News 24 - 18 September 2020

 

Facebook is again being sued for allegedly spying on Instagram users, this time through the unauthorised use of their mobile phone cameras.

The lawsuit springs from media reports in July that the photo-sharing app appeared to be accessing iPhone cameras even when they weren’t actively being used. Facebook denied the reports and blamed a bug, which it said it was correcting, for triggering what it described as false notifications that Instagram was accessing iPhone cameras.

In the complaint filed Thursday in federal court in San Francisco, New Jersey Instagram user Brittany Conditi contends the app’s use of the camera is intentional and done for the purpose of collecting “lucrative and valuable data on its users that it would not otherwise have access to.”

By "obtaining extremely private and intimate personal data on their users, including in the privacy of their own homes," Instagram and Facebook are able to collect "valuable insights and market research," according to the complaint.

Facebook declined to comment. In a suit filed last month, Facebook was accused of using facial-recognition technology to illegally harvest the biometric data of its more than 100 million Instagram users. Facebook denied the claim and said that Instagram doesn’t use face recognition technology.

www.vsoftsystems.co.za

The Department of Higher Education and Training has published its draft list of Occupations in High Demand which aims to establish the skills most in-demand across the country.

The significance of the list is that it will form the basis for the updated critical skills list by the Department of Home Affairs, which contains all the skills deemed in short supply in South Africa, said Xpatweb’s Marisa Jacobs.

Jacobs said that any person who fits the list’s criteria may qualify for a work visa, under the critical skills visa category, as per the Immigration Act.

While the last Critical Skills List by the Department of Home Affairs was published in 2014, and is currently under review, Xpatweb’s own data shows that there are a number of in-demand skills which are currently not covered.

Jacobs said that this includes:

• Several categories of ICT specialists and engineers;
• Foreign language speakers;
• Chefs;
• Winemakers;
• Tobacco grades;
• Tour guides;
• Nurses;
• Riggers;
• Actuaries; and
• Software engineers.

“There is a continued lack of critically skilled individuals available in South Africa and thanks to survey participants, we are able to guide the government’s critical skills list and help shape the decisions that will help local businesses reinvigorate the economy,” said Jacobs.

According to CareerJunction, the three most in-demand skills in the country at the moment are software developers, middle/department managers and representatives or sales consultants.

Despite a decrease in hiring activity for software developers during the last four months, programming and software development skills remain the most in-demand skill set in the local labour market, the group said.

“Demand for managerial skills is showing consistent growth over the past two months. After a dip in demand in the second quarter of 2020, hiring activity increased by more than 60% since May.

“Aside from diminished recruitment activity in the current economic climate, recruitment activity for sales consultants and representatives grew by 30% since May 2020.”

High demand

Jacobs said that the skills list is important as an increasing number of skilled South Africans have expressed a desire to emigrate, meaning local companies need to recruit internationally for these critical skills.

“There is a growing concern among many South Africans that skilled people are leaving the country in droves, choosing to relocate to New Zealand, Canada, the UK, Australia and Mauritius to name a few, she said.”

Jacobs said that any discussion about emigration numbers is complicated by the fact that there is no official bureau in South Africa that collects emigration data.

“Resources from Stats SA, the United Nations International Migrant Stock database, and National statistics offices (NSOs) of foreign nations, however, suggest that upwards of 23,000 people per year are emigrating from South Africa.

“People who are emigrating are often skilled and experienced, which is why they can find work abroad. Skills are globally sourced for the economic benefit of those countries, and South Africa has to compete for scarce skills.”

www.samigration.com

Business Insider SA -  Sep 16, 2020

• 
  
• South Africa is reopening its borders, at least partially, soon.
• But that doesn't mean foreign visitors will immediately stream into the country.
• Despite relatively low and dropping new coronavirus case numbers, SA remains red-listed by many countries, which means quarantine for those who travel here when they return home.
• SA now has to decide whether to accept risky tourists, as the tourism industry looks toward a multi-year recovery.

 

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Wednesday that South Africa will open its borders to internationally tourists in October - with some caveats. 

But that doesn’t mean they will come. South Africa remains on many so-called red-lists as far as leisure travel goes, even as infection numbers drop.

Depending on the country’s specific system and requirements, this means that although South African borders may be open for leisure travel, those who come could be subjected to mandatory quarantines on their return.

The most significant overseas contributors to local tourism come from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, The Netherlands, and France. Although South Africa’s coronavirus situation is improving, none have yet placed SA on list of countries that do not require at least self-isolation upon return.

That could be an issue, says South African Tourism CEO Sisa Ntshona.

“Home-country quarantines are a barrier.

But he is hopeful, considering the rapid change in new infections reported in South Africa.

"According to UK criteria we were in the red zone last week, but we’ve now moved into the amber or yellow zone, and projections are that we are going to move into the green zone within the next two weeks,” says Nsthona.

The methods used to determine these red zones or lists vary from country to country. 

The United Kingdom and Germany, for example, use a variety of factors to determine a country’s status - but primarily looks at the infection rate over the previous seven days, to arrive at an estimation of active cases. 

In the case of the United Kingdom, infection levels must be below 20 new cases per 100,000 of the population over the previous seven days. In Germany, this figure is 50 new cases per 100,000 over the last week.

According to the most recent data, South Africa is reporting approximately 18.58 new cases per 100,000 per week – well within Germany’s threshold, and just under the United Kingdom’s. 

Even so, most countries that the South African tourism sector is heavily reliant on have yet to ease restrictions. 

According to the German mission in South Africa, at present, “given the Covid situation in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini, these countries currently do not belong to the list of countries, where travel restrictions could be eased”. 

The same is true for the United Kingdom - which has dropped isolation requirements for residents returning from some 66 countries - but still requires them for visitors from South Africa.

The Netherlands has a slightly softer stance; that country’s government “strongly advises” travellers returning from several destinations, including South Africa, to self-quarantine at home or in temporary hotel accommodation for 10 days upon arrival in the Netherlands.

These zones are a moving target, which Ntshona says makes planning difficult.

“This calibration is done on a weekly basis, so all of this can change if suddenly numbers spike up,” he says.

Because of this much of his organisation's focus will be on countries in Europe that are a relatively easy night flight away.

“Many people argue that South Africa is a long-haul destination, but we’re arguing that it’s an overnight flight away, especially for Europe. So we are now looking to position ourselves as an overnight flight destination, so we can get into the shorter term type of booking,” says Ntshona.

Ntshona also says that given the constantly shifting patterns of Covid-19 infections, it may well lead to travellers taking more spontaneous trips. 

But with many European Union countries allowing relatively unrestricted internal travel – and with no requirement to self-quarantine upon return – it may prove a difficult sell to get these visitors to venture further than a regional trip.

Nsthona believes these issues are not insurmountable, but require countries to remain agile as Covid-19 infection numbers rise and fall.

“We’ve seen the turmoil between the UK, France and Spain, where UK tourists were already in Spain, and then suddenly were subjected to a 14 day quarantine on return because of Spain’s changing status. That complicates plans,” he says.

Ntshona believes South Africa could be in many countries’ green zones by early October. 

"We’ve already seen the likes of Switzerland move us into the green zone as well, so essentially we’re moving into the right space,” he says.

According to Switzerland's Federal Office of Public Health, South Africa is no longer on that country's mandatory quarantine list, as of Monday.

South Africa, in turn, will have to decide whether to welcome visitors that may bring a resurgence of the virus.

“The question is, is South Africa as a country willing to accept that travellers from red zones, who bring their own risk?” asks Nsthona.

Even with open borders, and the possible arrival of some international visitors, there’s little chance of recovering anything close to the usual international traveller spend in South Africa.

“We’ve estimated that it will take us 24 to 30 months in order to restore to 2019 levels of activity, so it’s a two and a half year recovery,” he says.

www.samigration.com

 New evidence reveals widespread airtime theft and fraudulent WASP subscriptions on Vodacom’s network and shows that the company failed to act decisively against the criminals.

The latest evidence follows an industry investigation which revealed airtime theft on a mass scale from Vodacom’s prepaid customers.

What sets the latest evidence apart is that it comes from a prominent company which uses machine-to-machine communications and IoT devices with prepaid SIMs from Vodacom.

It is therefore impossible for these SIMs to pro-actively subscribe to WASP services, which means this data provides conclusive evidence of fraudulent subscriptions and airtime theft.

The company’s chief executive, who asked to remain anonymous because of his relationship with Vodacom, told MyBroadband hundreds of their SIMs have been hit by airtime theft.

The company experienced theft on both brand-new SIMs and SIMs which have been in devices for years.

He said Vodacom refuses to acknowledge any problem and added that it is very difficult to get refunds for the stolen airtime.

Only around 5% to 10% of the airtime theft which they logged with Vodacom were refunded.

He said it requires considerable effort to get a refund, which is further complicated as it is impossible to approach Vodacom with a list of SIMs from which airtime was stolen.

“You need to phone in as a single prepaid customer and go through the motions of trying to convince them that the SIM is in a device with no human access,” he said.

“You have to hound them repeatedly to get the refund to be processed, and you often just give up after a while.”

The evidence further showed that the same WASPs continue to steal airtime from SIMs long after it was reported to Vodacom.

The data provided to MyBroadband stretches back for many months and conclusively proves:

• There is widespread fraud and airtime theft on Vodacom’s network to this day.
• Vodacom was made aware of this fraud and airtime theft, for a long time, but failed to act decisively.
• The same companies continue to steal airtime from Vodacom’s subscribers.

A look at the data

The data in the table below are all from prepaid Vodacom SIMs installed in machine-to-machine and IoT units.

“There’s no way anyone has pulled out the SIM and subscribed to anything. We even detect and log when a SIM is removed from the device,” the CEO said.

Prepaid SIMs do not get invoices, but the company has developed its own logging mechanism which records airtime changes and subscriptions.

Through this platform each SIM’s airtime is checked regularly through USSD commands.

The company also continually runs USSD commands to query if there are any subscriptions.

If an illegal subscription is detected, the name is logged, and the service is removed using a USSD command.

He said most of the subscriptions are detected before significant losses are incurred, but occasionally they catch one that has R100 or more stolen.

The table below shows some of the airtime theft detected on hundreds of SIMs over the past two months alone.

It should be noted that this is only a small sample of the true extend of the fraud.

Airtime theft on M2M SIMs
Detected Date	Estimated loss per SIM	Subscription Name
22/08/2020 14:31	R2.00	gamingTool
21/08/2020 20:58	R21.00	Amapiano Jingle
21/08/2020 00:55	R18.00	reportME
19/08/2020 02:13	R24.00	Summertime
18/08/2020 10:18	R16.00	Ha a Mfa
17/08/2020 23:19	R15.00	ExploreApp
17/08/2020 12:05	R62.00	gamingTool
16/08/2020 20:36	R15.00	Monate
11/08/2020 00:48	R24.00	Ngikhulile
07/08/2020 00:57	R57.00	ExploreApp
27/07/2020 16:05	R37.00	BeFit
27/07/2020 16:05	R38.00	DOWNLOAD
25/07/2020 14:16	R41.00	DOWNLOAD
21/07/2020 18:36	R46.00	reportME
19/07/2020 10:38	R23.00	reportME
17/07/2020 06:36	R30.00	ExploreApp
17/07/2020 04:03	R7.00	ExploreApp
15/07/2020 17:56	R100.00	ExploreApp
13/07/2020 21:58	R74.00	ExploreApp
13/07/2020 00:32	R37.00	gamingTool
11/07/2020 12:13	R39.00	ExploreApp
10/07/2020 00:51	R14.00	ExploreApp
09/07/2020 15:50	R2.40	Doce Vida ft DJ Tarico
09/07/2020 11:15	R7.50	Cheers
07/07/2020 01:16	R32.00	RetroGame
06/07/2020 18:12	R14.00	Ngikhulile
06/07/2020 05:25	R13.00	BeFit
06/07/2020 05:25	R13.00	RetroGame
06/07/2020 05:25	R13.00	Don’t change
05/07/2020 00:53	R113.00	ExploreApp
28/06/2020 10:53	R53.00	gamingTool
28/06/2020 10:50	R21.00	DOWNLOAD
25/06/2020 12:25	R2.00	loveislove
23/06/2020 01:13	R44.00	BeFit
23/06/2020 01:13	R45.00	DOWNLOAD
22/06/2020 15:13	R30.00	DOWNLOAD
21/06/2020 23:21	R17.00	ExploreApp
21/06/2020 23:20	R28.00	reportME
21/06/2020 22:54	R7.00	reportME
21/06/2020 22:29	R35.00	reportME
19/06/2020 01:16	R7.00	reportME
18/06/2020 13:09	R35.00	BeFit
18/06/2020 13:09	R35.00	express07
18/06/2020 13:09	R36.00	Question
18/06/2020 08:38	R44.00	gamingTool
17/06/2020 01:22	R96.00	ExploreApp
16/06/2020 00:55	R16.00	reportME
15/06/2020 21:34	R35.00	reportME
15/06/2020 18:09	R23.00	reportME
15/06/2020 18:08	R42.00	Entertainment Content
15/06/2020 18:08	R42.00	DOWNLOAD
15/06/2020 18:08	R35.00	gamingTool
15/06/2020 18:08	R28.00	gamingTool
15/06/2020 09:00	R28.00	RetroGame
15/06/2020 02:28	R14.00	reportME
14/06/2020 13:47	R42.00	reportME
14/06/2020 13:47	R14.00	reportME
14/06/2020 00:32	R21.00	reportME
14/06/2020 00:25	R37.00	ExploreApp
13/06/2020 01:22	R16.00	reportME
12/06/2020 09:25	R21.00	gamingTool
12/06/2020 08:43	R14.00	gamingTool
11/06/2020 07:47	R86.00	ExploreApp
08/06/2020 22:55	R3.00	ExploreApp
08/06/2020 19:58	R3.00	ExploreApp
08/06/2020 19:57	R35.00	DOWNLOAD
08/06/2020 19:57	R3.00	bestofgames
08/06/2020 19:54	R42.00	RetroGame
08/06/2020 19:51	R7.00	reportME
08/06/2020 19:42	R26.00	DOWNLOAD
08/06/2020 19:42	R101.00	ExploreApp
08/06/2020 19:35	R28.00	(unknown)
07/06/2020 14:32	R42.00	gamingTool
07/06/2020 00:57	R119.00	gamingTool
05/06/2020 16:58	R21.00	RetroGame
03/06/2020 07:20	R4.00	Doce Vida ft DJ Tarico
03/06/2020 07:20	R5.00	Mum & Baby Premium
02/06/2020 22:32	R3.00	ExploreApp
02/06/2020 16:35	R111.00	ExploreApp
02/06/2020 12:29	R13.00	besstmusicapp
02/06/2020 01:19	R21.00	gamingTool
01/06/2020 18:05	R21.00	gamingTool
01/06/2020 17:31	R14.00	reportME
01/06/2020 02:16	R6.00	The only One

The evidence versus what Vodacom claimed

Over the past few years Vodacom has consistently made a few claims regarding fraudulent subscriptions and airtime theft on its network.

• It has a zero-tolerance approach to any illegal activity on its network and takes a hard line against perpetrators.
• It investigates this fraud when it becomes aware of it and suspends suspected WASPs during this period.
• Its standard practice is to refund the customer first and then investigate the query later.
• It introduced and enabled content blocking on all M2M and IoT SIMs in December 2018, which prohibits content subscriptions and purchases such as WASP services from these SIMs.

The evidence from this company and from previous cases show that Vodacom’s claims are inaccurate and misleading.

The evidence revealed that despite having been alerted to companies stealing airtime from their subscribers, Vodacom failed to take decisive action against them.

In some cases, companies which have been accused of stealing airtime from Vodacom customers for years continue to do so with impunity.

It therefore shows that Vodacom either does not investigate accusations of airtime theft or does not suspend suspected fraudulent WASPs during this period.

The latest evidence also shows that it is very tough to get a refund – even in the case of M2M and IoT SIMs.

This echoes feedback from other Vodacom subscribers who said they also struggled to get a refund from Vodacom.

In one of the recent reports the victim said Vodacom first tried to blame him and said the unwanted subscriptions were his fault.

He first had to refute numerous false accusations from Vodacom before they were willing to process his refund application. Even after all of this, he still did not receive a refund.

These reports fly in the face of Vodacom’s claim that it “refunds the customer first and then investigates the query later”.

Vodacom’s claim of content blocking on all M2M and IoT SIMs is also brought into question by the latest data.

All the SIMs which were targeted were M2M and IoT SIMs, which clearly shows it is possible to steal airtime from these SIMs through content subscription services.

This raises the question as to why Vodacom is not stopping this fraud which has been plaguing its subscribers for years.

Industry players told MyBroadband that Vodacom does not want to address this fraud as they are making millions in profit from it.

One industry player, who has been operating a WASP for over a decade, told MyBroadband that mobile operators are enabling this fraud and are well aware of it.

“No WASP can take a subscriber’s airtime without the operator fully knowing about it – and enabling it,” he said.

Another industry player said Vodacom has always seen this as a revenue stream despite the misery caused.

“It’s criminal and should be thoroughly investigated,” he said.

Vodacom responds

MyBroadband asked Vodacom whether any action has been taken against WASPs implicated in airtime theft.

Vodacom said it cannot arbitrarily take action against a commercial partner – WASPs included – without requisite proof or evidence of a contractual breach or fraud.

“Rest assured, should we have this information, we will ensure that appropriate measures are taken,” it said.

Commenting on the issue of refunds for stolen airtime, Vodacom said if it suspects that customers have been defrauded, it will ensure that they are proactively refunded.

“Should we have proof or evidence that customers were incorrectly debited, it follows that we will effect refunds to customers in addition to taking appropriate measures against fraudsters,” it said.

Commenting on the examples that Vodacom is not refunding victims of airtime theft as promised, it said “we cannot comment on examples that we have not had the opportunity to investigate”.

“Our standard Customer Care policy is to effect refunds,” Vodacom said.

“We are fully committed to remedying instances where standard policy has not been adhered to but will naturally need the requisite customer information to do so.”

www.vsoftsystems.co.za

The Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) has welcomed the country’s move to a level lockdown and says that it is prepared for the gradual lifting of restrictions on international flights but has warned that passengers will need to jump through extra hoops if they plan on travelling.

Addressing the nation on Wednesday evening (16 September), president Cyril Ramaphosa said that the government will gradually ease restrictions on international travel for business and leisure from 1 October – subject to certain containment measures.

International travel will only be allowed through the main border ports or through OR Tambo International, Cape Town International, or King Shaka International.

Acsa said it is still awaiting official regulations and directives from the Department of Transport which are set to be published in the coming days.

However, it reiterated comments by president Cyril Ramaphosa and warned that travellers need to be absolutely certain of their eligibility to fly and that they are in possession of valid visas to enter or re-enter South Africa before booking flights.

It added that the following requirements will need to met:

• On arrival, travellers will need to present a negative Covid-19 test result not older than 72 hours from time of departure;
• All travellers will be screened on arrival and those presenting with symptoms will be required to have Covid-19 test; and
• Where necessary, travellers will need to enter mandatory quarantine facilities at their own cost.

“People wishing to travel across borders should monitor our ACSA website for airports and airlines operating during Level 1 and the airline web sites for availability of flights,” it said.

“We expect the number of international passengers to grow gradually as this is an important step on the road to recovery. We greatly look forward to once again welcoming international visitors to our international airports and to South Africa.”

The list 

The list of countries that will be allowed for international travel is likely to be limited when travel restarts again on 1 October. Ramaphosa said that the list of permitted countries will be published at a later date and the country’s selected on the latest scientific data.

While not mentioned in his address, reports indicate that travel will likely focus on regional travel, including neighbouring countries and parts of Africa.

Tourism minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane has indicated that her department is focusing on creating a ‘regional travel bubble’.

“Our next step is to work towards the reopening of international travel,” she said in a media briefing on 4 September. “We are monitoring the risk of the virus spread and we are satisfied with the current downward trend of new infections, if sustained, can fast-track the reopening of regional borders soon.”

In this way, through regional coordination with our regional partners, we could create a regional travel bubble, she said.

“Africa land markets form the bedrock of tourism in South Africa. This region alone accounts for 71% of international arrivals. This would give a further boost to the recovery efforts of the sector.”

“The rise in domestic tourism together with regional travel will help us build confidence for global travellers so that when we eventually open all are borders, we will be able to attract traveller as a safe destination.”

What it will be like to fly 

Government already has strict rules in place for domestic travel, with clear regulations for both airports and airlines.

Passengers are allowed inside the terminal buildings and that temperature screening will be conducted at terminal building entrances before any passenger is allowed entry. No passengers will be allowed inside the terminal buildings without masks.

All the airports have markings on the floor for social distancing of 1.5 metres. This will be applicable at check-in counters, security checkpoints and airport lounges.

All airline check-in agents will wear face shields and the counters will be installed with protective screens. Check-in counters will also be frequently sanitised.

The check-in process is as follows:

• Passengers should check-in online before going to the airport;
• Online check-in can be done at the screens in the terminal building;
• A limited number of check-in counters will be open and physical distancing rules will apply in these queues;
• Using a check-in counter will take longer.

The security checkpoint process is as follows:

• Passengers will scan their own paper-based or mobile device-based boarding pass to the scanner at the security checkpoint;
• Passengers should remove any metal and electronic items from their person before entering the security queue;
• These items must be placed in the tray at the security scanner;
• This process will minimise the need for security officers to conduct physical pat-downs at the checkpoint.

The boarding process is as follows:

• Physical distancing rules apply for queues to board an aircraft;
• Passengers must scan their own boarding pass at the boarding gate;
• Boarding will be done in a controlled manner with passengers travelling in the rear seats of the aircraft boarding first. Passengers with tickets for Row A, for example, will board last;
• Masks must be worn for the duration of the flight.

The following measures will apply inside the cabin of the aircraft:

• No catering will be allowed:
• No magazines on board;
• The last row will be reserved for isolation of suspected cases.
• All aircrafts must be disinfected before entering into service and after each flight.

The disembarkation process will be as follows:

• Masks must continue to be used when disembarking and moving towards the baggage carousels;
• Physical distancing rules will apply at the baggage carousels;
• Crowding close to the baggage carousels will not be permitted

 

www.samigration.com