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SECURITY: Police Boss Relaunches Emergency Response Mobile App

The Acting Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, was joined by dignitaries at the IGP Smart Conference Hall, Louis Edet House, Force Headquarters, Abuja, for the unveiling of the Police-VGS Quick Emergency Reporting and Response System (QERRS), a smart policing initiative aimed at revolutionizing police response to emergency and ensuring swift and efficient action in critical situations.

The Police-VGS QERRS is an application that has been modeled to ensure prompt response and referral in the event of emergencies such as accidents, natural disasters, medical emergencies, criminal incident reporting, intelligence sharing, etc. With the swipe of a button on a phone emergency notifications will be sent directly to a dedicated team of police operatives who will ensure a swift, live, and coordinated response to reach in the shortest possible time. The Police-VGS app is a lifeline that can make all the difference in saving lives, combatting the menace of crime, and securing our communities.

The Ag. Inspector-General of Police, equally noted that the Police-VGS, an additional option to the already launched C4i-NPF Rescue Me App, represents the epitome of the Nigeria Police commitment to the security and safety of members of the public. He further urged every resident of Nigeria to embrace the innovation wholeheartedly stressing that its adoption will impact policing services significantly.

CSP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI, mnipr, mipra,
FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER,
FORCE HEADQUARTERS,
ABUJA.

25th July, 2023

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AfricaAfrica AsiaMobileNewsTechTechnology

Useful security tips for Whatsapp chats, data

In a world highly driven by data, data breaches pose a serious threat to millions or possibly even billions of people globally, going by the recent alleged Whatsapp data breach controversy, which the company has denied.

According to a recent allegation from Cybernews, someone managed to hack into WhatsApp and acquired the personal information of almost 500 million users, which is now purportedly for sale.

But, later, a spokesperson for WhatsApp on Monday said there is no evidence of a ‘data leak’ from the company.

However, data breaches are nothing new because even the data from some of the biggest companies have had such incidents. So, it becomes the responsibility of the users to take the right steps to make their data safe and private.

Here are some tips that would be helpful in making WhatsApp more secure.

Check chat encryption

To verify the encryption, tap on the contact’s name in the chat window and then tap on Encryption.

Two-factor authentication provides protection by adding an extra layer of security to your account to ensure that your data isn’t accessed by someone else. So if a service supports this feature then you should be using it.

Turn security notifications on

With this feature, every time a new device accesses an existing chat, a new security code is generated and a notification is sent when this security code changes.

To enable it, go to WhatsApp – Settings – Account – Security notifications and then tap on ‘Show security notification’.

Encrypt cloud backups

WhatsApp backups on Google Drive are not encrypted by default. Without this feature, a major gap will remain in your privacy protection.

Turn on end-to-end encrypted backup, go to Settings – Chats – Chat Backup – End-to-end Encrypted Backup and tap Turn On. Following this create a password and wait for your encrypted backup.

Always check unknown links

These days, it could be difficult to determine whether certain scam messages and links are malicious.

Copy the link and check it on sites like Norton Safe Web, PhishTank, and others to prevent clicking on these. By developing this habit, you will stop clicking on harmful links.

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Africa

African Metaverse set to Boost Economy and Create Employment

Africa’s first metaverse is set to unlock African creativity and connect Africa to the global digital economy. At an event in Johannesburg yesterday, plans were announced for commercialisation of the 3D virtual reality experience, that is set in Ubuntuland, a virtual world that marries creativity, cryptocurrency, and commerce.

Firstly, virtual land will soon be available to purchase and develop, with MTN, Africa’s largest multinational mobile telecommunications company joining Africarare with an upcoming 12×12 village (144 plots of real estate) secured in Ubuntuland. Additionally, M&C Saatchi Abel have entered the metaverse as the first South African agency to do so. There will only ever be 204 642 plots of land available, made up of different village sizes in various community hubs. The land is positioned and priced according to a tiered value system.

Landholders will be able to customize their 3-D land spaces, such as hosting shops, producing resources, renting virtual services and developing games or other applications. Designated spaces will serve the community for work, play and wellness purposes, including a state of the art meeting rooms, online therapy rooms (with optional anonymity), concert stages, film festival spaces, meditation lounges and other dynamic interactive environments. And, there’s more to come, such as staking, DAO (decentralized autonomous organization) and blockchain play-to-earn gaming.

Maps Maponyane & Nastassia Arendse at Africarare launch in Johannesburg

Renowned South African artist Norman Catherine has developed a unique collection of avatars for the metaverse, which will shortly be available to purchase. The Normunda tribe is based on the artist’s signature lexicon, that has fetched record prices in galleries around the world. An avatar is a 3-D graphical representation of a user or the user’s character or persona in this space.

Furthermore, an exciting collaboration between Africarare and South African superstar Boitumelo Thulo has been announced. Popularly known as Boity, the acclaimed television personality, rapper, actress, businesswoman and model, revealed her first virtual reality music video, entering the event in the same Sun Goddess custom creation upon which her outfit in Queen Boity avatar form was based. The Boity tribe of 10 000 avatars will soon be available for fans, with a Boity village currently being developed and plans for virtual concerts under way.

Africarare will connect Africa to this booming arena of the global economy, stimulate growth and create multiple new jobs such as digital designers, creators and architects

The currency in Ubuntuland will be the $UBUNTU token, which is built on the Ethereum blockchain and available from later this year. Everything in Africarare can be bought, sold or traded using $UBUNTU tokens, including buying, developing, selling or renting plots or villages in Ubuntuland, and the in-world purchases of digital goods and services. The valuation of the token will be calculated according to what users invest / build / play / trade inside the metaverse.

Two art galleries will feature in Africarare, dedicated to showcasing Africa’s prolific creativity. The Mila gallery (Swahili for ‘tradition’), already open, will host curated collections by some of Africa’s foremost artists, while the Inuka gallery (Swahili for ‘rise’) will feature works by emerging African artists from later in 2022. Both galleries will stage various exhibitions on an ongoing basis with art pieces being be sold as NFT’s (non-fungible tokens).

Boity in Africarare Metaverse

In the Africarare marketplace, creators and developers can trade in in-world assets such as land, avatars, avatar additions and other goods and services that are and will be available in Ubuntuland. The marketplace focuses on four main areas: Art, Ubuntuland, Avatars & Skins and Digital Services. Users will also be able to trade on secondary platforms such as Opensea and others.

The Central Hub land area is reserved for Africarare custom made experiences, ranging from art to education and including experiences like galleries, live performances, stand-up comedy, video content channels, film festivals, safaris and more.

Africarare will connect Africa to this booming arena of the global economy, stimulate growth and create multiple new jobs such as digital designers, creators and architects ” said Mic Mann, Co-founder and CEO of Africarare. “Additionally, it will enable South African artists to showcase their talent to the world and monetize their distinctive creations,” he added. “With Africarare being built on collaborative partnerships, the possibilities for commercialisation are endless” said Shayne Mann, Co-founder of Africarare.

“This is an exciting moment for us as we lead businesses on the continent to enter the metaverse marketplace. This is exactly what our Ambition 2025 strategy is premised on – leveraging trends that amplify consumer’s digital experiences and engagement. We have always been at the forefront of technological and digital changes and we remain alive to the exciting opportunities the metaverse presents for us and our customers’’ – Bernice Samuels MTN Group Executive.

With Ubuntuland poised to become the biggest talking point in the digital African space, it’s time to own your piece of Virtual Africa!

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Awards

AWIEF Announces Top Finalists for 2021 Awards

Leading Pan African entrepreneurship with innovation and non-profit organization, the Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) has announced the top finalists in its annual awards to celebrate women business leaders and entrepreneurs in Africa.

Twenty-four outstanding women founders and entrepreneurs were selected by an independent panel of judges, as top finalists for the 2021 AWIEF Awards across 8 different categories. The 24 finalists represent women-owned businesses operating in 11 African countries: Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

The AWIEF Awards winners will be announced at a ceremony and gala dinner on 3 December 2021, following on from the 2021 AWIEF Conference. AWIEF hosts the 7th edition of its prestigious and benchmarking annual AWIEF Conference this year as a hybrid (virtual and in-person) event, on 2 and 3 December 2021. The venue for the in-person AWIEF Conference and AWIEF Awards ceremony will be the Marriot Hotel Melrose Arch in Johannesburg, South Africa. The theme for AWIEF 2021 Conference is: ‘Advancing inclusive, resilient and sustainable growth in a post-COVID-19 African economy’.

“AWIEF remains steadfast in its efforts to promote and support women entrepreneurship development and innovation in Africa. With the AWIEF Awards, we identify and shine the spotlight on inspirational women entrepreneurs and innovators, driving growth for Africa,” said Irene Ochem, AWIEF Founder and Chief Executive Officer.

“It was an absolute delight to judge the AWIEF Awards once again this year. The standard and quality of the nominations and businesses continue to be high. The judging panel had a hard time choosing the top finalists from the numerous inspirational and outstanding women entrepreneurs who, through their businesses, are creating opportunities and positively impacting lives and communities,” commented Birgitta Cederstrom, Frost & Sullivan’s Business Development Director for Middle East and Africa.

The finalists for the 2021 AWIEF Awards are (names in alphabetical order):

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR AWARD
Phyllis Addo, Co-Director, Rhema Engineering Solutions (Ghana)
Tao Boyle, Co-founder and COO, FoondaMate (South Africa)
Alexandria Procter, Co-founder and CEO, DigsConnect.com (South Africa)

TECH ENTREPRENEUR AWARD
Ivy Barley, Co-founder, Developers in Vogue Foundation (Ghana)
Evelyn Kaiingu, CEO, Lupiya (Zambia)
Kathryn Malherbe, CEO, Medsol AI Solutions (South Africa)

AWIEF remains steadfast in its efforts to promote and support women entrepreneurship development and innovation in Africa

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR AWARD
Gudula Naiga Basaza, Managing Director, Gudie Leisure Farm (Uganda)
Zandile Mkhwanazi and Tinyiko Simbine, Co-founders, GirlCode (South Africa)
Angela Juliana Odero, Managing Director, Rio Fish Ltd (Kenya)

AGRI ENTREPRENEUR AWARD
Hadia M. Gondji, Founder and Managing Director, Hadiya Seed Production and Agro Industry Plc (Ethiopia)
Jo-andra Cloete Greegory, CEO, Our Poultry Place (South Africa)
Fortunatha Mmari, Co-Founder and Managing Director, AFCO Investment Co. Ltd (Tanzania)

CREATIVE INDUSTRY AWARD
Cynthia Asije, Creative Director, The Adirelounge (Nigeria)
Nadia Takyiwaa-Mensah, Founder and CEO, Sai Wine Café (Ghana)
Susan Wanjiru, Founder and Creative Lead, Lockhem Kids Entertainment (Kenya)

ENERGY ENTREPRENEUR AWARD
Ifeoma Malo, CEO, Clean Technology Hub (Nigeria)
Tumi Mphahlele, Founder and Director, Amperion Energy (South Africa)
Josephine Takundwa, CEO, Earthlink Technologies (Zimbabwe)

EMPOWERMENT AWARD
Jackie Bomboma, Founder and CEO, Young Strong Mothers Foundation (Tanzania)
Djénéba Gory, Co-founder and COO, Suadela (Mali)
Gehad Hamdy, Founder and Manager, Speak Up (Egypt)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Margaret Hirsch, Co-founder and Executive Director, Hirsch’s Homestores (South Africa)
Tabitha Karanja, Founder and CEO, Keroche Breweries (Kenya)
Lucia Quachey, Founder and President, Ghana Association of Women Entrepreneurs (Ghana)

 

To register to attend the AWIEF 2021 Conference and the AWIEF Awards either virtually or in-person, please click here: bit.ly/3bwSMyz

Click to view: bit.ly/2ZKRopo

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InternationalMobileTechTechnologyWorld

Just In: Facebook, WhatsApp Restored For Globally, Users Data Protected

Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger which all went down on Monday afternoon with users worldwide reporting the crashes, have now been restored according to SaharaReporters

It was observed that the sites were restored around 10.45pm after about six hours of crash, cutting off billions of users around the world.

The online services all share an infrastructure and are owned by Facebook, which is owned by American billionaire Mark Zuckerberg.

SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the crash started around 16:41BST, according to the website Downdetector. While just two problems were reported at 16:26, the site says, this had jumped to more than 27,000 just fifteen minutes later.

According to The National, users attempting to access Facebook on their browser were shown a blank error page, while those using WhatsApp or Instagram mobile apps were able to view existing content, but nothing new has loaded.

“We’re aware that some people are having trouble accessing the Facebook app. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience,” Facebook had said via @facebookapp

Posting on Twitter, which has not seen any issues, the Facebook app had said it was aware of outages affecting “some people”.

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Mobile

Seven Steps To Preparing a Workplace Violence Response Plan

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Mobile

Seven Steps To Preparing a Workplace Violence Response Plan

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Mobile

The Evolution of Apple’s Mobile Phone Cameras

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Mobile

The Evolution of Apple’s Mobile Phone Cameras

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Mobile

10 Best Headphones for Working Out, Running and Sports

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