Google Adds Nigerian Accent to Google Assistant, Equifax to Pay $700m in Fine Over Breach, Australia to Monitor Algorithms of Tech Giants

Africa

Ghana to reach 95% mobile connectivity by 2020

Ghana is on course to reach 95% mobile phone connectivity by 2020, according to reports. The statement was made by the Deputy Minister of Communications, Vincent Sowah Odotei on the floor of parliament. Mr Odotei added that the Ministry was in the process of procuring cost-effective technology to boost access in the rural areas through its Rural Telephony Project. Funding for the project would be supported by the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications., GIFEC.

Google to add Nigerian accent to Google Assistant

Google has unveiled plans to include local Nigerian accents in its Google Maps and Google Assistant apps, Reuters has reported. The local accent will offer directions to commuters using Google’s motorcycle directions services. This will be available in Ghana, Benin, Rwanda, Togo, and Uganda in addition to Nigeria. The move is part of Google’s effort to reach more users in Africa, especially the motorcycle-riding population. There are about 10 million bike riders in Nigeria alone. Google Maps will also include informal routes plied by the ubiquitous danfo minibuses to be used by commuters. “What we’re really hoping is for people who might be making a trip to an unfamiliar town, maybe a journey they don’t usually take, to be able to discover the info they need to make that journey,” Google’s senior product manager, Jeff Albertson, said.

The Americas

Equifax will pay $700 million for data breach

Equifax has agreed to pay up to $700 million in fines for a massive data breach that occurred in 2017, it has been reported. This is because the Federal Trade Commission has declared that the credit score agency failed to take appropriate measures to protect data of 147 million customers. “Equifax failed to take basic steps that may have prevented the breach,” the FTC’s chairman, Joe Simons, said. A maximum of $452 million will be used to settle the cost of fixing identity theft-related damages suffered by victims, while the remainder will be sent to 50 US states and territories. Equifax is now expected to take steps to improve its data security.

Facebook agrees to pay $5 billion in fines

Facebook is expected to pay a record $5 billion in fines over its handling of privacy matters, according to reports by Reuters. As part of the resolution, the social media giant will initiate steps to bolster security of user data as demanded by the Federal Trade Commission, FTC. The probe that led to this fine was based on revelations about Facebook’s treatment of personal information belonging to 87 million users in the Cambridge Analytica debacle. Cambridge Analytica had provided data for clients who included Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign. Democratic member of the FTC raised concern about the implications the fine had for Facebook executives who would now have “blanket immunity.” Speaking on whether the FTC could have gotten more in terms of fines, chairman Joe Simons said, “We cannot impose such things by our own fiat.” The Federal Trade Commission has also opened an antitrust investigation into Facebook.

Europe

Russia targets Tor browser

Russian intelligence has allegedly targeted anonymous Tor web browser, according to reports by the BBC. This was revealed after hackers who breached a Russian intelligence contractor saw the details of the Russian government’s attempts. The hackers breached the security of SyTech which is a contractor for the Federal Security Service FSB of Russia, stealing 7.5 TB of data. Tor is used by browsers who wish to mask their presence on the internet.

O2 to launch 5G in October

O2 will turn on its 5G mobile network in October, the company has revealed. According to BBC, O2 will launch its 5G network in Belfast, Slough, Edinburgh, Leeds, London, and Cardiff. The list of towns and cities to benefit from the next-generation service will increase to 50 by the end of 2020. The roll-out will also make O2 the only UK service provider to not use Huawei equipment. “We respect all three operators, they were thorough in their submissions, but we were convinced that the best choices for us at this time are our current partners, which are Ericsson and Nokia,” O2’s chief executive Mark Evans told the BBC. UK has postponed its decision on whether or not to allow the use of Huawei equipment in its 5G roll-out, according to reports.

Asia

Samsung Galaxy Fold to be launched in September

Samsung Electronics have announced a September launch date for its beleaguered foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold. The Galaxy Fold had been scheduled to launch earlier this year, but problems like breaking screens forced Samsung to push the launch indefinitely, reports said. Samsung revealed that it had made changes that would make the Galaxy Fold more robust. The South Korean company planned to make 1 million handsets of the Fold. The Galaxy Fold will cost almost $2,000 when it hits selected markets around the world.

Australia to establish office to regulate Facebook and Google

Australia has announced steps to establish the first office to police the activities of Facebook and Google, Reuters has reported. This adds to measures in Europe and America aimed at tightening the way both tech giants operate and deal with user data. “These companies are among the most powerful and valuable in the world. They need to be held to account and their activities need to be more transparent,” Australian Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, said. The new office would be a special branch of Australia’s antitrust watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). It will work by unraveling the algorithms used by both Facebook and Google to match adverts to customers.