Twitter – Africa Tech Digest

Twitter is Planning to Let Users Hide Old, Embarrassing Tweets

5Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Apps, Social Networks

Twitter is Planning to Let Users Hide Old, Embarrassing Tweets

Twitter is planning the addition of new privacy features on its platforms, one of which will reportedly be the inclusion of an option that will allow the archiving of old tweets so that they are only visible to other users after a set period of time (like 30, 60 or 90 days to a full year). Other options could possibly include a feature to limit who can see which tweets you’ve liked, an option to allow people to remove themselves from a conversation on Twitter and to allow people to remove followers without having to block them. According to The Verge, these new features, still in the concept phase, are being described as a “social privacy” suite of options aimed at making more people comfortable with engaging on Twitter. Continue reading

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 gr...

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...

Nigeria to lift Twitter ban soon, minister says

12Aug

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Social Networks, West Africa

Nigeria to lift Twitter ban soon, minister says

ABUJA, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Nigeria will soon lift its ban on Twitter (TWTR.N) after resolving some of its differences with the social media platform, Information Minister Lai Mohammed said on Wednesday, signalling the end of a policy widely condemned as an affront to freedom of expression. The Nigerian government suspended Twitter on June 4 after it removed a post from President Muhammadu Buhari that threatened to punish regional secessionists. Some telecoms companies subsequently blocked access to users in Nigeria. "The ban on Twitter will soon be lifted as we are getting close to reaching full agreement," Mohammed told reporters after a cabinet meeting. "We have agreed on some areas. Hopefully in the next few days or weeks we will conclude." Continue reading (Image Cre...

Twitter’s photo-cropping algorithm prefers young, beautiful, and light-skinned faces

10Aug

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Social Networks

Twitter’s photo-cropping algorithm prefers young, beautiful, and light-skinned faces

Results from the company’s AI bias competition are revealing — and helpful Twitter has announced the results of an open competition to find algorithmic bias in its photo-cropping system. The company disabled automatic photo-cropping in March after experiments by Twitter users last year suggested it favored white faces over Black faces. It then launched an algorithmic bug bounty to try and analyze the problem more closely. The competition has confirmed these earlier findings. The top-placed entry showed that Twitter’s cropping algorithm favors faces that are “slim, young, of light or warm skin color and smooth skin texture, and with stereotypically feminine facial traits.” The second and third-placed entries showed that the system was biased against people wi...

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

19Jan

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Central Africa, East Africa, Nigeria, Southern Africa, Tech Policy, West Africa

Zimbabwe’s internet blackout shows how powerless major telcos are against governments

Internet access was restored in Zimbabwe late on Wednesday, but on Thursday WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter remained inaccessible. More than 600 people were arrested this week as police armed with AK-47 rifles rounded up protestors, according to the Associated Press. At least six people were killed when the military was deployed to quell protests against high fuel prices on Monday. Amnesty International reported eight deaths, while the Association of Doctors for Human Rights reported treated 68 cases of gunshot wounds and more than 100 other cases of assaults. A tense calm returned on Thursday. Zimbabweans were protesting a fuel hike that would see the price of petrol and diesel rise by 150%in a country that already had fuel shortages. Amid the violent crackdown on pro...