Sokowatch Launches Electric Tuk-tuks in Uganda, Facebook Sued For Denying Jobs to US Workers, and Italy Fines Apple Over Water-Resistance Claims

Africa

expressPay launches international money transfer service

eExpressPay has launched its first international money transfer product. The service allows users in the UK to send money to mobile money wallets of relatives in Ghana via the ExpressPay app.

Sokowatch launches first electric tuk-tuks in Uganda

East African e-commerce platform, Sokowatch, has launched Uganda’s first commercial electric tuk-tuk. The new three-wheelers can last up to three days after a three hour-charge.

Uber partners NGO to fight gender-based violence

Uber has partnered with Nisaa Institute for Women’s Development to develop a mandatory safety education for its partner-drivers. Drivers in Ghana will now have to complete a compulsory video that educates them on dangers of harassment.

Europe

Virgin to provide hyper fast broadband in Wales

Virgin Media is bringing hyper fast internet access to hundreds of thousands of users in Wales. When successful, businesses and households in parts of Cardiff will receive internet connectivity 18 times faster than others.

Italy fines Apple over water-resistance claims

Italy has fined Apple €10m for misleading claims about its iPhone’s water-resistance properties. The country’s competition watchdog found the claims only held under laboratory conditions and not in the real world.

Facebook to pay UK content outlets

Facebook will start paying UK content publishers when it launches Facebook News in 2021. Facebook News will come as a dedicated tab on the app, and has already launched in the US.

The Americas

Facebook sued for denying jobs to US workers

The United States Department of Justice has accused Facebook of favouring immigrants over US workers. The Department said the tech giant used a hiring system that favoured temporary workers and holders of H-1B visas over Americans.

Hackers target coronavirus vaccine supply chain

IBM has disclosed that hackers are targeting the coronavirus vaccine supply chain. They further disclosed that the perpetrators were looking to influence the temperature at which the vaccines were being stored and were probably supported by a nation state.

Google fired employees over union activity

Google fired workers who were engaged in union activity, according to the US National Labor Relations Board. The Board said while Google fired staff over data security, only those engaged in union activity were allegedly targeted.

Asia

Facebook and Google accused of censorship in Vietnam

Amnesty has accused both Facebook and Google of having supported Vietnam’s censorship campaign. The rights group said the tech giants were guilty of “far-reaching complicity” as they blocked content critical of authorities in Vietnam.

PhonePe raises $700m from investors

India’s PhonePe has raised some $700 million from existing investors in a bid to compete against Google and Amazon. PhonePe now looks set to become an independent spinoff, with a market valuation of $5.5 billion.

China approves first South Korean mobile game in four years

China has approved Com2uS, a South Korean mobile game, in a move that should improve relations between the two countries. Tensions had heightened since the installation of a US missile defence system in Seoul in 2017 which China fears could undercut its security interests.