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Just a year after Elon Musk posted “Block is going to be deleted as a “feature”, except for DMs”, following up with “It makes no sense” (‘it’ being the block feature), X has decoupled the account and DM to give a more flexible approach to blocking. Users can now block just the DM or both the account and the DM. 

Last September, WhatsApp introduced the Meta-verification program to business accounts via a paid subscription with the benefits of a badge, impersonation protection, and better reach. While these were ambiguous, the verified subscribers will now get a bounty of new features!

In the UK, the ICO’s crackdown on cookie consent and information tracking has inadvertently given rise to new challenges related to manipulative data collection and payment processing. Across the US, UK, Germany, Canada, and many other countries, people are gearing up for early festival shopping with the announcement of Prime Big Deal Days in October.

Block DMs on X, without blocking the account

Elon Musk’s X has been rolling out a new feature that allows “control over your direct messaging environment, allowing you to maintain privacy without completely severing connections.”. 

What is DM blocking? 

This feature decouples the account and DM. It provides a middle ground when you might want to take a break from DMs from an account, without restricting this account from interacting with your posts. 

Why use DM blocking?

DM blocking is being pushed as a feature for enhancing the privacy and flexibility of the X experience. Unlike the classic block feature, post blocking DMs from an account you will be able to interact with the account on group chats and interact on each other's posts with likes, replies and mentions. 

How to block a DM?

Open the required DM screen, click the information icon and click/tap ‘Block DMs’. Private conversations with the account will be blocked, unless the block is reversed using the ‘Unblock DMs’ option.

New customized messaging feature for meta-verified WhatsApp Business accounts

Small to medium businesses need powerful marketing tools to reach their customers. The customization of the marketing messages, along with scheduling, can go a long way in supporting this endeavor. 

How does customized messaging help marketing? 

Business accounts keep their customers engaged with new announcements, ongoing offers and promotions, reminders, birthday greetings, and also get user feedback using the marketing messaging feature. Meta-verified accounts can now personalize these messages by dynamically entering the customer’s name. The message can also include a customized call-to-action button. 

More features: Multiple linked devices, multiple users, custom WhatsApp pages

Meta-verified subscribers can link multiple devices to their account and create multiple user accounts for their employees. These are useful for handling customer queries by assigning chats to specific agents and distributing the marketing efforts.

Verified business account subscribers can also create a professional WhatsApp web page with a customizable and easy-to-remember link to showcase their products/services and business information. This helps small businesses generate visibility in search engines and show credibility to customers with all the details in one place.

UK’s ICO to issue guidelines on cookie consent and pay-or-consent models

The ICO’s crackdown on websites processing personal information of the people visiting UK websites has had sites adopting the ‘pay or consent’ model. Pay or consent is a controversial approach facing legal challenges in the European Union. 

A brief on what happened so far

The ICO initially reached out to 53 websites regarding violations of cookie rules and tracking. 52 of these websites have been reported to have made necessary positive changes to their cookie tracking practices, including the introduction of ‘reject all’ buttons and more prominent accept/reject options on websites. However, this outreach has inadvertently prompted some sites to adopt a controversial pay-or-consent model, which is a huge setback and raises further privacy concerns.

Following the initial outreach, 99 of the top 100 UK websites have been reported to have switched to a meaningful choice in advertising cookies or improving consent practices. However, many sites still use manipulative practices regarding consent. Meta, with its implementation of the pay-or-consent model, may also be under the radar for violating the bloc’s market fairness regulations.

Future Initiatives

The ICO is monitoring pay-or-consent business models and aims to establish clear consent practices with a definitive position on the matter by the end of the year.

Prime Big Deal Days on October 8 and 9

Amazon announced its 48-hour fall sales event will take place on October 8 and 9, starting at 12:01 a.m. PDT on the 8th.

What is Prime Big Deal Days?

Amazon Prime members will get exclusive early holiday deals from select beauty, electronics, and toys brands at this event. Subscribers can save up to 50% on their pre-festive home essentials, home decor, and kitchen items. The event is expected to offer deals every 5 minutes and Amazon-exclusive brands will sell toys under $5, and apparel for the whole family starting at $5.

How can subscribers make the most of the Amazon sale event? 

The company has announced deals across 35 categories during the event, from premium brands to small businesses. In addition to the holiday gift guide, the company is hoping to see users take advantage of Rufus, its new AI chatbot launched earlier this year in June, to navigate the catalogs and get recommendations. Users can also run photo and video searches from influencers and brands to find items that meet their specifications quickly. 

Which countries will have access to the event? 

United States, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Brazil, Italy, Australia, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Belgium, Portugal, Austria, Turkey, Singapore, and Luxembourg. The event will be hosted in Japan later in October.