Augmented Reality Try in Kenya, Fake Masterkey-like Fingerprints Created by Researchers, and More

Africa

Facebook and Cellulant to launch Africa’s first AR in Messenger

Facebook has partnered with Cellulant, a pan-African Payments company, to build the first Augmented Reality (AR) try-on in Africa. The AR-powered try-on will be rolled out in Kenya with Huddah Cosmetics given the first bite of the pie. Customers will be able to discover and try on products through Messenger, thereby creating a one-stop shop for social media users where they can sample products, order them, and have them delivered without having to visit a brick-and-mortar shop.

Equitel and Itel launch low-cost phone

Equitel and Itel have launched two low-cost phones to target Kenya’s low end feature phone market. The phones, Itel T2150 and Itel A-15, will be available at Equity Bank branches across the country. Customers of the bank can also acquire them via mobile phone loans. The partnership brings Itel to the untapped rural market and also markets Equity Bank’s telecommunications services, a report says.

Asia & Middle East

iPhone’s Foxconn to cut down expenses amid competition fears

iPhone’s largest assembler, Foxconn, intends to cut down costs by $2.88 billion in 2019 due to increased competition. The company routinely reviews operational costs for the upcoming year, but it hasn’t stopped analysts from speculating about a slump in demand for Apple devices. Apple already announced it expects sales for the Christmas period to be less than expected, shocking parts manufacturers and suppliers.

Ruling on video game divides Muslim Clerics

Muslim Clerics across Iraqi Kurdistan have given conflicting fatawa on the legality of playing PlayerUknown’s Battleground. Imams who ruled against PlayerUknown cite the game’s addictive characteristics and Islam’s general objection to idle play and ‘wasting time’. At least one other cleric cited the negative effects of prolonged smartphone gaming on the human body. More liberal imams, however, find the ban another unnecessary imposition on the Muslim youth. “Young people in this country are confused,” Mala Saman Sangawi said in a BBC documentary.

The Americas

Researchers create fake master fingerprint

Researchers from New York University and University of Michigan have trained a machine learning algorithm to create fake finger prints based on a database of other prints. The finger prints were created based on 6,000 other prints and can match a large number of the prints in the database. It works like a master key and could have important implications for smartphone and biometric security systems.

Instagram goes hard on fake followers

Instagram is fighting against fake likes by revoking access to apps that use the photo-sharing site to garner fake likes and follows. The Facebook-owned platform has sent messages to users who use the third-party apps, urging them to change their passwords or stop using the apps completely. Users who insist on using the apps “may see their Instagram experience impacted.”

Europe

Android users tricked into downloading malware from Google play store

More than half a million android users have been tricked into downloading malware from the google play store. The users were deceived into thinking they were downloading driving games, one of which was Truck Cargo Simulator. Lukas Stefanko, a security researcher at ESET, listed up to 13 gaming apps on the Google app store which were malware concealed as games. In the past years, Google has been criticised for its lapses in maintaining security standards on its platform.

Facebook appeals Cambridge Analytica fines

Facebook has appealed against a fine by UK’s data regulators following the Cambridge Analytica fiasco. The tech giant was slapped with a GBP 500,000 after a revelation that Cambridge Analytica illegally harvested personal data of up to 87 million users using a personality quiz. However, Facebook is arguing that since investigations showed no evidence of the misuse of UK citizens’ data, the hefty fine was unjustified. The watchdog has acknowledged the appeal.