Loon Launches Internet Balloons in Kenya, New Hong Kong Security Laws Worries Tech Giants, and UK Contemplating Huawei Ban

Africa

Alphabet launches internet balloons in Kenya

Alphabet’s Loon has successfully launched its commercial internet service in Kenya using floating balloons, the Verge has reported. The Loon balloons will provide internet across 50,000 square kilometres to residents. The service, which comes with 4G LTE will be accessible to Telkom Kenya subscribers. The “flight vehicles” hover at about 20km above ground and monitor wind pattern to ensure continuous access to internet. The 35-balloon internet service already connects some 35,000 unique internet users. Loon, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has used its balloons to provide internet connectivity during earthquakes in Peru and Puerto Rico.

Vodafone partners Opera to offer free browsing in Ghana

Vodafone Ghana and Opera are offering free browsing to subscribers in Ghana, a report has said. Users will be eligible for 50 MB of free data every day when browsing on Opera Mini, Opera News, and Opera News Lite. “We want customers to enjoy the experience of free browsing with Opera products. Additionally, this initiative will give Vodafone users access to free and unlimited information about the global pandemic and more,” Pushpinder Gujral, Consumer Business Unit (CBU) Director at Vodafone Ghana said. “By providing Ghanaians with free browsing together with Vodafone on the Opera mobile apps, we are opening new possibilities so that millions of people can browse confidently and for free without fear of exhausting their data bundles, especially on mobile devices,” Jørgen Arnesen, EVP of Mobile Browsers at Opera said of the partnership.

Europe

UK contemplating ban on Huawei devices

The UK government has received a report that could affect whether or not it allows Huawei in the future rollout of next generation technology, it has been reported. The report by the National Cyber Security Centre is believed to have offered less assurance on the security of Huawei technology due to new US sanctions. While the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is yet to make a final decision, PM Boris Johnson has made it clear the government wouldn’t want to be “vulnerable to a high-risk state vendor”. Meanwhile, Huawei head of international media, UK, Paul Harrison, accused the UK of succumbing to US demands. “UK policy is being dictated by [the] Trump administration… shouldn’t the US respect a United Kingdom in the post-Brexit era being in a position to chose [sic] its own telecommunication strategy?” he questioned.

UK universities honour China’s internet laws

UK universities are trying out new online links that would make it possible for Chinese students to access course materials while complying with the country’s internet laws, it has been revealed. This means that while students will now be able to study UK courses in China, only specific materials on an allowed list are available to them. Despite this, Universities UK has rejected claims of censorship, saying they were “not aware of any instances when course content has been altered”. Professor Kerry Brown of King’s College London, meanwhile, warned about possible self-censorship while dealing with China.

The Americas

Tesla close to level 5 autonomous driving

Tesla Inc. has announced that it is close to achieving level 5 autonomous technology, the Reuters has reported. Level 5 autonomous driving means vehicles will be able to navigate roads without inputs from a driver. Tesla currently has cars with an Auto-pilot driver assistance system. “I remain confident that we will have the basic functionality for level 5 autonomy complete this year,” CEO Elon Musk said. Industry experts believe it would take time for the public to fully trust a self-deriving vehicle on the street. Tesla has become the highest valued automaker in the world, surpassing Toyota to the top spot.

US finalizing ban on companies that use Huawei products

The Trump administration is finalizing legislation that would ban federal government from engaging with companies that use equipment from Huawei and four other companies, it has been reported. The new law would include agents that sell products of companies like Dahua and Hikvision, two of the largest players in the surveillance market who deal mostly with government agencies. With the new law, any company that sells equipment from these companies won’t be able to sell to government without a federal waiver. Russ Vought, acting director of the White House Office of Management and Budget said, “The Trump Administration is keeping our government strong against nefarious networks like Huawei by fully implementing the ban on Federal procurement.” The other two companies are ZTE Corp and Hytera Commubnications Corp.

Asia

Tech giants worried over Hong Kong’s new law

Tech giants are worried about Beijing’s implementation of new national security laws in Hong Kong, reports have said. The new laws make pro-democracy protests illegal and punishable by imprisonment. Meanwhile, internet companies are expected to heed any data requests from Hong Kong officials; failure to do so could lead to employees facing punishment. Google, Facebook, Telegram, and Twitter have halted their cooperation with local law enforcement due to privacy violations and possible repercussions for its users, a BBC report has said. “We believe freedom of expression is a fundamental human right and support the right of people to express themselves without fear for their safety or other repercussions,” Facebook said about its decision. TikTok, meanwhile, has announced plans to leave the Chinese territory.

ByteDance to introduce changes to corporate structure

ByteDance, publishers of popular video-sharing app TikTok, are evaluating a change to the company’s corporate structure, a news report has said. This could be part of moves to further distance itself Beijing as Washington questions the possible national security implications for the data collecting service. TikTok has already lost one of its largest markets when India banned the app over cybersecurity fears. It is also withdrawing its services from Hong Kong following implementation of a new national security law. The company also hopes to establish a new headquarters. TikTok’s largest offices are Mumbai, London, Dublin, Los Angeles, and New York.