Tech

Somalian govt orders shutdown of TikTok, Telegram, 1XBET

Published

9 months ago

August 21, 2023

The Somali government has announced a ban on social media platforms, TikTok, Telegram and online betting platform, 1XBET, as a way of curbing propaganda by the Al-Shabab terrorist group.

The Somali Minister of Communications and Technology, Jama Hassan Khalif, who gave the order in an announcement on Sunday, said blocking the platforms was necessitated by security concerns and the fight against terrorism, as the terrorists had been using the apps to spread their propaganda.

The ban, which is coming following a recent conference on communication, internet and social media security organized by the ministry, underlines the importance of the decision, citing the negative impact of the platforms on the lives of Somali youth, according to Khalif, who made the announcement in a nationwide address on Somalia National Television.

The minister said the government had resorted to the ban to ”protect the moral behavior of the Somali community when using communication and internet tools.”

“In a bid to accelerate the war and elimination of the terrorists who have shed the blood of the Somali people, the Ministry of Communications and Technology instructs companies that provide Internet services to suspend TikTok, Telegram, and 1XBET betting applications, which terrorists and groups responsible for spreading immorality use to spread graphic clips, photos and mislead society,” he said in the broadcast.

The SNT also posted the ban on its official Twitter account:

“The Ministry of Telecommunications and Technology announces the ban of #TikTok, #Telegram and online betting platform of 1Xbet, a move to counter and prevent indecent activities & contents, and extremism propaganda.”

Related Topics:Al-Shabab Featured Somalia Telegram Terrorism TikTok

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Tech

Cut to undersea cable causes internet disruptions across East, Southern Africa

Published

1 day ago

May 13, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Internet services across East and Southern Africa have suffered outages following undersea submarine cable cuts on Sunday.

According to the Group CTIO at Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Ben Roberts, in a post on X on Monday, the faults have been reported in the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy) and the Seacom cables.

Though details of the fibre cut are still unclear, Roberts said three crucial submarine cables in the Red Sea, the Seacom, EIG, and AAE1, suffered cuts and remain unrepaired, leading to the widespread outage.

“We have experienced an outage on one of the undersea cables that deliver internet traffic in and out of the country,” Roberts said.

“We have since activated redundancy measures to minimise service interruption and keep you connected as we await the full restoration of the cable. You may, however, experience reduced internet speeds,” he added.

Four of the nine subsea cables that connect countries like South Africa to the rest of the world were reported as damaged due to incidents on either side of the continent.

In Kenya, this latest outage seems to have affected service providers like Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom Kenya. Safaricom said has since activated redundancy measures to minimise service interruption and keep users connected, according to reports.

Other East African countries affected by the cut are Tanzania, Burundi, Uganda, and Rwanda.

This is the second time Africa has experienced a major fibre cut this year. In March, a suspected underwater rock slid off the coast of Cote d’Ivoire resulting in several submarine cables being offline which affected over 13 West African countries with greater impacts felt in Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal.

The affected cables included Africa Coast to Europe (ACE),
SAT-3 – Submarine Atlantic 3/West Africa Submarine Cable, WACS – West Africa Cable System and MainOne.

Tech

Oracle to increase research, development investments in Morocco

Published

3 days ago

May 11, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Global IT vendor, Oracle, has announced plans to expand its research and development (R&D) capabilities in Morocco by growing its local workforce to 1,000 information technology (IT) professionals.

Safra Catz, CEO of Oracle, who made the announcement on Friday, said the investment in the North African country will accelerate the development of Oracle’s cutting-edge technologies that help solve customer challenges worldwide.

“Oracle’s R&D center in Casablanca has already played a critical role in creating technical breakthroughs, enhancing cybersecurity, and delivering impactful new AI capabilities,” said Catz.

“By expanding our R&D presence in Morocco, we can further tap its deep talent pool to accelerate development of solutions that help our global customers grow their businesses and win in their industries,” he added.

Ms. Ghita Mezzour, Morocco’s Minister of Digital Transition and Administration Reform who signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on behalf of the government, said:

“This ambitious project falls within the strategic and comprehensive Royal Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI who called on encouraging Moroccan youth innovation and creativity.

“At this cutting-edge center, young Moroccans will be at the forefront of designing and developing innovative solutions, covering the latest technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing and cybersecurity.

“These solutions will be deployed on a global scale, thus strengthening Morocco’s positioning as a regional digital hub.”

Oracle’s expansion follows the opening of its Morocco Development Center facility at Casanearshore Park in Casablanca, where researchers use Oracle’s cloud, AI, and machine learning technologies to tackle the most pressing challenges facing business, science, and the public sector.