BoG Scraps Fees on Small Mobile Money Transactions, Apple Hit with $1.2b Fine, and Developers Criticise Google’s Firebase

Africa

Facebook to help Nigeria battle fake news

Facebook has said that it is running a fact-checking pilot to halt the spread of fake news especially regarding the spread of COVID19, Africa News has reported. Facebook will use WhatsApp to gather information that would help researchers in the battle against disinformation in Africa’s most populous nation. In addition, the social media giant will provide banner ad services for WHO and the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control. Together with AfricaCheck, the tech giant will check misinformation spread in local languages like Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo.

Bank of Ghana scraps fees on small mobile money transactions

The Bank of Ghana has scrapped fees on all mobile money transactions of GHS 100 and below in a bid to encourage a cashless economy, it has been revealed. The directive will also help curb the spread of the coronavirus through the handling of paper notes. “The Bank of Ghana has agreed with banks and mobile network operators on measures to facilitate more efficient payments and promote digital forms of payments for the next three months, subject to review, effective March 20, 2020,” the BoG said in a statement. The new directive applies to transfers to customers on all networks. In addition, daily transfer limits have been increased for all mobile money subscribers in a bid to promote more transfers. The mobile operators will also offer free access to the Ministry of Information website even for users who have no data. However, Cash Out transactions will still accrue the same costs as before.

Europe

Apple hit with $1.2b fine in France

France has imposed a record $1.2 billion fine on Apple for what it describes as anti-competitive behaviour, the BBC has reported. Apple was found guilty of working with its local partners to control prices, the report said. The probe by France’s competition watchdog started in 2012 when eBizcuss, an Apple Premium Reseller, made a complaint to the regulator. The regulator said, “Apple abusively exploited the economic dependence of these premium resellers on it and imposed unfair economic conditions on them that were worse than those for its integrated network of retailers.” Apple said it would appeal the decision.

3D respiratory valves help save lives in Italy

A 3D-printer company has designed and printed 100 respiratory valves after a hospital in Brescia, Italy, run out of stock, it has been reported. The valve helps connect patients to breathing machines and is critical for patients who can breathe on their own due to the coronavirus infection. After the hospital run out of the valves which are only usable for up to eight hours at a time, it emerged that the main supplier would not be able to supply enough valves in time. A journalist then connected the hospital to Isinnova, a 3D-printing company who helped design the valves. The respiratory valves cost less than a dollar and took about three hours to design and print. Though they were supplying the products for free, Isinnova is not sharing the design with the public.

The Americas

Tesla shuts down and Amazon bans non-essential items

Amazon is refusing to stock some items in its warehouses as it fights to cope with increased demand for essential household items, it has been revealed. This would make it difficult for third-party sellers to ship non-essential items in the meantime as they would have to do the packaging themselves. Despite their best efforts, basic items like toilet paper are currently out of stock. “We are temporarily prioritising household staples, medical supplies, and other high-demand products coming into our fulfilment centres so we can more quickly receive, restock, and deliver these products to customers. We understand this is a change for our selling partners and appreciate their understanding,” Amazon said of its decision. Meanwhile, Tesla has suspended production at its production plant in the United States in a bid to slow down the spread of the coronavirus, the BBC has said. The California county within which the factory is based is limiting travel and business functions to the barest minimum.

App developers criticise Google’s Firebase tools

App developers have criticised Google for pressuring them to embed code in their own products in order to give Google access to more data, Reuters has reported. Google’s Firebase is a set of tools that app developers use in making apps. However, US attorneys have been investigating whether the social media giant has stifled competition in online advertising. This is because Firebase plays a significant role in storing data in the apps that use them as it delivers notifications and records clicks made by the end user. This gives Google tremendous insight into how users use apps which could be used in online ad policies. Though alternatives exist on the market, Google is believed to have made it difficult to operate common functions without Firebase. “There’s definitely a trend where Google is trying to get as many services into Firebase as possible and restrict developers from using other services,” said Elad Nava, whose Pushy tool helps apps send notifications to users.

Asia

India telcos replace ringtone with virus info

Indian mobile networks are playing a 30-second coronavirus infomercial before the start of every phone call, it has been reported. The message begins with a person coughing instead of a ringtone, followed by information about symptoms. Only the caller hears the infomercial. “It has helped people understand a bit more about the symptoms and what to do if they have them,” Kinjal Pandya-Wagh of the BBC’s Delhi office said. However, there are claims the recurring information is causing panic among folk already worried about pandemic. As a result, many have come up with suggestions on how to cut the message short.

Toyota partners with Momenta for HD maps

Toyota Motor Corp has partnered with China’s autonomous vehicle start-up, Momenta, to develop a high definition mapping technology for autonomous vehicles, Reuters has explained. Momenta is already testing autonomous vehicles in Suzhou and Beijing and will use its HD mapping technology to commercialize Toyota’s Autonomous Mapping Platform, the report said. Toyota Motor Corp is investing aggressively into the autonomous vehicle market having already put $400 million in Pony.ai and another $600 million in Chinese ride-hailing firm, Didi Chuxing. Established three years ago, Moment is backed by Germany’s Daimler.