tech news
Nigerian Government Intensifies Internet Control Bid After Twitter Ban
Image sourced from CNN. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_1d7.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_1d7.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has begun ramping up efforts to regulate online media in Nigeria, just two weeks after Twitter was indefinitely banned in the West African country. Now, the federal government has asked that the House of Representatives pass a law that will enable the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to control all forms of internet broadcasting and social media. Many Nigerian users believe that this is but further attempts to stifle the country’s civic space – effectively crippling free speech and public dissent online. Nigeria Govt is asking House of Reps to amend the NBC Act and include “internet broadcasting”. That...
Kenyans Are Being Registered for Political Parties Without Knowledge or Consent
Image sourced from The World. Kenyan users are reporting on social media that they are being signed up as members of political parties in the country without their knowledge or consent via the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP). Many are finding the developments baffling: According to the Registrar of Political Parties (@ORPPKenya), I am a registered member of ANC. Eeerm, since when? Why? How? @anc_party how did I get on your membership roll and how do I get out? pic.twitter.com/KqcD53OBEH — E. Chenze (@echenze) June 18, 2021 As of yet, there is no clear answer for why this is happening. Theories are running rampant on social media. Some users are claiming that information is being leaked via security breaches in Safaricom’s M-Pesa platform. Though this is a significantly ...
Satya Nadella Becomes Microsoft’s First Chair & CEO Since Bill Gates
Sourced from Getty Images. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_342.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_342.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s current CEO was elected by the tech giant’s board to be its new chair on Wednesday. This is the first time in more than 20 years that the roles of CEO and chair have been held by the same person. The last person who simultaneously held both positions was Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, before stepping down as CEO 21 years ago at the turn of the millennium. Gates stepped down as Microsoft’s chair in 2014 and left the company’s board entirely last year in a bid to focus on his philanthropic priorities. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_564.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_564.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } In February 201...
Is Cybersecurity as Necessary as Electricity?
Sourced from Travellers Cybersecurity has become as much a business necessity as having electricity says South African financial services and insurance company, Sanlam. Threat actors are constantly evolving and relentlessly hunting for vulnerabilities, cybercrime has become so profitable that exploitation is their business priority, and regulation is increasingly complex to navigate and manage. For Sanlam, cybersecurity has always been more than plugging holes and filling gaps, it’s a priority that has to be embedded within business foundations while managing cost, growth, customer experience, data analytics and regulatory controls. “Developing a comprehensive and holistic cybersecurity solution is a mandate for us, one that we must meet to ensure customer, stakeholder and industry trust. ...
Why SMEs in South Africa Benefit from Alternative FinTech
Image sourced from Cape Business News. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_c3c.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_c3c.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Data and automation are rapidly changing the lending game in South Africa. The country is seeing the emergence of an agile new class of fintech that uses proprietary data and algorithms to vet loan applications within minutes so that retailers can access working capital they need to grow and thrive. This is according to Steven Heilbron, CEO of the Connect Group. “Alternative, technology-powered financing solutions are disrupting South Africa’s commercial lending market, especially the retail space and in the process, it is helping thousands of SMEs to navigate the threats and opportunities of a volatile economic landscape during the pandemic...
SA Schools May Face Penalties for PoPIA Non-Compliance
Image sourced from Business Tech. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_b41.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_b41.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } With the third wave of COVID-19 crashing upon South Africans and amidst increasing calls for schooling to be temporarily suspended, it could prove helpful for educational institutions across the country to use the time away from teaching to put some focus into protecting their data privacy. Schools and other tertiary institutions store and process more personal information than most other organisations, they are by far the most affected by the Protection of Personal Information Act, No 4 of 2012 (PoPIA), which comes into effect on 1 July 2021. PoPIA Applies to Schools, Universities /* custom css */ .tdi_3_cab.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi...
Cyber Insurance: A Growing Demand for All Companies?
Image sourced from Forbes. The advancement of connectivity in light of the digital revolution has radically transformed our lives and brought unprecedented benefits to companies in the way they operate and do business. However, digitalization is a double-edged sword and comes with risks as well, among them cyber exposures. Companies are facing a number of challenges such as the prospect of more disruptive and expensive business interruptions, the increase in the frequency and cost of ransomware incidents, the consequences from larger data breaches and more robust regulation – both at home and overseas – as well as the prospect of litigation if something does go wrong. In 2021, cyber incidents ranked among top business risks in South Africa, Africa and globally in the Allianz Risk Barometer...
Award-Winning Synology NAS DiskStations Available NOW on Jumia.ng
/* custom css */ .tdi_4_7e7.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_7e7.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Synology today announces that DiskStation, its award-winning NAS server dedicated to data sharing and backup, is now available at the largest online store in Nigeria – Jumia. This announcement comes with a grand opening special offer: 10% on all items in the store. Synology DiskStation is an intelligent storage device connected to the home or office network. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_0bb.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_0bb.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } It helps users to store, secure, sync, share and manage their ever-growing amount of data. Synology products have become an essential device for power users and businesses worldwide, with various applications offere...
How VPNs Can Shield Nigerian Users from Government – An Interview with the VP of ExpressVPN
“Outrage as Buhari bans Twitter.” Image sourced from Reuters. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_fa6.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_fa6.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } 5 June, on a brisk Friday evening, the Nigerian government sought to indefinitely ban users in the country from accessing social media network Twitter. A decision based on the government’s reaction to the service’s deletion of a Tweet that was posted from President Muhammadu Buhari’s official Twitter account. In an official statement, the government declared that Twitter was “undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.” The Tweet in question, believed to have been posted by Buhari himself, had been referring to the bloody two-year-long Nigeria-Biafra war. A conflict that saw the deaths of an estimated one to...
Vodafone and UNHCR Expand Connected Education for Refugees in Mozambique
/* custom css */ .tdi_4_200.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_200.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Ahead of World Refugee Day (June 20), Vodafone Foundation and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), have expanded their Instant Network Schools (INS) programme – which supports over 94,000 refugee students and communities in four African countries – into Mozambique. Two new INS, in the Maratane Refugee Settlement and the city of Nampula, will benefit nearly 9,000 students in the 7th-12th grades, 25,000 family members and over 200 teachers. Instant Network Schools /* custom css */ .tdi_3_68b.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_68b.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } INS transforms existing classrooms into multimedia hubs for learning, complete with internet connectivity, sustaina...
Android Has 47 Times More Malware Than iOS According to Apple CEO
Image sourced from Reuters. CEO of Apple, Tim Cook has said that Android has significantly more malware than iOS and that “sideloading” smartphone apps is something “not in the best interest of users.” Virtually speaking at the VivaTech 2021 conference in Paris, France, on June 16, Cook claims that Android carries “47 times more malware” than Apple’s OS because of the way that iOS has been designed. Namely, that there’s only one App Store and that all Apps loaded to the Store undergo a strict review process. App Sideloading Android-operating devices allow users to sideload apps, meaning that users can download apps directly from third parties or websites into their phones without having to go through the Google Play store. Obviously, unaware users can be caught off-guard by malware in side...
More than Half a Billion 5G Subscribers Expected by End of 2021 via New Report
Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company, Ericsson projects that 5G mobile subscriptions will exceed 580-million by the end of 2021, driven by an estimated one million new 5G mobile subscriptions every day. The forecast, which features in the twentieth edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report, enhances the expectation that 5G will become the fastest adopted mobile generation. About 3.50-billion 5G subscriptions and 60% 5G world population coverage are forecast by the end of 2026. However, the pace of adoption varies widely by region. Europe is off to a slower start and has continued to fall far behind China, the U.S., Korea, Japan and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) markets in the pace of 5G deployments. 5G is expected to surpass a billion subscriptions two years a...
