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MultiChoice Shouts for Netflix to be regulated, Blames itself for not innovating

July 13, 2018 Editor

A message Netflix gave Verizon home Internet customers during a money dispute in 2014.

Pay-TV operator MultiChoice lost more than 100,000 premium subscribers in the previous financial year. CEO Calvo Mawela attributed this loss of business to unregulated competition from video-streaming company Netflix, saying it had an unfair advantage as it was not under any regulatory pressure in SA. The pay-TV operator that continues to bleed subscribers, is fighting tooth and nail to remain relevant amid tough competition from online streaming services. However, MultiChoice, which owns DStv, said it was aware that failure to adapt its business model could make it a victim of…

Kenya ranks 3rd in Sub-Saharan Africa in the 2018 Global Innovation Index

July 11, 2018 Editor

Kenya has won the third place in Sub-Saharan Africa in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2018 coming after South Africa and Mauritius. Kenya achieves high levels of innovation relative to its level of development, a continuous performance since 2011. Strengths for Kenya are access to credit (especially microfinance loans), innovation linkages and exports of creative services, such as R&D financed by abroad, workforce efficiency and printing and other media. Now in its 11th edition, the GII is a detailed quantitative tool that helps global decision makers better understand how to…

No VC: Facebook is not making any direct investments to African tech startups

June 29, 2018 Editor

Facebook’s to invest $57 Billion in Africa’s Economy in next five years

Facebook has been scaling up its operations in Africa and engaging more intently with tech startups on the continent, but the company has decided it will not be making any direct investments, Disrupt Africa reports That is according to Julien Decot, director of platform partnerships for EMEA at Facebook, who was speaking at last week’s MEST Africa Summit in Cape Town. He said the decision not to become an investor had come straight from Zuckerberg himself. “That was a Zuckerberg decision. The way Mark thought about it was – “this…

Senegalese-Born Musician Akon To Launch Akoin Cryptocurrency

June 28, 2018

The American-based Senegalese artist says the cryptocurrency will be the currency of choice in Akon Crypto City, a 2,000-hectare development which is under construction in an area just outside Dakar, Senegal’s capital city. The rapper describes the development as the real-life Wakanda. He also believes the technology has benefits for those on African soil, disadvantaged by political and social circumstances. Unfortunately, Akon didn’t reveal any technical details of the cryptocurrency. CANNES — Senegal-born star Akon — whose Lighting Africa project is bringing solar power to Africa — is at Cannes…

Facebook reportedly gave Apple, Samsung unfettered access to user data potentially violating a 2011 FTC consent degree

June 4, 2018

Facebook gave Apple, Samsung, BlackBerry and other device makers detailed access to user data and may have potentially violated a 2011 FTC consent degree according to the New York Times. The social network struck partnerships with at least 60 device makers so that they could offer messaging, “Like” buttons and other features without the need for an app. However, an NYT reporter found that the BlackBerry Hub, for one, was able to glean private data from 556 of his friends, including their religious and political leanings and events they planned…

South Africa’s Second biggest database leak exposes almost 1 million personal records

May 24, 2018

Barely a year after South Africa’s largest data leak was revealed in 2017, the country has suffered yet another data leak as 934,000 personal records of South Africans have been leaked publicly online. The data includes, among others, national identity numbers (ID numbers), e-mail addresses, full names, as well as plain text passwords to what appears to be a traffic fines related online system. Working together with Troy Hunt, an Australian Security consultant and founder of haveibeenpwned, along with an anonymous source that has been communicating with iAfrikan and Hunt, we’ve managed to establish that the…

UN CSTD: Next generation tech-preneurship will be led by Teenpreneurs, Bekele

May 22, 2018May 31, 2018 Editor

Start-ups need to stridently move from talking the blue-print to tangibles in the tech space and that next generation tech-preneurship will be led by #Teenpreneurs, who have it in their DNA . The 21st Commission on Science and Technology for Development UNCSTD was held at the United Nations HQ, Palais des Nations, Geneva, from Monday, 14 May to Friday, 18 May 2018. Among the distinguished speakers sat in a high level panel included Sophia Bekele Founder & CEO of DotConnectAfrica who discussed the impact of rapid technological change on the…

Dutch DDoS mystery: Who’s behind the sudden massive wave of attacks on banks?

February 6, 2018February 6, 2018

There is as yet no indication of who is behind the massive distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on Netherlands banks and government websites that ran from last weekend to Tuesday. Initial reports suggesting a Russian connection appear baseless. The attacks began just a couple of days after media reports stated that Dutch intelligence tipped off their American counterparts about state-sponsored Russian spies hacking the apparatus of the Democratic Party and stealing the infamous “leaked emails” that may have swayed the 2016 election. “This weekend’s DDoS attacks were heavier than…

Geneva: Miss.Africa Digital Program Named Finalist in the ITU/UN 2017 EQUALSinTech Awards

December 22, 2017 Editor

ITU and UN Women this week in Geneva, Switzerland announced the Miss.Africa Digital program as one of 15 Finalists and the Winners for the prestigious 2017 EQUALS in Tech Awards. As the flagship event of the EQUALS global network partnership, the annual award event is designed to showcase how ICTs can be used to dramatically improve social, political and economic outcomes for women and girls – and the value that women and girls bring to the technology sectors. This year, there were 293 participants from 72 countries for the EQUALS…

Robot automation will take 800 million jobs by 2030

November 30, 2017November 30, 2017 Dianne Jacobs

Up to 800 million global workers will lose their jobs by 2030 and be replaced by robotic automation, a new report from a consultancy has found. The study of 46 countries and 800 occupations by the McKinsey Global Institute found that up to one-fifth of the global work force will be affected. It said one-third of the workforce in richer nations like Germany and the US may need to retrain for other jobs. Machine operators and food workers will be hit hardest, the report says. Poorer countries that have less…