Paris, France | Xinhua | France on Tuesday fined Google 500 million euros (592 million U.S. dollars) for failing to offer a fair deal to local media companies for hosting their news content. The French Authority of Competition ordered Google to present, within the next two months, “an offer of remuneration …
Read More »Aussie Internet watchdog flags crackdown on social media abuse
Canberra, Australia | THE INDEPENDENT | Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has called for social media giants to take responsibility for the content on their platforms. Under changes to the Online Safety Act proposed by the Australian government, Inman Grant would have the power to prevent cyber abuse, identify …
Read More »Lawyer Karamagi writes to Google over gov’ts move to block Youtube channels
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | City lawyer Andrew Karamagi has accused the government of levelling patent falsehoods and outlandish allegations against 14 local YouTube channels in its petition to American Tech Company Google Inc. The affected channels include Ghetto TV, Bobi Wine 2021, KKTV, JB Muwonge 2, Namungo Media, Busesa …
Read More »Google requires court order to delete YouTube channel-Africa spokesperson
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The head of Communication and Public Affairs for Africa at Google, Dorothy Ooko has said “it is very hard to just have a channel removed due to a government request.” That was her quick and brief response to a letter by Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) …
Read More »Google tells Uganda to go to court
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Google has responded to the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC). The head of Communication and Public Affairs for Africa at Google, Dorothy Ooko has said “it is very hard to just have a channel removed due to a government request.” That was her quick and brief …
Read More »New Google-IFC report estimates Africa’s Internet economy to be $180 billion in next five years
Johannesburg, South Africa | THE INDEPENDENT | The e-Conomy Africa 2020 report released today by Google and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), estimates that increased access to faster and better quality internet, and Africa’s commitment to creating the world’s largest single market under the African Continental Free Trade Area, …
Read More »Google launches Android 11 mobile operating system
San Francisco, US | XINHUA | Google on Tuesday announced the launch of Android 11, the latest version of its mobile operating system. Android 11 will begin rolling out Tuesday on select Pixel and several Chinese smartphones such as OnePlus, Xiaomi, OPPO and Realme, with more partners launching and upgrading devices …
Read More »Web platforms not liable for copyright infringement: ECJ advocate general
Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | The video-sharing platform YouTube and its parent company Google cannot be held liable when users upload copyrighted content there, Advocate General Henrik Saugmandsgaard Oe at the European Court of Justice said on Thursday. “As EU (European Union) law currently stands, online platform operators, such as …
Read More »Generation Z: creative and committed, against the virus
Paris, France | AFP | With their art, technology know-how, creative social networking skills or political commitment, post-millennials, known as Generation Z, have found their own ways to help others through the coronavirus lockdown. From Colombia to Senegal, Malaysia to North Macedonia, AFP talked to a group of 15- to 24-year-olds, …
Read More »France looks past Google, Apple for virus contact tracing
Paris, France | AFP | France, which has long been sceptical of the growing power of US tech titans, is seeking to bypass Apple and Google for a smartphone app to help trace people infected with the novel coronavirus. The move, which leaves France relatively isolated in Europe alongside Britain and …
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