Naspers Invests $5.6m in Aerobotics, EasyJet Suffers Cyberattack, and Afghan Dreamers Make Inexpensive Ventilators

Africa

Cassava Fintech International launches videoconference service

Cassava Fintech International has launched “Sasai TeamTalk,” a videoconference service for its customers, Citi News Room has reported. The service allows up to 20 participants during a call and is available on Cassava Fintech’s all-in-one Sasai app. “We believe the timing of this mobile conferencing service could not have been more appropriate. Families, communities, social groups such as religious organizations, industries and nations have been impacted by COVID-19 pandemic,” CEO Darlington Mandivenga said at the launch. Calls on Sasai TeamTalk will be free and will come with end-to-end encryption. The Sasai app is an all-in-one app that allows users to chat and pay for services, and also comes with an in-built translator for 50 languages across Africa.

Naspers invests $5.6m in Aerobotics

South Africa’s Naspers has backed Agritech company, Aerobotics, with a $5.6 million investment, it has been reported. The investment was made through the company’s early-business funding initiative known as Naspers Foundry. “We are proud to be building quality technology in South Africa and delivering it to customers around the world,” CEO and co-founder James Paterson said of the deal. The investment is yet to be approved by local authorities. Aerobotics offers subscription-based AI-powered tools to help farmers manage their crops and predict crop yield.

Europe

Supercomputers hijacked for crypto mining

A number of supercomputers across Europe have shut down after they were targeted by hackers for crypto mining, it has been reported. Computers in Germany, Barcelona, Switzerland, and the UK were affected in the hack. Targeting a Secure Shell (SSH) connection which academics to remotely access files on a server, the hackers proceeded to install a crypto-mining malware. The Archer supercomputer at the University of Edinburgh was one of the computers targeted and staff are working with the National Cyber Security Centre to restore it to full function. “We now believe this to be a major issue across the academic community as several computers have been compromised in the UK and elsewhere in Europe,” staff said of the incident.

EasyJet suffers massive data breach

EasyJet has announced that it has suffered a security breach that has undermined the data of some nine million customers, the BBC has reported. More than 2,000 customers had their credit cards accessed while email addresses and travel itineraries were also ransacked in the process. “This was a highly sophisticated attacker. It took time to understand the scope of the attack and to identify who had been impacted,” the airline told reporters. EasyJet admitted that it had informed the Information Commissioner’s Office of the breach while it conducted its own investigations. While it has informed some of the affected persons, the company would eventually reach out to all affected customers by May 26 after further investigations.

The Americas

Google and Apple sued over game copyright infringement

Ubisoft has sued both Apple and Google for allegedly copying its “Rainbow Six: Siege” game, it has been reported. The two tech giants, together with Alibaba-owned Ejoy, are being sued for allegedly copying Ubisoft’s game characters, game modes, and user interface in designing Area F2, a Chinese mobile game. “Virtually every aspect of AF2 is copied from R6S, from the operator selection screen to the final scoring screen and everything in between,” Ubisoft claim in their suit. Both Apple and Google were included in the lawsuit because they receive cuts from any in-game purchases made on their respective app platforms and have not removed the games. Ubisoft’s portfolio include Assassin’s Creed and Just Dance.

Facebook fined $6.5m in Canada

Facebook has been fined some $6.5 million in Canada for making false privacy claims, it has been reported. The fine is part of a settlement agreed over how the social media giant used customer data between 2012 and 2018. Canada’s Competition Bureau said Facebook shared data with third-party without consent saying, “the company made false or misleading claims about the privacy of Canadians’ personal information on Facebook and [messaging app] Messenger.” Facebook has disagreed with the ruling but has agreed to pay the fine to resolve matters.

Asia

Huawei calls US rules arbitrary

China’s Huawei has called new US export laws that limit the company’s access to key technology arbitrary and pernicious, the BBC has reported. In addition to blacklisting Huawei, new rules require all global semiconductor manufacturers that use American technology to seek permission before selling to Huawei. This new move is aimed at cutting off the supply of US technology to Huawei regardless of where in the world they were made. Chairman Guo Ping admitted the move could affect their business but added, “In spite of that, as the challenges over the past year have helped us develop a thicker skin, we are confident about finding solutions soon.”  With how entrenched Huawei is in the global electronics industry, the chairman believes the rules would erode trust and increase conflict while business incur losses in the process.

Afghan girls make ventilators from car parts

The all-girls robotics team from Afghanistan has created inexpensive ventilators using discarded car parts, a BBC report has said. Having won international recognition during a competition in the US, the girls hope to produce as many ventilators as they can by the end of May to meet local demand. The country of nearly 40 million people has only 400 ventilators. “It’s important even if we can save one life with our effort,” 17-year old Rahimi and member of Afghan Dreamers said. While ventilators can go for between $30,000 and $50,000 on the international market, the teenage inventors are hoping to create theirs for a meagre $600.