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WhatsApp to End Support Of Devices With Old Versions Of iOS And Android

December 9, 2016 Dianne Jacobs

WhatsApp launches end-to-end encryption on messages for all its users

Instant messaging App Whatsapp, will pull plug for devices running the older versions of mobile operating systems by the end of 2016. WhatsApp, the leading instant messaging client in the entire world, connects people globally without geographical barriers. In February this year, the application administrators announced that its services are being used by 1 billion users across the world but will be unavailable for some users. According to Apple, 63% of iOS devices are running on iOS 10, 29 % on iOS 9 and only 8 % on previous versions of…

SEACOM and IOX to connect Mauritius and World with USD 150M Submarine cable

November 29, 2016

IOX CABLE Ltd, a subsidiary of INDOI LTD, has announced a partnership with SEACOM to build an undersea cable connecting Mauritius, an Indian Ocean island nation, to the rest of Africa. The cable system, called IOX Cable System, will cost US$150 million project and will be the first open access cable system in Mauritius, open to all licensed operators. “The cable will enable African and Indian business communities to connect seamlessly across a fast and reliable digital infrastructure, ranging from undersea cable to data centres and cloud platforms,” it said.…

European Union privacy officials asks Facebook told to stop exploiting WhatsApp data

October 28, 2016

European Union privacy chiefs said Facebook must stop processing user data from its WhatsApp messaging service while they are investigating the privacy policy changes the company announced in August. The Article 29 Working Party, made up of privacy chiefs from across the 28-nation EU, told Facebook it had “serious concerns” about the sharing of WhatsApp users’ data for purposes that were not included in the terms of service and privacy policy when existing users signed up to the service, according to a statement e-mailed on Friday. European privacy watchdogs don’t…

Deloitte gravitate investment in the Internet of Things

October 27, 2016

The Internet of Things (IoT) has rapidly assumed the status of a business mega-trend. While some forward-thinking businesses, government agencies and other organisations have already taken the first steps in implementing IoT components, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of data available. Deloitte has invested substantially in its IoT capacity in order to support businesses in their transition. A recent Deloitte Digital event on IoT was attended by senior executives across industry sectors, highlighting the demand for knowledge regarding IoT deployment. The event focused on real…

Brookings Study estimates cost of internet shutdowns in 2015 at $2.4 billion

October 25, 2016 Dianne Jacobs

Whenever there’s a shutdown of internet access or restrictions placed on an app, we shake our heads disapprovingly because we know it’s a fundamentally bad idea to do that. But what exactly is the cost of those shutdowns? A new study from the Brookings Institution suggests well over $2 billion over the last year. The study, by Brookings analyst Darrell West, is a very rough estimate of these costs. We’re talking back-of-napkin rough — well, assuming you were sitting at the bar with MIT and World Bank economists. Essentially, West…

U.S. Federal bank regulators outline new cyber security standards to stem attacks

October 21, 2016

U.S. bank regulators on Wednesday outlined cyber security standards meant to protect financial markets and consumers from online attacks against the nation’s leading financial firms. Leading banks will be expected to use the most sophisticated anti-hacking tools on the market and to be able to recover from any attack within two hours, said officials briefing reporters on the plan. The rules, which will be finalized after industry input, is meant to raise cyber security to a top priority for corporate executives and boards, according to the banking agencies. Banks with…

Internet companies petrified after hackers release code behind one of the most powerful online attacks

October 7, 2016October 7, 2016

Internet companies are bracing for more trouble after hackers released the code behind one of the most powerful online attacks ever, which harnessed as many as one million internet-connected devices to knock a blogger offline. The malicious software takes advantage of weak security on video recorders, routers and other internet-connected devices, taking control of the systems and forming them into a collection of attacking machines, called a “botnet.” It can then disable a victim’s internet servers by flooding them with an overwhelming amount of internet traffic. The botnet code was…

Africa’s Smartphone shipments rate falls

September 30, 2016 Editor

hipments of smartphones in Africa fell 5.2% to 23.1 million units in the second quarter of 2016, according to the latest figures from International Data Corporation (IDC). These figures, presented in IDC’s recently published ‘Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker’, indicate that the boom in smartphone sales in Africa is slowing, despite the fact that overall mobile handset shipments were up slightly in Q2 2016, with shipments of basic feature phones rising 31.9% year on year to total 29.8 million units. South Africa and the North African countries of Morocco, Algeria, and…

Oracle acquires Palerra to upgrade Cloud Security

September 21, 2016 Dianne Jacobs

Oracle has just concluded the agreement to acquire Palerra last Sept. 18. The move is expected to bolster the company’s push to expand its Identity Cloud Service, which is touted as a next-generation security and identity platform for the cloud. Both companies did not provide any details about the recent acquisition, particularly the cost involved. However, one should remember that Palerra has raised $25 million in funding last year. This figure should provide some insight regarding its value. “Together, Oracle and Palerra will help accelerate cloud adoption securely by providing…