Online&Social
Top 3 African Countries Hit by Mobile Fraud
Kenya, South Africa and Cameroon are said to be the top three hot spots for mobile fraudsters – according to cybersecurity company, Evina. These African countries face suspicious mobile-based billing transactions of 51%, 30% and 10%, respectively. “Africa’s youthful population that is mostly unbanked and using some 900 million mobile money accounts is particularly hard-hit by professional cybercriminals from around the world, who together cost Africa some $4 billion every year,” says David Lotfi, CEO of Evina. Fraudsters are impacting the long-term sustainability of the digital advertising and mobile payments industries, in particular, by perpetrating thousands of mobile-based fraud attempts daily. Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) where users are billed for purchases directly on their ph...
Facebook Partners with BellaNaija and Guardian TV to Spotlight SMBs in Ghana
Facebook has joined forces with BellaNaija & Guardian TV as part of its #FBSuccessStory campaign. The drive is aimed at spotlighting Ghanaian entrepreneurs using Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp to grow their business. “We’re proud of the role that we have in enabling SMBs to grow and scale. We know that small businesses are the cornerstone of the economy and make significant contributions. This campaign is a celebration of some of these Ghanaian SMBs making an impact, both in Ghana and beyond,” says Kezia Anim-Addo, Facebook’s Head of Communications for Africa. Running from November 18th to 21st of December 2020, #FBSuccessStory will air exclusively on both BellaNaija and Nigerian online TV platform Guardian TV. The two entrepreneurs selected include Aisha Ayensu, founder of Chr...
Google Unveils Chrome’s Latest Update
Google has unpacked its latest Chrome update which it says is the “largest gain in Chrome performance in years”. Chrome’s director of product, Matt Waddell says this will be Google’s final update of 2020 – to help users “get things done this holiday season (and beyond)”. Here’s a closer look at these improvements: Chrome now prioritizes users active tabs vs. everything that’s open—reducing CPU usage by up to 5x and extending battery life by up to 1.25 hours (based on our internal benchmarks). Chrome now starts up to 25 percent faster, loads pages up to 7 percent faster, and does all of this using less power and RAM than before. Chrome on Android now loads pages near instantaneously when users navigate backward and forward, making these common tasks...
WhatsApp is Working on “Read Later” Feature
WhatsApp is working on an “Archived Chats” replacement – called “Read Later”, reports WABetaInfo. Image sourced from WABetaInfo This new feature is expected to include improved “Archived Chats” functionality through “Vacation Mode” which will keep chats archived even when new messages are received. WhatsApp Begins Rolling Out Disappearing Message Feature WhatsApp has begun rolling out its new disappearing message feature, according to WABetaInfo. The feature is expected to allow users to send messages that disappear after a predetermined amount of time – this will also include media, like images and videos. Once activated, this feature won’t affect messages sent prior to the roll-out and users can turn disappearing messages on or off at any time in...
Apple Launches macOS Big Sur
Apple has officially introduced macOS Big Sur – the latest version of its desktop operating system. According to the tech giant, Big Sur comes with a beautiful redesign and is packed with new enhancements for key apps including Safari, Messages, and Maps, as well as new privacy features. Here’s a closer look at all of Big Sur’s new enhancements: Refreshed Design Apple has redesigned the Control Center that is expected to make navigation easier while putting more controls at users’ fingertips. “The all-new Control Center gives users quick access to controls for Do Not Disturb, displays, keyboard brightness, and more, right from the menu bar. Users can see more relevant information at a glance in the updated Notification Center, including interactive notifications and...
WhatsApp Begins Rolling Out Disappearing Message Feature
WhatsApp has begun rolling out its new disappearing message feature, according to WABetaInfo. The feature is expected to allow users to send messages that disappear after a predetermined amount of time – this will also include media, like images and videos. Once activated, this feature won’t affect messages sent prior to the roll-out and users can turn disappearing messages on or off at any time in any individual chat. In a group chat, however, only group admins can turn disappearing messages on or off. Here’s a closer look at WhatsApp’s Disappearing Message Feature: If a user doesn’t open WhatsApp in the seven day period, the message will disappear. However, the preview of the message might still be displayed in notifications until WhatsApp is opened. When you repl...
Google to Begin Charging Photos Users for Storage
Image sourced from Pymnts Google has revealed that it would start charging Photos users who exceed 15GB, beginning 1 June 2021. The cloud service, which stores more than 4 trillion photos, will not count photos that have already been uploaded towards the 15GB limit. “This change allows us to keep pace with the growing demand for storage,” says Google Photos VP, Shimrit Ben-Yair. “We know this is a big shift and may come as a surprise, so we wanted to let you know well in advance and give you resources to make this easier.” In an official statement, Google says “Starting June 1, 2021, any new photos and videos you upload will count toward the free 15 GB of storage that comes with every Google Account or the additional storage you’ve purchased as a Google One member. Your Google Account...
TikTok says Trump Administration has Yet to Review Ban Deadline
Sourced from Cosmico TikTok has called for the US Court of Appeals to review the ban by Trump administration’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The social media platform says that it has been weeks since it received an update about the deadline for ByteDance – TikTok’s parent company – to sell off US assets. “For a year, TikTok has actively engaged with CFIUS in good faith to address its national security concerns, even as we disagree with its assessment,” reads a statement from TikTok. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_4dd.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_4dd.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } “In the nearly two months since the President gave his preliminary approval to our proposal to satisfy those concerns, we have offered detailed solutions to finalize t...
Showmax Introduces Subscription-Free Streaming Service
Showmax has launched a subscription-free streaming service in South Africa – ‘Showmax Free’. This service is expected to feature “hand-picked content slate that gives customers an opportunity to sample some of Showmax’s entertainment”. Showmax Free will feature local movies, series and sports shows. Users will be able to stream movies and binge-watch the first few episodes of available series for free – however, they will see adverts during playback and be prompted to upgrade to Showmax paid plans. Customers will be able to upgrade to the ad-free Showmax entertainment catalogue to access complete seasons of the latest local and international series, blockbuster movies and kids’ content. For live sport, users will need to subscribe to Showmax Pro. “Ad-supported streaming services are a grow...
Jawwy TV Mobile App Now Available in Egypt
Intigral, Telecom Egypt (WE) and TPAY Mobile have partnered to launch the Jawwy TV app in Egypt. The mobile app is expected to offer a new digital entertainment platform for viewers. A 30-day free trial of Jawwy TV will be available exclusively to WE subscribers from the date of subscription. The Jawwy TV app encompasses both linear TV and subscription video on demand (SVOD) offerings, presenting viewers with countless content titles across multiple genres – it also includes over 50 free-to-air and encrypted channels. The app is also packed with features that enhance user experiences, such as subtitles and audio options in both Arabic and English, parental control tools, rewind features for linear TV content, live TV start over options, a recommendation engine, and the ability to use the a...
Telkom Launches Mobile Streaming Service in South Africa
Telkom has partnered with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) to launch a new streaming channel, TelkomONE. The mobile operator channel will house SABC’s television channels 1, 2, Sport and Education as well as all 19 SABC radio stations. The five-year partnership, a first-of-its-kind for the SABC, is expected to showcase South Africa’s most-watched TV programmes and most listened to radio platforms, on one online platform. “We are excited about the opportunity to provide South Africans with free access to watch their favourite SABC content, online, when and wherever they want,” says Sipho Maseko, Telkom’s Group CEO. “TelkomONE will make it possible for subscribers to pause, go back into the programme guide (time-shift) and instantly watch a scheduled TV show they may have mi...
Subscription Platforms may not “React Kindly” to SABC’s Proposed TV Licence Fees, says Attorney
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has plans to push new regulations that would call for South Africans to pay TV Licence fees for using private subscription services, like Netflix and DStv. And that these platforms would have to collect the TV licences on behalf of the public broadcaster. According to Ian Jacobsberg, Director for Corporate, Mergers, and Acquisitions at Tabacks Attorneys, this is a desperate attempt to address the SABC’s dire financial plight without addressing the reasons that created it in the first place. “The low levels of collections the SABC has achieved to date may largely be attributed to public resistance to funding what is seen to be endemic wastage and corruption, and there is understandably considerable resistance to widening the revenue base if ...
