Saturday, December 21

Tag: Facebook

Facebook Launches Campaign to Take on Fake News in Nigeria
11Sep By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments
Apps, Nigeria, Social Networks, Telecommunications

Facebook Launches Campaign to Take on Fake News in Nigeria

Facebook is collaborating with Nigerian companies Big Cabal Media and Comic Republic to launch the #NoFalseNewsZone educational campaign aimed at helping individuals identify fake news and educate them on how to minimise the spread of false information across Nigeria’s internet and otherwise. “We are super excited to be working with Big Cabal Media and Comic Republic to launch #NoFalseNewsZone in Nigeria,” said Oluwasola Obagbemi, Facebook’s Corporate Communications Manager for Anglophone West Africa, quoted by the Guardian Nigeria. Obagbemi says that the social media giant is committed to the well-being of individuals and communities. Continue reading
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Ethiopia is Building Local Social Media to Rival Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp
25Aug By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments
Africans in Tech, Apps, Social Networks

Ethiopia is Building Local Social Media to Rival Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp

Ethiopia has begun development on its own social media platforms to rival US-based social networks like Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp. The state communications security agency said on Monday that the country does not have any plans to block the global services, as per Reuters. Instead, according to the director general of Ethiopia’s Information Network Security Agency (INSA), Shumete Gizaw, the government wants its public platforms to “replace” Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Zoom. Shumete also accused Facebook of deleting posts and user accounts that he said were “disseminating the true reality about Ethiopia.” The country has been embroiled in a major armed conflict since last year, which pits the Federal Government against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), an armed gro...
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Facebook to Expand Planned Undersea Cable Network in Africa
16Aug By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments
Social Networks

Facebook to Expand Planned Undersea Cable Network in Africa

Facebook Inc. and some of the world’s largest telecommunications carriers, China Mobile Ltd. and MTN Group Ltd., are set to build a wider-than-earlier planned giant sub-sea cable in Africa. The companies plan to add the Indian Ocean island countries of Seychelles and Comoros, as well as Angola and a new connection to Nigeria, according to a statement released on Monday. This is in addition to a recently announced link to the Canary Islands and would bring connection-landings to 35 in 26 countries. Continue reading (Image Credits: Unsplash)
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Twitter is changing the contrast of buttons again after complaints of eye strain
15Aug By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments
Social Networks

Twitter is changing the contrast of buttons again after complaints of eye strain

The back and forth shows how important choices are for accessibility Twitter is readjusting the contrast on its buttons following feedback about its design updates from earlier this week. Some people have reported eye strain, headaches, and migraines due to the higher visual contrast in the colors of buttons and links, as well as the new font, Chirp. The changes in contrast also included a black follow button that’s filled in if you’re not following someone, which has caused confusion for many people who are used to it being the other way around. It’s not clear yet if that change will be reversed. As tends to happen any time a popular site changes its design, immediate reception to Twitter’s changes was mixed. It’s likely that some Twitter users would’ve gotten used to the update ...
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Liberia has blocked social media as protesters demand the return of missing millions
7Jun By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments
Social Networks, West Africa

Liberia has blocked social media as protesters demand the return of missing millions

Thousands of Liberians descended on the capital Monrovia today to protest the corruption that has bedeviled president George Weah’s administration. The government’s response: blocking social media outlets. The internet monitoring organization NetBlocks said platforms including WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook were blocked to subdue the protests. While the cut-off didn’t impact all providers, restrictions affected mobile internet provider Orange Liberia and internet service provider Lonestar. The social media shutdown was confirmed by assessing user measurements in the Liberian capital and in collaboration with the digital advocacy Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa. Dubbed “Save The State,” the anti-government protests come just over a year after ...
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Facebook wants to build underwater cable dubbed ‘Simba’ around Africa
10Apr By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments
Social Networks

Facebook wants to build underwater cable dubbed ‘Simba’ around Africa

Plans aimed at lowering its bandwidth costs and strengthening link to African market Facebook Inc. is circling Africa. Literally. The company is in talks to develop an underwater data cable that would encircle the continent, according to people familiar with the plans, an effort aimed at driving down its bandwidth costs and making it easier for the social media giant to sign up more users. The three-stage project, named Simba after the lead character in “The Lion King,” could link up with beachheads in several countries on the continent’s eastern, western and Mediterranean coasts, though the exact route and number of landings is in flux, the people said. Facebook spokesman Travis Reed declined to comment on the company’s plans for Africa. “We look all over the world when we co...
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20Jan By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments
Southern Africa

Zimbabweans Are Calling For Help, But No One Can Hear Them

NAIROBI — WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have been blocked in Zimbabwe amid huge anti-government protests and a brutal police crackdown. Zimbabweans have been unable to access nearly all social media platforms since Tuesday, when the government issued a total internet shutdown. Doctors say they have treated nearly 70 people for gunshot wounds, with reports of random arrests by the police and military, and demonstrators being beaten in the streets. The internet blackout caused thousands of Zimbabweans to rely on location-masking virtual private networks (VPNs) in order to stay connected. Those who managed to get online made desperate calls for help. Continue reading photo Jekesai Njikizana / AFP / Getty Images
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Why Mali has its own homegrown version of Facebook
29Dec By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments
Social Networks, West Africa

Why Mali has its own homegrown version of Facebook

Lenali is a social media app created for non-literate, oral-based communities In 2017, it was reported that Facebook had 170 million users in Africa --  seven out of every 10 Africans on the internet log into Facebook.  Platforms like WhatsApp, Viber and Instagram have become vitals tools of communication: for news, elections and, of course, selfies. Social media companies are eyeing Africa as a big growth market, with Facebook set to launch its first community hub in Nigeria this year.  However, platforms like Facebook largely center on written posts and conversation, as well as video. For those in the continent from oral-based, spoken language (non-literate) communities with little formal education, these platforms can be inaccessible. This is the case ...
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