Uber Connect Launches in Ghana, US Challenge EU Digital Tax, and Indian App Created to Hunt Chinese Apps

Africa

Kadi launches digital product for SMEs

Ghanaian-owned US-based Kadi has set up a digital platform to help Small and Medium Enterprises buy and sell products online, Citi News Room has reported. The mobile app comes with integrated payment solutions, loan application services, as well as logistics and distribution options. The app’s friendly user interface allows businesses to automate their workflows to help them save time. Kadi’s app also offers value-added services like catering, insurance and on-site health delivery services. “The long game here is that we want to be a one-stop solution for small and medium-sized enterprises where they can manage their operations and supply chain more effectively,” Co-Founder & CEO Paul-Miki Akpablie said.

Uber launches Uber Connect in Ghana

Ride-hailing Uber has launched its flagship delivery service, Uber Connect, in the cities of Accra and Kumasi, Tech Nova has reported. Uber Connect allows for contact-less delivery of key products to designated locations across Ghana’s two biggest cities through the Uber app. “During this challenging time we wanted to provide an affordable way for Ghanaians to create magic moments, or send essential items to each other…While we’re urging people to stay home and not to travel, there’s no need to not feel connected,” Country Manager for Uber Ghana, Jessica Poku, said. Uber allows lets you share the ride status with the recipient of the delivery item to make it easy to track its journey.

Europe

Europe relies on smart coronavirus apps

European countries are banking on new generation coronavirus contact-tracing apps to help fight the spread of the novel virus, Reuters has said. Latvia, Italy and Switzerland now use apps that work on the popular Apple iPhone and do not rely on a centralised server, thereby curbing privacy-related issues. “We hope we will be ready with sufficient functionality and penetration to manage a future outbreak,” Ingmars Pukis, a board member at mobile network operator of Latvia-based LMT said. The Swiss app in particular complements manual tracing effort which involves a call to let people know if a person is at risk. While countries like Estonia, Portugal, Ireland, and Finland work on similar apps, health authorities remain worried about vulnerable elderly folk who don’t use smartphones.

Germany and France back alternative cloud computing service

Germany and France have both thrown their support behind initiatives to wean Europe of its dependence on American cloud computing service providers, it has been reported. To create an alternative to American-based Google, Microsoft and Amazon, the two countries are pushing for Gaia-X, a cloud system hosted locally with common storage and data processing standards according to EU law. 22 companies from Germany and France are expected to set up a non-profit foundation that would “referee a common set of European rules.” “We are not China, we are not the United States, we are European countries with our own values and with our own economic interest that we want to defend,” France’s Bruno Le Maire said.

The Americas

Zuckerberg accused of setting a bad precedent with Trump post

A group of civil rights leaders have accused Mark Zuckerberg of setting a bad precedent by allowing a Facebook post by Donald Trump to remain on its platform, it has been reported. Donald Trump posted that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” on both Facebook and Twitter. Twitter, however, hid the post behind a label warning that it glorified violence. The civil rights group engaged with Mark in a meeting but came out of it unimpressed with his explanation for leaving the post up. “He did not demonstrate understanding of historic or modern-day voter suppression and he refuses to acknowledge how Facebook is facilitating Trump’s call for violence against protesters. Mark is setting a very dangerous precedent for other voices who would say similar harmful things on Facebook,” they said. There are reports some Facebook staff were so angered by Zuckerberg’s response they staged a virtual walk-out.

US challenges unfair EU tech taxes

The United States of America has launched formal investigations into digital taxes it says are targeting American tech companies, the BBC has reported. The investigation is bound to look at new tax laws in the UK, EU and other places like India. Countries in the European Union and elsewhere have developed new tax rules because they feel tech giants are paying too little under existing regulations. France has introduced a 3% tax on digital sales which it will enforce at the end of 2020, while the UK is enforcing a 2% tax. Spanish lawmakers are said to be considering a similar tax regime. Most of the big tax companies affected by the new rules are based in America, forcing Washington to threaten that it would use all appropriate measures to defend its companies. “We are prepared to take all appropriate action to defend our businesses and workers against any such discrimination,” US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said.

Asia

Indian app hunts Chinese apps

An Indian app that was developed to scan for and list all Chinese-made apps on a smartphone has hit one million downloads, the BBC has reported. The Remove China Apps has become popular following increased tension over border lines between the two countries in Himalayas. The app highlights programmes like TikTok which is owned by Beijing-based Bytedance and Zoom, which was founded by an entrepreneur born in China. The app is not able to detect apps that come preinstalled on Chinese-made smartphones, however. Analysts worry this could stoke more anti-China sentiments following the spread of the coronavirus. “I think what happens in India will happen in other countries in the future, so this is a long-term impact that should factor into China developers’ calculation,” a developer said. Google has since removed the app from its store.

Chinese and Iranian hackers targeted Biden and Trump

A Google security official reported that state-backed hackers in China and Iran target staffers on the Biden and Trump campaign teams, a Reuters report has said. It wouldn’t be the first time Iran-backed hackers have tried to hack into Trump’s campaign as the Charming Kitten group was allegedly behind a similar attack on the Republican leader’s campaign officials. The group is known for trying to impersonate high-ranking journalists and were implicated in the attack on Gilead Sciences Inc., a pharmaceutical company. “We sent the targeted users our standard government-backed attack warning and we referred this information to federal law enforcement,” Google said. Shane Huntley, the head of Google’s Threat Analysis Group, confirmed on Twitter that there was no sign of compromise despite the attempts.