ICT Horizon

London, Sept 14 (BBC/UNB)- Facebook has launched a new feature allowing Instagram users to flag posts they think contain fake news to its fact-checking partners for verification. But questions remain as to whether it goes far enough to counter the amount of disinformation on the image-sharing platform, reports BBC. Read More »

Dhaka, Sept 13 (UNB) – A new malware called the ‘Joker’ is now plaguing Android apps and can reportedly steal money from your account by presenting itself as a premium subscription. Read More »

Global underground analysis reveals monetization of IoT attacks is increasing Hong Kong, China – Media OutReach – 12 September 2019 – Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, today released new research detailing a fast-growing market for IoT attacks. Cybercriminals from around the world are actively discussing how to compromise connected devices, and how ... Read More »

Huawei released the “5G Applications Position Paper” here Tuesday at a forum on the sideline of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecom World 2019, looking forward to 5G application scenarios in the areas of enhancing broadband, media and entertainment, industrial manufacturing, and intelligent transportation. Read More »

Apple on Tuesday, September 10 announced the introduction of iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 with dual and triple camera systems respectively. Read More »

Dhaka, Sept 7 (UNB) – Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Saturday suggested that the Bangladesh government should end restrictions on Rohingyas’ freedom of movement and access to the internet and online communications. “Government restrictions have intensified following a failed attempt to repatriate refugees to Myanmar, a large rally by Rohingya refugees, and the killings of a local politician and four ... Read More »

Samsung Research & Development Institute Bangladesh (SRBD) awarded 10 university students for winning a Coding Contest held in the city in between June 21 and August 31. Over 900 university students participated in the second season of Coding Contest organised by SRBD, aiming to develop the knowledge and skills of the students and to bridge the gap between academia and ... Read More »

By Thalif Deen UN, Sep 6 2019 (IPS) – With the rapid leap in digital technology – including increased access to conference calls, e-translations, skype, text messaging and emails—more and more offices in the United States are providing employees with an option to “work from home”. Read More »

Washington, Sept 4 (AP/UNB) — Facebook said Tuesday that the US Department of Homeland Security would be violating the company’s rules if agents create fake profiles to monitor the social media of foreigners seeking to enter the country. “Law enforcement authorities, like everyone else, are required to use their real names on Facebook and we make this policy clear,” Facebook ... Read More »

Dhaka, Sep 3 (UNB) – Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) on Tuesday directed the mobile operators to suspend 3G and 4G services for a certain period every day in Cox’s Bazar Rohingya camps. Between 5pm and 6am, Rohingyas in the camp areas will only be able to make voice calls. People at the camp site will get 3G and 4G ... Read More »

Xiaomi, global technology leader, announced Mi A3, the latest smartphone in their lineup of Android One-powered phones with the world’s highest resolution camera setup. It succeeds Mi A2, world’s number one Android One smartphone previously. Mi A3 marks a shift in the design of the Mi A series. It brings a new design while retaining the functional aspects which made ... Read More »

San Francisco, Aug 31 (AP/UNB) — Google will pay $150 million to $200 million to settle a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission over how it treats information from children on its YouTube video site, according to a published report Friday. Read More »

Hackers briefly gained control of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s account Friday, sending racist and vulgar tweets to his 4.2 million followers. Some of the tweets were up for about 30 minutes before Twitter took them down. The tweets included messages such as “Hitler is innocent” and, using a vulgarity, asked “bald skeleton head tramp,” apparently referring to Dorsey, to unsuspend ... Read More »

Security researchers at Google have found evidence of a “sustained effort” to hack iPhones over a period of at least two years. The attack was said to be carried out using websites which would discreetly implant malicious software to gather contacts, images and other data, reports BBC. Google’s analysis suggested the booby-trapped websites were said to have been visited thousands ... Read More »

Apple is apologizing for allowing outsiders to listen to snippets of people’s recorded conversations with its digital assistant Siri, a practice that undermined its attempts to position itself as a trusted steward of privacy. Read More »

Peace in every sphere of life must to achieve SDG16, says UN Dhaka, Aug 28 – Youths at a dialogue titled “Peace Talk Café” on Wednesday vowed to build an environment of peace in the digital space. Read More »

San Francisco, Aug 21 (AP/UNB) — Soon, you could get fewer familiar ads following you around the internet — or at least on Facebook. Facebook is launching a long-promised tool that lets you limit what the social network can gather about you on outside websites and apps. The company said Tuesday that it is adding a section where you can ... Read More »

Washington, Aug 20 (AP/UNB) — Twitter says it has suspended more than 200,000 accounts that it believes were linked to the Chinese government and a disinformation campaign targeting the protests in Hong Kong. The company also says it will prohibit ads from state-backed media companies that have amounted to propaganda. A senior Twitter official tells The Associated Press that both ... Read More »

Faruq Faisel, Regional Director, ARTICLE 19, Bangladesh and South Asia, has stated: “ARTICLE 19 is deeply concerned about this blanket restriction on communication imposed by the Indian Government in Jammu and Kashmir. The shutdown is a clear violation of international freedom of expression standards in the country. “It is deeply alarming that in a period that sees us entering what ... Read More »

Dhaka, Aug 13 – Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Tuesday imposed ban on flying of unauthorised drone in the c capital city to maintain public safety. A DMP press release said, flying drone without permission from the authority is a punishable offense as it may hamper public safety and create panic among the people. So, everybody concerned is requested not to ... Read More »

San Francisco, Aug 9 (AP/UNB) — Facebook is reportedly in talks with news publishers to offer “millions of dollars” for the rights to publish their material on its site. The move follows years of criticism over its growing monopolization of online advertising to the detriment of the struggling news industry. Read More »

Dhaka, Aug 7 – The government Wednesday approved a proposal to purchase a Vehicle Mounted Data Interceptor for the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC) through Direct Purchase Method (DPM) for the sake of national security, official news agency BSS reported on Wednesday. Read More »

State Minister for Information and Communication technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak yesterday said the government has taken a project to construct a software technology park in Sherpur. The software technology park, named after Sheikh Kamal, Bangabandhu’s eldest son, would be constructed at a cost of Taka 40 crore, he said. Palak said this in a views exchange meeting of Info ... Read More »

Faridpur, July 26 (UNB) – Police in a drive arrested a person for making a post on Facebook demeaning Islam and Kaaba Sharif from Kamar village in Boalmari upazila on Thursday night. The arrestee was identified as Dilip Roy, 42, of the village. Locals said Dilip made the post recently which hurt religious sentiment of Muslims. Following a complaint lodged ... Read More »

Facebook’s planned global digital coin Libra has run into a wall of opposition in Washington that could prevent its launch as envisioned, but analysts say cryptocurrencies are likely to make gains around the world nonetheless. The plan by Facebook and its partners has generated skepticism from US lawmakers and G7 finance ministers as well as from central banks and regulators ... Read More »

By Anis Chowdhury and Jomo Kwame Sundaram Sydney and Kuala Lumpur, Jul 16 2019 (IPS) – On 17 June, a Facebook white paper proposed a new global digital currency it plans to launch in the first half of 2020. The Libra will be managed by a ‘not for profit’ Swiss-based Facebook-led consortium of ‘for-profit corporations’, with Uber, eBay, Lyft, Mastercard ... Read More »

Geneva, 11 Jul (Kanaga Raja) – Large technology companies have penetrated many aspects of people’s lifestyles, with such digital platforms providing many benefits, but also gaining significant control of consumer data, which confers market power, raising not only competition-related concerns, but also concerns related to consumer protection and privacy. Read More »

Avon, Jul 16 (AP/UNB) — Over six weeks, the vandals kept coming, knocking the school system’s network offline several times a day. There was no breach of sensitive data files, but the attacks in which somebody deliberately overwhelmed the Avon Public Schools system in Connecticut still proved costly. Classroom lesson plans built around access to the internet had come to ... Read More »

Dhaka, Jul 13 (AP/UNB) – The FTC has voted to approve a fine of about $5 billion for Facebook over privacy violations, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. The report cited an unnamed person familiar with the matter. Read More »

Dhaka, July 12 – The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested four people in connection for ‘spreading the rumour on social media over Padma Bridge construction’. The arrest was made three days after the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges urged the people not to pay heed to the rumour about the need for human sacrifice for the Padma Bridge ... Read More »