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Meta Revives Facial Recognition Technology to Combat ‘Celeb Bait’ Scams!

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Three years after discontinuing its facial recognition technology due to privacy concerns and regulatory scrutiny, Meta (formerly Facebook) is reintroducing the software as part of a new effort to crack down on “celeb bait” scams. The social media giant announced on Tuesday that it will begin testing facial recognition technology again, enrolling around 50,000 public figures in a trial aimed at protecting them from fraudulent ads using their likeness.

Trial Overview

The trial will automatically compare celebrities’ Facebook profile pictures with images used in suspicious scam advertisements. If a match is found and Meta determines the ad is fraudulent, it will block the ad from appearing. Celebrities involved in the trial will be notified and given the option to opt out if they prefer not to participate.

Global Launch and Limitations

Set to launch globally in December, the trial will not be available in certain regions, including the European Union, Britain, South Korea, and U.S. states like Texas and Illinois, where Meta lacks the necessary regulatory approvals.

Intentions Behind the Revival

Monika Bickert, Meta’s vice president of content policy, explained the company’s intention behind the trial.

“The goal is to provide as much protection as possible for public figures. They can opt out if they choose, but we want to make this protection readily available and simple for them,” she said during a press briefing.

Meta’s decision to revive facial recognition comes as it tries to balance using technology to tackle the rising number of online scams while addressing privacy concerns. When Meta discontinued its facial recognition system in 2021, it cited growing societal concerns and deleted the face scan data of one billion users.

Legal Pressures

However, the company now faces legal pressure, including a $1.4 billion settlement with the state of Texas for allegedly collecting biometric data illegally, along with multiple lawsuits accusing it of failing to curb “celeb bait” scams.

Data Privacy Assurances

The trial promises to delete any facial recognition data generated during ad comparisons immediately, regardless of whether a scam is detected. Bickert assured that the tool underwent a “robust privacy and risk review process” both internally and externally, involving discussions with regulators, policymakers, and privacy experts before implementation.

Future Applications of Facial Recognition

In addition to targeting scam ads, Meta is also considering using facial recognition for account recovery. The company plans to test this feature for non-celebrity users on both Facebook and Instagram, allowing them to regain access to compromised or locked accounts through facial recognition verification.

Enhanced User Experience

This feature aims to streamline identity verification processes for users who may have lost access due to hacking or forgotten passwords. By leveraging facial recognition technology, Meta hopes to provide a more efficient recovery method compared to traditional verification techniques.

Conclusion

Meta’s revival of facial recognition technology reflects its evolving approach to balancing privacy concerns with the need for enhanced security and fraud prevention on its platforms. As the landscape of online scams continues to grow more sophisticated, this initiative aims not only to protect public figures but also to enhance user safety across its services.

Call for Vigilance

As Meta moves forward with this technology, it underscores the importance of vigilance among users regarding their digital identities and personal data. The ongoing developments in AI-driven technologies necessitate robust security measures and informed consent practices to ensure that user privacy remains a priority alongside innovation.

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Centre Mulls Revoking X’s Safe Harbour Over Grok Misuse

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Grok - StartupStories

The Centre is weighing the option of revoking X’s safe harbour status in India after its AI chatbot Grok was allegedly misused to generate and circulate obscene and sexually explicit content, including material seemingly involving minors. The IT Ministry has already issued a notice to X, directing the platform to remove unlawful content, fix Grok’s safeguards, act against violators, and submit a detailed compliance report within a tight deadline. If the government finds X’s response inadequate, it could argue that the platform has failed to meet due‑diligence standards under Indian law, opening the door to harsher action.​

Under Section 79 of the IT Act, safe harbour protects intermediaries like X from being held directly liable for user‑generated content, provided they follow due‑diligence rules and promptly act on legal takedown orders. Revoking this protection would mean X and its officers could be exposed to criminal and civil liability for obscene, unlawful, or harmful content that remains on the platform, including AI‑generated images from Grok. This prospect significantly raises X’s compliance risk in India and could force tighter moderation, stricter AI controls, and more aggressive removal of flagged posts.​

The Grok episode also spotlights the regulatory grey zone around generative AI, where tools can create harmful content at scale even without traditional user uploads. Policymakers are increasingly questioning whether AI outputs should still enjoy the same intermediary protections as conventional user posts, especially when they involve women and children. How the government ultimately proceeds against X over Grok misuse could set a precedent for AI accountability, platform responsibility, and safe harbour interpretation in India’s fast‑evolving digital ecosystem.

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How Pronto Is Redefining 10-Minute Home Services in India with a $25 Million Fundraise

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Startup Stories

Home services startup Pronto is in advanced talks to raise about $25 million at a near-$100 million valuation, underscoring strong investor confidence in India’s fast-growing 10-minute home services market. This potential round would be the company’s third major funding milestone after its $2 million seed and $11 million Series A in 2025, backed by marquee investors such as General Catalyst, Glade Brook Capital, Bain Capital and new participant Epiq Capital. The fresh capital is expected to further strengthen Pronto’s positioning as a leading tech-led household help platform for urban consumers.​

Pronto operates a 10-minute on-demand home-services platform that connects users with trained, background-verified workers for everyday tasks like sweeping, mopping, utensil cleaning, laundry and basic cooking. Using a hub-and-spoke, shift-based model, the startup stations workers at hyperlocal hubs, enabling sub-10-minute fulfilment and more predictable earnings compared to the informal domestic-help market. Founded in 2024 by Anjali Sardana and based in Delhi NCR, Pronto has already expanded from Gurugram into major cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune, and is handling around 6,000 daily bookings with nearly 1,300 active professionals as of December 2025.​

The upcoming $25 million fundraise is expected to be used to enter more metros, deepen presence in existing neighbourhoods with additional hubs and upgrade Pronto’s technology for smarter routing, shift planning and real-time operations. A significant portion of the capital will also go into training, retention and benefits for its workforce to maintain consistent service quality at scale, especially as competition heats up from rivals like Snabbit and Urban Company in the rapid home services space. This near-$100 million valuation not only validates Pronto’s model but also highlights a broader shift toward organised, tech-driven domestic-help solutions in India’s largely informal home-services market.​

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Bhavish Aggarwal Sells ₹325 Crore Ola Electric Stake, Retains Control

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Startup Stories

Bhavish Aggarwal has sold Ola Electric shares worth about ₹325 crore over three consecutive trading sessions, primarily to fully repay a promoter-level loan of ₹260 crore and release all pledged promoter shares. Despite the stake sale, he continues to hold a significant shareholding of over 34 percent in Ola Electric, and the company has clearly stated that there is no change in promoter control or his long-term commitment to the business. This one-time, limited monetisation at the promoter’s personal level is positioned as a structural clean-up rather than a signal of reduced confidence in the company.

The transactions, executed through open-market bulk deals, included an initial sale of about 2.6 crore shares worth roughly ₹92 crore at an average price of ₹34.99 per share, followed by additional trades of around ₹142 crore and ₹90 crore, taking the total sale value to approximately ₹324–325 crore. As a result, Aggarwal’s stake has fallen by a little over 2 percent, while all previously pledged promoter shares about 3.93 percent of Ola Electric’s equity are being released, removing the overhang and risk typically associated with pledged stock. The company has also clarified that these deals do not involve any capital raise or dilution by Ola Electric itself, which is important for investors tracking promoter stake and governance.

The share sale came at a time when Ola Electric’s stock had been under pressure, even hitting an all-time closing low amid concerns around growth, competition and heavy promoter selling. However, once the company confirmed that the stake sale was complete and all promoter-level pledges would be cleared, the stock rebounded sharply, gaining around 9–10 percent as markets welcomed the removal of this technical overhang. For investors, the focus is now expected to shift back to Ola Electric’s core fundamentals EV sales growth, margins, and market-share performance in India’s two-wheeler EV segment while the reduced promoter debt risk and continued high promoter holding offer some comfort on long-term alignment.

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