tech news
Uber to Crack Down on Mask Wearing in South Africa
Sourced from CNet. Uber South Africa has launched its Mask Verification tool in an attempt to ensure all passengers wear a mask when taking a ride. Passengers may be required to take a selfie while the mask verification tool ‘detects whether a mask is within the frame of the portrait and allows access to Uber if this is the case,’ reports MyBroadBand. “Masks are mandatory for riders and drivers, and both of you can leave feedback if the other isn’t wearing one,” reads an email from Uber to its South African users. “If we receive feedback about anyone consistently violating our mask policy, they will be blocked from the Uber app.” /* custom css */ .tdi_3_f66.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_f66.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Uber Cash Digital Wallet Launched in Sub-Saharan A...
Mukuru Adds Sign-Up Feature to WhatsApp
Mukuru has upgraded its app and added a new self sign-up feature to its WhatsApp offering. The new app – available on Android and IOS – will allow users to send money to 12 countries including Botswana, Bangladesh, DR Congo, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Pakistan, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Both channels are expected to enable customers to sign-up and conduct important transactions from home. “Our customers have been asking for a Mukuru App, and we have made sure to develop and present a solution that empowers our customers to send money back home to their families in an even safer and more convenient way. Mukuru has always given its customers the ability to transact when and wherever they need to through our existing USSD and WhatsApp offerings – the Mukuru App adds a ri...
Facebook Pulls Donald Trump’s Post Falsely Claiming the Flu is More Lethal Than COVID-19
Donald Trump knows firsthand what it’s like to have COVID-19, and he also knows what it’s like to have the best medical treatment immediately available. Yet, less than a day after being released from the Walter Reed Medical Center, Trump posted messages to social media downplaying the severity of coronavirus. Facebook responded by taking down the post, while Twitter flagged it with a warning label, reports Mashable. Trump’s post to social media on Tuesday morning seemed completely unbothered by the ongoing pandemic. “Flu season is coming up!” it read. “Many people every year, sometimes over 100,000, and despite the Vaccine, die from the Flu. Are we going to close down our Country? No, we have learned to live with it, just like we are learning to live with Covid, in most populations fa...
Danger Mouse and Nigel Godrich Create New Radio App Station Rotation
Danger Mouse’s Brian Burton and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich have created a new app called Station Rotation. According to the duo, it’s a free program for artists, producers, directors, and other friends to program individually curated radio stations — not playlists, they emphasize — that can be streamed in real time within the program. Technically, the duo announced the project over social media last week, but they didn’t clearly explain what Station Rotation was at the time. Now, a press release has offered up some more specific details: Station Rotation allows Burton and Godrich’s famous friends to spin music online, and it allows fans to tune in and enjoy the music with friends who are also listening simultaneously, too. “Station creators choose their favorite songs, which (unlike ...
Unpacking Intelligent Infrastructure in the Modern Data Centre
As the world’s largest IT companies realise the importance of ‘intelligent infrastructure’ in the modern data centre, the race is on between storage competitors to provide products and solutions that are actually truly intelligent, and not merely standard infrastructure. So says Marcel Fouché, Networking and Storage General Manager at value-added distributor Networks Unlimited Africa, which partners in South Africa with Tintri, a provider of intelligent infrastructure for virtualised and non-virtualised enterprise IT environments. He clarifies, “In order to get to grips with this challenging issue, Tintri recently held a free webcast to unpack the differences between intelligent and standard infrastructure, looking at the topic from the perspectives of the customer, the vendor and th...
McAfee Founder is Arrested for Tax Evasion
Image sourced from Al Jeezera Cybersecurity company founder, John McAfee has been arrested in Spain after allegedly evading taxes. The US Justice Department revealed that an indictment from 15 June delivered by the Tax Division claims McAfee failed to file tax returns from 2014 to 2018 despite earning “millions in income from promoting cryptocurrencies, consulting work, speaking engagements, and selling the rights to his life story for a documentary”.’ The cybersecurity pioneer is reportedly also facing charges of cryptocurrency promotion from the SEC. According to Engadget, “the SEC explains that the charges are for McAfee promotion initial coin offerings (ICOs) via Twitter without admitting that he was getting paid as much as $23 million for it”. “It details the alleged scheme, as M...
LexisNexis Tournament Sparks Learner Interest in Coding
More than 400 learners from over 80 schools across the country participated in a virtual tournament held from 19 to 26 September 2020 which used gamification to introduce them to basic coding concepts and social issues such as ocean conservation. Professor Jean Greyling, associate professor in Computing Sciences at Nelson Mandela University, said the BOATS tournament was a partnership between the university’s Department of Computing Science, legal technology company LexisNexis South Africa and non-profit organisation, Leva Foundation, which empowers previously disadvantaged youth by providing employable skills development. “During the tournament, learners logged in from home to access the BOATS Android mobile coding app. They were taken through multiple-choice questions that edu...
Airtel, MTN and Stanbic Bank Fall Victim to Major Data Breach in Uganda
Sourced from IDG Connect Mobile money transaction company, Pegasus technologies has suffered a major data breach resulting in the loss of billions of Ugandan Shillings – according to PLM Daily. The breach is said to have impacted telcos, Airtel and MTN Uganda, as well as Stanbic Bank, Uganda’s largest bank. “Stanbic Bank Uganda, MTN Uganda and Airtel Uganda inform the public and their customers that on Saturday 3 October 2020, a third-party service provider experienced a system incident which impacted Bank to Mobile Money transactions. All Bank to Mobile Money/Wallet services have since been temporarily suspended,” reads an official statement from the companies. “This system incident has had no impact on any balances on both Bank and Mobile Money accounts. Our technical teams are analysing...
Xiaomi Debuts Two New Entry-Level Smartphones
Xiaomi has officially unveiled two entry-level smartphones – the Redmi 9 and Redmi 9A. The tech company says that these devices represent its mission to make ‘exceptional smartphone experiences accessible to everyone’. Here’s a closer look at the Redmi 9 and Redmi 9A: Redmi 9 As the first entry-level Redmi smartphone to feature an all-purpose quad-camera set up, Redmi 9 helps capture life’s special moments. The device also integrates fun and creativity into the photography experience with premium camera features, including Kaleidoscope and Palm Shutter. Meanwhile, users can view more with Redmi 9’s bigger and better screen. Featuring a 6.53’’ FHD+ Dot Drop display, it offers an optimal visual experience with crystal-clear detail. It also comes with TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light certifi...
Canal+ Acquires 6.5% Stake in MultiChoice
Image sourced from The Vanguard Nigeria MultiChoice has revealed that Groupe Canal+ SA – a French media company – has acquired 6.5% of Group’s ordinary shares. The African entertainment company emphasised that Canal+ would have to accept reduced voting rights of shares as it’s a foreign entity. “Shareholders should take note that, pursuant to a provision of the MultiChoice memorandum of incorporation, MultiChoice is permitted to reduce the voting rights of shares in MultiChoice (including MultiChoice shares deposited in terms of the American Depositary Share (“ADS”) facility) so that the aggregate voting power of MultiChoice shares that are presumptively owned or held by foreigners to South Africa (as envisaged in the MultiChoice memorandum of incorporation) will not exceed 20% of the tota...
Why Africa Needs to Take Advantage of the Cloud
Sourced from ZDNet. As a unified online platform for communication and collaboration, the cloud is now widely considered to be one of the most valuable resources we have at our disposal. It’s reported that by the end of 2020, 82% of workloads globally will reside on the cloud and more than 40 zettabytes of data will be flowing through cloud servers and networks. If African businesses are to take advantage of the opportunities that the cloud will present in the next decade, there are some key numbers we should all be paying attention to: 402.5 GB That’s how much data European and American broadband subscribers used on average every month during the first quarter of 2020. This reflects an increase of 47% in broadband data usage from the first quarter of 2019 to the first quarter of 2020. Of ...
Ethiopian Airlines Could Supply SAA with Planes and Pilots
Image sourced from News 24 Ethiopian Airlines has offered to supply South African Airways with planes, pilots and maintenance services as part of a new venture with the South African government, reports Bloomberg. Ethiopian Airlines CEO, Tewolde Gebre Marium says that they’re looking at providing operational assistance and aren’t interested in “helping with debt repayments or the cost of reducing the workforce”. “We don’t want to deal with the legacy issues — the debt, labour claims and so on because that is very difficult for us not only in terms of financial outlay but also in terms of managing the restructuring,” says Gebre Marium. “We want to make it very easy for them to start the airline by providing aeroplanes, by providing expertise, pilots, technicians, leadership.” SAA, which has...
