Help for Ghanaian SMEs, Facebook Granted Preferential Access to Tech Giants, and Russia Used All Platforms to Influence US Elections

Africa

MTN SA Implementing New Data Regulations

MTN is implementing new regulations on end-user and subscriber service set out by South Africa’s Independent Communications Authority. The regulations are aimed to keep subscribers informed about their data usage so they adjust their internet use accordingly. As such, subscribers in South Africa are now receiving notifications when they use 50%, 80%, and 100% of their data bundles. The regulations came into effect on December 14, 2018.

MEST, Vodafone, NexInnova To Help Ghanaian SMEs

MEST has collaborated with Vodafone and NexInnova to create Bizlynx, a network of stakeholders, corporates, and SMEs. Bizlynx aims to forge business relationships to help accelerate the growth of SMEs. The network is located at Kukun, Osu, and will have Vodafone Business Solutions as the headline sponsor.

The Americas

Tech Companies Had More Access To Facebook User Data Than Previously Thought

A New York Times report has revealed that some tech firms had more access to user data on Facebook than the companies knew. The revelations showed that Facebook allowed the tech companies to read private messages and see activities of people on a user’s friend list. Facebook has defended itself by claiming it never gave data access to firms without permission from Facebook users.

NASA Hack Exposes Employee Data

NASA has emailed its staff to notify them of a hacking attempt that could have exposed their data. The memo to the space agency’s staff noted that social security numbers and other private information could have been compromised. A previous hack in 2011 allowed hackers to control computers in NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. NASA said it was taking the security breach very seriously.

Russia Used All Social Media Platforms to Influence 2016 US Elections

It has been revealed that Russia used every social media platform possible to try to influence the 2016 US elections. The US senate report said Kremlin deployed propaganda operatives on Facebook, PayPal, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, PayPal, and Instagram. The research was conducted by University of Oxford’s Computational Propaganda Project together with Graphika. Researchers said most of the misinformation came from the Internet Research Agency, a troll farm allegedly aligned to Kremlin.

Europe

Hackers Intercept EU Communications

Hackers have successfully intercepted diplomatic communications at the European Union. The attack was carried out over several years, a report has said, and targeted subjects ranging from EU trade to American politics. EU officials, however, say no confidential information was hacked during the three years that hackers targeted their communication lines. Basing their analysis on previous attempts, some experts have pointed to China as the possible perpetrator.

Uber Loses Appeal to Declassify Drivers As Workers

Uber has lost an appeal at a court in the UK to stop its drivers from being classified as workers. Uber was appealing an earlier court decision that classified its drivers as workers. The classification entitled Uber drivers to minimum wage, a move that is believed to jeopardise the ride-hailing company’s business model, a report said. Uber has promised to go to the Supreme Court to appeal the decision.

Asia

Chinese Bike-sharing Startup Considering Bankruptcy

Chinese bike-sharing startup, Ofo, is considering applying for bankruptcy due to severe cash flow problems. The Financial Times cited a letter from Ofo founder, Dai Wei, to his employees. In the letter, Wei said the company faced cash shortfalls due to having to return deposits to customers and paying up suppliers. “…in order to keep the company running we have to turn every renminbi into three,” the FT reported.

Huawei to Spend $2bn On Cybersecurity

Chinese tech giant, Huawei, has outlined plans to spend up to $2 billion on cybersecurity in the next five years, a report said. The cybersecurity push would include employing more people and upgrading lab facilities to battle risks associated with its network kits. Some countries, including the USA and Australia, have banned the use of Huawei devices in key areas, citing concerns about the company’s close ties to Beijing. Huawei has also been in the news following the arrest of its CFO, Meng Wanzhou, following alleged breach of US sanctions on Iran.