This Week in Tech: Jamii Signals Entry into Mobile Money Business plus More Weekly Tech Trends
The tech world has been busy as usual. A lot has happened, good and bad.
The top tech trends this week:
1. JTL Possibly Eyeing Mobile Money Transfer Space
Jamii Telecommunication Limited or JTL has hinted entry into the mobile money transfer industry with Faiba Money.
The telecommunications network operator has already applied to register trademarks for payments and mobile money services.
This has been interpreted to mean that the company may have plans to venture into the most profitable segment of the telecom business.
2. Whatsapp Admins Assigned New Roles
The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) and the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) have redefined the roles of Whatsapp group admins.
Kenyan Whatsapp admins will now be held responsible for messages posted on their groups.
Security agencies have intensified intelligence gathering to net Whatsapp groups that spread hate, especially during the election period.
If you are planning to read Whatsapp privacy policies, here is what you should know; there are some vague statements that suggest that it is possible for NCIC and CA to monitor your conversations.
If you have nothing nice to say, keep your fingers busy with a different kind of keyboard. That of a piano maybe?
3. Visa and Jambo Pay Partner to Expand mVisa Payments
The Visa and Jamb Pay partnership is expected to increase the number of merchants using mVisa by 3,000.
This is part of Visa’s plan to expand the adoption of mVisa as a payment solution in Kenya.
The payment solution enters a market segment that is already dominated by Safaricom’s M-PESA.
4. Ushahidi Director Not Keeping it in His Pants
There Ushahidi sex scandal won’t just go Away.
If you have no idea what I am talking about, you must have been living under a rock.
A storm has been brewing at Ushahidi.
The sexual harassment claims started as mere rumors but Anglela Kabari’s brave admission of victimization changed everything.
Ushahidi executive director Daudi Were has been named as the perpetrator.
The company has failed to act appropriately despite the strict sexual harassment policies outlined on their website.
5. Amazon Maybe Working on a Messaging App
Amazon is rumored to be working on a standalone messaging app.
The app is called “Anytime” and it supports messaging, video and audio calls. The app is also said to come with photo sharing and enhancing capabilities.
6. Tecno Camon Manchester City Edition Unveiled
Tecno Camon Manchester City Edition was released to celebrate the partnership between Tecno and Manchester City.
The handset comes with okay features which include a 5.5-inch screen, 4GB RAM, 16MP camera, and a 3,200mAh Li-Ion battery.
If you are Tecno and Man City fan, you will find Manchester City Edition smartphone awesome.
7. Facebook’s Paywall In Instant Articles Means An Extra Coin for Publishers
Facebook is set to launch a subscription based news product later this year.
This product will be built on Facebook’s Instant Articles.
This will definitely enable publishers to make more money which means that publishers are in support of this idea.
8. Introducing Google’s New Backup and Sync App
Google’s new Backup and Sync App allows you to back up your entire computer.
This app will allow you to select all folders you wish to backup.
The app will be available for PC, Mac, and tablets.
In case you are wondering, yes, there’s a limit to how much you can store.
Google is only giving 15GB free space.
Prices for extra space range from $20/annum to $100/annum for 100GB and 1TG respectively.
9. Telegram Blocked in Indonesia, Takes Action
The Indonesian Ministry of Communication and IT blocked telegram for ‘allowing’ terrorism-related content to feature on its platform.
Well, Telegram now says that they will block the list of terrorist-related channels reported by the ministry.
Terrorism related content give social media platforms a bad name and that is why Telegram promises to identify and block such content.
YouTube has also taken steps to protect users from extremist content: users will be redirected from extremist content.
This will be done by first identifying and blacklist certain keywords and instead display videos that will counter any terrorist narratives.
10. Google Play Protect for Android Devices
Android devices will receive Google Play Protect for enhanced security.
The security system scans your device and for malware 24/7.
Hopefully, this system will bring an end the malware problem that has been glaring at users every step of the way.
That’s what’s up this week.
COMMENTS