Five people were booked in Arifwala for blasphemy and for reportedly posting religious hatred material in a WhatsApp group, reported Dawn.  The Arifwala City Police have booked two admins and three members of a WhatsApp group under section 295(A) of the PPC after the complaint of a Pakpattan District Peace Committee member. The complainant shared several WhatsApp posts and messages that fanned religious hatred against a sect.  Pakistan punishes blasphemy with the death penalty. According to a report by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, 400,000 social media accounts spread blasphemous material against Islam, Bitter Winter reported.  Even considering that an individual may have multiple accounts, the number of those risking the death penalty is enormous. Through this method, the Ministry arrived at the figure of 400,000 and the claim that an “epidemic” of blasphemy is hitting Pakistan is not explained However, doubts arise as the report says that among the owners of these 400,000 accounts spreading blasphemy, “the FIA [Federal Investigation Agency] Cyber Crime Wing has already apprehended 140 individuals involved in these crimes, with 11 of them having received the death penalty from trial courts and two having their death sentences confirmed by the High Court.” Death penalties imposed against those accused of blasphemy remain a tragic violation of human rights. Still, the contrast between the alleged 400,000 accounts “dragging the new generation into the quagmire of blasphemy” and the 140 arrests is interesting. The report assures that this is not caused by the ineffectiveness of the FIA, Bitter Winter reported. On the contrary, the report said, “There are 15 Cyber Crime units throughout the country under the jurisdiction of the FIA. These units have already established Anti-Blasphemy Cells, and immediate action is taken upon receiving reports in response to requests made to these cells." "Cyber Crime technology traces criminals who engage in offensive activities on any social media application, share derogatory material on any website, or use VPNs. Once apprehended, these individuals are arrested and face legal action in accordance with the law," it said further. One can thus suspect that the number of 400,000 is just a figment of some anti-blasphemy bureaucrat’s imagination, publicized to justify the harsher measures against blasphemy introduced to appease Muslim extremists and the increasing number of false cases where devotees of minority religions are prosecuted for social media remarks that either were not blasphemous or they never made, Bitter Winter reported.  

A screenshot of WhatsApp conversation between Sylhet-1 BNP candidate Khandaker Abdul Muktadir and one of his supporters went viral on social networking sites, including Facebook, YouTube, on Sunday. According to the screenshot, Muktadir insisted his supporter that they must have to win in the Sylhet-1 seat even it is needed to kill one or two, reports an English national Daily. Here is the transcript of WhatsApp conversation: Supporter:  Brother, the situation is not good at all. People’s mentality of the area has changed after the recent cocktail blast. Muktadir: Oh, it’s very sad. What we can do now? Supporter:  We will observe the situation in the morning hours and if the situation worsens then we will capture the voting centres. Muktadir: Right. We must have to win the poll at any cost. If it is needed to kill one or two then carry on. I will manage everything. Supporter: Okay vai. I will send Rana in the evening. Give the money to him.   MHK

WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum on Monday put out word that he is leaving Facebook, which bought the smartphone messaging service four years ago for 19 billion dollars.  Koum said in a post on his Facebook page that he is taking time off to pursue interests such as collecting air-cooled Porsches, working on cars and playing ultimate Frisbee.  US media reports indicated that a disagreement with Facebook over the privacy of user data may have also been a factor in Koum's decision to quit his position as a high-ranking executive and likely leave his seat on the board at the leading online social network.  Xiaomi redmi 6a launched and here you will get all details about this smartphone - Redmi 6a next sale date "It's been almost a decade since Brian (Acton) and I started WhatsApp, and it's been an amazing journey with some of the best people," Koum said in the post.  "But it is time for me to move on."  Acton left Facebook last year to start a nonprofit.  WhatsApp boasts more than 1.2 billion users worldwide.  In a reply to Koum's post, Facebook co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said he would miss working closely with the WhatsApp co-founder.  If you use Paytm then visit here and you can get discount & cashback upto 100% Paytm cashback offer "I'm grateful for everything you've done to help connect the world, and for everything you've taught me, including about encryption and its ability to take power from centralized systems and put it back in people's hands," Zuckerberg said in his written reply.  "Those values will always be at the heart of WhatsApp."  WhatsApp last week raised its minimum age for users in the European Union to 16 years, as the bloc prepares for a new online privacy law to come into force next month.  In an update to its terms of service, WhatsApp said the minimum age for users outside the EU was still 13 years.  WhatsApp parent Facebook has pledged to change how it handles private data to comply with the forthcoming law change.  But unlike WhatsApp, which will only apply the new law to its European users, Facebook plans on rolling out changes for its users worldwide.  The change in the European law was already planned prior to the recent privacy scandal involving Facebook and Cambridge Analytica.  Zuckerberg has spent most of the past month on the fallout from revelations on the hijacking of personal data by the political firm, seeking to assuage fears that the California-based internet colossus can safeguard privacy while making money by targeting ads based on what people share about themselves. Source: AFP AH