APPS - itbusinessdirect

IBM to cease developing Facial Recognition Technology after #BlackLivesMatter protests

June 11, 2020May 26, 2023 Dianne Jacobs

IBM will no longer develop and research facial recognition or analysis software and, on top of that, it will no longer offer the technology for general-purposes. This is part of the company’s mission to advance racial equality in the US after #BlackLivesMatter protests – campaigning against violence and systemic racism towards the black community – were organised all over the world. “IBM firmly opposes and will not condone uses of any technology, including facial recognition technology offered by other vendors, for mass surveillance, racial profiling, violations of basic human rights and…

Uber Africa launches Uber Cash in partnership with Flutterwave

June 10, 2020May 26, 2023 Editor

Uber will launch its Uber Cash digital wallet feature in Sub-Saharan Africa in partnership with San Francisco based Nigerian founded fintech firm Flutterwave. This will let riders to top up Uber wallets using the dozens of remittance partners active on Flutterwave’s Pan-African network. Flutterwave works as a B2B payments gateway network that allows clients to tap its APIs and customize payments applications. Uber Cash will go live this week and next for Uber’s ride-hail operations in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and Ghana, Ivory Coast and Tanzania, according to Alon…

First African video conferencing system Gumzo unveiled in Kenya

June 9, 2020March 7, 2023 Editor

Kenya’s Gaming tech start-up, Usiku Games, has launched the first-ever made-in-Africa video-conferencing application that offers users enjoy better quality calls with unlimited attendees, at more affordable prices. “Gumzo”, which means chatting in Swahili offers the service free for users to attend meetings, and only costs Sh100 per week for those who want to host their own meetings. Users are able to pay via Mpesa. The web-based Gumzo system is also one of the most secure platforms with all calls encrypted ensuring that users’ calls are private and protected. Eight weeks…

Video Gaming market to be valued at $92 Billion in 2020

June 8, 2020May 26, 2023 Editor

As one of the leading forms of entertainment today, the video gaming industry continues to generate remarkable profits from its huge player base. The global video games market is set to jump over $92 billion value in 2020, growing by 10.9% year-on-year this is according to data gathered by GCN. With $54.6 billion profit or nearly 60% of that amount, mobile games remain the most significant revenue stream of the global video games industry. Video Games Revenue Increased by $15.56 billion in Three Years In 2017, the global video games…

New study reveals new consumer experiences during COVID-19

May 28, 2020June 2, 2023 Editor

The era of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has had consumers taking online classes, signing up for trials and subscriptions, and using telehealth. It’s a golden opportunity for service providers, according to a new survey. The April 2020 Amdocs study surveyed 1,000 people in the US, 18 and over, to examine consumer behavior and attitudes in day-to-day life, and how they have changed during the pandemic. The changes in those surveyed also reveal that there are new opportunities for service providers during this time–nearly a third of those surveyed (30%) are…

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

May 27, 2020June 2, 2023 Editor

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…

PayPal rolls out a new QR code feature in its app to enhance contactless payments

May 26, 2020June 2, 2023 Editor

PayPal Becomes The First Foreign Payment Platform In China

Cash is out and touch-free payments are during the coronavirus pandemic, this Paypal has taken cue and announced a new feature in its mobile app that will let customers make payments at stores, farmers’ markets and just about anywhere else using QR codes. You can scan a code — either from a printout or on a screen — using your phone’s camera. Payment QR codes are already fairly common, with a bunch of companies providing similar features, including Visa, Mastercard and Walmart. The biggest difference is that many existing QR…