IBM and Amadeux collaborate on easing air travel as tourism industry rebounds

In a joint statement Amadeus and IBM said, the former will integrate IBM’s digital health pass into its Traveler ID platform. The move will simplify the verification of passengers’ health credentials during the boarding process, said the companies on Thursday. Ever since the pandemic began, the tourism industry, along with the aviation and tech sectors…

Why Trust is an Issue in Cashless Economies

It often feels like we are reaching a turning point regarding the functionality of modern economic systems. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the cashless debate, with governments and central banks across the globe debating the merits of cashless societies during crises and the advantages of cashless systems to combat among other things, corruption. Advocates highlight…

WhatsApp to go ahead with privacy update despite privacy concerns: Facebook Inc

In a significant development, Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp said, it will goo ahead with its controversial privacy policy update which allows users to read it at “their own pace”; following the update WhatsApp will display a banner providing additional information. Earlier this year in January, WhatsApp had laid out fresh terms aimed at increasing business transactions…

ByteDance explores sale of TikTok’s Indian operations

In a report, Bloomberg News said, China’s ByteDance is exploring the sale of TikTok’s Indian operations to rival Glance, a unicorn. Negotiations, initiated by Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp, early, private, and complex, said the report citing sources people familiar with the matter at hand. InMobi’s short-video app Roposo has gained more market share in India after…

Business users of WhatsApp’s not protected by end-to-end encryption

With users migrating to other messaging platforms following privacy concerns stemming from Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp update, Facebook said, it will delay the update. WhatsApp users are concerned that the Facebook owned messaging app is watering down its privacy policy in the update. Earlier this month, WhatsApp notified users through a notification that it was preparing…

Italy’s data authority scrutinizes WhatsApp’s updated privacy disclaimer

In a statement Italy’s data protection authority said, Facebook Inc has not clearly communicated its new privacy policy for its messenger app WhatsApp to users. On January 4, 2021, in an update WhatsApp said it reserved the right to share some data, including location and phone numbers, with Facebook and its units including Messenger and…

Portland’s city council bans govt and corporate use of facial recognition technology

Portland has voted for the first ever ban on facial recognition in the United States in private entities, including restaurants and retail stores, as well as in public places in the city. Portland’s city council voted to ban local government bureaus from acquiring or using facial recognition surveillance technology. Other U.S. cities which have previously…

Facebook partners with external researchers to study impact of social media during 2020 U.S. Presidential election

In a significant development, Facebook Inc disclosed that it has partnered with external researchers to examine its impact during the crucial 2020 U.S. presidential election. The findings of the studies will be published in the middle of 2021, at the earliest. The initiative expands its Social Science One project wherein academics study the political impacts…

SpaceX bans Zoom video conferencing app citing significant security threats

SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket company, has banned its employees from using Zoom, a video conferencing app, following “significant privacy and security concerns”, according to an internal memo. The development comes days after U.S. law enforcement agencies warned users about security concerns regarding the popular app. With many Americans quarrantined in their homes because of the…