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China’s 5-year plan stiffens Big Tech regulations

The Chinese government revealed on Wednesday a five-year plan sketching the state’s scheme to strengthen its regulation grasp on much of its economy. The documentation, referencing Chairman Mao, came as a follow-up to Beijing’s recent regulations wave targeting the nation’s various industries and sectors. Beijing’s plan clarifies that additional rules will be endorsed to empower […]

UK’s watchdog interrupts Facebook’s deal to acquire Giphy

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ruled that Facebook owning popular short video animations company Giphy might be detrimental to other platforms since the app is vastly popular amongst the social network’s competitors. As one of the most favored GIF sites, the animations platform provides Facebook, and it’s ecosystem of apps — Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp  — with […]

Zambia kills off the internet amid presidential elections

For authoritarianism to survive, it must learn to adapt.   While governments have been utilizing the latest tech to communicate with their people and understand their sentiment, the same tools are being used in a pervasive, yet subtle manner, in a bid to enforce repression among the public and remain in power.  An example of this could be seen as WhatsApp and other social media platforms are now being blocked in Zambia […]

MTN officially bows out of Ethiopia & Syria

South Africa’s MTN announced on Thursday that it will not re-bid for an operating license in Ethiopia, and is arranging to exist the Syrian market, CEO Ralph Mupita was quoted as saying during a media briefing on the financial half year results.   This official statement follows Ethiopia’s announcement earlier this month to re-open bidding for its second telecoms operator license in August, including the right to operate mobile financial services.  However, […]

Beijing axes Pony.ai's IPO plans

China has allegedly terminated independent driving startup Pony.ai’s efforts to go public on New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) amidst Beijing’s endeavors to enforce regulations on numerous sectors in China’s tech industry, Reuters reported on Wednesday. The California-based company was expected to go public via a special-purpose acquisition with a blank-check company in the U.S. that would have […]

China dismisses Canadian protests over cases tied to Huawei

China on Thursday dismissed Canada’s protests of harsh sentences handed down by Chinese courts to Canadians whose cases are seen as linked to the arrest in Vancouver of a top executive at Chinese tech giant Huawei. The Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Canada accused Ottawa of making unwarranted, groundless accusations that “grossly interfered […]

Energy giant promises more perks in New Mexico utility case

A top executive with global energy giant Iberdrola is promising more perks if local governments and others in New Mexico clear the way for a proposed multibillion-dollar utility merger that could affect the way power is produced and distributed in the state for years to come, Iberdrola’s chief development officer, Pedro Azagra Blázquez, was cross-examined […]

PUBG maker share prices drop 20% on IPO debut

South Korean developer of Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds’ (PUBG), Krafton, initial public offering recorded a 20 percent drop on Tuesday following a crackdown due to a state-led media attack on the gaming industry.   This is considered the biggest initial decline of a South Korean IPO after LG Philips LCD collapse in the same market 17 years ago. Krafton’s loss came after it reduced its IPO target by more than 10 percent last month following regulatory demands […]

King of the hill: TikTok is officially the most downloaded app in 2020

Step aside Facebook, as TikTok just got crowned the most downloaded social media app in the world as of 2020, according to survey conducted by digital analytics company App Annie.  Launched in 2016, The Chinese video-sharing platform has since overtaken Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger, all of which make up Facebook’s ecosystem. This isn’t a milestone to overlook, as Facebook-owned apps have held the top spot since the survey began in […]

$600 million stolen in the largest cryptocurrency heist in history

More than $600 million in cryptocurrency has been stolen from the protocol PolyNetwork, in a scheme that’s regarded as one of the largest thefts in the history of cryptocurrency.  In a letter posted on Twitter, PolyNetwork, a decentralized platform that allows crypto coin holders to trade assets across a variety of blockchains, pleaded with hackers to return the haul on Tuesday.  “Dear Hackers,” the […]