Egypt Launches Communication Satellite, Twitter Ponders Deleting Inactive Accounts, and India Wants to Audit WhatsApp

Africa

Bank of Ghana considers issuing “e-cedi” digital currency

The Bank of Ghana is considering issuing a digital currency called e-cedi to take advantage of the growing interest in digital coins, it has been reported. When developed, the e-cedi will be piloted within a sandbox environment before opening it up to the public. Meanwhile, the governor added that it had granted license to GCB Bank to issue stable coins: digital coins backed by currency. “it is just electronic money backed by currency. So GCB cannot create money; they are only having an electronic representation of the cedi that the Bank of Ghana puts into circulation. So it is not crypto,” Governor Ernest Addison clarified.

Egypt launches communication satellite to space

Egypt has launched the first-of-a-kind communication satellite into space to help improve internet infrastructure and communication services, it has been announced. The satellite was launched using Arianespace rockets from French Guyana’s space centre. The satellite would remain in orbit for the next 15 years. In that time, it should provide every inch of Egypt with reliable internet and communication services, the cabinet said in a statement announcing the launch.

The Americas

Twitter to delete inactive accounts

Twitter has announced plans to delete all inactive accounts unless they log in before December 11, 2019, a BBC report has said. All accounts that have been inactive for six months up to the deadline will be deleted. Twitter announced its decision was based on the fact that inactive users couldn’t agree to the social media company’s updated privacy policies. Twitter will begin the exercise with dormant accounts registered outside the United States, a spokesperson said. While the intent was not to free up usernames, it is likely going to have an impact on available usernames by the middle of December. The deletion should not affect Twitter’s user numbers as the number is already based on active users. Twitter currently has 145 million active users who come into contact with ads on twitter on a daily basis. In another announcement, the deadline has been suspended until Twitter is better able to memorialise dead persons.

Orders for Tesla’s electric truck reaches 250,000

Orders for Tesla’s new electric Cybertruck have reached the 250,000 mark less than one week after it was launched, according to news reports. The increase in orders is attributable to the low $100 deposit required by the electric car innovator, reports have suggested. The Cybertruck also pulled away in competition against a comparable Ford version of the truck. Mass production of the electric truck should commence in 2021 according to reports. However, analysts have pointed out that preorders were virtually meaningless. “The $100 Truck reservation is Tesla admitting preorders are meaningless,” a Roth Capital analyst said. Though Tesla had claimed a 455,000 reservation for its Model 3 vehicles in 2017, it managed to sell on 275,000 by second quarter of 2019.

Europe

Murderer wins right to be forgotten on the web

A German murderer has won the right to be removed from online search results according to a High Court decision, it has been reported. The man was convicted of murder in 1982 for killing two people on a yacht and injuring a third. He was released in 2002, however, and was not impressed by press report about his deeds. He argued in court that he wanted his crime to be distanced from his family name. Also, he thought press reports limited his ability to forge a personality. Though the case was thrown out of a federal court in 2012, a constitutional court has ruled in his favour. The new ruling could mean all archived stories mentioning him by name would be restricted from public view. The “right to be forgotten” allows EU citizens to have their records wiped from online searches and has caused rows between the EU and Google especially.

Uber loses license in London

Uber has lost its London license allowing it to carry passengers due to a pattern of security failures, Reuters has said. Unauthorised drivers were said to be able to upload their pictures onto the accounts of other persons in order to use the app in their stead. This meant that in at least 14,000 trips, the advertised drivers were not the ones picking up passengers, Transport for London said in a statement. “TfL does not have confidence that similar issues will not reoccur in the future, which has led it to conclude that the company is not fit and proper at this time,” the regulator added. The decision is likely to be appealed and dragged on for months, during which time drivers would still be able to provide services to riders. It is the second time in two years the ride-hailing app has lost its license.

Asia

India to audit WhatsApp after hacking attempt

India wants to do a security audit of Facebook-owned WhatsApp after spyware was used to exploit vulnerabilities in the messaging platform, Reuters has reported. Ravi Shankar Prasad, the country’s technology minister, said the Indian Computer Emergency Team (CERT-In) “sought submission of information from WhatsApp on November 9, 2019, including a need to conduct an audit and inspection of WhatsApp’s security systems and processes.” WhatsApp had sued Israeli company, NSO Group for helping clients break into the phones of 1,400 WhatsApp users including government officials, journalists, and political dissidents. About 121 Indians were victims of the spyware, prompting India to seek more information about the impact of the malware on Indians.

Israel’s NSO Group workers sue Facebook for blocking private accounts

Workers at Israel’s NSO Group have filed a lawsuit against Facebook for unfairly blocking their personal accounts, reports say. WhatsApp had sued the Israeli surveillance company for helping governments snoop on approximately 1,400 users across four continents. The targets included politicians, lawyers, and journalists. Facebook then decided to disable certain accounts after it attributed a “sophisticated cyber-attack” to persons related to NSO Group. “Blocking our private accounts is a hurtful and unjust move by Facebook. The idea that personal data was searched for and used is very disturbing to us,” the lawsuit stated. Meanwhile, the employees have vowed to continue helping governments fight crime through their technology.