ICT – Page 24 – Platformsafrica

Nigerian Communications Commission’s Facebook Account Cloned

February 12, 2021 ADEOLA YUSUF

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has raised an alarm over its Facebook account cloned by yet to be identified individuals. The commission, which stated this in a statement made available to Platforms Africa, noted that it has “since contacted Facebook Team to take down the fake account.” “The fraudulent Facebook account with the name: “Nigerian Communications Commission – NCC – Info Zone” was opened by unidentified individuals, ostensibly to deceive and defraud unsuspecting members of the public, some of whom, as NCC believes, may have inadvertently signed…

Nigeria shifts NIN-SIM linkage deadline by two months

February 2, 2021 ADEOLA YUSUF

The Federal Government has extended the ongoing National Identification Number (NIN) and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) integration exercise by eight weeks, with a new deadline of April 6. This is contained in a statement by the Director, Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde on Tuesday made available to Platforms Africa. He said the extension was ordered by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami after the meeting of the Ministerial Task force on NIN-SIM registration. Pantami, stated that the extension was to give Nigerians and…

Couple in Trouble, Jailed over forwarded Fake COVID-19 Message on WhatsApp

January 30, 2021 ADEOLA YUSUF

Here is how a WhatsApp message on Zimbabwe President’s alleged death from COVID-19 vaccine landed a couple in soup A young husband, Vongai Nomatter Chiminya, and his wife, Devine Panashe Maregere, have been jailed after forwarding an audio message to each other and later on, on a WhatsApp group, alleging that President Mnangagwa had died on Monday 25 January 2021 as a result of a COVID-19 vaccination, They were found guilty after been charged with publishing or communicating falsehoods by sharing the message on a WhatsApp group. The…

You Use WhatsApp? You Need to Change These Security Settings

January 27, 2021 ADEOLA YUSUF

Cybersecurity specialist Zak Doffman shared his tips for users to better protect their data on WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram. After WhatsApp announced the update of its policies to share data with Facebook , millions of users migrated to other messaging apps. The two favorites have been Telegram and Signal , apparently for offering greater privacy. However, none of the three is completely reliable, unless you change certain security settings to better protect your information . Cybersecurity expert Zak Doffman claims that Telegram and Signal promise more privacy than traditional platforms. However, like WhatsApp , they have important settings that are not predetermined and that must be modified from now…

MTN, Glo, Etisalat harvest 47.8m NINs from Nigerians

January 19, 2021 ADEOLA YUSUF

So far, a total of 47.8 million National Identification Numbers (NINs) have been collected by the MTN, Glo, and other mobile operators. This data was rolled out by the Technical Implementation Committee under the Ministerial Task Force at a meeting to review the ongoing NIN-SIM linkage exercise. At an average of three to four SIMs per subscriber, this means many millions will be linked up before the deadline in February 2021. Reacting to the report, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, expressed satisfaction…

WhatsApp puts “Policy on hold” as backlash shatters subscribers’ strength

January 19, 2021January 19, 2021 ADEOLA YUSUF

WhatsApp has reassured users about privacy at the Facebook-owned messaging service as people flocked to rivals Telegram and Signal following a tweak to its terms. There was “a lot of misinformation” about an update to terms of service regarding an option to use WhatsApp to message businesses, Facebook executive Adam Mosseri, who heads Instagram, said in a tweet. WhatsApp’s new terms sparked criticism, as users outside Europe who do not accept the new conditions before February 8 will be cut off from the messaging app. WhatsApp that has been…

Why Millions of Users may dump Whatsapp for Telegram, Signal, others

January 10, 2021January 11, 2021 ADEOLA YUSUF

A new privacy policy by the popular social media platform, Whatsapp, is triggering an exodus of users to other less popular but equally functional platforms such as Telegram, Signal, among others. Technology experts say if this is addressed, it could lead millions of users away from WhatsApp. The new privacy policy which comes into force from February 8, allows WhatsApp and Facebook to share user information with businesses and third-party service providers that transact on these platforms. Whatsapp in its new ‘Terms of Service’ which the users are expected…

NIN: Report on Mass disconnection of Phone subscribers unfounded – NCC

January 6, 2021 ADEOLA YUSUF

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has described as unfounded the report that mobile phones’ subscribers would be mass disconnected as a result of the ongoing linkage of SIM Registration Records with the National Identity Number (NIN). The Commission, which stated this in a statement sent to Platforms Africa, added that most of the reports are based on the erroneous assumption that for every network or SIM connection, there is one unique human subscriber. “The attention of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has been drawn to numerous publications in both…

Digital Transformation: SystemSpecs MD, Obaro, calls Attention to Cybersecurity

December 14, 2020 ADEOLA YUSUF

As the pace of digital transformation ramps up across the world with increased use of data and cloud technology by organisations and governments, technology experts have called for a renewed focus on cybersecurity to ensure data protection and privacy. Managing Director of financial technology and human resources solutions powerhouse, SystemSpecs, John Obaro, stated that the increasing spate of cyber-attacks and the role of malicious insiders indicate that traditional approaches to data security are no longer sufficient. Therefore, individuals, organisations and governments must be one or more steps ahead…

Nigeria embargoes New SIM Cards’ Sale for MTN, Glo, others

December 9, 2020 ADEOLA YUSUF

The Nigerian Government has directed telecommunication companies across the country to halt the sale registration and activation of new Subscriber Identity Module, known better as SIM card. Thw Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), which issued this embargo in a statement to Platforms Africa, explained that the directive had become imperative to pave way for an audit of the Subscriber Registration Database. The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, said that the move was to allow the commission focus on the task ahead and ensure all bottlenecks are…