Apple delays plan to scan iPhones for child abuse:
Apple has delayed plans to roll out detection technology which would have scanned US users’ iPhones in search of child sexual abuse material. It follows widespread criticism from privacy groups and others, worried that the on-device tracking set a dangerous precedent. Apple said that it had listened to the negative feedback and was reconsidering. There were concerns the system could be abused by authoritarian states.
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Zong Partners with Sehat Kahani to Provide Free E-Consultation Sessions Amid Covid Pandemic:
Zong 4G has joined forces with one of the leading telemedicine startups, Sehat Kahani, to offer ‘thousands’ of free remote and online consultations for the marginalized strata of society. Zong will be offering more than 12,000 e-health consultations to the underprivileged members of the community via the Sehat Kahani Retail app. 7,000 of these consultations will facilitate Covid-19 relief patients whereas 5,000 consultations will be applicable to non-Covid cases.
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WhatsApp Fined A Record €225 Million for Misusing User Data:
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) has imposed a staggering €225 million fine on WhatsApp for breaching European Union’s (EU) data protection laws. This is the biggest fine slapped by the Irish DPC, which has pan-European authority, and the second-biggest levied against a tech company under EU laws. According to details, Ireland’s DPC had launched an investigation against WhatsApp three years ago after the company committed “serious” violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a landmark EU data protection and privacy framework enforced in 2018.
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Lahore Police Launches Its Official Website:
Lahore Police has launched its first-ever official website which is centered upon the principles of citizen-centric policing and community awareness. Addressing the launch ceremony, CCPO Lahore said the website has all the necessary information and guidelines related to different services offered to the citizens by Lahore Police.
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Tasdeeq Raises Rs. 500 Million in Series A Funding:
The State Bank of Pakistan’s first licensed, private, digital credit bureau, operating with the brand name ‘Tasdeeq’ and the corporate name ‘Aequitas Information Services’ has announced the closure of its Rs. 500 million Series A financing. The Pakistan Microfinance Network (PMN), the Pakistan Credit Rating Agency (PACRA), and 47 Ventures Investments participated in the round along with company sponsors and multiple individual investors.
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PTA Rejects Extension Request of Telcos For 3G/4G Spectrum Auction:
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has rejected the request of Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) for extending the timeline for sealed bid submission for Spectrum Auction for Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS). Sources told ProPakistani that CMOs had requested PTA for extending the timeline for sealed bid submission by at least 3 weeks. CMOs stated that there are a lot of internal approvals requirements, corporate governance requirements and Board-level approvals to participate in the auction.
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Twitter Launches Super Follows for Exclusive Subscribers:
Twitter has been working on Super Follows since the start of the year and the feature has finally gone live. Similar to Patreon, Super Follows will let your charge your followers a monthly subscription for exclusive content. The feature is a part of Twitter’s plan to expand its revenue stream. Accounts with over 10,000 followers and at least 25 tweets in the last month will be eligible for Super Follows. You will also need to file an application and join a waitlist. Twitter started the application system back in June so it has already approved some creators for Super Follows.
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Telenor Pakistan Partners with Sehat Kahani to Make Healthcare More Accessible:
Telenor Pakistan, via its Velocity program, has partnered with Sehat Kahani, a telehealth startup, to ‘democratize’ access to quality and affordable healthcare for Pakistanis. Offering accessible and affordable telemedicine services through e-clinics and a mobile application, Sehat Kahani offers professional consultations through video calls for added peace of mind. Telenor Pakistan continues to work towards the Digital Pakistan vision by helping startups like Sehat Kahani reach further and higher than ever before.
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Easypaisa Launches Pakistan’s First-Ever ‘Digital-First’ Campaign for Easyload:
Easypaisa, Pakistan’s leading digital payments platform, continues its efforts to introduce ground-breaking innovations through its first-ever ‘digital-first’ marketing campaign. From concept to execution, the campaign is planned based on learnings and digital analytics that Easypaisa has accumulated over the years. Shot in a vertical frame to customize its viewership specifically for smartphones, the campaign is the first of its kind to adopt a unique and innovative take on advertising.
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Banksy was warned about website flaw before NFT hack scam:
Artist Banksy’s team was warned his website had a security weakness seven days before a hacker scammed a fan out of $336,000 (£242,000). On Tuesday a piece of art was advertised on Banksy’s official website as the world-renowned graffiti artist’s first NFT (non-fungible token). A British collector won the auction to buy it, before realising it was a fake. A cyber-security expert warned Banksy that the website could be hacked, but was ignored.
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Apple employees make US labour watchdog complaints:
Two employee complaints against Apple are being considered by the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). One alleges retaliation for raising safety concerns, while the other focuses on alleged suppression of questions about pay equity. Apple has declined to comment on individual cases, but says it investigates when a concern is raised.
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El Salvador divided over legal tender law:
There is growing scepticism in El Salvador as the country prepares to be the first in the world to recognise Bitcoin as legal tender on 7 September. The government has presented the measure as a way to boost economic development and jobs. Polls suggest Salvadorians are not prepared for the move, and the World Bank has warned against its adoption.
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Tech Tent – China’s crackdown on young gamers:
Three hours a week? Imagine the outrage if young British or American online gamers were told, as children in China have been, that this was the maximum time they could spend on their pastime. After all, that’s how long many spend daily just watching their favourite gamers playing on streaming platforms like Twitch. This week’s Tech Tent looks at two stories which show how China and the West are diverging when it comes to attitudes to online gaming.
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WhatsApp issued second-largest GDPR fine of €225m:
WhatsApp has been fined €225m (£193m) by Ireland’s data watchdog for breaching privacy regulations. It is the largest fine ever from the Irish Data Protection Commission, and the second-highest under EU GDPR rules. Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, has its EU headquarters is in Ireland, and the Irish regulator is the lead authority for the tech giant in Europe. WhatsApp said it disagrees with the decision, and the severity of the fine, and plans to appeal. The fine relates to an investigation which began in 2018, about whether WhatsApp had been transparent enough about how it handles information.
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Apple to allow Netflix-type apps a sign-up link:
Apple will for the first time allow apps like Netflix and Spotify to link to a website where users can sign up and manage new and existing accounts. Apple says the change to what it calls “reader apps” will apply globally from early 2022. The change was agreed with the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC), closing a five-year investigation. The settlement does not affect in-app purchases in games, currently the subject of a US lawsuit against Apple.
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US states to accept driver’s licence on iPhones:
Eight US states will accept driver’s licences and other state IDs stored on an iPhone, Apple has announced. The feature, first announced at a presentation in June, lets iPhone users store IDs in the Wallet app. Some had expressed privacy concerns about handing over smartphones to police or security officials. Apple now says users do not need to unlock or hand over their phones for the system to work for airport security.
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Afghanistan: Facebook says it helped people flee, including staff:
Facebook has told the BBC that it took part in an effort to help 175 citizens leave Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country. The company said some staff members were also on the flight to Mexico City. The Mexican government confirmed the flight was carrying activists and independent journalists along with their families, including 75 children. Multi-national companies and organisations have continued to pull out of Afghanistan. “In the process of assisting Facebook employees and close partners leave Afghanistan, we joined an effort to help a group of journalists and their families who were in grave danger,” a Facebook spokesperson told
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Twitter tests safety mode feature to silence abuse:
Twitter is launching a feature that it hopes will help crack down on abuse and trolling, both of which have become huge issues for the platform. Safety Mode will flag accounts using hateful remarks, or those bombarding people with uninvited comments, and block them for seven days. The feature will work automatically once enabled, taking the burden off users to deal with unwelcome tweets. It will initially be tested on a small group of users.
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Investigation into hacked “map” of UK gun owners:
Authorities are investigating after a map claiming to show the addresses of thousands of firearms owners in the UK was published online. Gun-selling site Guntrader announced a data breach affecting more than 100,000 customers in July. This week, reports emerged that an animal rights activist blog had published the information. The group had formatted the data so it could be easily imported into mapping software to show individual homes.