Old Mutual Launches Free Trotro and Wi-Fi, UK Sets New Rules to Protect Children Online, and Amazon Moves to Stop Microsoft From Delivering on $10b JEDI Contract

Africa

Old Mutual launches free ‘Ride and Browse’ initiative

Old Mutual is introducing free trotro and Wi-Fi services as part of a “Ride and Browse’ initiative for travellers plying specific routes in Ghana’s capital, Accra, Citinewsroom has reported. Travelers will be able to ride Old Mutual-branded buses for free while accessing free Wi-Fi services. The branded buses will be available to passengers plying Adenta-Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Kasoa-Kwame Nkrumah Circle, and Ashiaman-Kwame Nkrumah Circle routes. The project is part of the company’s plan to deepen financial health among Ghanaians. In addition, passengers will be able to take part in a snap-and-win promotion. “As a company passionate about helping the societies in which we work in thrive, we thought it a great idea to ensure that passengers enjoy their travel comfortably and safely while using the internet for free,” Rita Adu Boateng, Head of Marketing and Operations, said in a statement. Old Mutual is a Life Insurance and Pension Trust company in Ghana.

Ghana to start switch to digital TV in 2020

Ghana’s Ministry of Communications has stated that the Digital Switch Over (DSO) which will see the country move towards digital TV will commence in the middle of 2020, according to a report by Tech Nova. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the communications minister, made this known in a stakeholders meeting involving members of the Information Ministry, National Communications Authority, National Media Commission, broadcasters and representatives from the creative industry. When the migration is completed, users would need digital set-top boxes approved by the National Communications Authority to access television channels.

Europe

UK sets new privacy rules to protect children online

Social media platforms would have to abide by a new set of strict codes aimed at protecting children who are online, according to a BBC report. The new rules were approved by UK’s Information Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, who called the new rules transformational. This includes 15 new standards which online companies collecting data of minors would have to live up to. Companies affected range from online streaming sites, toys connected to the internet, educational websites, etc. As part of the rules, location settings should be turned off by default, while techniques that nudge kids into changing their security settings should be avoided. The new code should come into force in 2021 once approved by the UK parliament.

EU countries can restrict vendors in new 5G guidelines

New 5G guidelines in the EU mean member countries can restrict certain vendors from participating in the 5G network, a Reuters report has said. The new non-binding rules are part of measures to secure national and private assets against cyber-security threats from high-risk vendors. While no country or telecoms manufacturer was fingered in the document cited by Reuters, experts say China and Huawei could be at risk of winning contracts in member states due to sustained pressure by the US and its allies to alienate the company and its ties to Beijing from global 5G networks. Member countries are expected to assess threats on a national or EU-level before handing out contracts. The guidelines also encourage member countries to diversify their source of equipment and not rely on a single vendor. In addition, the countries are expected to audit equipment used by all vendors.

The Americas

The FBI stopped Apple from encrypting iCloud

Apple reportedly halted plans to allow its clients encrypt their data on the iCloud following pressure from the FBI, it has been revealed. The company had been working on a solution for two years that would allow data backed up on the iCloud to be accessible only using a password. However, Apple abandoned the project after law enforcement revealed it would make it difficult to investigate crimes. Not everyone was enthused about the new information. Jake Moore, a cyber-security expert at ECET, said, “Encrypting data is essential and companies usually offer help and support when protecting data, so this news comes as a shock to me.” Meanwhile, Apple is believed to have obliged to 127,000 requests from law enforcement to hand over backed up data over the past seven years. The most notable was handing over data stored by the perpetrator of the Pensacola shooting where three American naval officers were shot dead by a Saudi Air Force officer. Users can still encrypt their backups if they are stored on their own devices.

Amazon wants Microsoft to halt work on $10b JEDI contract

Amazon.com has filed a motion in court seeking to halt Microsoft from working on the $10 billion JEDI contract it won at the Pentagon, Reuters has reported. Amazon.com was among the companies that submitted bids for the billion-dollar cloud infrastructure contract. After Microsoft was announced as the winner of the bid, though, Amazon.com accused President Trump of influencing the decision due to his perceived conflict with Jeff Bezos. The company filed a protest as a result and is now seeking the court to halt Microsoft from initiating work on the contract. “It is common practice to stay contract performance while a protest is pending, and it’s important that the numerous evaluation errors and blatant political interference that impacted the JEDI award decision be reviewed,” Amazon said. The Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure Cloud (JEDI) is aimed at providing better data to the military from remote locations.

Asia

Grab, Razer and AirAsia looking to acquire digital bank license in Malaysia

Ride-hailing firm, Grab, is among a number of firms looking to secure a digital bank license in Malaysia, according to a Reuters report. Others include gaming company, Razer, AirAsia, lender CIMB, and telecoms firm, Axiata. The boom in mobile connectivity is attracting a number of digital service players into the banking services, something regulators are encouraging. Malaysia’s central bank declared its intentions to offer five online banking licenses to deserving firms. The digital firms have the advantage of not needing expensive physical branches while being able to provide cheap financial services real fast. Experts believe digital services would be profitable if they were spread across the ASEAN countries. “The path to profitability will be regional expansion in ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations),” Sivaram Krishna of Accenture in Southeast Asia said, adding that, the minimum capital requirement was lower while profitability would be high due to the larger market. In essence, a firm offering financial services in Singapore is better off offering similar services in Malaysia as well.

Chinese AI expert debunks China’s social credit system

Xue Lan, an AI expert at Tsinghua University’s School of Public Policy and Management, has debunked conspiracy theories about China’s ‘big brother’ social credit system, Reuters has revealed. Countries and companies operating in China have indicated concern about China’s decision to implement a social credit scoring system that would reward or punish corporations and individuals based on financial credit, personal behaviour or corporate misdeed metrics. Xue Lan, however, said the project was still in its trial system, adding that “Reports of big brother trying to collect everyone’s everything are not true…I don’t see social credit giving China any particular advantage, I don’t think the government should use this to gain any commercial advantage. There is no evidence of this in China.” He also called on a collaboration between China and the US especially in the area of artificial intelligence as he said it had the potential to cause a lot of damage to humanity.