Six ways to make the internet safer for women: Antonio Guillem / Shutterstock Women are less likely to protect themselves online because current safety advice does not take full account of their needs – despite women being more at risk from cyber abuse and threats than men. This abuse of women is a growing problem, …
Welfare payments are going digital in Africa – but this isn’t helping those without internet access or smartphones: If you have ever received financial support from the state because you were unable to work due to pregnancy, disability, sickness or old age, you’ve benefited from what is known as social protection. Social protection is a …
Avalanches can grow 100 times larger under the sea than on land – here’s why they’re a risk to the internet: ZHMURCHAK/Shutterstock Underwater avalanches are powerful natural events that happen all the time under the surface of the ocean. They are impossible to see and extremely difficult to measure, which means we know little about …
They’re serving what?! How the c-word went from camp to internet mainstream: Beyoncé uses the c-word in staging for her 2023 Renaissance tour, as well as in lyrics for the track Pure/Honey. Raph_PH/Wiki Commons, CC BY-SA Warning: this article contains language that some readers may find offensive. If someone told you that you were “serving …
The vast majority of us have no idea what the padlock icon on our internet browser is – and it’s putting us at risk: The padlock icon which appears in most internet browser address bars. Robert Avgustin/Shutterstock Do you know what the padlock symbol in your internet browser’s address bar means? If not, you’re not …
Internet of Things: tech firms have become our digital landlords – but people are starting to fight back: Hodoimg From smart toasters to fitness collars for dogs, we live in a world where everything around us is gradually being connected to the internet and fitted with sensors so that we can interact with them online. …
Umdoko Internet launches a new event management platform: Johannesburg, October 10, 2023— Umdoko Internet is gearing up for a momentous milestone as it prepares to introduce a minimum valuable product (MVP) of Amusema, an event management platform set to make its debut this weekend. The company is embarking on a pioneering mission to transform the …
African Literature in the Digital Age: new book traces the role of the internet, queers and class: The first book-length study of digital literature in Africa has attracted a lot of academic attention. African Literature in the Digital Age: Class and Sexual Politics in New Writing from Kenya and Nigeria considers the role of the …
Internet shutdowns: here’s how governments do it: BigNazik/GettyImages Senegal’s government has shut down internet access in response to protests about the sentencing of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. This is a tactic governments are increasingly using during times of political contention, such as elections or social upheaval. The shutdowns can be partial or total, temporary or …
How scammers use psychology to create some of the most convincing internet cons – and what to watch out for: Scammers are blending different types of fraud to persuade people to hand over their cash. Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock Online fraud is today’s most common crime. Victims are often told they are foolish for falling for it, but …
Senegal’s internet shutdowns are another sign of a democracy in peril: Protestors gather in Madrid to demand justice and democracy in Senegal. Photo by Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket via Getty Images Senegal’s government began blocking several digital platforms – including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and YouTube – in certain areas on 1 June. Days later, it …
How Wikipedia helps keep the internet open: How Wikipedia helps keep the internet open srish_aka_tux Mon, 03/06/2023 – 03:00 Wikipedia is one of the most significant open source software projects, in part because it’s a lot bigger than you may realize. And yet anyone can contribute content, and anyone can contribute code to many technical …
Starlink: SpaceX’s new internet service could be a gamechanger in Africa: SpaceX's Starlink service is slowly arriving in Africa, starting with Nigeria and Rwanda. Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock It’s hard for many of us to imagine a world without instant, limitless internet access. Some have even argued that it should, alongside access to clean water and electricity, …
Internet search results could be increasing your carbon emissions: silvabom / shutterstock Almost everyone thinks they know how to use Google, and they usually get the answer they want. Many will intuitively know that the query “milk good for you” leads to different results than “milk bad for you”. The same goes for queries for …
Homegrown RocketNet unbreaks the internet: Simon Swanepoel, RocketNet CEO In an unprecedented move in the fibre to the home (FTTH) market, RocketNet, brainchild of South African entrepreneur and the company’s CEO, Simon Swanepoel, has announced a country-first price package as part of their on-going partnership with Vuma. RocketNet now offers 50/50Mbps uncapped fibre connection for …
Digital activism: study shows the internet has helped women in urban Ghana and Nigeria raise their voices: Women in rural areas have limited access to the internet. Wikimedia Commons Information technology and the internet have proven to be a strong force for building collective action groups and mobilising communities of protesters. Among the main advantages …
How parents’ internet addiction can fuel their children’s – and what to do about it: CarlosDavid/Shutterstock Teenagers are often accused of being addicted to their mobile devices, but new research shows they’re often just modelling their parents’ behaviour. Of course, we all use digital devices for work, for fun, and for socialising – but too …
What Netflix documentary The Most Hated Man on the Internet gets right (and wrong) about ‘revenge porn’: Aleksey Boyko/Shutterstock The most hated man on the internet, according to a new Netflix docuseries, is Hunter Moore. The convicted criminal and self-described “professional life ruiner” Moore enabled the non-consensual distribution of thousands of private images by founding …