Business

Democracy App Demands Break Up of Big Tech Firms “Who Won’t Act on Online Abuse”

Published

5 years ago

August 29, 2019

Eric

The makers of a democracy app have called for politicians to break up big tech companies if they fail to take action to prevent the abuse of politicians.

The makers of abuse-proof digital democracy tool Rate Your Leader believe such action is necessary in response to “an online environment so toxic it poisons our political process”.

The call comes as MPs spoke publically about the abuse they have endured from members of the public – including being sent pictures of decapitated bodies.

A survey carried out by the BBC saw 139 MPs reporting that either they or their staff had faced abuse in the past year.

More than 60% of these incidents led to contact with the police.

Separate analysis into online abuse of MPs carried out at the University of Sheffield found:

Labour MP David Lammy has received the most abuse of any MP on Twitter in 2019.
Sexist abuse to be the most widespread form of abuse – even though male MPs receive significantly more abuse than female MPs.
Conservative MPs receiving significantly more abuse than Labour MPs.

Joel Popoola, founder of the Democracy project Rate Your Leader, whose free app allows voters to communicate with their elected representatives at the touch of a button in a way which makes abuse impossible, responded to the reports.

He said:

“Politicians have proven that they are willing to use competition laws to stand up to online businesses who are price-fixing Justin Bieber posters, so why are they not prepared to stand up to businesses which are being used to physically threaten them and their families?

“Throughout history politicians have stepped in when companies with a monopoly or near monopoly in the market where abusing their position or creating social damage, to the extent of breaking them up.

“The UK’s three most popular social media platforms are owned by the same people. We’re fast-approaching the point where this can no longer be ruled out for some social media companies, who are too powerful and too alarmingly ambivalent about the harm they are enabling.

“Our democracy cannot function in an online environment so toxic it poisons our political process. At Rate Your Leader we’ve installed systems which make it impossible to be abusive to politicians, so why can’t the big boys?

“Of course this level of hostility toward our political process goes beyond technology, but politicians either need to vote with their feet and move over to platforms who are willing the take the steps necessary to keep them and their electors safe, or consider radical action to safeguard our democracy”.

The Rate Your Leader app is available from the Apple and Google Marketplaces.

The Rate Your Leader app has a five star rating on the Google market, with one reviewer writing “This is the new level of politics…better communication of leaders with the electorates and accountability”.

An ever-increasing number of MPs, councillors, MEPs and Police & Crime Commissioners have already taken advantage of the free democracy app to stay in touch with the people who elect them and to get their message out to confirmed voters in their constituencies, helping them truly understand what matters most to the people who elect them.

Business

Glo Launches New Internet Solution Products for Homes, Businesses

Published

1 week ago

April 8, 2024

Eric

Two new products, which provide internet connectivity solutions specially designed for Residential and SME commercial customers, have been unveiled by digital solutions company, Globacom.

The products, Fibre to the Home (FTTH) and Fibre to the Business (FTTB) were packaged for Glo customers to enjoy reliable and high speed internet through linked fibre services.

Globacom said in a statement in Lagos “With these services, businesses and homes can access dedicated internet speeds of up to 1GBps, allowing unlimited internet usages for seamless video calls, video and music streaming and a whole lot of other dedicated usages to promote business success and equally provide endless entertainment for homes”.

It explained that the new product comes with a unique opportunity for “Residential Estates, High Rise Apartments, Commercial SME Estates to enjoy dedicated high speed internet in their cluster”.

These services, according to Globacom, give exceptional experience and unmatched speed for users at home or in offices and are provided through hi-speed fibre – unlike copper which was being used in the past.

Positioning itself as the premier provider of innovative solutions for businesses of all sizes, Globacom assured customers of the best value for money with the new offerings, adding that users who sign on for these services will also enjoy fully dedicated bandwidth.

“We are committed to delivering the most cost-effective data connectivity experience for homes and businesses in addition to providing dedicated and reliable services.” Globacom concluded.

Business

Naira Appreciates Further, Sells at N1,280/$ at Parallel Market

Published

2 weeks ago

March 30, 2024

Eric

The naira, on Friday, appreciated to N1,280 per dollar at the parallel section of the foreign exchange (FX) market.

The current FX rate signifies a 5.19 percent appreciation from the N1,350/$ reported on March 27.

Currency traders in Lagos, also known as bureau de change (BDCs) operators, quoted the buying rate of the greenback at N1,260 and the selling price at N1,280 — leaving a profit margin of N20.

“The price of the dollar as well as other major currencies have been falling. It is affecting our business as some customers prefer to keep their currencies than change it with us,” a currency trader identified as Aliyu told TheCable.

At the official section of the FX market, the local currency depreciated by 0.69 percent to N1,309.39/$ on March 28 — from N1,300.43/$ on March 27.

Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), on March 29, said the economy recorded over $1.5 billion in foreign exchange (FX) inflow this month, indicating its monetary policy initiatives are effective.

The apex bank said the naira is headed in the right direction, and the administration of Yemi Cardoso, CBN governor, remains committed to ensuring the stability of the market and the appropriate pricing of the naira against other major currencies worldwide.

TheCable

Business

NNPC Denies Reducing Petrol Pump Price

Published

3 weeks ago

March 28, 2024

Eric

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited has declared that there is no plan to reduce the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) aka petrol and Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) aka diesel.

The national oil company disclosed this through a statement on Wednesday by its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Mr. Olufemi Soneye.

He said: “The NNPC Limited wishes to clarify rumours suggesting a price adjustment for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Automotive Gas Oil (Diesel) at its retail stations nationwide.

“The company asserts that these reports are false and urges Nigerians to disregard them entirely.

“NNPC Ltd. reaffirms its commitment to sustaining the current sufficiency in petroleum products supply across all its retail stations in the country,” the statement added.