IT News Africa: Top Stories Of The Week

As millions around the world have begun getting over the festive rush and are heading back to work, technology related stories have yet again graced the headlines.

This past week, both YouTube and Facebook revealed that they would apply significant changes to the platforms. YouTube's changes were around the monetisation structure while Facebook's focused on updating the Messenger platform.

In South Africa, Michael Jordaan revealed that he would be backing Bank Zero, a soon to be launched digital only bank.

The team at IT News Africa also produced a number of quality features this week which included, How to apply for your South African Smart ID Card at your local bank and various articles predicting what is to come in the world of tech in 2018.

From all of us at IT News Africa, have a great weekend. The top stories of the week can be found below.

News

Hackers steal $400 000 from online cryptocurrency wallets
On Saturday 13 January 2018, an unknown hacker (or hackers) managed to take over the DNS server for BlackWallet.co, a web-based wallet application used for the Stellar Lumen cryptocurrency (XLM), and stole $400,000 from users’ accounts. The hackers managed to hijack the DNS entry of the BlackWallet.co domain and redirected it to their own server, according to a report by Bleeping Computers. Read More.

Google appoints Chief Marketing Officer for Sub-Saharan Africa
Google announced on Monday, 15 January 2018 that it has appointed Mzamo Masito as its Chief Marketing Officer for Sub-Saharan Africa. Masito joins Google from Vodacom, where he held a senior position, he has an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) as well as a post-graduate diploma from UCT. He lectures at the AAA School of Advertising and serves on the GIBS advisory board. He previously held senior positions at Nike and Unilever. Read More.

South Africa: Former FNB CEO behind new digital only bank
Michael Jordaan, the former CEO of South African bank First National Bank (FNB), announced via Twitter on Tuesday 16 January 2017 that he is backing Bank Zero, a new digital only bank. The bank, which will be 45% black-owned, has been granted a provisional licence by the South African Reserve Bank and is set to launch in the fourth quarter of 2018. Read More.

Smaller channels to suffer as YouTube changes monetisation structure
On Wednesday 17 January 2018, Google revealed that it is making major changes to its YouTube monetisation structure – which will now make it more difficult for smaller contributors to make money off their content. Read More.

Facebook to make 6 changes to Messenger in 2018
On Tuesday 16 January 2018, David Marcus the Head of Messenger at Facebook revealed, in a post on the platform, that the Messenger app will undergo some major changes in 2018. Read More.

Top Opinions & Features

How to apply for your South African Smart ID Card at your local bank
Late last year a rumour speculating that the green ID book was no longer accepted surfaced. This was later confirmed as a hoax. Have you got your new Smart ID Card yet? Now you can apply for your new ID at your nearest bank branch. Read More.

Cybersecurity Trends 2018: The Cost of our Connected World
According to a recent ESET report, incidents and risks are predicted to grow even further in 2018. The report titled “Cybersecurity Trends 2018: The Cost of our Connected World” compiled by ESET security experts, presents topics that will be of interest to everyone following an increase in, and sophistication of, cybersecurity incidents in 2017. Read More.

Vodacom voice services down, users share frustrations on Twitter
Vodacom customers in Gauteng, South Africa experienced difficulty making and receiving calls on Friday morning, 19 January 2018, as the telco’s voice services were reportedly down. Read More.

South Africa’s mobile-first secure banking success has international potential
A strong focus on its digital banking strategy – and particularly secure mobile transactions – has propelled Capitec Bank to the forefront of innovative banking in South Africa. Read More.

South African fintech 2018 – What to expect and startups to watch
Fintech continues to surprise with little to touch the rise of bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in 2017. This will continue in 2018 and I make some predictions based on what we see happening globally and what we see taking place with our members at AlphaCode, a Rand Merchant Investments club for fintech startup entrepreneurs. Read More.

Gadgets and Gaming

Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition announced
Square Enix opens up new ways for fans to journey through the massive world of Final Fantasy XV with Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, and PC. Read More.

Dakar 18 officially revealed
Bigmoon Entertainment and Koch Media have announced a global distribution and co-publishing agreement for Dakar 18, a cross-country rally racing game aiming to be one of the biggest open worlds ever made in a racing game, coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in 2018. Read More.

Samsung Galaxy S9 specifications leaked online
After the final design of the Samsung Galaxy S9 was leaked online, a report by Forbes revealed that another leak has followed. This time, the most significant features of Samsung’s latest flagship device have surfaced, giving fans an even more detailed preview of what to expect from the Samsung Galaxy S9. Read More.

CES 2018: 8K UHD display unveiled
BOE exhibited at this year’s Consumer Electronics Expo (CES 2018) its 8K UHD intelligent interfaces and IoV innovative products together with its partners such as HiSilicon, Byton and StreamTV. Read More.

TCL Communication launches MoveTime Family Watch in South Africa
TCL Communication has launched of the MoveTime Family Watch – MT30 in South Africa. Based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 platform, the smartwatch helps parents stay connected with their children using the latest technology. The new smartwatch is, according to the company, a fun daily companion for kids. Read More.

By Dean Workman
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