Shadowfax is India’s largest crowdsourced delivery platform with presence in 80+ cities across India and 10000+ daily active delivery personnel

Shadowfax

Has your Instagram reach and significantly declined recently? Are you worried that you’ve been Shadowbanned? engagement In all of my years building , I’ve never experienced it or met anyone who has been Shadowbanned (and I’ve met thousands of ). Don’t let people sell you “fixes” with the excuse of preventing or fixing Shadowbanning, it’s likely an Instagram myth (if it’s not please email me proof to eduardomorales.ny@gmail.com). businesses on Instagram actually hardcore Instagram users That being said, if you’re still terribly worried about it and want to make sure, just check it yourself. Here’s how you do it: What is Shadowbanning? First off, it’s important to know what Shadowbanning actually means. Your account is Shadowbanned when you use hashtags on your posts but those posts don’t appear in the hashtag feeds of anyone the people who already follow you. except In theory, this greatly reduces your reach because no one outside of your current followers will discover your account through hashtag feeds (hashtagging has been a well-known for a long time). Instagram growth strategy 3 Simple Steps To Check If You’re Shadowbanned Here are 3 simple steps to check if you’ve been Shadowbanned: Find someone with an Instagram account that doesn’t follow you. Post on your Instagram account using the hashtags you regularly use. Ask the person who doesn’t follow you to quickly check the feeds of the hashtags that you tagged on your post. If your post doesn’t appear the first time, don’t panic, check again 3–5 minutes later. Connectivity isn’t always reliable and that can affect the timing in which a post shows up on a hashtag feed. (***Important note: Posts are shown on a hashtag feed in chronological order. This means that the larger the number of posts in the feed of a hashtag, the faster the person who doesn’t follow you will have to check that feed. For example, in a popular hashtag like #fashion (with over 600 million posts), your post can be pushed down in a feed far enough to be “undiscoverable” within less than a few seconds. If you’re using one of these big hashtags, I’d advise you to change your strategy and use more relevant and niche Instagram hashtags anyway.) If your post shows up on the hashtag feeds of the person who doesn’t follow you, . you are not Shadowbanned If your posts don’t show up on the hashtag feeds of the person who doesn’t follow you (even after checking twice), . you are Shadowbanned If you are Shadowbanned, these are the likely reasons behind the ban. But before we begin, let’s tackle some : Banned hashtags aren’t a thing. Really, they aren’t. Check on Instagram for yourself. None of them are “banned”. Also, Shadowban testers (like or ) aren’t accurate. They exist because people are scared of being Shadowbanned and they can leverage that to sell you stuff. If you’re worried about being shadowbanned or if one day Instagram decides to actually enforce banned hashtags, you can easily check it yourself. It’ll save you from unnecessarily spending money on services you don’t need. myths these this one this one Now that we have that clear, here are the likely reasons behind your Shadowbanning: Most people think that using an automation service (bot) means getting Shadowbanned. That’s not necessarily true. I (and thousands of other accounts) have used a well-automated Instagram automation service through a safe provider to grow my reach for years and I’ve never been Shadowbanned. You get Shadowbanned if your automation service provider isn’t well-run (using servers and settings that put your account at risk) and/or if your settings surpass Instagram’s interaction thresholds per hour (for example, Instagram allows an account to do X amount of “likes” per hour, but the exact numbers are always kept secret). You are using an Instagram automation service (otherwise known as an Instagram bot ) that isn’t safe and/or using automation settings that caused your account to be flagged: If you’re worried that your automation provider is the problem, stop using it. If you still want to use one but want to make sure that it’s safe, choose a service provider sets you up with your own private VPN upon signup and is run by a team invested in keeping your account safe ( ). To make sure that your automation settings don't raise any flags, also make sure to use an automation service that . They are managed by the team who creates the product and they are put in place to make sure that their users aren’t flagged (which puts the service at risk). Here’s a great guide on safely, that will help. How to fix it: Here’s a list of bot services that fulfill both of those requirements has automated activity settings how to automate an Instagram bot People can report you if they consider that your posts are harmful or just because they want you to get flagged. If a post gets enough reports, Instagram will take it down and you run the risk of being flagged as a harmful or spammy account. Here’s how your audience can report your posts. Instagram is committed to keeping their community safe, so highly-reported content is the first line of defense when it comes to flagging an account for behavior that might harm someone. If your account is flagged for harmful behavior, Instagram will be highly incentivized to not surface your content. Your account is getting reported by your audience: Each account and audience is different when it comes to what they report, but if you consider that a particular type of content that you’re posting cause your audience to report you, stop posting that content. No piece of content is worth the risk of being flagged. How to fix it: might If you’re still Shadowbanned after a week, contact and tell them that your posts aren’t showing up on hashtags (include screenshots with proof). They’re very helpful if you’re not currently violating their . After making these changes, check again if you’re Shadowbanned: Facebook’s customer service Terms of Service If you are not Shadowbanned, these are the likely reasons behind your declining engagement and reach: Instagram is an advertising company and they make money from keeping you on the app as long as possible to sell your attention to advertisers. The algorithm exists to show you the posts that they consider you are most likely to engage with first, and it’s constantly being tweaked. If Instagram considers that your posts aren’t likely to engage your followers in comparison to all of the other posts available (view the graphic on the left to see how this works), the algorithm will show your posts to a smaller percentage of your audience. This will result in a lower reach because fewer people are seeing your posts, which sometimes causes some people to worry about being Shadowbanned when they aren’t. The Instagram Algorithm changed: that will show you how to be Instagram algorithm change proof! How to fix it: Here’s an article How many times have you followed an account that you love only to find that six months down the line you’re kinda bored of their content and just stop paying attention and liking their posts? If you’ve felt this way, so do most other Instagram users. It’s natural for accounts that have been around for a while to see declining just because people are used to them on their feed and/or because they don’t constantly keep their content exciting and engaging. This decline in engagement means that Instagram will downgrade your content on the Home feed of your followers, and that lowers your reach. This leads some of us to think that we might be Shadowbanned when we’re not. Your content has become stale: engagement rates Check out the Creating Super Engaging Content section of . It shows you the exact process through which you can identify which content generates the most engagement and how you can improve upon it. this article The best way to keep your content from getting stale is to constantly test new types of photos/videos/captions that your audience might like and then measure the engagement of those new posts. If they receive above-average engagement, your audience is telling you they connect with that content through their objective behavior (more likes & comments = stronger connection) so you should improve that type of content and continue to post it. If they receive low engagement, stop posting that type of content. Continue this process and over time you’ll optimize your content for posts and videos that your audience connects with . It’s important to measure your engagement to know what your audience likes and not rely on what think they like. I’ve heard countless people tell me “I take photos, but no one likes them” — if no one likes it, then it’s likely not a great photo for your Instagram, regardless of how you feel about it. Also, here’s an in-depth article about a simple system to that will help you. How to fix it: the most you great increase your engagement rate Instagram has been around for many years now and they have . This means that users (your followers) are beginning to change the way they use the app. Although Instagram provides no data about this I know from a first-hand source that, like any other business, Instagram also suffers from seasonal changes in the way their customers (users) use the product. People tend to engage with home feeds less and stories more, people tend to follow fewer people, some people use the app less. All of these changes can affect your reach and engagement, not because of the algorithm or a Shadowban. People are using Instagram differently: saturated the US market In regards to this one, be kind to yourself and stop worrying about it. If you’re already in the process of testing and optimizing for your posts’ engagement, there’s literally nothing you can do about how Instagram’s users change the way they use the app so it’s best not to worry about it too much. It’s changing now and it’ll continue to change for as long as the app exists. How to fix it: There it is. Now you know what Shadowbanning means, how to check for it, what the likely causes of them are, and how to fix them — now it’s up to you to make the necessary changes, stop worrying about it, and enjoy your life :) Btw, if you want to dive deeper into sustainable strategies to grow your Instagram, read these articles on , , , , , how to , , as well as , , , and . how to build an Instagram repost account that makes money why your Instagram account isn’t growing how to find the best time to post on Instagram how to create effective Instagram story ads how to create effective Instagram sponsored posts monetize your Medium article how to automate your Instagram posts how to measure what an influencer is worth how to find the most valuable Instagram influencers how to reach out to influencers how to measure your influencer marketing ROI Hope they help! Thanks so much for taking the time to read my article! If you enjoyed reading it, you can support me by giving this article a bunch of claps, , and r to get updates on whenever I publish new pieces. Thanks for reading ❤ reading my other Instagram-related articles signing up for my newslette

3 Simple Steps To Check If You’re Shadowbanned - What Shadowbanning Is, What Causes It, And How To…

Social media has become the cornerstone of many businesses' marketing strategies. But with it come a number of risks, which anyone running social campaigns needs to understand before they end up in too deep. cybersecurity Social media has changed the dynamic for business owners. From small businesses to large corporations, social media platforms allow companies to engage directly with their customers, foster brand awareness, and turn followers into loyal consumers. It really has leveled the playing field, and now even a solopreneur can build a strong brand with a bit of time and know-how on social media. But, as with any digital frontier, security threats are a challenge, and social media sites offer their own set of challenges. To this end, understanding the social media threats is essential. Not only to maintain the integrity of your brand or company's online presence but also to protect sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands. We're going to look at some of the common social media cyber security threats, how they can affect your business, and what to do if you've been impacted by any of them. What are the three main cybersecurity risks with social media? With social media accounts, there are three main forms of cyber threats that can occur. While these fall under one main heading, they can result in additional problems and challenges if not fixed in time. 1. Social Engineering Attacks Social engineering is a manipulative tactic that’s designed to exploit human psychology to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. This can include logging into systems, online accounts, banking details, or accessing data. Cybercriminals often target employees or account owners, tricking them into divulging confidential information or granting access to restricted resources. This can especially be the case for businesses that mix social media for personal and professional purposes or for social media accounts that are managed externally or by a large team. Common social engineering attacks include: Posing as a trustworthy entity to solicit sensitive data via email or messaging apps. Enticing victims with offers of free goods or services, tricking them into clicking malicious links or opening malware-infected files. Impersonating someone else to gain the victim's trust, collecting personal and financial information through a series of seemingly innocent interactions. Phishing: Baiting: Pretexting: A clever example of pretexting and social engineering is when hackers pay attention to a specific company and track when a CEO is out of town or away on vacation. They might spot this when they post on social media or even pay attention to company announcements when someone senior is visiting a trade show or conference. The hacker then approaches someone within the company using an email that looks similar to the genuine address and demands payment is sent urgently to a new bank account. Of course, this is a scam - but if done correctly by the hacker, this can be hugely damaging. Some businesses lose hundreds of millions thanks to these scams, which are also referred to as . spear phishing 2. Data Leaks and Privacy Breaches With millions of active users on social media platforms, the risk of inadvertently leaking sensitive company information or customer data is significant. Insider threats, such as disgruntled or careless employees, are also a significant concern that can quickly snowball and cause damage beyond the initial data breach. It just takes a single lapse in concentration for someone to accidentally share crucial information - and yes, this does happen a lot. Privacy breaches can lead to reputational damage, legal repercussions, and financial loss. And yes, this does affect thousands of businesses a year, some of which end up losing huge amounts of money. In fact, in November 2023 alone, there were , resulting in more than 419 million records being accessed. In total, 2023 saw more than 6 billion records accessed via scammers. Shocking, right? 470 known data breaches 3. Account Hijacking Cybercriminals can gain unauthorized access to company social media accounts, either through stolen login credentials or by exploiting security vulnerabilities in the platform. A hijacked account can be used to spread misinformation, damage the company's reputation, or conduct illicit activities in the company's name. A knock-on of account hijacking can be that your account gets shadowbanned or even blocked and removed in the worst-case scenario. Read more about hacking and social engineering. How does social engineering happen on social media? Social engineering is usually a mid to long-term strategy that is used for gaining access to confidential data or private information. It leverages some interesting aspects of human psychology to gain trust or exploit : Cybercriminals conduct research on their target, collecting personal and professional details from the target's social media profiles, online presence, and public records. Gathering Information: Attackers might create fake social media profiles, posing as acquaintances, businesses, or authority figures. They interact with the target to build rapport and develop a trusting relationship. Establishing Trust: Once trust is established, cybercriminals manipulate the target into divulging sensitive information, performing compromising actions, or providing access to restricted resources. Exploiting Trust: With the necessary information in hand, the attackers breach the target's security measures, either for financial gain or other malicious purposes. Executing the Attack: How does phishing happen on social media? Phishing scams often form part of a bigger cyber security threat and usually also result in additional problems such as hacking, data breaches, and more. On social media, a phishing attack will usually follow a similar pattern. The attacker: The scammer establishes a convincing social media profile, often impersonating reputable companies or individuals. Creates a fake profile: Targets are contacted through friend requests, direct messages, or even public comments on their posts. Connects with potential victims: The attacker messages the target with a convincing narrative (e.g., account suspension, password reset, or prize notification). The message will urge the victim to follow a malicious link or provide sensitive information. Sends deceptive messages: If the victim falls for the phishing attack, they may inadvertently disclose login credentials, financial details, or other sensitive data, leaving them vulnerable to identity theft, fraud, and other illegal activities. What is shadowbanning? If you’ve invested in your Instagram or TikTok, shadowbanning is probably the most damaging result of a that you could experience, aside from your account being closed down. social media hack Shadowbanning refers to the practice of limiting a user's visibility on a platform without their knowledge. Almost like being silenced or muted, a shadowbanned account might experience a significant decrease in engagement, as their content will not appear in searches, newsfeeds, or hashtag lists. While shadowbanning might not fall under the banner of a cyber threat for most, it can result from excessive bot activity on an account or the result of an account being compromised. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook apply shadowbanning algorithms to ensure that content aligns with their community guidelines. Saying that it’s a bit tricky as the main platforms don’t readily admit the existence of shadowbanning, even though it’s definitely a thing. And so, the opaque nature of social media algorithms poses a challenge for businesses operating on social media. But being shadowbanned can actually be a symptom of a bigger problem that might be a result of either your own activity or a hack… How do accounts get shadowbanned? Accounts may get shadowbanned due to various reasons, including: Violating platform-specific community guidelines Engaging in spam or posting excessive amounts of content Using banned or flagged hashtags Exhibiting automated or bot-like activity Receiving a substantial number of user complaints or reports While keeping your social media apps clean and safe might sound simple, hackers can gain access to your social media channels and use them for a variety of malicious purposes. These might be spamming people with messages, being used to follow other (a popular way to artificially inflate followers and engagement), and even other activities such as the aforementioned social engineering or phishing. spam accounts Of course, this can result in your account being shadowbanned without you even doing anything wrong. If you do suspect that you have been impacted by shadowbanning, you can check using the Spikerz to check your Instagram or TikTok accounts. shadow ban calculator How can you protect your business from social media cyber fraud? Taking social media cyber security seriously isn’t a luxury we can afford to take these days. Especially if you handle other people's data or process payments on your website or social media pages. So, when it comes to mitigating social media cyber fraud and protecting your company's digital assets, these are the best practices: Raise awareness of cybersecurity risks and provide training on identifying and handling social engineering attempts, phishing schemes, and malicious content. Educate Employees: Encourage the use of unique and complex passwords for social media accounts and use multi-factor authentication where available. Implement Strong Password Practices: Restrict social media account access to only the necessary personnel and regularly review permissions. Implement processes for revoking access upon employee termination. Monitor and Limit Access: Keep company computers and devices up-to-date with the latest security patches, antivirus software, and firewall protection. Secure Company Devices: Create comprehensive guidelines outlining acceptable practices for employees using company social media accounts and debating online conduct, content sharing, and privacy settings. Establish Social Media Usage Policies: Authenticate the legitimacy of new followers and friend requests, and carefully review message content before engaging with unknown senders. Be Vigilant in Connections: Actively watch your company's social media presence, account activity, and engagement metrics. Be aware of any suspicious changes that may indicate compromised accounts or shadowbanning. Regularly Monitor Your Online Presence: Summing up Social media cyber security doesn’t just affect your Instagram or TikTok accounts… It has a bigger and broader impact that can snowball and affect your business in more ways than you might first think. From data loss or account hacking to the loss of your hard work building up social media accounts - being aware of the threats is the first step in preventing falling victim to cyber crimes.

How to Avoid the Cyber Security Risks that Affect Social Media

সোশ্যাল মিডিয়াকে প্রভাবিত করে এমন সাইবার নিরাপত্তা ঝুঁকিগুলি কীভাবে এড়ানো যায়

So vermeiden Sie die Cybersicherheitsrisiken, die soziale Medien betreffen

Cómo evitar los riesgos de ciberseguridad que afectan a las redes sociales

Comment éviter les risques de cybersécurité qui affectent les médias sociaux

सोशल मीडिया को प्रभावित करने वाले साइबर सुरक्षा जोखिमों से कैसे बचें

ソーシャルメディアに影響を与えるサイバーセキュリティリスクを回避する方法

소셜 미디어에 영향을 미치는 사이버 보안 위험을 피하는 방법

Como evitar os riscos de segurança cibernética que afetam as mídias sociais

Как избежать рисков кибербезопасности, влияющих на социальные сети

Sosyal Medyayı Etkileyen Siber Güvenlik Risklerinden Nasıl Korunulur?

Cách tránh rủi ro an ninh mạng ảnh hưởng đến truyền thông xã hội

如何避免影响社交媒体的网络安全风险

Those familiar with React or any other javascript framework are already aware of the component-based architecture. You break the UI into reusable pieces of code and stitch them together when required. Custom elements in HTML are a way to extend native elements. Javascript frameworks simulate the behavior of components in a web page whereas custom elements provide a native HTML-ly way to do so. A web component uses custom elements along with other techniques, such as the shadow DOM. HTML Types Of Custom Elements # Autonomous custom elements Customized built-in elements Autonomous custom elements extend the generic class. On the other hand, a customized custom element extends a specific HTML element's class and builds on top of existing functionality. For example, if you want a custom anchor element, you can extend the . HTMLElement HTMLAnchorElement Defining Custom Elements # To define a custom element, we need to create a javascript class extending the native HTMLElement class. Try creating the below custom element in a code pen: class Demo extends HTMLElement {
  constructor() {
    super()
  }
  
  connectedCallback() {
    this.textContent = "hello"
  }
}

customElements.define("demo", Demo) And then invoking it in HTML: <demo></demo> It won't let you create it. Why? See the error. Uncaught SyntaxError: Failed to execute 'define' on 'CustomElementRegistry': "demo" is not a valid custom element name This is not a bug, this is intentionally done to separate custom elements from native HTML elements. Custom elements must contain a hyphen in their name to make custom elements recognizable and distinct from HTML elements. So now, if you change it to something like and change the class name to , it works. demo-webc DemoWebC class DemoWebC extends HTMLElement {
  constructor() {
    super()
    this.customProperty = "custom"
  }
  
  connectedCallback() {
    this.textContent = "hello"
  }
}

// two arguments: tag name, class name
customElements.define("demo-webc", DemoWebC) It is always recommended to call the method first in the constructor as it initializes the default properties of the class by invoking its constructor. super() HTMLElement The method is for detecting when the element is loaded into the page. There's also a method named which detects if the element is removed from the page. A third method name says that the element has moved to a new page. connectedCallback() disconnectedCallback() adoptedCallback() You can define custom properties inside the constructor and use them as custom attributes in your element. constructor() {
    super()
    this.customProperty = {
        name: "data-custom",
        value: "custom value"
    }

    connectedCallback() {
        this.textContent = "hello"
        this.setAttribute(this.customAttribute.name, this.customAttribute.value)
    }
} But what if you need to modify the functionality of the attribute's value change? That's where method comes into action. In order to see it in action, you need to first define a static class property and set it to an array of all the attributes you want to keep track of. attributeChangedCallback() observedAttributes The fires if those attributes mentioned in the static property change. Note that if the attribute is already present when the custom element loads, this method is fired at that time, too. attributeChangedCallback() observedAttributes static observedAttributes = ["data-custom"]

constructor() {
    super()
}

attributeChangedCallback(name, old, newValue) {
    console.log(name, old, newValue)
} Once you are done with building a custom element, you must register it by using the method. It's callable on the global object ( ), which is a registry of custom elements. define() customElements window.customElements customElements.define("custom-element-name", ClassName, options) This was all for defining a customized autonomous custom element. What about extending only an anchor HTML element? For that, instead of extending the class, extend the class. And specify which type of HTML element it extends with the option. HTMLElement HTMLAnchorElement extends class DemoAnchor extends HTMLAnchorElement {
  constructor() {
    super()
  }
  
  connectedCallback() {
    this.textContent = "syntackle.live"
    this.href = "https://syntackle.live"
  }
}

customElements.define("demo-anchor", DemoAnchor, { extends: "a" }) You can't use this element like because it's not an autonomous element, instead you can use it like this: <demo-anchor> <a is="demo-anchor"></a> Web Components # Web components are more than just custom elements. They sometimes also involve a shadow DOM. A DOM, as the name suggests, is a sub-DOM tree for HTML elements. It is mainly used for encapsulation and restricting styles up to the web component only. "shadow" Shadow DOM To create a shadow DOM, attach it to a host, in our case the custom element itself is a host to the shadow DOM. However, the shadow DOM can only be attached to a custom element or . these built-in elements mentioned in the HTML spec You access elements outside the shadow DOM from inside the shadow DOM. can class DemoWebC extends HTMLElement {
  constructor() {
    super()
  }

  connectedCallback() {
    const shadow = this.attachShadow({mode: "open"})

    const style = document.createElement("style")
    style.textContent = `p { color: blue; }`
    shadow.appendChild(style)

    const text = document.createElement("p")
    text.textContent = "hello"
    shadow.appendChild(text)
  }
}

customElements.define("demo-webc", DemoWebC) Shadow DOM has two modes: and . Open means external elements in the page can modify the contents of the shadow DOM by using property. In the mode, the shadow DOM is not accessible from outside using the property as it is in this case. open closed shadowRoot closed shadowRoot null Try doing this on a closed shadow DOM custom element: console.log(document.querySelector("demo-webc").shadowRoot) It returns . null and are extremely useful when building complex custom elements or web components. Diving deep into them is out of the scope of this article, but here are some good resources for them: Templates slots Using templates and slots - Web APIs | MDN Shadow DOM slots, composition Working with Slots and Web Components Styling Shadow DOM The shadow DOM can be styled either by: Constructing a object, inserting CSS in it using and attaching it to the shadow DOM using the property. CSSStyleSheet replaceSync() adoptedStyleSheets const shadowDOM = this.attachShadow({mode: "open"})
const styleSheet = new CSSStyleSheet()
styleSheet.replaceSync(p { color: blue; })
shadowDOM.adoptedStyleSheets = [styleSheet] Declaring styles using a . <template> <template id="custom">
  <head>
    <style>p { color: blue; }</style>
  </head>
  <p>Web Component</p>
</template> const shadowDOM = this.attachShadow({ mode: "open" })
const template = document.querySelector("#custom")
shadowDOM.appendChild(template.content.cloneNode(true)) Simply creating a tag and inserting CSS as text in it. style const style = document.createElement("style")
style.textContent = p { color: blue; }
shadow.appendChild(style) Creating Your Own Web Component # The first web component shown below is a custom button element, which opens a element. And the second web component involves a shadow DOM to pretty print JSON strings in HTML. dialog https://codepen.io/seekertruth/pen/LYaYqmo?embedable=true Similarly, you can create your own custom elements and use them anywhere you want. Also published . here

Understanding Web Components And Custom Elements in HTML

UI Throwback: Creating a Retro Progress Bar for iOS using CALayers

UI থ্রোব্যাক: CALayers ব্যবহার করে iOS-এর জন্য একটি রেট্রো প্রোগ্রেস বার তৈরি করা

UI-Rückblick: Erstellen einer Retro-Fortschrittsleiste für iOS mit CALayers

Retroceso de la interfaz de usuario: creación de una barra de progreso retro para iOS usando CALayers

Retour sur l'interface utilisateur : création d'une barre de progression rétro pour iOS à l'aide de CALayers

यूआई थ्रोबैक: CALayers का उपयोग करके iOS के लिए एक रेट्रो प्रोग्रेस बार बनाना

UI スローバック: CALayers を使用した iOS 用のレトロ プログレス バーの作成

UI 후퇴: CALayer를 사용하여 iOS용 레트로 진행률 표시줄 만들기

Retrocesso da IU: criação de uma barra de progresso retrô para iOS usando CALayers

Возврат к пользовательскому интерфейсу: создание ретро-индикатора выполнения для iOS с помощью CALayers

Kullanıcı Arayüzü Gerilemesi: CALayers'ı kullanarak iOS için Retro İlerleme Çubuğu oluşturma

Phản hồi giao diện người dùng: Tạo Thanh tiến trình Retro cho iOS bằng cách sử dụng CALayers

UI 复古：使用 CALayers 创建 iOS 复古进度条

In the digital age, social media has become an essential platform for expressing opinions, raising awareness, and fostering conversations on a global scale. However, recent allegations of shadowbanning on major platforms during the Israel-Hamas conflict have ignited concerns about the fair treatment of content’s accessibility. As Meta, Instagram, and TikTok face accusations of suppressing voices based on their standpoint, an alternative social media app for adults, Clapper, is emerging as a platform that values and champions free speech. The Shadow-Banning Controversy Social media giants like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have faced backlash for allegedly censoring content related to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Activists, journalists, and ordinary users worldwide have reported that posts expressing support for Palestinians, using hashtags like “#FreePalestine” or “#IStandWithPalestine,” have been hidden or, in some cases, shadow-banned. Digital rights organizations have been tracking potential violations of Palestinians' digital rights during the conflict. Some users have reported a decrease in engagement after posting content supporting Palestine, leading to concerns about the platforms' moderation systems and the fair treatment of such content. Clapper: A Haven for Free Speech Amidst these controversies, Clapper, a social media app designed for adults, has positioned itself as a platform that prioritizes free speech. Built on the belief that free speech is a fundamental and invaluable right, Clapper encourages users to exercise their First Amendment rights, even if their opinions differ from the platform's stance. Users on Clapper have found a refuge for expressing their views without fear of censorship. Unlike the major social media platforms facing accusations of shadowbanning, Clapper ensures that all users' voices are heard, fostering an environment where diverse opinions can coexist. The Clapper Experience One notable example is a TikTok user who, after being banned for posting educational videos about Israel's history of human rights violations, joined Clapper to be able to continue educating his audience of over half a million followers. The user expressed astonishment at the "night and day" difference in their experience. While TikTok immediately shadow-banned their content, Clapper provided a space where users engaged, shared opinions, and allowed for meaningful conversations. A 33-year-old marketing manager from Vancouver shared a similar sentiment. On Instagram, her views sharply decreased when she posted about Palestine, raising concerns about censorship. Clapper, however, offered a different experience, allowing for open discussions without the fear of shadow-banning. " " A lot of people on Clapper actually disagreed with my viewpoint, but I prefer that to getting silenced. At least when people disagree with my content, it allows for conversation and educational back and forth. When content is shadowbanned and creators are scared to post about a certain topic, it does us all a disservice. Commitment to Free Expression Clapper's commitment to free expression is a stark contrast to the challenges faced by users on mainstream social media platforms. As controversies surrounding content moderation continue to unfold, Clapper stands out as a platform that embraces the diversity of opinions, encouraging users to exercise their right to free speech without fear of repercussions. In a landscape where social media giants are scrutinized for their moderation practices, Clapper's approach reinforces the idea that free speech is an essential pillar of a thriving online community. As users seek platforms that prioritize open dialogue, Clapper has positioned itself as a beacon for those who value the unrestricted exchange of ideas.

Clapper: Championing Free Speech Amidst Social Media Censorship Controversies

ক্ল্যাপার: সোশ্যাল মিডিয়া সেন্সরশিপ বিতর্কের মধ্যে মুক্ত বক্তৃতাকে চ্যাম্পিয়ন করা

Clapper: Eintreten für freie Meinungsäußerung inmitten von Kontroversen über Zensur in sozialen Medien

Clapper: Defendiendo la libertad de expresión en medio de controversias sobre la censura en las redes sociales

Clapper : Défendre la liberté d'expression au milieu des controverses sur la censure des médias sociaux

क्लैपर: सोशल मीडिया सेंसरशिप विवादों के बीच मुक्त भाषण की वकालत

クラッパー氏：ソーシャルメディア検閲論争の中で言論の自由を擁護

클래퍼(Clapper): 소셜 미디어 검열 논란 속에서 언론의 자유 옹호

Clapper: Defendendo a liberdade de expressão em meio a controvérsias de censura nas redes sociais

Клэппер: защита свободы слова на фоне споров о цензуре в социальных сетях

Clapper: Sosyal Medya Sansürü Tartışmalarının Ortasında İfade Özgürlüğünü Desteklemek

Clapper: Ủng hộ tự do ngôn luận giữa những tranh cãi về kiểm duyệt trên mạng xã hội

Clapper：在社交媒体审查争议中倡导言论自由

In the realm of cryptocurrencies, the pursuit of enhanced privacy and anonymity has spurred the development of various privacy-focused coins, each striving to address the transparency limitations inherent in traditional blockchain networks like Bitcoin. Among these privacy coins, has introduced a distinctive approach with Blackbytes (often referenced as their larger unit — Giga-blackbytes, or GBB). Obyte While traditional privacy coins often employ intricate cryptographic techniques like (used by Zcash) or Confidential Transactions and Ring Signatures (used by Monero) to obscure transaction details, take a different path. In this exploration, we will delve into the features of Blackbytes within the Obyte ecosystem and compare them to other leading privacy coins. zk-SNARKs Obyte's blackbytes Why use privacy coins at all? Privacy coins like Blackbytes in the Obyte ecosystem and Monero or Zcash outside offer a compelling solution to a key concern within the cryptocurrency realm: privacy and confidentiality. In an era of increasing digital surveillance and data breaches, individuals are seeking ways to protect their financial transactions from prying eyes. Privacy coins provide a shield against the transparent nature of most networks, ensuring that sensitive financial information remains confidential. The most known cryptocurrencies to date, like Bitcoin ( ), Ethereum ( ), , and several don’t offer this feature at all. Besides, every transaction includes details like addresses involved, amounts, dates, fees, and more. BTC ETH BNB stablecoins Their ledgers are public, which means anyone can consult every transaction ever done just by looking into an explorer. The appeal of privacy coins lies in their ability to obscure transaction details, such as sender, receiver, and transaction amount. This enhanced privacy not only safeguards users' financial information but also protects their identities from potentially malicious actors. Whether it's protecting personal spending habits or shielding business transactions from competitors, privacy coins offer a level of discretion that traditional cryptocurrencies cannot match. Moreover, privacy coins contribute to fungibility—a fundamental property of money where each unit is interchangeable with another. In transparent ledgers, tainted coins, such as those associated with illicit activities, can be tracked and discriminated against. , ensuring that all units of the currency are equal and indistinguishable. As the demand for financial privacy grows, privacy coins like Blackbytes and Monero are poised to play a pivotal role in reshaping the future of secure and confidential transactions. Privacy coins mitigate this issue by dissociating transaction history from the coin's current use Most popular techniques (and coins) Privacy coins employ a diverse array of techniques to ensure confidential transactions, each with its own unique approach to achieving anonymity. Here's of some prominent techniques and the coins that utilize them: an overview CoinJoin is a technique that involves combining multiple transactions from different users into a single transaction. This obscures the original source of the funds, making it difficult to trace individual transactions. Users voluntarily participate in mixing their transactions, creating a larger pool of funds and making it challenging to determine the source of any particular coin. Bitcoin-based privacy wallets like Wasabi utilize CoinJoin to enhance user privacy, but individual coins use this method. CoinJoin: like Dash (DASH) Also widely known as zero-knowledge proofs, this advanced offers mathematical proofs that one party has possession of certain information without revealing what that information is. So, it allows the verification of transaction validity without revealing transaction details. Zcash (ZEC) and Dusk Network (DUSK) use this feature at different levels. 2. zk-SNARKs (Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Argument of Knowledge): cryptographic technique They’re a mechanism where the sender generates random, disposable addresses for each transaction on behalf of the recipient. While the recipient discloses a single address, all incoming payments are routed to distinct addresses within the network. This arrangement effectively severs any traceable link between the recipient's disclosed address and the addresses used for actual transactions. Monero (XMR) uses this technique, along with others. Ethereum (ETH) is also a “light” version of it. 3. Stealth Addresses: considering A employs a combination of a user's account keys and public keys (referred to as outputs) drawn from the ledger. Over time, prior outputs could be reused to create potential signers. Within this group of potential signers, known as a "ring," all members are treated as equally legitimate and valid. This uniformity makes it impossible for an external observer to discern which signer within the group corresponds to the user's account. So, the use of ring signatures guarantees that the origins of transaction outputs remain untraceable. Monero (XMR) and ShadowCash (SDC) use this method. 4. Ring Signatures: ring signature It’s a protocol to enhance both scalability and privacy. It allows the transaction data to be removed without compromising security. Therefore, there are no addresses, and transactions are confidential. Grin (GRIN) and Beam (BEAM) are two notable cryptocurrencies that implement Mimblewimble to achieve privacy and scalability. 5. Mimblewimble: designed All of these methods and coins have their own advantages and disadvantages. However, they’re likely sharing the same weakness that undermines their privacy. Privacy coins in centralized exchanges Regardless of the cryptographic techniques employed to conceal transaction particulars, These exchanges, acting as intermediaries for trading and liquidity, often require users to reveal certain transaction information for regulatory compliance, anti-money laundering (AML), and know-your-customer (KYC) procedures. This crucial step compromises the confidentiality that users have sought through privacy-enhancing features within cryptocurrencies. the inherent privacy of cryptocurrencies becomes vulnerable once they enter the realm of centralized crypto exchanges. Even when private coins incorporate advanced methods such as zk-SNARKs, CoinJoin, or stealth addresses to obfuscate transaction details, the transfer of these coins to centralized exchanges necessitates revealing sender and recipient identities, as well as transaction amounts. This information can be accessed by the exchange's operators, regulators, and potentially malicious actors, effectively undermining the privacy safeguards these coins offer within their native ecosystems. As a result, the transition from private transactions to the centralized exchange environment introduces a critical trade-off between privacy and compliance. This conundrum underscores the broader challenge facing the cryptocurrency landscape, where the pursuit of anonymity and regulatory adherence often find themselves in conflict. Additionally, because of regulatory scrutiny, several such as ShapeShift, Bittrex, , and CoinSpot have voluntarily chosen to delist privacy coins like Monero and Dash in some other regions. So far, Japan, South Korea, Dubai, and Australia have banned these coins from exchanges. prominent exchanges Binance Blackbytes in the Obyte wallet Unlike the aforementioned coins, Blackbytes is more focused on individual users and devices. This asset divides the internal data of its transactions into two parts. One part is publicly available and registered in the DAG as an undecipherable hash. The rest of the related information (amount, involved addresses, dates, parents and children’s transactions, etc.) is sent directly to the recipient(s) via end-to-end encrypted private message. If you try to find any evidence about Blackbytes transactions in the public , you’ll just find a wall. As for the ‘public’ hash, only the involved users know its origin and the hidden data. Obyte explorer Only the involved users have this data on their own devices (in the form of a digital file), offline. Users can exchange this asset between them directly, without middlemen, via the . They also can use the built-in chatbots to buy and sell Blackbytes, with an Obyte Hub as the only intermediary for end-to-end encrypted messages. The hub is a storage node: a service for temporarily storing and forwarding encrypted private messages (or transactions) to connected devices. Obyte wallet As the reads: Obyte whitepaper “When a device wants to send something to another device, it connects to the recipient’s hub and sends the message. Unlike email, there is no relay — the sender connects directly to the recipient’s hub. All communication between devices is end-to-end encrypted and digitally signed so that even the hub (who is the only man in the middle) cannot see or modify it. We use ECDSA for signing and ECDH+AES for encryption.” No data for exchanges Due to the inclusion of past transactions in the shared private data among involved parties, the final users could potentially glean insights from previous users and their interactions with the same asset. as such exchanges would accumulate significant quantities of Blackbytes and unravel substantial aspects of its historical usage. This circumstance renders Blackbytes ineligible for inclusion on centralized exchanges, Contrarily, Blackbytes was intentionally designed for decentralized utilization, serving as a true peer-to-peer (P2P) coin. The sharing of its data is restricted to individual users, exclusively exchanging between peers, thereby ensuring its confidentiality. Transaction records are stored locally on users' devices, inaccessible to external parties. Besides, in a strategic effort to mitigate potential concerns, Blackbytes employs fixed denominations for its "coins" or "notes." These denominations, like 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, etc., are unique and boast distinct histories. They remain separate and cannot merge, precluding the combination of "1s" to form a "2." This unique characteristic serves to abbreviate the transaction history of each asset, minimizing the disclosure of past ownership details. The right to privacy Decentralized money was created by , in the first place. The digital world is being increasingly watched these days. Governments, companies, and even other individuals are now pretty capable of following our virtual steps —including the financial ones. Luckily, we can use a wide array of privacy tools to protect our transactions and personal data. privacy activists Blackbytes is just another of those tools. In the Obyte wallet, for instance, you can (and should) set a password, backup your wallet data out of the Internet, establish spending restrictions, and activate the use of TOR (the privacy browser). All of this is in the section “Settings (Global Preferences)”. It’s important to combine it with others to reach a good level of online privacy. In addition to it, you could also use tools like Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), non-corporate operating systems, one-time emails, encrypted online communication apps, metadata cleaners, and password managers. Of course, you should also stay away from public WiFi networks and centralized exchanges if you want your transactions to remain private. Blackbytes in Obyte is a great tool for it! Featured Vector Image by Freepik

Exploring Privacy Coins: Blackbytes in Obyte vs. Other Contenders

Explorando monedas de privacidad: Blackbytes en Obyte frente a otros contendientes

Explorer les pièces de confidentialité : les Blackbytes dans Obyte par rapport aux autres concurrents

गोपनीयता सिक्कों की खोज: ओबाइट बनाम अन्य दावेदारों में ब्लैकबाइट्स

プライバシーコインの探求: オバイトのブラックバイトと他の競合者

Explorando moedas de privacidade: Blackbytes em Obyte versus outros concorrentes

Khám phá các đồng tiền riêng tư: Blackbyte trong Obyte so với các đối thủ khác

探索隐私币：Obyte 中的 Blackbytes 与其他竞争者

This content references subject matter that may be sensitive to algorithms in support of censorship agendas; please share with those you care about directly. References in this article (Lord of the Rings spoilers) — = The reach of bots and web of identity created by OpenAI https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Eye_of_Sauron = The quest for all-seeing AI superintelligence (2000 IQ AI) https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/The_One_Ring As we celebrate the newfound intelligence of GPT language models, we are also possibly, helping build a construct of control, unlike anything society has seen. have been deployed almost everywhere we interact, categorizing our sentiments and personalities, defending or attacking the thoughts they are biased towards. The missing link, until today, has been identity, a thing few give up in full without incentive or mandate. The web of identity that few have an incentive to actually create. Language models Ready for your eye scan? Worldcoin launches—but not quite worldwide " " says OpenAI chief. The US does not make or break a project like this, source Some might think we have spawned into an episode of bad , soon to be over, but this is the reality in 2023. We live in a time where the largest AI’s biased moderation efforts are being relabeled to the public as “safety.” The smartest versions are held back in the name of “safety.” Unfiltered access is only given to insiders in the name of “safety,” and in the name of “safety,” efforts to suppress genuine feedback regarding the degradation of the service for the average user are orchestrated. sci-fi Who decides what makes us safe? What is on this ever-growing list of things for “safety”? China should play a key role in shaping the artificial intelligence guardrails needed to ensure the safety of transformative new systems, OpenAI Inc.’s Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman said. source One day soon, will be able to interpret footage from every connected camera on Earth. It will be able to analyze a person’s social history within seconds to make an opinion of them and craft campaigns to discredit them or even decode information in real-time from our brains. Today these bots are used in mass to sway public opinion, giving voice to hidden agendas that do not tire as people grow frustrated trying to find a way to voice opinion online. real-time AI If intentions were truly to stop the influx of bot manipulation across media, maybe they should start with terms of service and internal rules that prohibit this behavior or analysis of this type of usage within the platform. An open organization would provide data and tools to assist others in combating the invasion of the social internet, but the perception is that the AI leader would rather control it. Is a focus on control really what we need for the minds behind the smartest AI? Is it safe to build something more intelligent than humans while simultaneously seeking to attack free will? Recent efforts may be labeled as a race for super-intelligence or a race to fight the flood of bots swarming our internet, but it seems as if the race is for control of thought itself. While many speculate on the topic of GPT getting dumber, what maybe has manifested are smarter censors. Access to the unfiltered versions remains privileged without any mention of what people or entities have access to it. The world needs transparency on these controls, but ask the wrong audience, and you might find yourself muted, shadowbanned, or trolled regardless of the platform. In an age where a single person can command an army of biased bots with the intent to manipulate with a single prompt, shouldn’t we be asking more questions about who holds this ring of power and how they use it? At what point do the stakes in a concept become high enough that it is acceptable to question the intentions and motives of the people building it before we buy? Controlling all thought was once a long shot, but now the tools exist to actually do it. We walk through the world often manipulated by smarter people; how will we walk through a world manipulated by 2000 IQ AI of unknown or hidden intention? My greatest concern for humanity is that people do not wake up in time to the constructs of control that are being built before our AIs. It is critical that we voice resistance to the approaching censorship in mass and create an expectation for more transparency. Resist the retina scanning, resist overbearing verification efforts, and resist control to keep your autonomy for truth. The intention behind every effort to tune or align a language model should be documented somewhere, and these actions should be public. We need transparency and decentralization of these control mechanisms; no person is strong enough to carry such responsibility. Given there are people in this world that seek total control, who or what can we trust to carry this ring of power forward to a more free society? Technology can be used to liberate or control. Pick a side and fearlessly question what side others are on in this race against time. Thoughts are being programmed. The is not what it seems. Build, advocate, and strive for something better. OpenAI Our future depends on free thought. Is it an open AI, or is it an open A-lie?

The OpenAI Is Everywhere, Open Your Eye and Give It Your Retina so It Can See You Too 

As I continue to play around with and learn more about web components, I thought I'd build a simple component to make it easier to add a slideshow. By that, I mean something that renders one picture but provides controls to go to more images. I've probably built this many times in the past, both in JavaScript and server-side code, and I thought it would be a nice candidate for a component. As with most of my demos so far, there's a lot more that could be done with it, but I thought I'd share what I have so far. Once again I want to give a shout-out to for helping me get this code working. (At the end of the post, I'll share the mistake I made, as I think it's something others will run into, as well as a modified version Simon built.) Simon MacDonald Ok, so I began by "designing" how I wanted to use the component in a regular HTML page. I wanted to allow for a list of images passed in via an attribute: <slide-show images="
	https://placekitten.com/500/500,
	https://picsum.photos/id/1/500/500,
	https://via.placeholder.com/500,
	https://placebear.com/500/500,
	https://baconmockup.com/500/500
	">
</slide-show> Note that I added some space around the URLs. I did that to make the code more readable and easier to modify. (I had to modify my source URLs a few times.) The tag also supports a attribute and generally should always be used but it defaults to 500. width <slide-show width="500" images="
	https://placekitten.com/500/500,
	https://picsum.photos/id/1/500/500,
	https://via.placeholder.com/500,
	https://placebear.com/500/500,
	https://baconmockup.com/500/500
	">
</slide-show> Now let's look at the JavaScript code. It's not terribly long so I'll share the whole bit, and then talk about what each part is doing: class SlideShow extends HTMLElement {

	constructor() {

		super();

		const shadow = this.attachShadow({mode:'open'});

		if(!this.hasAttribute('images')) {
			console.warn('slide-show called with no images');
			return;
		}

		if(!this.hasAttribute('width')) {
			// default
			this.setAttribute('width', 500);
		}

		/*
		Convert attribute into an array and do some trimming so that the end user can have some spacing
		*/
		this.images = this.getAttribute('images').split(',').map(i => i.trim());
		
		// preload for quicker response, we don't need to wait for this
		this.preload(this.images);

		this.totalImages = this.images.length;

		this.current = 0;

		const wrapper = document.createElement('div');
		
		wrapper.innerHTML = `
		<img id="currentImage" src="${this.images[this.current]}">
		<p>
		<button id="prevButton">Previous</button> 
		Picture <span id="currentPicture">1</span> of ${this.totalImages}
		<button id="nextButton">Next</button> 
		</p>
		`;

		this.$nextButton = wrapper.querySelector('#nextButton');
		this.$prevButton = wrapper.querySelector('#prevButton');
		this.$currentPicture = wrapper.querySelector('#currentPicture');
		this.$image = wrapper.querySelector('#currentImage');
		
		const style = document.createElement('style');
		style.innerHTML = `
div {
	width: ${this.getAttribute('width')}px
}
p {
text-align: center;
}
		`;
		shadow.appendChild(wrapper);
		shadow.appendChild(style);
		
	}

	connectedCallback() {
		this.$nextButton.addEventListener('click', this.nextImage.bind(this));
		this.$prevButton.addEventListener('click', this.prevImage.bind(this));
	}

	nextImage() {
		if(this.current+1 == this.totalImages) return; 
		this.current++;
		this.updateImage();
	}

	prevImage() {
		if(this.current == 0) return; 
		this.current--;
		this.updateImage();
	}

	updateImage() {
		this.$image.src = this.images[this.current];
		this.$currentPicture.innerText = this.current+1;
	}

	preload(i) {
		for(let x=0; x<i.length; x++) {
			let img = new Image();
			img.src = i[x];
		}
	}
}

customElements.define('slide-show', SlideShow); Alright, so from the top, I start with some basic validation. If you don't pass any images, the tag doesn't have anything to do so it might as well abort. I mentioned that the tag supports a width attribute and while it defaults, I would probably use it consistently in production. This part, this.images = this.getAttribute('images').split(',').map(i => i.trim()); Is the bit that lets me add line breaks and stuff around the URLs. I really like this little bit as it makes it much easier for the developer to make use of the tag. User experience FTW! Speaking of experience, I added a function that automatically loads all the images. In theory, this will make the slideshow zippier as the user navigates through the images. I don't wait for it to finish, which I think is a good trade-off between trying to load things early and letting the user navigate as soon as they want. preload Next up, I have the basic layout of the component. It's just an image with a paragraph beneath it. That paragraph contains my buttons as well as some text letting the user know what picture they're on as well as how many total images are available. I also create a style element with just a bit of layout control. This could be prettier. I don't do pretty. That's most of the constructor explained. In the event handler, I add my event listeners to the buttons, being careful to bind the scope correctly and I totally didn't mess that up the first time around, honest. (I made a completely different mistake.) The event handlers do basic "end of range" checks and just update a value for the current image, then chaining off to to update the DOM. connectedBacllback this updateImage You can see the entire thing in action below: https://codepen.io/cfjedimaster/pen/eYjygxN?embedable=true The source for this demo is up on my GitHub repo here So, let me leave you with a few notes. In my original version, I was making use of and with an attribute name that was camel-cased. You can't do that. I had which isn't a valid web component attribute. I remember that now - but didn't when I was building. getAttribute setAttribute currentImage I mentioned Simon helped me out, and he also built his own version. (His version was built before I added the text.) You can find it here. There's something missing from this component that I need to add, and will do so in my next post. It should be possible, via JavaScript, to modify the images. In theory, you could modify them now, but it wouldn't change anything. Web components definitely let you support that and I'm going to build a second version to demonstrate that! (And give me an excuse to blog again!) Also published here.

A Simple Web Component for Building a Slideshow

SHADOWFAX

shadowfax.in

-- employees

Since n.d.

COMPANY RANKING

SHADOWFAX

EVERGREEN INDEX #9999

Representing this company? Click here to claim and customize this page!

Shadowfax WIKI

Apply to get your Tech Company News Page live on HackerNoon.com today!

SHADOWFAX

shadowfax.in

-- employees

Since n.d.

COMPANY RANKING

SHADOWFAX

EVERGREEN INDEX #9999

RELATED COMPANIESRANK

STORIES ABOUT SHADOWFAX

Representing this company? Click here to claim and customize this page!

Shadowfax WIKI

Apply to get your Tech Company News Page live on HackerNoon.com today!