Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook and its parent company Meta, has announced she will step down from her role, ending 14 years in the job that made her one of the most powerful figures in the tech world and saw the company weather a meteoric rise and multiple controversies.

Sandberg announced the move in a post on her own Facebook page on Wednesday, adding that she was not sure of what the future holds for her but plans to focus on her foundation and philanthropic work going forward.

“When I took this job in 2008, I hoped I would be in this role for five years. Fourteen years later, it is time for me to write the next chapter of my life,” Sandberg wrote on Facebook.

She said she will leave the company this fall, but will continue to be on Meta’s board and thanked Meta founder and chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg for his support, saying “sitting by Mark’s side for these 14 years has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime”.

In his own Facebook post, Zuckerberg called it “the end of an era” and said Sandberg “deserved the credit for so much of what Meta is today”.

“When Sheryl joined me in 2008, I was only 23 years old and I barely knew anything about running a company … Sheryl architected our ads business, hired great people, forged our management culture, and taught me how to run a company,” the CEO added.

He said that Sandberg’s position would not be filled, and announced restructuring of existing roles at the company.

Sandberg has been one of Facebook’s most prominent public faces since joining in 2008, shaping its policies and overseeing responses to the myriad public controversies the company has battled.

The billionaire executive led the company’s advertising business and was responsible for nurturing it from its infancy into a Silicon Valley behemoth. She joined four years after its founding to be “the adult in the room”, analysts have said, attempting to help navigate the company through the scandals that ensued along with its vast user growth.

She quickly gained notoriety as one of the most visible and most powerful female executives globally, with previous positions at Google and the Clinton administration. In 2013 she published her female empowerment manifesto Lean In.

More recently, she has overseen operations as the company weathers a financial downturn amid a shift away from its core social media platforms into virtual reality.

Facebook rebranded in October 2021 to Meta, reflecting its move into VR after a series of difficult years. Zuckerberg has bet big on his hopes for the “metaverse”, an augmented and virtual reality space where people can interact through avatars in a shared world. The company has earmarked $10bn for the metaverse over the next year and plans to consistently spend more in coming years, Zuckerberg announced last year.

But Meta has struggled with the transition, reporting a record $230bn loss in market value after a disappointing earnings report in February. That report also revealed that Facebook had seen its first-ever drop in daily user numbers. The company is boosting efforts to retain young users - a key advertising demographic that has been leaving Facebook and Instagram in droves to platforms such as TikTok.

Zuckerberg said on Wednesday that Javier Olivan, the vice president of central products, will be promoted to chief operating officer and take on some of the advertising-related responsibilities previously under Sandberg’s purview. Justin Osofsky, Instagram’s chief operating officer, will now oversee AI-trained content production across platforms.

“Meta has reached the point where it makes sense for our product and business groups to be more closely integrated, rather than having all the business and operations functions organized separately from our products,” he wrote.

Sandberg’s departure also comes after billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel stepped down from Meta’s board, following the company’s worst-ever earnings report, suggesting some power players may be jumping ship as the company flounders.

Most recently Sandberg and Facebook had faced increased scrutiny after documents leaked by the whistleblower Frances Haugen were turned over to Congress and published by a number of news outlets.

The documents revealed the extent to which Meta knew about the aggressive spread of misinformation and hate speech on its platform, that it was reluctant to censor rightwing news organizations for fear of angering the Trump administration, and how it struggled to crack down on human trafficking operations advertised on Instagram. It also revealed internal studies that showed grave mental health effects of the platform on teens.

Sandberg referenced in her departure missive the ways the tech landscape has evolved since she began at the company.

“The debate around social media has changed beyond recognition since those early days,” she wrote. “To say it hasn’t always been easy is an understatement. But it should be hard. The products we make have a huge impact, so we have the responsibility to build them in a way that protects privacy and keeps people safe.”

As backlash mounted over the whistleblower documents in 2021, Sandberg and Zuckerberg avoided making public comment on the revelations, instead leaving Nick Clegg, the vice-president of global affairs, and Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, to manage the official response to the revelations.

Sandberg’s behavior at Facebook has been scrutinized in the past. She reportedly asked Facebook employees to examine George Soros’s finances after he criticized the social media giant and she was called before Congress in 2018 to testify about misinformation and manipulation surrounding the 2018 elections.

It also recently came to light that she allegedly pressured the Daily Mail to drop unflattering stories about her romantic partner Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Activision Blizzard. Caroline Nolan, a spokeswoman with Meta, said that the matter has “nothing to do with Sheryl’s decision to step back from the company”.

Sandberg, who lost her husband Dave Goldberg suddenly in 2015, said she is “not entirely sure what the future will bring”.

“But I know it will include focusing more on my foundation and philanthropic work, which is more important to me than ever given how critical this moment is for women,” she wrote, adding that she is also getting married this summer, and that parenting their expanded family of five children will also be a part of this future.

- The Guardian, Reuters

Yesterday marked 'Data Privacy Day' or 'International Data Security Day,' observed globally, raising awareness about the importance of securing personal information. Various international organizations have implemented various initiatives to promote awareness regarding the security of personal information. According to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) of the United Nations, 128 out of 194 countries worldwide have laws pertaining to information security and personal privacy. Similarly, Article 43 (kha) of our constitution also recognizes privacy rights as fundamental human rights.

However, while our constitution and laws emphasize information security and personal privacy, individual privacy is constantly breached. From intimate phone calls to the proliferation of audio-video content online, personal information is vulnerable and can reach millions of people in an instant. From politicians to ordinary citizens, no one is immune, especially in today's digital age, where personal information is readily accessible to multinational corporations. Additionally, both government and non-government entities collect personal information in various ways. Due to the lack of clear guidelines about what information an individual should disclose or how much information can be demanded, the privacy of personal information is under considerable threat, according to experts in social and digital security.

A few days ago, a leaked telephone conversation involving former Information Minister Dr. Murad Hassan created quite a stir. The incident led to his eventual resignation. Similar incidents of leaked phone conversations involving various political leaders have occurred before. It's not just phone calls; the advancement of communication technology has enabled the widespread sharing of various types of information, including audio and video, in an alarming rate. The investigation into Dr. Murad Hassan's leaked phone call from two years ago is still ongoing, led by law enforcement agencies. Recently, the trend of leaking phone conversations has surged among politicians, and even ordinary individuals are resorting to various apps to avoid discussing sensitive matters over the phone. Alongside concerns about security and privacy, there is ongoing debate within the political arena regarding the legal aspects of these issues.

How Personal Privacy Is Breached

Personal privacy is breached in various ways, starting from close acquaintances. Firstly, there's a decline in the perception of security regarding the protection of personal information worldwide. People tend to reveal a lot of information, both knowingly and unknowingly, often with a misplaced trust in the security of digital platforms.

Research shows that personal privacy is most often compromised by those closest to us. If not through hacking or leaks, personal matters often find their way online through various social media platforms or are exposed due to threats. Breakups between spouses, partners, or lovers, for instance, can result in one party sharing personal photos or videos online out of revenge. Additionally, personal matters are sometimes exploited and used to mentally harass individuals. In some cases, even without their knowledge, hackers can expose any piece of personal information online. We regularly share a significant amount of personal information on platforms like Facebook and other communication mediums. This can inadvertently expose our privacy. Moreover, personal data such as phone numbers, emails, and bank account numbers are shared in various ways with different multinational corporations. Self-interest and greed prompt individuals and organizations to utilize personal information for commercial or personal gains. Often, individuals willingly share all sorts of information inspired by their self-interest. Analyzing this data, those organizations gain insight into individuals' minds, often better than the individuals themselves.

What Does Bangladeshi Law Say About Personal Privacy?

Recording someone's personal phone call and sharing it without their consent is illegal in Bangladesh, as per the constitution and prevailing laws, unless authorized by the government. According to Article 43 of the constitution, every citizen has the right to privacy of correspondence and other means of communication. Furthermore, Section 71 of the Bangladesh Telecommunications Act explicitly mentions that intercepting telephone conversations without the permission of both parties is a punishable offense. It states that if anyone intentionally intercepts any message intended for another person through telephone, that person shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or with a fine not exceeding five crore taka or with both.

However, these laws come with certain conditions. Under Section 97-K, these provisions will not apply to agencies appointed by the government for national security, law enforcement, or investigative purposes. In other words, government agencies have the legal authority to intercept phone conversations for national security and law enforcement reasons, but this requires authorization from the Minister or State Minister of the Home Ministry. While the law specifies who can be intercepted, for how long, and under what circumstances, it lacks clarity on these aspects.

Experts in social and digital security argue that governments have the authority to intercept communications for the sake of national security. Every country in the world has laws concerning this, particularly post-9/11, when countries worldwide shifted their focus from traditional notions to safeguarding national security interests. Although these laws do not make such interceptions acceptable in principle, they do extend the reach of governments to monitor individual communications, especially in the context of national security and public order. Nevertheless, it is not permissible to use these laws for personal or political gains.

The proliferation of leaked personal phone calls in our society has generated significant curiosity and discussion. However, these incidents should not be sensationalized, and such activities should be discouraged, according to experts. While these legal matters are complex, the leakage of personal phone calls continues to be a concern. Prominent politicians, public figures, and ordinary individuals alike have experienced personal conversations being leaked to the public.

It is essential to raise awareness about the importance of personal privacy and information security. Individuals should be educated about the risks associated with sharing sensitive information online and over the phone. Organizations and government agencies should also take steps to ensure that they handle personal data responsibly and securely, following established legal and ethical guidelines. Moreover, there is a need for clearer and more comprehensive laws and regulations that govern the collection, storage, and sharing of personal information in the digital age.

Soppiya, Bangladesh's first global no-coding e-commerce, blog, and portfolio platform has been officially launched at the BASIS SoftExpo 2023 at Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center in the capital’s Purbachal area on Friday (February 24)

Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), the national trade organization of the information and communication technology sector, has organized the 4-day exhibition with the slogan 'Welcome to Smartverse'.

Md. Ekramul Haque, Honorable Managing Director of Soppiya Innovation Limited, cut a cake on Friday to open the launching ceremony.

During this 4-day exhibition, Soppiya’s stalls hosted various events including a chance to win attractive gift hampers by opening a free website for visitors.

Asad Bin Abdullah, executive director of Soppiya said, ''Soppiya is a saas-based cms platform. Through this, you can create your professional e-commerce, blog, and portfolio website in 30 minutes for free. By doing this, there will be a revolutionary change in the socio-economic system of the country through online platform business and Bangladesh will take a step forward in achieving Digital Bangladesh.''

''We have launched the platform with an emphasis on providing quality e-commerce websites, blog websites, and portfolio website creation solutions with the latest updates and most convenient packages, themes, plugins, widgets, hosted solutions, and advanced technologies. Even those who have no coding or technical knowledge can set up a beautiful website and all this is possible only with Soppiya.''

Twitter on Saturday began rolling out a controversial new paid subscription system which the social network's unpredictable new owner, billionaire Elon Musk, ordered staff to build after taking over last week.

The platform's mobile app began offering an update that will allow users to sign up for the new version of Twitter Blue, which Musk has said will cost $8 a month, and is set to grant users a blue checkmark and perks such as less advertising in their feeds.

"Starting today, we're adding great new features to Twitter Blue," says the update, only on iPhones for now. "Get Twitter Blue for $7.99 a month if you sign up now."

In a tweet, the California-based company's director of product development Esther Crawford specified that the new service had yet to go live.

"The new Blue isn't live yet -- the sprint to our launch continues but some folks may see us making updates because we are testing and pushing changes in real-time," she posted.

"New Blue ... coming soon!" she added.

On Friday, half of Twitter's 7,500 employees were laid off by Tesla boss Musk.

He ordered the redesign of Twitter Blue as a priority, making some teams work day and night on it, reportedly with a target launch date of November 7 -- a day before the US midterm elections.

The current version of the service, which costs $5, contains premium features, such as a more comfortable reading mode.

Musk wants to add a blue tick which until now has symbolized account verification, though he has not explained how the paying accounts will be verified.

Until now verification has been free and serves as proof of authenticity for the accounts of users such as politicians, governments, journalists, celebrities and sports figures -- a system Musk has derided as "lords and peasants."

The update also lists other benefits mentioned by Musk, such as the ability to post longer videos and audio messages.

"Since you're supporting Twitter in the battle against the bots, we're going to reward you with half the ads and make them twice as relevant," the offer states.

The Californian company needs to diversify its income, heavily reliant on advertising. Several advertisers have suspended their spending on the platform since its acquisition, after Musk vowed to dial back content moderation.

– BSS/AFP

Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) boss Elon Musk said in a filing on Monday he will serve as chief executive of Twitter, the social media company he just bought for $44 billion, a move that Wall Street analysts have said could stretch the billionaire thin.

Musk, who also runs rocket company SpaceX, brain-chip startup Neuralink and tunneling firm the Boring Company, fired Twitter's previous chief, Parag Agrawal, and other top company officials last week.

Tesla's stock has lost a third of its value since Musk made an offer to buy Twitter in April, compared with a 12% decline in the benchmark S&P 500 index (.SPX) in the same period.

Musk had previously changed his Twitter bio to "Chief Twit" in an allusion to his planned move.

Twitter on Monday declined comment on how long Musk might remain CEO or appoint someone else.

In another filing on Monday, Musk revealed that he became the sole director of Twitter as a result of the takeover.

"The following persons, who were directors of Twitter prior to the effective time of the merger, are no longer directors of Twitter: Bret Taylor, Parag Agrawal, Omid Kordestani, David Rosenblatt, Martha Lane Fox, Patrick Pichette, Egon Durban, Fei-Fei Li and Mimi Alemayehou," Musk said in the filing.

Shortly afterward, Musk tweeted that the move to dissolve the board "is just temporary," without elaborating.

Last week, Musk's takeover of the social media company for $44 billion concluded a months-long saga.

Since the takeover Musk has moved quickly to put his stamp on Twitter, which he had ridiculed for months for being slow to introduce product changes or take down spam accounts.

His teams began meeting with some employees to investigate Twitter's software code and understand how aspects of the platform worked, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Some staff who spoke with Reuters said they had received little communication from Musk or other leaders and were using news reports to piece together what was happening at the company.

- Reuters

Facebook parent Meta on Wednesday reported that its revenue declined for a second consecutive quarter, hurt by falling advertising sales as it faces competition from TikTok’s wildly popular video app.

The quarter’s weak results raised fresh questions about whether Meta’s plans to spend $10 billion a year on the metaverse — a concept that doesn’t quite exist yet and possibly never will — is prudent while its main source of revenue is faltering.

The quarterly results from Meta Platforms Inc. sent its stock tumbling 19% in after-hours trading to $105.20. If the sell-off holds through Thursday’s regular trading day, it will be the lowest it’s been since 2016. The stock closed Wednesday down 61% for the year.

Meta’s disappointing results followed weak earnings reports from Google parent Alphabet Inc. and Microsoft this week. The Menlo Park, California, company earned $4.4 billion, or $1.64 per share, in the three-month period that ended Sept. 30. That’s down 52% from, $9.19 billion, or $3.22 per share, in the same period a year earlier.

Analysts were expecting a profit of $1.90 per share, on average, according to FactSet.

Revenue fell 4% to $27.71 billion from $29.01 billion, slightly higher than the $27.4 billion that analysts had predicted.

Some of the company’s investors are concerned Meta is spending too much money and confusing people with its focus on the metaverse, a virtual, mixed and augmented reality concept that few people understand — while it also grapples with a weakening advertising business.

“Meta has drifted into the land of excess — too many people, too many ideas, too little urgency,” wrote Brad Gerstner, the CEO of Meta shareholder Altimeter Capital, earlier this week in a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “This lack of focus and fitness is obscured when growth is easy but deadly when growth slows and technology changes.”

In addition to an accelerating revenue decline, Meta also forecast weaker-than-expected sales for the current quarter, further raising worries that the revenue slump is more of a trend than an aberration.

“While we face near-term challenges on revenue, the fundamentals are there for a return to stronger revenue growth,” Zuckerberg said in a statement. “We’re approaching 2023 with a focus on prioritization and efficiency that will help us navigate the current environment and emerge an even stronger company.”

Meta said it expects staffing levels to stay roughly the same as in the current quarter — a departure from previous years’ double-digit workforce growth. The company had about 87,000 employees as of Sept. 30, an increase of 28% year-over-year.

“To return to stronger growth, Meta needs to turn its business around,” said Insider Intelligence analyst Debra Aho Williamson. “As Facebook Inc., it was a revolutionary company that changed the way people communicate and the way marketers interact with consumers. Today it’s no longer that innovative groundbreaker.”

She added that “Meta would benefit from less priority on the metaverse and more on fixing its core business.” Meta’s Reality Labs unit, which includes its metaverse and virtual reality efforts, had an operating loss of $3.67 billion in the third quarter, compared with a loss of $2.63 billion a year earlier. Its revenue was $285 million.

Meta said it expects Reality Labs operating losses in 2023 to “grow significantly year-over-year.”

Despite the revenue decline, Meta grew its user base. Facebook’s monthly active users were 2.96 billion as of Sept. 30, up 2% from a year earlier. And 3.71 billion people logged in to at least one of Meta’s family of apps — Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp or Messenger — up 4% year-over-year.

– AP/UNB