Facebook shareholders want to postpone end-to-end encryption plan

Facebook End-to-end encryption

It is reported that investors at Facebook annual stockholder meeting will vote on a proposal to postpone the firm’s plans for end-to-end encryption. The social media firm wants to make the measure the default option across its messaging platforms to protect privacy. But activist shareholders have however stated that this would make it nearly impossible to detect child exploitation on Facebook, now the group wants the company to delay the move until after its board of directors studies the risk further. “As shareholders, we know that privacy is important to…

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey will be moving back to Africa for at least 3 months in 2020, new home?

platform hint job Twitter CEO Voice Tweets Gryphon

Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter and mobile payments company Square, tweeted his farewell to Africa on Wednesday, but announced that he would return and temporarily move to the continent for at least three months in 2020. JHe uggested that he may move to Africa for at least three months next year. Sad to be leaving the continent…for now. Africa will define the future (especially the bitcoin one!). Not sure where yet, but I’ll be living here for 3-6 months mid 2020. Grateful I was able to experience a small…

Facebook debuts new logo with different colors for distinction on its acquisitions Instagram, WhatsApp

Facebook

Social media leader, Facebook wants more people to know it owns Instagram, WhatsApp and Oculus while still maintaining a distinct identity for its main app. So today it launched a new capitalization and typography format for its company name, using all capital letters and a shifting color scheme that highlights Instagram’s purple gradient and WhatsApp’s green tint. The idea to change the corporate logo to a minimalist rendering of the Facebook name, a move the company said is meant to separate the wider corporation — and its subsidiariesfrom the core…

Nigeria proposes law to tax local online purchases

Voice App

Online purchases in Nigeria could soon come with a tax bill in part of plans to raise more revenue to fund a record budget, Nigeria’s government is considering a 5% Value Added Tax (VAT) specifically for online purchases. Babatunde Fowler, head of Nigeria’s federal tax agency, says the government may appoint banks as agents to deduct 5% VAT on all local online purchases with a bank card. The policy could be in place by early next year, Fowler said in an interview with Premium Times, a local online newspaper. This…

Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram in worst ever worldwide outage for the internet giant

Facebook said it was “back at 100 percent” after an outage on all of its services affected users in various parts of the world. Online monitoring service DownDetector reported on Wednesday that the outage began around 12:00 GMT and affected Facebook as well as its Instagram and WhatsApp services. “The issue has since been resolved and we should be back at 100 percent for everyone,” the company tweeted at 00:06 GMT on Thursday, adding they were sorry for “any inconvenience”. A Facebook spokesperson, also speaking on behalf of Instagram and…

Facebook looking to launch own crypto-currency in 2020

By AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE, LONDON, United Kingdom, May 24 – Facebook has been in contact with US and British financial regulators with a view to launching its own crypto-currency next year, the BBC reported on Friday. “GlobalCoin” would work with a new digital payments system in about a dozen countries, starting in the first quarter of 2020, the broadcaster said on its website. Previous reports have said Facebook is taking a serious look at blockchain technology under its “Project Libra”, in part to tackle doubts about privacy among its many…

Andela Secures $100M Series D Funding to Build Distributed Eng. Teams and Power its work

Andela

Andela the company building distributed engineering teams with Africa’s top software developers, today announced the completion of a $100M Series D funding. The round was led by Generation Investment Management with participation from existing investors including Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, GV, Spark Capital, and CRE Venture Capital. The most recent financing brings Andela’s total venture funding to $180M. Andela was founded in 2014 to connect Africa’s engineering talent with the demand for software developers worldwide. With the Series D funding, Andela will accelerate the development of its technology platform to identify,…

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

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…

Facebook Agrees on Data Sharing With Chinese Firms

facebook

Facebook has confirmed it has a data-sharing partnership with Chinese firms including Huawei, a company US intelligence previously flagged as a security threat. The agreements gave the Chinese firms some access to users’ data to help them build Facebook “experiences” on their own platforms. Facebook said all the data collected remained on users’ phones not servers. The company is already under scrutiny over how it uses members’ information. Facebook has been blocked in China since 2009 but the company has been trying to find other ways to access the massive…

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

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…