Indian short-video sharing platform Chingari is preparing to launch its own blockchain network and social token. Chingari has completed a $19-million funding round to launch its mainnet and conduct a token sale for its Solana-based GARI token in November, the firm announced on Friday. Chingari co-founder and CEO Sumit Ghosh said that the token sale is scheduled for Nov. 2, while the mainnet launch and application integration are expected to have gone live by the end of that month. Co-led by major blockchain investors such as Republic Crypto and Mike Novogratz’s investment firm, Galaxy Digital, the new raise included over …

Facebook’s conglomerate of social applications, including Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and its virtual reality headset Oculus, all suffered a major power outage on Monday, switching the platforms offline for a total of six hours to the effect of billions of users and businesses across the world. The incident was first reported at approximately 3:16 pm UTC on Monday when a surge of complaints emerged from users worldwide claiming that they were unable to access their favorite social networking platforms. A Cloudflare post-analysis of the crisis concluded that Facebook “had stopped announcing the routes to their DNS prefixes,” which meant that the …

Major social media and communication platforms Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp went offline Monday as the price of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies surged. As data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro shows, Bitcoin (BTC) price moved above $49,000 after falling to a daily low of $47,166, an increase of roughly 4.5% in less than two hours. Similarly, the price of Ether (ETH) rose 3.5% over the same period to reach $3,411 at the time of publication. The sudden price volatility comes as major social media platform Facebook, photo and video sharing app Instagram, and messenger app WhatsApp — both owned by Facebook — …

Social media platform TikTok has announced its first foray into the nonfungible token, or NFT, market with a new collection inspired by its leading trend-setters. On Thursday, the company unveiled TikTok Top Moments, a new program that allows creators to be recognized and rewarded for their content. The NFT drops will be launched on Ethereum and powered by Immutable X, a new scaling solution for layer-two NFT protocol Immutable. TikTok Top Moments is said to feature a selection of six TikTok videos from the network’s most influential creators. Each one is intended to celebrate the impact of these creators in …

Social media giant Twitter will be enabling cryptocurrency options to its tipping jar, allowing any user to pay through the platform. In a Thursday blog post, Twitter staff product manager Esther Crawford said the crypto tips feature would be available for all iOS users globally and the platform plans to roll out options for Android in the coming weeks. The crypto option will allow users to link third-party apps, including Cash App, Patreon, Venmo, Chipper, Bandcamp, Razorpay, GoFundMe, PicPay, and Wealthsimple Cash — depending on their region — to their Twitter bios and individual Tweets to receive funds. “We want …

The Canadian Securities Administrators, or CSA, and Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada, or IIROC, have issued guidelines for crypto trading platforms operating in the country to avoid “advertising and marketing materials that could mislead investors.” In a Thursday publication, the Canadian regulators’ guidelines warn crypto companies not to advertise “gambling style” promotions in which an investor is encouraged to sign up within a given time limit to take advantage of a reward or opportunity. Though the guidance was seemingly vague on restrictions concerning social media posts, the regulators recommended trading platforms designate an individual to review and approve communications …

Social media platforms are constantly under fire for their lack of total end-to-end encryption, existing privacy policies and censorship – but a blockchain-based solution might spell the end to an era of centralized social media dominance. In many ways, social media is a vital component of daily life for both businesses and the average consumer. Today, these platforms connect individuals with their desired type of content based on their own inputs. This streamlined feed being served to users leading them to the businesses waiting at the end, should be the perfect scenario. However, when it comes to distributing the rewards, …

Twitter appears to be developing functionality that enables users to add Bitcoin and Ethereum addresses to their profiles. The latest update is believed to be a part of Twitter’s Tip Jar feature, which was introduced in May this year, and adds to reports, which surfaced earlier this week, that the firm would enable Bitcoin (BTC) tipping for content creators. Italian mobile developer and self-described “leaker” Alessandro Paluzzi tweeted screenshots on Thursday that showed BTC and Ether (ETH) wallet address options in the settings toolbar of the app version of Twitter. #Twitter is working to allow you to add your #Bitcoin …

Not so many years ago, Lamborghinis were the main “flex” for crypto “moon-boys” as token prices reached astronomic valuations. Several high-profile cryptocurrency proponents made it a habit of arriving at conferences behind the wheels of exotic supercars and “when Lambo” was a popular refrain in the industry. These days, nonfungible tokens (NFT) are arguably the main topic of conversation in the crypto space, and ownership of expensive PNGs to be displayed on social media profile pictures is the new status symbol for the “cryptorati.” Tweeting on Thursday, Chinese crypto journalist Colin Wu reported that internet bigwigs in the country are …

As Facebook now finalizes the development of its proprietary cryptocurrency wallet, Novi, the social media giant could soon be supporting nonfungible tokens (NFT). David Marcus, head of Facebook Financial and co-creator of Facebook-initiated cryptocurrency Diem, said Wednesday that the firm is “definitely looking” at possible ways to get involved in the NFT industry. Facebook is considering multiple options to introduce NFT features, as it finds itself in a “really good position to do so,” Marcus said in a Bloomberg Television interview. “When you have a good crypto wallet like Novi will be, you also have to think about how to …

HODL Assets, a nonfungible token (NFT) aggregator platform, has announced the acquisition of blockchain-based social network and commerce platform CoinLinked. According to a release issued on Wednesday, Wall Street veteran and CoinLinked founder Jenny Q. Ta will also join the HODL Assets team as chief operating officer. The CoinLinked acquisition is part of a broader plan by HODL Assets to upscale its presence in the nonfungible token space with the launch of its NFT marketplace dubbed HODL platform. HODL Asset’s new NFT platform will reportedly offer gaming and social networking features to the expanding NFT space. The CoinLinked acquisition likely …

Mike Tyson bites the ear off NFTs Boxing legend Mike Tyson has dropped a series of tokenized collectibles on the heavyweight champion platform of the nonfungible token (NFT) world, OpenSea. The 55-year-old collaborated with digital artist Cory Van Lew to launch the “Mike Tyson NFT Collection,” which consists of 11 one-of-one NFTs up for auction and six open-edition NFTs that range from 50 to 250 copies. The collection was released earlier on Friday. The NFTs depict neon-colored illustrations of iconic moments from Tyson’s career, such as knockouts, championship wins and the notorious “ear-biting” escapade. At the time of writing, there …