By Patricia Amogu

A group, Women for Women Community, Plateau Chapter, has called for greater inclusion, fairness and equal political participation for women ahead of the forthcoming elections.

The call was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday and jointly signed by the group’s Convener, Mrs Rhoda Jahota; Coordinator, Mrs Felicia Bala; and Secretary, Mrs Kauna Samuel.

The group said women remained critical stakeholders in peace building, economic growth, community leadership and family stability, stressing that their contributions should reflect in political leadership structures.

“As vital stakeholders in peace, growth and development, women have continued to contribute immensely to nation-building, community leadership, economic advancement and family stability.

“It is only right that these contributions are meaningfully reflected in our political leadership and decision-making structures,” the statement said.

The group appealed to traditional rulers, religious leaders, political actors and other stakeholders in Plateau to support competent and visionary women seeking elective offices.

It also urged political party leaders and chairmen to ensure a fair, transparent and level playing field for female aspirants during party primaries and elections.

“The inclusion of women on the ballot is not merely a political gesture,” the group stated.

“It is a necessary step toward strengthening democracy, promoting good governance and building a more inclusive society,” it added.

The group further urged women, mothers and youths to rise above political, ethnic and religious differences in supporting credible female candidates.

According to the statement, leadership should be driven by integrity, competence, compassion and vision rather than gender, ethnicity or political affiliation.

“The future of Plateau State is brighter when women are empowered to lead alongside men,” the group stated.

“A society that gives women equal opportunity in governance is positioned for sustainable peace, justice, unity and development,” it added.

The group described the advocacy as a call for progress, inclusion and transformational leadership, declaring that “it is Women O’Clock on the Plateau.” (NAN)

Edited by Tosin Kolade

Meta Platforms has added ‘Incognito Chat’ features to WhatsApp to address privacy concerns during users’ sensitive conversations with Meta AI on the app.

The company announced the update in a blog post on WhatsApp’s website on Wednesday, noting that even the Meta company can no longer read conversations between users and Meta AI after introducing the AI feature.

Chatting with AI has become a critical part of how people get information and ask important questions, even on social media platforms.

Many of these questions can be deeply sensitive or include private financial, personal, health, or work-related data.

Meta said it is extending its privacy features to chats with Meta AI, following the introduction of end-to-end encryption ten years ago, which ensures privacy in conversations between two users.

The incognito chat feature is different from end-to-end encryption; it ensures privacy between users and Meta AI.

“Today we’re launching Incognito Chat with Meta AI, a new way to have completely private conversations with AI,” the tech giant said, noting that the privacy feature allows WhatsApp users to talk to Meta AI in a way that is invisible to anyone else.

It explained that the newly launched Incognito feature allows chats to disappear after conversations, enabling users to explore and think through their ideas privately.

The conversation will end if users close the app or lock their phone, and Meta AI will lose the context of the discussion.

Meta joins ChatGPT, Claude, Protons, and other tech companies that offer chatbots in incognito mode.

“Other apps have introduced incognito-style modes, but they can still see the questions coming in and the answers going out. Incognito Chat with Meta AI is truly private; no one can read your conversation, not even us.

“Since we started exploring bringing AI to WhatsApp, we’ve been focused on how to deliver this power privately, at a global scale. When you start an Incognito Chat with Meta AI, you’re creating a private, temporary conversation that only you can see.

“Your messages are processed in a secure environment that even Meta cannot access. Your conversations are not saved and, by default, your messages disappear, giving you a space to think and explore ideas without anyone watching,” the company stated.

WhatsApp users can activate an incognito session by tapping on a new icon in one-on-one chats with Meta AI. The company said the feature will also be available on other Meta-owned apps, including Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger, in the coming months.

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Side chat

The tech firm said it will also launch ‘Side Chat’ in the coming months, which will offer users private help with any chat as private ways of interacting become part of users’ daily routines.

“We believe this private way of chatting has the potential to become one of several ways people interact with AI on WhatsApp. In the coming months, we’ll also introduce Side Chat protected by Private Processing.

“Side Chat with Meta AI will give you private help with any chat, with the context of what’s being discussed, without disrupting the main conversation.

“We remain committed to delivering privacy for the world. Incognito Chat with Meta AI is rolling out on WhatsApp and the Meta AI app over the coming months,” the company said.