Tech Top 5 News

FG LAUNCHES NATIONAL POLICY ON BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY

To fast-track the adoption and utilise the gains of emerging technologies, the federal government has launched a National Policy on Blockchain Technology and inaugurated Implementation & Steering Committee to oversee its implementation.

The policy, launched by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim, is to promote the adoption of blockchain technology in Nigeria and to position the country as a leading player in the global blockchain ecosystem.

While launching the policy on behalf of the federal government, the minister explained that the seventh pillar, digital society and emerging technologies, out of the eight captured in the policy, is now achieving the desired progress as blockchain remains one of the emerging technologies.

“In order to implement the seventh pillar, we had to develop other policies, including Policy on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics which brought about the establishment of the first-ever National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) in Africa, sited here in Abuja,” stated the minister.

He added, “Also, in our efforts to implement the policy, particularly pillar number seven, we developed the National Blockchain Policy for Nigeria.”

Ibrahim stressed the importance of technology to the nation’s Digital Economy drive, noting that the Fourth Industrial Revolution is comparatively the one that has not relegated Africa to the background, especially as nations on the continent, particularly Nigeria, are actively participating in the revolution which he added is an extension of the third revolution.

“Blockchain technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, cloud and quantum computing, virtual and augmented reality, autonomous vehicle, biotechnology, 5G, and cybersecurity are all disruptive technologies brought by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and Nigeria is one of the, at least three countries in Africa, which are actively involved in the 4th Industrial Revolution,” he added.

GOOGLE TO DELETE ACCOUNTS INACTIVE FOR TWO YEARS

Google recently announced new plans to delete accounts that have been inactive for two years, as well as accounts that were created and never used or used only briefly.

This means that if you have not signed in within the past two years, your account and everything it contains could be deleted starting as soon as December.

This change impacts Google Calendar, Drive, Docs, Gmail, Meet, and Photos. Accounts with YouTube videos are a noteworthy exception from the new deletion policy, as are any accounts with active subscriptions (paying your bill counts as ‘activity’).

Also, this change applies only to personal Google accounts, not profiles tied to companies or classrooms.

Accounts created and never used again will be the first to be nixed, with Google sending multiple notifications to both the account email address and the recovery email if one has been provided.

To keep a Google Account active, Google recommends signing in at least once every two years, and anyone who has signed into an account or a Google service recently has an account that is considered active and will not be deleted.

Activity includes reading or sending an email, using Google Drive, watching a YouTube video, downloading a Google Play app, using Google Search, having an active subscription through a Google Account, or using Sign in with Google.

To save your account, you only need to log in to sign into your Google account or any Google service, read an email, watch a video, perform a single search, or do any other activities.

APPLE RESTRICTS STAFF FROM USING CHATGPT, TO BUILD OWN MODEL

Apple has restricted employees from using AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT over fears confidential information entered into these systems will be leaked or collected.

By default, OpenAI stores all interactions between users and ChatGPT. These conversations are collected to train OpenAI’s systems and can be inspected by moderators for breaking the company’s terms and services.

In April, OpenAI launched a feature that lets users turn off chat history. However, even with this setting enabled, OpenAI still retains conversations for 30 days with the option to review them “for abuse” before deleting them permanently.

Given the utility of ChatGPT for tasks like improving code and brainstorming ideas, Apple may be rightly worried its employees will enter information on confidential projects into the system. This information might then be seen by one of OpenAI’s moderators. Research shows it is also possible to extract training data from some language models using its chat interface, though there’s no evidence that ChatGPT itself is vulnerable to such attacks. It also prohibits them from using the Microsoft-owned GitHub Copilot, an AI code writer. Sources have also stated that Apple, like every big player in tech, is interested in building its own large language model.

NETFLIX REVEALS SUBSCRIBERS PAYING FOR AD-SUPPORTED PLAN

Netflix has shared figures for the first time six months after launching its ad-supported plan.

Between November 2022 and now, the ad-supported plan has garnered nearly five million global monthly active users. This is the first time the streaming giant has disclosed how well its cheapest plan is doing.

At the streaming giant’s first-ever Upfront event, Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said, “The signals are promising, engagement on our ads plan is similar to our comparable non-ads plans. That is critical because it all starts and ends with consumers.”

While it is just a sliver of the 232.5 million global subscribers, Netflix boasts ‘basic with ads’ has potential. Plus, the $6.99 plan, launched with 720p video quality and just single-device viewing, recently got an upgrade that includes higher 1080p video quality and allowance for two concurrent streams.

Netflix also said its platform offers opportunities to get more creative with ads.

TELEMEDICINE PLATFORM, NIGCOMHEALTH LAUNCHES IN NIGERIA

Nigeria Communications Satellite Ltd (NigComSat), in partnership with Ethnomet, a leading Canadian firm in healthcare technology, recently launched NigComHealth.

This telemedicine platform will allow millions of Nigerians access to quality healthcare.

NigComHealth will transform how patients and healthcare providers connect by providing convenient and accessible medical consultations by licensed healthcare professionals anytime, anywhere via mobile app.

The new telemedicine platform combines innovative technology with advanced medical tools and pre-vetted licensed healthcare practitioners, enabling virtual medical visits that are secure, efficient, and personalised.

The federal government and Ethnomet have partnered with indigenous tech implementation company, Sawtrax to implement the platform across Nigeria. This will make it possible for Nigerians in any part of the country, including rural and remote areas, to book and attend appointments with qualified and specialised doctors.

NigComHealth’s multi-tenant virtual healthcare service platform is designed for all hospitals to integrate their healthcare professionals and offer digital health services to the Nigerian population.

The Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria,James Christoff said the platform would be a game-changer in improving health outcomes, especially in underserved and remote areas.

“The technology has been developed with the vision and strategic objective of having over 80 federal and state-owned government hospitals coexist on the platform. The platform is also meant to provide digital health services to 1.7 million public sector workers and their families in Nigeria.”stated Christoff.