London, United Kingdom | AFP | Social media titan Facebook will open a new office in London on Monday that is set to be its biggest engineering hub outside America, the company has announced. The investment in the office, near Oxford Street in the heart of the city’s West End district, …
Read More »US cop wins tweeting award for creative posts
Chicago, United States | AFP | A twitter post in late October from Kansas policeman Ben Gardner featured a large cow curled up on top of a BMW sedan’s hood. The message from the spokesman for the Midwestern US state’s highway patrol department was that animals seek warm cars during …
Read More »Uber in legal crosshairs over hack cover-up
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Two US states said Wednesday they are investigating Uber’s cover-up of a hack at the ride-sharing giant that compromised the personal information of 57 million users and drivers. Uber purportedly paid data thieves $100,000 to destroy the swiped information — and remained quiet …
Read More »GLOBAL COMMENT: Freeing Africa’s internet
Governments issue orders to cut off Internet but telecoms reserve ability to hit the `kill switch’ COMMENT | KIZITO BYENKYA & ALEX HUMPHREY | Much to the dismay of the government in Addis Ababa, “Zone 9” has become a household name in Ethiopia. Since 2012, this small group of journalists-turned-online activists …
Read More »Facebook to show people if they fell for Russian propaganda
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook on Wednesday said it will help people see if they liked or followed posts considered part of a Russian effort to meddle with last year’s US election. A software tool to be released by the end of this year will allow users to …
Read More »Internet costs drop by 73% in 3 years
Why cost per Mbps has dropped by 73% in last three years Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | The cost of internet in Uganda has dropped by 73% to US$70 per Mbps over the past three years, signaling a reduction in the cost of doing business. In an exclusive interview with …
Read More »N. Korea hacked Seoul’s war plan: report
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korean computer hackers have stolen hundreds of classified military documents from South Korea including detailed wartime operational plans involving its US ally, a report said Tuesday. Rhee Cheol-Hee, a lawmaker for the ruling Democratic party, said the hackers had broken into the South’s military …
Read More »Government internet shutdowns cost Africa dear
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Government shutdowns of the internet have cost sub-Saharan Africa about $237 million since 2015, according to a study released Friday, as authorities increasingly implement planned disruptions. At least 12 countries have had internet shutdowns, often before elections or when protests erupt, with mobile internet …
Read More »Netflix to spend Can$500 mln to make films, TV shows in Canada
Ottawa, Canada | AFP | Netflix will spend Can$500 million (US$400 million) over the next five years to make original films and television shows in Canada, the company and Heritage Minister Melanie Joly announced Thursday. This amounts to about five percent of the video streaming service’s estimated total US$7 billion production …
Read More »Google, Facebook, Twitter asked to testify in Russia probe
Washington, United States | AFP | The Senate Intelligence Committee has asked top tech companies Google, Facebook and Twitter to testify about Russian interference in US politics, a Senate aide confirmed Wednesday. The three internet and online social media giants are expected to appear on November 1 in an open hearing …
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