Connect with us

Celebrities

Indonesia Vows To Ban Whatsapp Within 48 Hours

Published

on

Whatsapp

Indonesia on Monday vowed to block Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp Messenger within 48 hours if the service did not ensure that obscene Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) images were removed.

WhatsApp, which is widely used in Indonesia said message encryption prevented it from monitoring the third-party providers Indonesians use to search for GIFs.

It asked the government to work with the providers instead.

Semuel Pangerapan, a Director-General at Indonesia’s Communications and Informatics Ministry, said WhatsApp would be blocked within 48 hours unless the images supplied by third parties were taken off the service.

“Yes, true. They have to follow the rules of the host,” Pangerapan said of the proposed block.

“The ministry had sent three letters to WhatsApp over the issue.

“They have responded, but asked us to speak directly to the third party. The GIFs appeared in their apps.

“Why do we have to be the one speaking to the third party? They are supposed to be the ones managing it,” said Pangerapan.

Tenor, a third-party provider of GIFs to WhatsApp, had been blocked, Pangerapan said.

Tenor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.“In Indonesia, WhatsApp lets people search for GIFs using third-party providers,” a Whatsapp representative said in a statement.

“We are not able to monitor GIFs on WhatsApp since content is end-to-end encrypted. We’ve directed the Indonesia government to work with these third-party providers to review their content.”

Indonesia had 69 million monthly active Facebook users as of the first quarter of 2014, ranking the country fourth globally after the U.S., India and Brazil, company data showed.

Some reaction on Indonesian social media to the threatened block was skeptical.

“While you’re at it, why don’t you block Twitter too, (and) if necessary all browsers in the Playstore, because it’s way easier to search for porn there than on WhatsApp,” wrote one Twitter user, with the handle @jnessy.

Another, using the handle @yogirswnt, said “Does the government want to block WhatsApp? In the case of Telegram it was only a bluff, but if true, it is so unfortunate.”

Indonesia briefly blocked access this year to some channels of the Telegram messaging app, saying its forums were “full of radicals and terrorist propaganda”, before reaching a pact with the messaging service on how to rein in propaganda.

The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) had urged the communications ministry to block pornographic GIF images accessible via emoticons, complaining that children could easily reach them, according to news website kompas.com.

Celebrities

Nickie Dabarbie calls out Skiibii for attempting to use her for money rituals (Video)

Published

on

By

Nickie dabarbie calls out Skiibii for attempting to use her for money rituals

Nigerians have been left in confusion as popular social media influencer Precious Kingsley, popularly known as Nicki dabarbie uploaded a concerning video on her Instagram page.

In the video she posted, Nickie dabarbie was clearly distraught, and she kept on saying that the men in the video wanted to use her for money rituals. The name she kept chanting throughout the video was Skiibii, and she said the whole ‘Mayana’ family was doing money rituals, and that is how they got money to buy cars.

If there was any doubt as to whether it was the singer Skiibii she was referring to, the name ‘Mayana’ is a clear indication that she was referring to him because it is a slogan that he uses a lot.

Although the video wasn’t very clear, if you look closely, you can see that the room she was making the video from was in complete disarray.

There were shards of broken glass all over the floor, and at some point in the video, you could hear one of the men asking her why she’s stepping on broken glass.

One of the men in the video kept on asking ‘which kain highness be this’, thereby insinuating that she was intoxicated. He also asked her to leave and go home, insinuating that she was not in her house in the first place.

Throughout the video, Nickie dabarbie kept on chanting names of girls that were allegedly used for rituals by a man named Skibbi. She said that her ‘head was too strong’, and that is why they were not able to use her for rituals.

One of the men approached Nicki dabarbie with a bottle of water in hand, and she immediately screamed hysterically that he shouldn’t pour the water on her.

The video ended with Nicki dabarbie praying furiously and screaming out her lungs.

Skiibii hasn’t responded to the allegations laid against him by the influencer, and it still isn’t clear whether he was in the video because it was a bit hazy.

This isn’t the first time Nickie dabarbie is being involved in drama, as not too long ago, she was involved in a fight with fellow influencer Cute Gemini.

Their fight got so serious that Nickie dabarbie was arrested and spent a few days in prison. When she got out, her fans hailed her for being strong, while they rained curses on Cute Gemini.

Continue Reading

Celebrities

Rihanna seeks Ayra Starr collaboration — after working with Tems

Published

on

By

Rihanna, the award-winning Barbadian music star, says she wants to work with Ayra Starr, the Nigerian singer.

The music stars recently met at the Fenty X Puma party in London, where they both exchanged pleasantries.

During the chat, Starr told the ‘Umbrella’ hitmaker that Barbados, Rihanna’s home country, is her “favourite place in the world”.

Oh her part, Rihanna confessed she had only heard of Starr through her cousin’s obsession with her music.

“I have been hearing of Ayra Starr, I did not know who but my cousin she was like, ‘Oh my God I got this from Ayra Starr.’ She was obsessed with you,” she said.

She also inquired if the Nigerian songstress has a project with Tems, her colleague.

Starr confirmed that collaborations are in the works, but none have been released yet.

Rihanna responded by playfully expressing her interest in collaborating with the singer, saying, “You got an extra verse for me? Call me”.

In 2022, Rihanna collaborated with Tems, who contributed to the writing of ‘Lift Me Up’, the celestial ballad for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.

Starr previously expressed her desire to collaborate with Rihanna, describing the US singer as her “queen”.

She added that she loves her music, stating it boosts her confidence.

Continue Reading

Celebrities

‘Not see you for 6 months, impossible’ — Davido reacts to Cubana Chief Priest’s bail

Published

on

By

Davido, the Afrobeats star, has shown his support for Cubana Chief Priest after the nightlife promoter was granted bail by a Lagos court.

On Tuesday, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives filed a three-count charge against the social media celebrity over alleged naira abuse.

Cubana, born Pascal Okechukwu, is accused of spraying and tampering with the naira at a social event — contrary to the provisions of the Central Bank Act of 2007.

He was later arraigned at the federal high court in Lagos.

When the charges were read during court sitting, the social media celebrity pleaded not guilty to them.

Kehinde Ogundare, the judge, thereafter granted him bail in the sum of N10 million with two responsible sureties in like sum.

The judge ruled that the bail conditions must be perfected within seven days.

Cubana was released to his lawyer who must give an undertaken to produce him later. He will be remanded in a correctional facility if his lawyer fails to do so.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, the nightlife promoter thanked his supporters for their show of love during the trial.

“Seeing all your messages and love, I am so humbled. Now it is confirmed CP no small. Money na water,” he wrote.

Continue Reading

Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

Most Read...