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Time Business News
a day ago
- Business
- Time Business News
Naidu Sammeta
A quick Google search for Naidu Sammeta brings up a clear and consistent personal brand across platforms: LinkedIn introduces him as a Digital Marketing Specialist with expertise in SEO, social media marketing, and brand strategy , helping businesses grow through customized online solutions. introduces him as a with expertise in , helping businesses grow through customized online solutions. On Instagram (@naidu_sammeta) , his profile stands out with personal flair — a passionate creator, admirer of Pawan Kalyan, and someone who builds brands with 'passion & purpose' . , his profile stands out with personal flair — a passionate creator, admirer of Pawan Kalyan, and someone who builds brands with . His blog and other search results reflect his entrepreneurial journey, content marketing insights, and dedication to empowering others through digital transformation. At the heart of Naidu Sammeta's journey is Srimediadigitals, a growing digital agency focused on delivering strategic marketing solutions for startups, local businesses, and personal brands. From social media growth to brand consulting, Srimediadigitals aims to bridge the gap between businesses and their digital audiences with creativity, analytics, and storytelling. Naidu is not just another marketer – he brings a 360-degree understanding of the digital ecosystem. His key strengths include: SEO and traffic growth strategies Brand building through authentic storytelling Content creation and distribution Paid ad campaigns and performance tracking Engaging audience management on platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube His approach is data-backed yet people-focused, blending performance with personalization. What sets Naidu Sammeta apart is his commitment to value-driven growth. He stands by his core principles — consistency, integrity, and creativity — and believes in uplifting others while building his own brand. As seen in his Instagram bio, he's not just a strategist, but a community builder and someone deeply inspired by real-life role models like Pawan Kalyan. His content often reflects positive thinking, entrepreneurship, and the mindset shift needed to grow in today's competitive world. From being listed among top digital professionals on LinkedIn to gaining traction through organic branding on Instagram and Blogger, Naidu's name now appears on multiple digital platforms — a sign of a well-managed personal brand that resonates with both clients and followers alike. Whether it's helping a startup scale or inspiring young marketers through his journey, Naidu Sammeta is a name to watch in 2025 and beyond. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Hans India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Google Cracks Down on 11,000 YouTube Channels Linked to Global Disinformation Networks
In a major step against global disinformation, Google has removed close to 11,000 YouTube channels and related accounts in the second quarter of 2025. The takedowns targeted influence operations tied to state-linked propaganda networks, with China and Russia accounting for the bulk of the activity. According to a blog post by Google and reporting by CNBC, over 7,700 of the removed YouTube channels were traced to China. These channels were primarily posting in Chinese and English, promoting the Chinese government, praising President Xi Jinping, and commenting on U.S. foreign policy in a favorable light. Russia was also a key focus. More than 2,000 YouTube channels connected to Russian operations were terminated for spreading multilingual content that supported Russia's geopolitical stance and criticized Ukraine, NATO, and Western countries. Many of these were found to be affiliated with state-backed media and consulting outfits. The effort is part of the ongoing mission led by Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG), which is tasked with monitoring and neutralizing coordinated influence operations across Google platforms. A YouTube spokesperson commented that 'the latest findings are in line with the company's expectations for this regular and ongoing work,' emphasizing that such investigations are routine and form part of their broader defense strategy. Earlier in May, Google had also taken down a smaller cluster of accounts—20 YouTube channels, four advertising profiles, and one Blogger blog—linked to Russia Today (RT), the state-run broadcaster. RT has faced prior allegations of paying social media influencers to shape public sentiment ahead of the 2024 elections. YouTube had already blocked RT's main channels following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. But China and Russia weren't the only countries flagged. Google also took down state-linked influence campaigns from Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Israel, Romania, and Ghana. These included content targeting political opponents and commenting on contentious regional issues, such as the Israel-Palestine conflict and internal elections. One such example included 457 channels connected to Azerbaijan, which pushed pro-Azeri messaging while attacking Armenia and domestic opposition. In the case of Iran, the removed content often supported Tehran and Palestine while portraying the U.S., Israel, and Western nations in a negative light. The disinformation campaign wasn't limited to YouTube alone. Google confirmed that the removals spanned Ads, AdSense, Blogger, and Google News, with several domains being blocked from appearing in both Google News and Discover due to their misleading content. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, Google had removed more than 23,000 accounts. With the second quarter's actions, the total takedowns for the year now exceed 30,000 accounts, signaling an alarming surge in the scale and coordination of global influence campaigns. Separately, Meta has also been actively working to tackle digital manipulation. The company recently disclosed that it had removed 10 million fake profiles, many of which were impersonating high-profile content creators. These actions are part of Meta's broader strategy to cut down on spam and misleading content. As the information war intensifies online, tech giants like Google and Meta are doubling down on their efforts to detect and dismantle orchestrated propaganda efforts before they mislead users or undermine democratic discourse.
India Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Google removes nearly 11,000 YouTube channels tied to China and Russia, here is why
Google removes 11,000 YouTube channels spreading state-linked propaganda China and Russia top list in YouTube takedown campaign According to a Google blog, more than 7,700 of these channels were tied to China Google has removed nearly 11,000 YouTube channels and other accounts during the second quarter of 2025 as part of its efforts to tackle coordinated disinformation campaigns linked to several state actors, including China and Russia. According to a recent report by CNBC and Google's official blog, more than 7,700 of these channels were tied to China. These accounts mainly posted content in Chinese and English promoting the People's Republic of China, praising President Xi Jinping, and commenting on US foreign policy. Google also terminated over 2,000 YouTube channels linked to Russia. These accounts spread messages in multiple languages that were supportive of Russia while criticising Ukraine, NATO, and Western nations. Some of the content was linked to Russian state-sponsored entities and consulting firms. The takedowns are part of ongoing work by Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG), which monitors and counters influence operations around the world. A YouTube spokesperson said the latest findings are in line with the company's expectations for this regular and ongoing work. In May, Google removed 20 YouTube channels, four advertising accounts, and one Blogger blog tied to RT, Russia's state-controlled media outlet. RT has previously been accused of paying popular conservative influencers in an effort to sway opinion ahead of the 2024 elections. YouTube had already blocked RT's main channels in March 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Beyond China and Russia, Google also took down influence campaigns linked to Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Israel, Romania, and Ghana. The content targeted political opponents and touched on regional issues like the Israel-Palestine conflict and internal elections. For example, 457 channels connected to Azerbaijan were removed for promoting pro-Azerbaijani narratives while criticising Armenia and domestic critics. In Iran's case, the content was often supportive of the Iranian government and Palestine while being critical of the US, Israel, and the West. In total, Google removed thousands of accounts in April, May, and June, each linked to well-planned campaigns across YouTube, Ads, AdSense, Blogger, and Google News. Several domains were also blocked from appearing in Google News and Discover for spreading similar propaganda content. In the first quarter of 2025, Google removed more than 23,000 accounts. The second quarter's figures bring the year-to-date tally to well over 30,000 account takedowns, reflecting the increasing scale of such operations. Separately, Meta recently also announced the removal of 10 million fake profiles designed to impersonate large content creators. These removals were part of its broader initiative to reduce spam and misleading content. Google has removed nearly 11,000 YouTube channels and other accounts during the second quarter of 2025 as part of its efforts to tackle coordinated disinformation campaigns linked to several state actors, including China and Russia. According to a recent report by CNBC and Google's official blog, more than 7,700 of these channels were tied to China. These accounts mainly posted content in Chinese and English promoting the People's Republic of China, praising President Xi Jinping, and commenting on US foreign policy. Google also terminated over 2,000 YouTube channels linked to Russia. These accounts spread messages in multiple languages that were supportive of Russia while criticising Ukraine, NATO, and Western nations. Some of the content was linked to Russian state-sponsored entities and consulting firms. The takedowns are part of ongoing work by Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG), which monitors and counters influence operations around the world. A YouTube spokesperson said the latest findings are in line with the company's expectations for this regular and ongoing work. In May, Google removed 20 YouTube channels, four advertising accounts, and one Blogger blog tied to RT, Russia's state-controlled media outlet. RT has previously been accused of paying popular conservative influencers in an effort to sway opinion ahead of the 2024 elections. YouTube had already blocked RT's main channels in March 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Beyond China and Russia, Google also took down influence campaigns linked to Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Israel, Romania, and Ghana. The content targeted political opponents and touched on regional issues like the Israel-Palestine conflict and internal elections. For example, 457 channels connected to Azerbaijan were removed for promoting pro-Azerbaijani narratives while criticising Armenia and domestic critics. In Iran's case, the content was often supportive of the Iranian government and Palestine while being critical of the US, Israel, and the West. In total, Google removed thousands of accounts in April, May, and June, each linked to well-planned campaigns across YouTube, Ads, AdSense, Blogger, and Google News. Several domains were also blocked from appearing in Google News and Discover for spreading similar propaganda content. In the first quarter of 2025, Google removed more than 23,000 accounts. The second quarter's figures bring the year-to-date tally to well over 30,000 account takedowns, reflecting the increasing scale of such operations. Separately, Meta recently also announced the removal of 10 million fake profiles designed to impersonate large content creators. These removals were part of its broader initiative to reduce spam and misleading content. Join our WhatsApp Channel
CNBC
6 days ago
- Politics
- CNBC
YouTube wipes out thousands of propaganda channels linked to China, Russia, others
Google announced Monday the removal of nearly 11,000 YouTube channels and other accounts tied to state-linked propaganda campaigns from China, Russia and more in the second quarter. The takedown included more than 7,700 YouTube channels linked to China. These campaigns primarily shared content in Chinese and English that promoted the People's Republic of China, supported President Xi Jinping and commented on U.S. foreign affairs. Over 2,000 removed channels were linked to Russia. The content was in multiple languages that supported Russia and criticized Ukraine, NATO and the West. Google, in May, removed 20 YouTube channels, 4 Ads accounts, and 1 Blogger blog linked to RT, the Russian state-controlled media outlet accused of paying prominent conservative influencers for social media content ahead of the 2024 election. Tim Pool, Dave Rubin and Benny Johnson — all staunch supporters of President Donald Trump — made content for Tenent Media, the Tennessee company described in the indictment, according to NBC News. YouTube began blocking RT channels in March 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine. The active removal of accounts is part of the Google Threat Analysis Group's work to counter global disinformation campaigns and "coordinated influence" operations. Google's second quarter report also outlined the removal of influence campaigns linked to Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Israel, Romania and Ghana that were found to be targeting political rivals. Some campaigns centered on growing geopolitical conflicts, including narratives on both sides of the Israel-Palestine War. CNBC has reached out to YouTube for further comment or information on the report. Google took down more than 23,000 accounts in the first quarter. Meta announced last week it removed about 10 million profiles for impersonating large content producers through the first half of 2025 as part of an effort by the company to combat "spammy content."
Japan Times
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
A community of stories: Making space for reflection and dialogue in Tokyo and beyond
Growing up in Japan, I was always treated differently because of how I looked: Curly hair, freckles and English conversations with my mom at the grocery store set me apart from the crowd. I tried to convince myself that the reason I felt othered was because I was too sensitive, and had nothing to do with how people treated me. Recently, I hopped into a cab from Shibuya with my non-Japanese friend. While chatting in English with my friend in the backseat, I directed our driver in perfectly detailed Japanese. 'Your Japanese is really good,' the driver told me when we were paying. 'Better than a Japanese person.' 'Oh, I am Japanese, so...' 'Oh, you are?' he said with a laugh. 'That makes sense. Sorry about that. Here's your receipt.' He sounded slightly embarrassed, but also somewhat vindicated — as if there was no way that a foreigner could speak such good Japanese, after all. It's easy to feel alone when you grow up in a country that prizes conformity. A hāfu (mixed-race Japanese person) is just another protruding nail that needs to be hammered down. There were times when I calibrated myself according to my environment ー not for the sake of pleasing other people but to make myself feel like I belonged. It wasn't until my late 20s that I found myself craving opportunities to talk honestly about uncomfortable topics and to share thoughtful views on them, a place where I could examine myself and my surroundings with a critical lens. I felt as though a weight was lifted when I finally discovered an outlet and support network through my interactions with travelers, writers and storytellers in Astray. Finding tenderness through dialogue I wrote confessional essays on Blogger throughout my early 20s. I didn't have an audience, but I relished writing about my love stories and life experiences. My writing voice felt authoritative, compared to the lack of confidence I had when I was younger — because standing out in Japan always gave people the opportunity to judge me. Writing to me was an escape and gave me freedom to create an ideal self. Meanwhile, I was working in full-time jobs unrelated to writing, but I always thought that there was something bigger for me out there: a purpose, a creatively fulfilling life — I believed that there were other ways to tell my story. It was serendipitous to meet Gemma Clarke in the summer of 2018 and learn about Astray at a time when I desired a seat at the table with like-minded people. A friend introduced us at a Spanish tapas bar in Tokyo. I was in my salarywoman attire and she was drinking a musky red wine. I remember how she lit up when I told her I write for fun. She eventually invited me to teach in the Tokyo-based workshop. Astray is a storytelling project 'centered on travel, community, identity and liberation' founded by Clarke, now 34, an Australian based in New York who currently runs the writing workshops exclusively in Japan twice a year. The program also offers the workshop participants an opportunity to submit and publish their creative nonfiction online. The workshops are currently hosted in the Bakuro-yokoyama branch of a coworking and community space, while additional foraging and cooking classes take place in Takigahara, Ishikawa Prefecture. Since the first workshop in 2015 in Bali, Indonesia, Astray has grown to host nearly 30 students in each session. Over the course of four weeks, a team of editors, writers, poets and academics hold daily seminars on how to write well and ethically, pitch to editors and publish via Substack, zines and other platforms. The students, who range in age from 18 to 40-something, also learn Japanese language with the woman-founded language school KM Global Language Academy and stay with local families in Tokyo. The foraging and seasonal cooking classes educate participants about nature, resources and food in regional Japan. Astray is the brainchild of Gemma Clarke, an Australian based in New York, and is built on themes of 'travel, community, identity and liberation.' | Freja Cuddington Clarke has always been interested in travel and migration stories, how encounters with different cultures lead to other movements and changes in people's lives. She was already weary of the harmful travel writing narratives that are presented by a certain group of people, mostly white writers who have little tangible experience in the places they travel. Astray was founded under the principle that diversity of all kinds is critical, and Clarke has dedicated the project to nurturing nonfiction stories by writers who build real connections to a place and its people. The first writing workshop in Bali exceeded her expectations. Since then, Astray's classes have developed around not only travel writing and a sense of place but participants' relationships to their own identities and cultures: The course provides an opportunity to reflect on oneself. After being a part of the Astray community for a year, I've started to revisit my relationship with Japan with more tenderness. I'd long felt ostracized in Japan and, as a result, grappled with feelings of resentment. Through Astray, I met other hāfu students who grew up in other countries and never had a relationship with their Japanese side. They are curious and committed, talking to people, asking questions and going beyond their comfort zones with an open heart to seek answers. I find their exploration admirable, and it reminds me to set aside my grievances where possible, to continue to be curious and open. An antidote to overtourism Astray isn't your typical writer's retreat where most participants work in solitude; it's much more interactive and people-oriented. The classroom is a beautiful example of people showing up for each other no matter their gender, age, physical ability, neurodiversity, financial background or political beliefs. Perhaps a workshop setting like Astray is the antidote to overtourism — providing a more responsible and deliberate experience than what the majority of travelers flocking to Japan are looking for. The participants yearn for real connection, the offline kind that entails taking care of and learning from each other. This winter, after a heavy topical conversation, we ended the class with a grounding exercise by having the students write down on a Post-it what they are hopeful for. One student wrote, 'All of you.' I came to understand that community doesn't necessarily mean where you are, but who you choose to bond with. The Astray writing workshop was held in the Bakuro-yokoyama location of the community space | Thanatira Sabmeethavorn I've been consumed by the thought of wanting to fit in for the longest time. In response to being constantly challenged by society for not fitting in the template, I've tried to be not just fluent but eloquent when speaking Japanese. I try my best with certain etiquette to be considered a sensible Japanese person. But over the years, I realized that convincing others wasn't the point — I had to surround myself with people who took me as I am. I used to think that there was only one way to be Japanese. There was only one way to look, to speak and to act. I was sitting in discomfort with this because while I wanted to fit in so badly, I knew that I would never perhaps be like the rest. But through my engagement with a writing community like this, I've slowly come to the realization that the thing we fear the most — to be different — is what glues us all together. Every class I join is a moment to reflect. I reflect on the times I felt alone and why it bothered me; I reflect on the times I was heartbroken; I reflect on my childhood that shaped who I am today. Through this process of reflection, alongside many others doing the same, we create a place from the ground up that gives ourselves somewhere to belong.
