Instagram will start removing fake likes and followers

BlackBerry -- yes, that BlackBerry -- is now the owner of American cybersecurity firm Cylance. The company paid US$1.4-billion in cash, in addition to the "assumption of unvested employee incentive awards" to snap up the Californian firm. Although BlackBerry has long marketed itself as a security leader in the smartphone and business worlds, the acquisition is the first real showcase of its repositioning from a smartphone maker and business software vendor to a cybersecurity firm. According to a press release issued by BlackBerry, Cylance uses "artificial intelligence, algorithmic science, and machine learning" in its security software to predict and prevent "known and...

Happy World Toilet Day. Yes, it's a real thing. Officially penned on the calendar by the United Nations on the 19 November, the day highlights the plight of those who don't have access to adequate sanitation facilities. Notably, this includes a large swathe of people in South Africa. More South African households have cellphones than toilets #WorldToiletDay #StatsSA https://t.co/wvuo39FZrx pic.twitter.com/g7r08iOoyx — Stats SA (@StatsSA) November 19, 2018 According to Statistics South Africa, toilets are rarer than cellphones. 45.6% of households do not have a toilet inside their dwelling, while just less than 50% have a toilet outside of their property. Of the 75.5% with access to...

Even with all the defences in the world at its disposal, no organisation can guarantee that it won’t fall victim to a data breach. With new threats emerging all the time, it’s simply not possible to say you are 100% safe. It’s therefore imperative that your organisation has a solid data breach response plan. Not only does a well-practised and executed response plan minimise the fallout from a breach in terms of your organisation’s reputation, it also drastically reduces the eventual cost of the breach. According to data from IBM and the Ponemon Institute the average cost of a breach in...

Google has revealed a new tool that will allow users to view messages in Google Maps. The feature will display conversations people have had with Business Profiles on Google. “Sending messages to businesses gives you the opportunity to ask questions without having to make a phone call,” says the company. “Now you’ll see your messages with the businesses you connect with via Business Profiles within the Google Maps app.” If you have contacted any business online via Google, you will now be able to view these chat threads in your Maps app. Originally the ability to messages Business Profiles on Google was...

Netflix South Africa has launched a fourth tier to its current list of streaming packages in the form of an "Ultra" option. The option, which seems exactly the same as Netflix’s R169 Premium option but with added support for better audio quality, will be available for R239. According to an interview with MyBroadband, Netflix has noted that the additional tier is merely a test. “Not everyone will see the test, and we may not ever offer the specific price points or features beyond this test,” the streaming told the publication. Though the test is only now coming to South Africa, the Ultra package...

Late on Tuesday, Game of Thrones' social media accounts posted a short teaser video, announcing the highly anticipated release date for the show's eighth season. The video depicts a mash-up of game changing scenes of previous seasons, allowing fans the chance to "revisit every scheme, scar, and sacrifice from the first seven seasons", according to the show's website. Though no specific date was given, the end of the trailer confirms that the series conclusion will come in April 2019. After actors shared their feelings about the end of Game of Thrones via an Entertainment Weekly cover special a few weeks ago, many...

Facebook has launched a new website dedicated to helping people build digital skills for the modern working world Dubbed Learn with Facebook, the company describes the platform as “a career development site that provides an introduction to both the hard and soft skills people need to advance in today’s digital workforce”. The lessons, which feature “case studies, insider tips and resources from industry experts”, are free to access online and include topics such as Ace Your Interview and Manage Your Content Marketing. While lessons are also conducted online and seem to be available globally, Facebook is further partnering with Goodwill Community Forum...

Malusi Gigaba has resigned as a member of South Africa's cabinet. The news broke on Tuesday evening by the South African Government's official Twitter account. "President Cyril Ramaphosa has today received a letter of resignation from the Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Malusi Knowledge Nkanyezi Gigaba," it wrote. "The President has accepted the Minister’s resignation." President Cyril Ramaphosa has today received a letter of resignation from the Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Malusi Knowledge Nkanyezi Gigaba. The President has accepted the Minister’s resignation https://t.co/yWHaBDJAVP #MalusiGigaba — South African Government (@GovernmentZA) November 13, 2018 Calling the former Minister of Home Affairs embattled would be a...

Load shedding was a buzzword, albeit a much maligned one, during the early years of this decade. But according to every South Africa's favourite provider of electricity, Eskom, it may make a sudden return. A report by Moneyweb on Monday revealed that a number of Eskom's coal power stations have just 10 days of reserve stock remaining. "In the meantime, the power utility is using costly diesel plants to supplement the power generated by its coal-fired fleet," the report by Antoinette Slabbert continued, further suggesting that loadshedding may come sooner rather than later. Because it's always better to be prepared (someone please...

The Western Cape provincial government on Monday quelled rumours that a NSC paper was stolen through a hack of the province's education department website. It claims that the news, which was issued in a lookalike statement circulating on social media and WhatsApp, was "fake". "From the screenshot that we have received, the press statement appears on a Western Cape Government Media Release Document and indicates that the National Senior Certificate (NSC) Biology Paper was stolen by a hacker from the WCED website," the provincial government wrote in an official response. On Twitter, Debbie Schafer Provincial Minister for Education in the Western Cape,...

If all you ever wanted from a mobile keyboard is, well, a mobile keyboard, you're going to hate Gboard's latest update. Google's keyboard, from today, will now suggest GIFs, emoji and stickers to users during your conversations using AI. "This makes it faster and easier to share your #feelings and your glowing personality with whoever you’re chatting with," wrote Angana Ghosh, Gboard's product lead, on Google's Keyword blog. The suggestion feature is triggered when keywords are typed into conversation. This can include overused single words like "awesome" or multiple common phrases like "I'm sleepy". The feature uses Google's AI engine, but it emphasises...

Cape Town's combined dam level have dropped another 0.7% over the previous week, the latest report from the City revealed. Issued on Monday, the report also suggests that dam levels currently stand at 73.4%, a little over 2% lower than 2018's high water mark. It's a far cry from where we were in November 2017 though, when dams were just 37% full. A year before that they stood at 58%. Cape Town dam levels as of 12 November 2018 So, how are individual dams doing? Theewaterskloof Dam: was 57.1%, down by 0.3%, now 57.1% Voelvlei Dam:was 95.5%, down by 1.6%, now 93.9% Berg...

Stan Lee, the co-creator of many famous Marvel superheroes and former Editor-In-Chief of the comic book brand, died on Monday at the age of 95. “With a heavy heart, we share our deepest condolences with his daughter and brother, and we honour and remember the creator, voice and champion of Marvel,” said Marvel in an official joint statement with Disney. The company paid tribute to Lee, acknowledging his contribution to the Marvel brand and the entertainment industry. Actors and fans alike also took to social media to express their sorrow over Lee’s death, remembering him for his legendary creations and the famous...

Africa's new longest suspension bridge is now in Mozambique's capital city. The Maputo-Catembe bridge -- which joins the southern and northern coastlines of Maputo Bay -- was opened on Saturday. The suspension spans a little under 700 metres, but the bridge is around three kilometres in total length. It stands 141 metres tall too, and was largely funded through Chinese investment and built by Chinese engineers. And yes, China is pretty good at designing and building these things. Five of the country's suspension bridges are among the world's ten longest. View this post on Instagram Ponte Maputo-Katembe... Últimas fotos antes de começar a...

All around the globe, brands have come under increasing scrutiny for (inadvertently) funding fake news. While it’s an issue that has deservedly received a lot of attention, brands also need to know that there are other websites that their ads shouldn’t be appearing on, and how they can stop it from happening. While fake news has dominated the conversation when it comes to ads for big name brands appearing in the wrong places, it shouldn’t be the only cause for concern. Would a high-profile investment firm, for example, want their ads appearing on a Russian dating site? Or that of a...