asked by an FTC lawyer whether Meta included advertising value in its offer for WhatsApp. He said he didn't know what exactly went into Meta's calculation, but assumed that advertising would be a component, given its business. Acton also acknowledged under FTC questioning that WhatsApp would have continued its push to add features had it not been acquired by Meta. Separately, he said he had opposed Facebook's launching a business version of WhatsApp, since it would dilute end-to-end encryption, and that the commercial offering was introduced after he left the company. Part of the FTC's case has focused on trying to prove that the deals led to consumer harm that would not have happened had WhatsApp or Instagram stayed independent. In response to questions from Meta's lawyer, Acton said Meta had offered a "fair valuation' for WhatsApp given the size of its audience. Acton also noted the success of its subscription model in seven countries in 2014 and said he believed there was an opportunity for WhatsApp to make even more money off subscriptions by raising prices. Acton has had a colourful history with his former employer since leaving Meta in 2018. He made billions by selling his business – he's now worth US$4.5bil (RM19.22bil), according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index – but eventually left the company after Meta started formulating plans to monetise the app via advertising. Acton thought that doing so would jeopardise the privacy of WhatsApp users, and he has since signalled some regret about selling the app. After Facebook's Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal in 2018, Acton tweeted "#DeleteFacebook'. – Bloomberg
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Business Standard
21-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
WhatsApp had no plans to compete with Facebook: Co-founder Brian Acton
By Kurt Wagner and Sabrina Willmer WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton said that his messaging company had no plans to build social networking features to compete with Facebook before he sold the company to Mark Zuckerberg, a claim that bolsters Meta's defense as it faces federal antitrust allegations. 'We had no ambition to build Facebook-like functionality like a feed or any Facebook-like features,' Acton said Tuesday during testimony at a federal courthouse in Washington. He also said that WhatsApp could have stuck with a subscription business instead of selling targeted ads if the service had remained independent. Acton's comments came as part of the US Federal Trade Commission's antitrust trial against Meta Platforms Inc., which is in its sixth week. The agency alleges that Meta has created an illegal social networking monopoly thanks to its purchases of WhatsApp and Instagram more than a decade ago, and is seeking a breakup of the company. Meta has disputed the allegations and argued that it faces vast competition from several rivals, including TikTok and Apple Inc., that the FTC is overlooking. ALSO READ: Google Messages adopts 'Delete for Everyone' from WhatsApp: What is it Meta's acquisition of WhatsApp is a key part of the case, with FTC lawyers arguing that Meta viewed the messaging app as a legitimate social networking competitor before buying it in 2014 after a $19 billion offer. While WhatsApp didn't offer social-networking features at the time — it was a private messaging app akin to texting — lawyers for the FTC have said that several rival messaging apps were pushing into social networking around that time. It also surfaced private messages and emails from Meta executives fretting that WhatsApp may do the same. 'The biggest competitive vector for us is for some company to build out a messaging app for communicating with small groups of people, and then transforming that into a broader social network,' Meta Chief Executive Officer Zuckerberg wrote to the company's board of directors in February 2013, back when the company was called Facebook. Zuckerberg courted WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum for over a year before the deal while Meta tracked the growth and feature sets for several mobile messaging apps, including WhatsApp, documents show. Lawyers for Meta, meanwhile, have argued that WhatsApp had no plans to push into social networking, or launch a competitive advertising business. A handwritten note from Acton that read 'No Ads! No Games! No Gimmicks!' was displayed in court earlier in the trial, and former employees and board members have testified that there were no plans for such features. Acton was called to the stand Tuesday by Meta in an effort to hammer home this point. ALSO READ: Meta removes 23K Facebook pages linked to investment scams in India, Brazil During his testimony, Acton was asked by an FTC lawyer whether Meta included advertising value in its offer for WhatsApp. He said he didn't know what exactly went into Meta's calculation, but assumed that advertising would be a component, given its business. Acton also acknowledged under FTC questioning that WhatsApp would have continued its push to add features had it not been acquired by Meta. Separately, he said he had opposed Facebook's launching a business version of WhatsApp, since it would dilute end-to-end encryption, and that the commercial offering was introduced after he left the company. Part of the FTC's case has focused on trying to prove that the deals led to consumer harm that would not have happened had WhatsApp or Instagram stayed independent. In response to questions from Meta's lawyer, Acton said Meta had offered a 'fair valuation' for WhatsApp given the size of its audience. Acton also noted the success of its subscription model in seven countries in 2014 and said he believed there was an opportunity for WhatsApp to make even more money off subscriptions by raising prices. ALSO READ: 'Facebook is no longer the culture', says Zuckerberg on fading relevance Acton has had a colorful history with his former employer since leaving Meta in 2018. He made billions by selling his business — he's now worth $4.5 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index — but eventually left the company after Meta started formulating plans to monetize the app via advertising. Acton thought that doing so would jeopardize the privacy of WhatsApp users, and he has since signaled some regret about selling the app. After Facebook's Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal in 2018, Acton tweeted '#DeleteFacebook.' The case is Federal Trade Commission v. Meta Platforms Inc., 20-cv-03590, US District Court, District of Columbia (Washington).
