Technology

PAKISTAN NEWS:

New Guidelines for Registration of Imported Mobile Phones:

The federal government has approved the extension in the launch of Devices Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) with effect from 15th January, 2019. The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has issued a detailed procedure on Tuesday by issuing a customs general order (CGO) number 1 of 2019.

Pakistan Army Bans Use of Social Media Among Personnel:

Pakistan Army has prohibited the use of social media networks (SMN) among all personnel, irrespective of their ranks or departments. A notification issued from the General Headquarter (GHQ), has revealed that despite several notices, dissemination of ‘sensitive information’ has been observed on different social media groups, which is highly dangerous for national security.

Pakistan’s Electronics Industry Grows 7.8pc in Q1 FY 2018-19:

The electronics industry has continued to grow at a fast pace since the past few years. This year, it has grown by 7.8 percent during the first quarter (Q1) of the fiscal year 2018-19. This was revealed by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) in its first quarterly report. The Quarterly Report on the State of Pakistan’s Economy for FY19 mentions that factors behind this growth include a rise in the production of electric motors and different types of cooling equipment.

3G/4G Users Cross the 61 Million Mark in Pakistan:

The number of 3G and 4G users in Pakistan have reached 61.61 million by the end of December 2018, announced Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). The number of mobile phone users in Pakistan have reached 153.98 million by December compared to 152.74 million by November 2018, an increase of 1.24 million during the period under review. Jazz’s total count for 3G users stood at 13.79 million by the end of December compared to 14.069 million by end November, registering a decrease of 0.279 million. Jazz 4G user numbers jumped from 6.58 million by November 2018 to 7.053 million.

Ufone Celebrates Its 18th Anniversary in Islamabad:

Pakistani Telecom Company, Ufone, celebrated its 18th anniversary at Ufone Tower, Islamabad, and in other offices across the country with great zeal. Eighteen years of commercial operations reaffirm Ufone’s commitment to ensuring seamless communication for all its customers.

Telenor Posts 8pc YoY Revenue Growth During Q4 2018:

Telenor Pakistan reported a positive fourth quarter with revenue growth and strong profitability with subscription and traffic revenues increasing by 12% and total revenues showing an increase of 7.9%, reaching PKR 28.220 billion, up PKR 2.057 billion from the same quarter last year. Telenor said that the increase in revenue is due to the positive impact due to the temporary abolishment of taxes on cellular services from June 2018 onwards.

TCL Launches Zalmi Special Edition TV for PSL 2019:

TCL, one of the world’s top three TV brands, has launched a special edition Zalmi TV to coincide with their sponsorship of Peshawar Zalmi for the upcoming 2019 season of HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL).The Zalmi TV, released on the 20^th of January 2018, is available in both 32 inch and 40-inch models for PKR 31,990 and PKR 42,990 respectively. Every new Zalmi TV comes in a special edition Peshawar Zalmi/TCL branded packaging which has a gift bag inside containing Zalmi-TCL branded merchandise.

State of The Art Cyber Security Lab in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa:

In an effort to protect the cyberspace of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board (KPITB) has installed a state of the art Cyber Security lab in the province. The modern tech lab, named KP-CERC, aims to equip students with the latest in cybersecurity to help them counter the increasing cyber attacks in the country.

Zong 4G Celebrates 10 Years of Excellence:

Zong 4G commemorated “10 years of Excellence” through an event that was attended by Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, His Excellency, Mr. Yao Jin, the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan and Maj Gen (Retd) Amir Azeem Bajwa, Chairman, Pakistan Telecommunications Authority along with dignitaries from various government entities, telecom industry and the corporate sector.

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS:

Facebook Paid Teens to Spy:

Facebook always remains on its toes to find out what its competitors are doing. This time, it has gone a little too far.The social networking service has been paying 13-35 years old individuals to spy on their phone and web activity. According to TechCrunch, Facebook has launched a research program ‘Project Atlas’.

First ‘Halal’ Web Browser Launched:

A Malaysian startup has developed a new web browser in accordance with the Islamic compliance and privacy concerns. Named SalamWeb, it is a mobile and desktop browser designed to give a friendly web experience for Muslims. The app has several features including messaging and news.

Facebook users continue to grow:

Facebook users have continued to rise despite a series of data privacy scandals and criticism over its attempt to stem toxic content. The social media giant said the number of people who logged into its site at least once a month jumped 9% last year to 2.32 billion people. Fears the firm’s scandals could put off advertisers also proved unfounded with annual revenues up 30% on last year.

DJI pledges painful action to tackle corruption:

DJI, the world’s bestselling drone-maker, has published an open letter promising to take “painful” steps to tackle corruption within its company.The Chinese firm had previously revealed that some employees had inflated the cost of some of the components and materials it used, for personal gain.DJI blamed “inefficient and ineffective management processes” in part.

Kwik Fit garages hit by computer virus:

Kwik Fit has confirmed that its computer network has been infected with malware, disrupting its ability to book in vehicle repairs and handle other customer requests.

The car service specialist began telling customers that its IT systems had gone offline, but initially indicated the issue had been rectified the same day. It has since told the media that it is still experiencing some problems.

FIFA to stop selling in-game currency in Belgium:

Gambling laws in Belgium will soon stop FIFA players in the country from buying the in-game currency FIFA Points. Game maker Electronic Arts (EA) has told players they’ll only be able to earn FIFA Points from completing in-game challenges in future.The points allow people to buy in-game packs which randomly generate items (like special characters) to play with.

Children ‘afterthought’ for social media companies:

Children “remain an afterthought” for leading social media companies, England’s Children’s Commissioner, Anne Longfield, has said. And she has written to the biggest companies, urging them to commit to tackling issues of disturbing content.Her letter follows the suicide of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who killed herself after viewing distressing self-harm images on Instagram.

Mother and son ‘tried to warn Apple of bug’:

A mother and son from Arizona tried to warn Apple about the eavesdropping FaceTime bug over a week ago.The flaw, which gained attention on Monday, relates to the company’s FaceTime chat function. Michele Thompson and her 14-year-old son made several attempts to warn the firm, but say they were mostly ignored.”Short of smoke signals, I was trying every method that someone could use to get a hold of someone at Apple,” Ms Thompson told the Media.

Regulate social media to protect children, MPs urge:

Social media companies should have a legal “duty of care” to children, the UK Parliament’s Science and Technology Committee has recommended. The group’s report said social media had helped facilitate bullying and online grooming of children. It called for a regulator to be established to take “enforcement action” if apps broke the law.

PledgeMusic: The day the music died?:

Back in the late 80s and early 90s, Jesus Jones were a successful indie band, with hits like International Bright Young Thing and Right Here, Right Now. Now older, the band have other jobs but are still keen to keep on playing to the legion of fans who remain loyal to the group. Step in crowdfunding platform PledgeMusic. It was set up a decade ago to help both established bands and new names make it in the music business, by bypassing the traditional music labels and accessing money direct from their fans.