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Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tencent Launches 2024 Weixin Brand Protection Platform Report Reinforcing Global Leadership in Digital IP Protection
SAN DIEGO, May 19, 2025 /CNW/ -- Tencent today releases its annual Weixin Brand Protection Report, demonstrating continued progress in tackling counterfeiting and intellectual property (IP) abuse. The report highlights how Weixin has strengthened its enforcement capabilities in 2024 through innovative solutions, proactive measures, and expanded collaboration with brand owners. These efforts have continued to reduce and make more difficult any misuse of Weixin by bad actors engaged in illicit activity, across both private and public-facing features. Weixin is a unique, multifaceted communication service that consists of private and public features like direct messaging, group chats, Official Accounts, and third-party Mini-Programs. Many of the world's leading brands collaborate with Weixin through its Brand Protection Platform (BPP). This demonstrates Weixin's dual value for brand protection and a powerful connection with consumers. "We're proud of the progress Weixin has made this year in strengthening our tools, mobilizing our user communities, and expanding partnerships to tackle counterfeiting both online and offline," said Danny Marti, Head of Global Public Policy at Tencent. "These efforts help brands connect with consumers more confidently, while advancing the authentic experiences that power the global digital economy." Highlights from the 2024 Report 1. Building Trust Through Community-Driven Enforcement Weixin's industry-first crowdsourced reporting system of this scale continues to set new benchmarks for addressing counterfeit activity in private channels such as direct messages and group chats. In 2024, more than 98% of all takedown actions in private chats and 99.9% of takedowns in group chats originated from crowdsourced user submissions, demonstrating the power of community-led enforcement 2. Proactive Protection at Scale Weixin has ramped up proactive measures in public-facing features. Tools like automatic keyword interception and strict account registration blocked thousands of suspicious activities daily. In 2024, Weixin proactively shut down more than 120,000 livestreaming rooms and removed more than 22,000 infringing short videos. These proactive measures by Weixin amounted to 3x more livestreaming rooms identified for punitive measures (rooms "shut down") over brand and user reporting combined. This evidences an effective "front end" proactive enforcement system, leaving less reporting opportunities for our partners. New reporting tools, including specifically mobile-enabled and bulk submission features, further accelerated enforcement and have provided enhanced "ease of use" in direct response to feedback provided by our partners. Additionally, Weixin's new 'Anti-Counterfeiting Classroom' campaign also helped educate users identifying and reporting counterfeit goods, while serving as an important public service campaign to warn users about the dangers and prohibited nature of counterfeit goods on Weixin. 3. Expanding Offline Enforcement and the Brand Protection Community Weixin's IP protection efforts extended into the offline space through partnership with brands and collaboration with law enforcement. In 2024, Weixin supported 29 major offline cases, a 20% increase in case volume and a 15% rise in case value—reaching USD 300 million. Overall, 190 suspects were identified during the year. The BPP now supports over 640 brands across more than 30 industries and 20 countries, up from 570+ in 2023 - reinforcing Weixin's role as a trusted partner for global brands seeking effective IP protection and enforcement. Fostering a Global IP Ecosystem That Drives Creativity and Innovation The 2024 Weixin BPP Report highlights Tencent's leadership in positioning intellectual property as a foundation for innovation in both digital and AI-driven environments. Through the strategic use of copyrights, patents, and trademarks, Tencent has become both a catalyst for creativity and a trusted partner to global brands. "At Tencent, we believe in building a healthy, vibrant global IP ecosystem that transcends boundaries and empowers creators to collaborate without limits," added Danny Marti, Head of Global Public Policy at Tencent. "Our approach enables authentic experiences and fosters sustainable industries that properly reward original thinking and build lasting goodwill among consumers and communities alike." Tencent's broader IP vision goes beyond commercial protection to embrace sustainable development—nearly 25% of its IP portfolio aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, earning recognition from WIPO and LexisNexis for leadership in sustainable innovation. Through collaborations with entertainment giants, luxury labels, sports and lifestyle brands, among many others, Tencent continues to redefine digital experiences, showing that a strong IP ecosystem not only protects creativity, but also unleashes its full transformative potential. To view the full 2024 Weixin Brand Protection Platform Report, please visit About Tencent Tencent is a leading global technology and entertainment company with a diverse portfolio of products and services—spanning communication networks, entertainment platforms, and enterprise solutions. Delivering on our mission "Value for Users" we create connections and experiences that matter for individuals, businesses, and communities worldwide. At the heart of our ecosystem is WeChat and Weixin, connecting over one billion users to family, friends, brands, and merchants. Tencent Video and Tencent Music bring premium TV, cinema, sports, and music experiences to millions, while Tencent Games has created some of the world's most popular and beloved video game franchises. Driven by our mission to harness "Technology for Good," we are committed to addressing global challenges and creating lasting value for our users, partners, and society. As a proud supporter of the 147th Annual Meeting of the International Trademark Association (INTA), Tencent celebrates the vital role of intellectual property in fostering creativity, innovation, and enterprise. Together, we are building a future where technology and IP work hand in hand to drive progress and enrich lives. View original content: SOURCE Tencent View original content: Sign in to access your portfolio
The Hindu
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
unfriending facebook review of careless people a story of where i used to work by sarah wynn williams
Sarah Wynn-Williams' Careless People is a revelatory exposé of Facebook (now Meta) and its meteoric rise to global dominance, penned by someone who was once in the inner circle. As a former Director of Global Public Policy, Wynn-Williams had a front-row seat to the corporate and political machinations that shaped Facebook into one of the world's most influential tools, and in many ways, its most reckless. Within a few chapters into the book, you will know why Meta has tried to block the book's sale and bar the author from further promoting it. What Wynn-Williams offers is a darkly funny, shocking, and ultimately devastating portrait of a company that has irreversibly transformed how people interact, communicate, and perceive the world—often for the worse. Wynn-Williams' narrative is compelling because it is as much a personal memoir as it is a damning critique of Facebook's leadership, particularly Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg. She draws a clear parallel between these figures and the careless characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, quoting the novel's infamous line, 'they smashed up things and creatures, and then retreated back into their money.' It's an apt analogy for Zuckerberg and Sandberg, who, despite holding immense power, seem unaware—or unwilling to acknowledge—the havoc their decisions have caused. Toxic culture The memoir opens with Wynn-Williams' idealistic vision of Facebook when she first joined in 2011. Coming from a background in diplomacy, particularly in human rights and environmental issues, she initially, naively saw the platform as a force for good, capable of social change. However, subsequently she discovers, Facebook's corporate culture is less about social good and more about cultivating a toxic environment fuelled by ambition, indifference, and a thirst for power. As the book progresses, Wynn-Williams' disillusionment deepens. She paints Zuckerberg as a man increasingly desperate for adoration, switching from an engineering focus to a more political one. The image of Zuckerberg at his first meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in 2012, 'nervous and sweaty', is a stark contrast to the self-assured, power-hungry figure he would later become. His evolving ambitions, including a failed attempt at embedding himself in global political circles and even considering a presidential run, reflect his growing desire for influence and control over the global narrative, often at the expense of ethical decision-making. Critique of Sandberg Wynn-Williams also delivers a piercing critique of Sandberg, who, despite her feminist rhetoric, is depicted as manipulative and indifferent to the struggles of others. Wynn-Williams is unflinching in portraying Sandberg's dual persona—one that appeals to women's empowerment through her Lean In manifesto, but which, in Wynn-Williams' eyes, is a mask for deeply entrenched power dynamics and cruelty. Perhaps the most chilling part of Careless People is Wynn-Williams' account of Facebook's role in global events, including the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the genocide of the Rohingya people in Myanmar. She reveals how Facebook's platform was exploited for disinformation campaigns, helping to elect Donald Trump and enable the spread of hate speech that incited violence against the Rohingya. Despite being warned about these risks, the company failed to act swiftly, leaving millions vulnerable to the damage Facebook's algorithms allowed to flourish. Wynn-Williams' efforts to raise alarms about the crisis in Myanmar are particularly poignant, as she recounts the slow and inadequate response from the company, highlighting its complete disregard for the consequences of its global reach. Ethical flexibility The book also details Facebook's failed attempts to ingratiate itself with authoritarian regimes, such as its ill-fated plans to enter China. These efforts, code-named 'Aldrin' after the famed astronaut Buzz Aldrin who landed the first manned spacecraft to the moon, were designed to make Facebook compliant with the Chinese Communist Party's demands for censorship and surveillance. In a particularly damning passage, Wynn-Williams describes Zuckerberg's calculated deception when testifying before Congress, denying any complicity in China's suppression of free speech. This kind of ethical flexibility, coupled with a disregard for truth, is a recurring theme throughout the book. Yet, as much as Wynn-Williams exposes the flaws and moral failings of Facebook's leadership, she also forces a reckoning with her own complicity. There are moments in the narrative where Wynn-Williams acknowledges her own role in perpetuating the company's problems, from supporting controversial initiatives like to her failure to fully grasp the impact of the platform's exploitation until it was too late. As a policy leader within Facebook, she was aware of the risks but did little to stop them, instead choosing to follow the company's direction until her own position became untenable. Wynn-Williams' delayed recognition of Facebook's role in global harm and her eventual exit in 2018 speak to a broader issue within the tech industry: a detachment from the consequences of the decisions made in Silicon Valley's ivory towers. By the time Wynn-Williams left Facebook, she had become disillusioned with the company's leadership and their ability to effect meaningful change. Her disillusionment is painfully clear, and her personal reckoning is both heartbreaking and relatable. It underscores the moral compromise many of those who work in powerful tech companies face: the pressure to conform to a corporate culture that prizes profitability over social responsibility. A face to the damage Despite these shortcomings, Careless People is an important and brave book. It offers a rare, candid glimpse into the internal workings of Facebook at the highest levels, and provides readers with a nuanced perspective on the dangers of unchecked corporate power. It may not offer groundbreaking revelations—many of the issues Wynn-Williams discusses have already been covered in the media—but it puts a human face to the damage Facebook has caused and continues to cause. For readers familiar with Facebook's history and the broader tech landscape, Careless People is a sobering reminder of the perils of unchecked corporate power. For those who are new to these issues, it is an essential starting point to understand the way social media platforms can shape not only individual lives but entire nations and global movements. Careless People: A Story of Where I Used to Work Sarah Wynn-Williams Pan Macmillan India ₹699
