Send me a WhatsApp ... on IG

We love IG.  Arguably, Instagram is Jamaica’s most popular social media app.  Its got a plethora of ever-expanding features to deliver up multiple dopamine hits with every use.  In short, Instagram is addictive.

What do you do when you have a hit product everyone loves?  Well, you mess it up of course.  Remember Classic Coke?

We should have seen this coming when Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg led the multibillion-dollar acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.

In a move that Instagram users are likely going to hate, IG owners Facebook are reportedly considering merging the backend with the equally popular WhatsApp and waning in popularity Facebook making the three apps interoperable.

The result: three stand-alone platforms across which you can send messages to any user.  Users of any and all apps would be able to send a message to users on another platform, without leaving the app.  Sounds cool?  I don’t think so.

WhatsApp supports End-to-End (E2E) encryption for messages.  Currently, Facebook offers limited E2E encryption for messages, and Instagram does not offer the feature.  E2E encryption keeps messages secure from the government, law enforcement, hackers and advertisers; the last of which is key to Facebook’s business model.

“We want to build the best messaging experiences we can; and people want messaging to be fast, simple, reliable and private,” explained Facebook in a statement to the UK based Guardian.  "We’re working on making more of our messaging products end-to-end encrypted and considering ways to make it easier to reach friends and family across networks. As you would expect, there is a lot of discussion and debate as we begin the long process of figuring out all the details of how this will work,” they added.

Beyond message privacy, there is user data privacy.  Facebook’s challenges with this topic are well documented.

Privacy aside, the proposed interoperability among three of the worlds most popular apps used, often daily or at least by me, by billions of people and businesses around the globe raises anti-trust questions.

Of note, the founders of both WhatsApp and Instagram have resigned from Facebook within the last year.

What can we do?  Perhaps it's time for us to redirect our digital addictions to a different platform.

Protect Your Digital Self: Tech Brawta

It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad world.

Until that changes, and I strongly recommend no breath holding, we have to take the securing to our digital identity into our own hands.

There is no foolproof way to protect our digital identity, but every step towards tighter security is a step further away from digital danger.  So, let’s take a few steps together.

Step 1:  Strong, Unique Passwords

By now, you’ve heard it a million times, but it is clear that some of us, including Kayne West, simply do not listen.  Having a strong, unique password for every account and every device is both necessary and effective.

I no longer expect you to remember every password.  I expect you to use a good password manager like Last Pass or 1Password.  If you’re a Mac, consider using Keychain.  Each of these options will help you create long and complex passwords, keep track of account login information, and add an extra layer of protection for your data.

Step 2: Turn On 2FA

Two Factor Authentication requires you to use a secondary, separate verification method to access your account.  Often, an access code is generated by, or sent to, your mobile phone.  Alternately you may have a dedicated physical device, often called a token.  There are even further options.

Regardless of the 2FA methodology, the short version is, it makes it harder for bad guys to get into your account because it is less likely that they would have both your password and access to your secondary authentication method.

Step 3: Use a Secondary Email Account

Speaking of secondary, do not use your primary email for social media and other non-mission critical website or accounts.

Take the time to set up an alternate email address specifically for registrations.  This account would not be for friends and family, nor would it be for correspondence with your financial institutions.  This account would be exclusively for the ‘other stuff’.

Step 4: Keep Your Devices Updated

You don’t need the latest device, but you do need the latest Operating System (OS) and apps.  Developers are always on the hunt for bugs and vulnerabilities.  They fix these with updates.  Without updates, you may be leaving your system open to hackers.  Close up all possible loopholes by updating your OS, your anti-virus software, your firmware and your applications across all devices.

Step 5: Review and Refresh Settings

Something else developers do, change privacy policies, terms and settings.  Often, without telling you.

So, you may think your profile is private and unable to be shared with third parties, only to find out the hard way that six months after you took nearly an hour to perfectly tweak your privacy settings that the website you visited is using your clever content in a not so clever marketing campaign.

Put to stop to this, or at least try, by periodically reviewing your settings and refreshing where necessary.  Look closely to ensure you didn’t 'opt-in' to something you wish you’d never heard of. Double check to make sure that the privacy policies match your expectations.

These five steps are the first steps, to maintaining the credibility of your identity online.  Execute.  Repeat.




Tune in to @RJR94FM every Wednesday morning at 8:15 AM for #Tech4Life

Handing Over Your Handset for Repairs? Do this first!

Almost everyone faces this challenge.  Your handset is wonky and in need of professional attention.  It’s time to take it to the repair shop to fix whatever’s gone wrong and you’re feeling justifiable anxiety.

What if they copy off my data?  What if they damage it further?  What if they install substitute parts?  What if they install malware?  While not all repair shops are unscrupulous, it is always best to take a few steps to add extra protection.

Step 1: Prepare

Prepare your smartphone by doing two things. First, un-encrypting the data.  That's right, remove the encryption security feature temporarily.  This will make it easier to move data to the cloud or another device.  Second, make a note of both the phone IMEI number and the battery serial number (if removable).

Step 2: Wipe After Backup

It may seem extreme, but the best way to protect your data is to not hand it over at all.  Leaving your password on offers some protection, but it can also prevent the repair technician from doing a thorough job or repairing and testing the phone.

Take a few moments to backup the handset to the cloud or a computer, ensure your data is retrievable and then proceed to wipe all settings and data.  In effect, what you are doing is a factory reset to make the phone like the day you bought it.

Step 3:  Remove the SIM & SD card

Protect your privacy by retaining your SIM card.  If the technician needs to make a test call, they should have a compatible SIM on hand expressly for this purpose.  Just be sure to let the technician know if your handset is locked to a specific network.

Similarly, pull out your micro SD card (if you’ve got one installed).  Chances are, you’ve got more than just precious pictures on the card.  Some smartphones save apps and critical data on the removable storage device in order to free up space on the unit.

If you forgot to unencrypt your card before removing it from a wiped handset, your data may be irretrievably lost.  That’s why it’s listed at Step 1; it’s important!

Step 4: Take Pics

Rope in a friend to assist by using their smartphone to take pictures of your smartphone.  Engage your ‘CSI’ self and take multiple pics from various angles including images of any damage, images of the internal components and clear images of the battery including the serial number where possible.

Step 5: Protective Packaging

Don’t transport your phone without protective packaging.  Break out the original box, if you still have it, or some bubble wrap, if handy.  You want to ensure that you don’t pick up any more bumps and scratches between when you transport it to the shop and when they return your repaired handset.

Step 6: Timestamp the receipt

Note the specific date and time your phone left your possession and keep this information with you.  Let’s hope your phone is returned in perfect condition in a short time.  If not, you made need your timestamped receipt to lodge a complaint.  Worse, you made need your receipt to prove that you had no access to your handset for a period of time.  The rest, I will leave to your imagination.


Once you've got your precious instrument back, check it thoroughly to ensure there are no new scratches.  Make sure it is your phone and battery by inspecting the IMIE and battery serial number.  Factory reset the phone one more time.  Install your SIM and micro SD card. Then restore from your backup.

Once you're up and running, it is time to encrypt your data for maximum protection.  Then back it up again.  You're ready to go.  Enjoy your repaired phone!

6 Easy Steps to Slash Your Smartphone Bill

Smartphones are great!!

They keep us connected in a myriad of ways.  They provide us with hours of entertainment.  In some cases, they control our homes and keep us fit.  It seems like there is very little a smartphone can’t do, including saving you money!

The price of convenience can be very high.   Call charges.  Data overages.  Feature-rich contracts.  They all come at a cost.  But that cost is manageable by taking a few simple steps to tame your smartphone bill.

Step 1:  Chose the Right Plan

Bundled minutes and data.  Free weekends and nights.  CUGs (Closed User Groups) and other options are only good if they apply to you.  Scrutinise your bill regularly and update your plan periodically as your usage habits change.

There is no point in paying for features that you don’t use or underutilise.  Compare your plan to other plans offered by your telecom or to plans offered by other telecoms.  After all, thanks to number portability no one is trapped by a service provider.

Step 2: Consider Alternatives

Is it a smartphone, right?  So, it’s connected.  Some of us have already moved away from traditional cellular calls (you can go ahead and laugh if you remember life before cellular), while others are still waiting to hop on the VOIP (voice over internet protocol) bandwagon.

But VOIP, video conferencing and messaging are all great alternatives to phone calls.  There is a plethora of apps that offer some, or all, of these options in one neat package.  Most notably is WhatsApp.  This nearly ubiquitous app offers text messaging, file sharing, voice calling and video calling on an encrypted platform for free.  Only data charges apply if no Wi-Fi.

Concerns about call quality are diminishing fast as the technology evolves.

Step 3: Tame Data Use

So, sure.  I just said VOIP is a great option, but care is still needed in data management.

Generally, VOIP options don’t consume that much data, but every bit and byte can add up.  Especially if you’re not managing your data use correctly.

You should disable background refresh on most (if not all) apps, delete unnecessary apps and close apps that you’re not using.  Apps can really drain your data and rack up expenses quickly and overages cost real money.

The trade off to save money by cutting data use in favour of Wi-Fi is not absolute, especially when dealing with sensitive data.  Don’t jump onto any old hotspot just because it's free.  Make sure it's safe before your browse; especially when visiting banking and email sites.

Step 4: Plan You Roam

If you thought your smartphone bill was high, try taking it on a trip overseas!

Roaming charges can put you in the poorhouse.  Make sure that you have the right roaming plan.  That’s a plan customised to the region you are visiting and your call, text and data needs.

Are you planning a long trip or a short trip?  Going on vacay or on business?  Is there reliable Wi-Fi in the hotel and other destinations on your itinerary? Do you need access to your VPN?  Your answers to these questions will help determine if you can find a cost-effective plan or if you need to get a local SIM.

Step 5: Don’t Roam Overboard

In principle, data is cheaper than calling.  That principle does not necessarily apply.

Before you head out to the airport, turn off data roaming for all non-essential apps to reduce the temptation to “just check” (this tip helps with my Amazon addiction) and consider if you must post to Instagram (or similar social media apps) in real time or if posting from the free hotel lobby Wi-Fi in the evening is just as good.

Save even more money: download maps for the destination and enjoy free access to GPS navigation for your trip.

Step 6: Ditch Voicemail

Seriously?  You still have voicemail?  That’s so 90’s.  Get rid of it.  There is no need to pay for calls you are not even receiving; especially when roaming.

Vigilance is the key to enjoying both the convenience and the cost of owning a smartphone.

T4L: Long Time Expected (LTE)

At long last, Jamaica has LTE.  Well, Jamaican cities at least.

Digicel rolled out its LTE (Long Term Evolution) network (June 9, 2016).  Billed as up to 10 times faster than 4G, Digicel customers are now able to access LTE speeds in the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporate Area and Montego Bay.

© www.Jamaica-Gleaner.com

LTE is already commonplace in first world countries like the US and the UK.  It is also commonplace in some Digicel markets around the region.  Digicel even sells LTE enabled phones!  But it’s delayed introduction is due to … well, that depends on who you ask.

Digicel’s official response given at the pre-launch event in their super cool video conferencing room (more on that in another piece) was spectrum.  Digicel only recently acquired the 700 MHz spectrum required to provide LTE; by recently I mean April of last year.  They then spent US$50 million dollars to deploy LTE across Jamaica (but only available across the cities for now) as a part of their “Network for the Future” commitment.  In a release, the company noted that “the 700 MHz band - globally recognized as the best spectrum for deploying the technology because of its superior in-building coverage and wider signal reach when compared to similar frequencies”.

The on-site speed tests were truly impressive with up and (wait for it) down speeds exceeding 20 Mbps with up speeds approaching 40 Mbps.  I can’t wait to see how that translates in the real world when 1.4 million smartphone users jump on the network.  Notably, Digicel Jamaica CEO David Butler promised that Digicel will not throttle speeds.

Others speculated (openly) that the timing of the introduction had more to do with competition (read: Caricel).  FLOW has also announced plans to roll out nationwide LTE.  But for now, their LTE offering appears limited to Carlton.

But, back to Digicel.  Despite my best efforts, I wasn’t able to pin down Butler to a specific timeline for the island-wide coverage, though before the end of the year would be a safe bet.  No news yet on plans for the existing 4G network which powers several Digicel branded modems like the MiFi and CPE models, to the potential new LTE modems.

Anyway, enough about the politics and technicality.  Widely available LTE means that us data hogging, tech savvy Jamaicans can join our first world counterparts in enjoying all the trappings of social media, video streaming, live video casting, real-time ultra-fast gameplay and countless other distractions that our mobile gadgets and gizmos provide.

Apps like Periscope may explode as Jamaicans live cast football matches and dances.  Netflix need not be limited to WiFi making it practical to watch a movie while sitting in traffic on a bus.  What of Digicel Play and 1SpotMedia?  You can now watch the news on our handset without buffering.  In the city at least.

I say you, and not we, because, despite my best efforts, I wasn’t able to activate LTE on my business phone.  Sure, Digicel is offering lots of prepaid and postpaid packages to suit various lifestyles, but I’ve got to wait for my rep to complete the activation.

Not to worry. I can’t wait to get on LTE, and as soon as I am live, I’m likely to be buried in my phone.

Tech4Life airs on @RJR94FM every Wednesday morning at 8:15 AM

T4L: WhatsApp Introduces Encryption

Yup, arguably the most popular messaging platform in the word just launched end to end encryption.  So, whether you’re chatting about your plans to attack a killer sandwich or to blow up an exam, your instant messages are protected, as of, well, now.

End to end data encryption is certainly not new.  Less popular but more secure apps like Telegram have been offering the feature for a long time.  But, the Facebook-owned Whatsapp has about a billion, with a ‘b’,  users around the globe making this announcement significant.  Note too; the feature is not optional.  I repeat, it is not optional.

Encryption is turned on by default, for everyone who uses the app.  Whatsapp has no access to the data in conversations and cannot be compelled by any government body or agency to turn over your conversation data.

Unlike email encryption systems, Whatsapp provides a separate, new, unique encryption key for every new conversation.  The key itself is verifiable between users, adding to the level of security offered.

Of course, the feature is useless as a privacy tool if you leave your phone lying around unlocked, but short of that, you can rest assured neither the government or your neighbour can access your Whatsapp messages.  Happy texting!

Tech4Life airs every Wednesday morning at 8:15 on @RJR94FM

Real Business In The Clouds

Many great business ideas are trumped by the reality of high capital costs; arguably one of the biggest barriers for micro, small and medium sized enterprises.  However, evolving technology has provided a solution for entrepreneurs who have their feet on the ground but business in the cloud.

The term cloud computing simply refers to the sharing computing capabilities of a large network of computers connected to the internet.

The ‘cloud’ offers a wide range of advantages, most notably of which is cost effectiveness.  Entry into the cloud is relatively cheap and maintenance costs are generally low.  Because the real computing power resides off site, only the most basic hardware is required to execute complex tasks.  On a related note, maintenance tasks are in effect outsourced, freeing the business owner from staffing costs yet ensuring reliability.

Finding capital is certainly a challenge, but finding capital on short notice is even more difficult.  However, cloud services are scalable on a dime.  Entrepreneurs can scale up fairly quickly, adding increased capacity as needed.  Additionally, a seasonal business need not carry the cost of expensive infrastructure during slower periods as cloud conversely allows businesses to scale down with little negative impact.

Business Dialogue Magazine

The very nature of the cloud ensures mobility.  A young business often has to move to customers. This can be a challenge if data and data processors are back at the office, but the cloud makes data accessible anywhere internet is accessible.

By exploiting the sheer range of cloud based services available, business managers can truly maximize savings.  Storage, servers, phone, security and even software are all available through the cloud.

Even a small business generates a large quantity of data.  Physical storage is costly and hard to manage.  Access to physical storage may also be restrictive.  Further, physical storage requires backup; yet another cost.

There was a time that maintaining an email server required an expensive investment in both hardware and software along with an IT team to manage and maintain.  Today, cloud based email services virtually eliminate those costs while providing a high level of reliability.

Cloud can also be used to replace traditional PBX systems.  In addition to removing hardware costs of an expensive, static and hard to upgrade piece of hardware, cloud based phone systems can offer features and functionalities not previously available.  In effect, even the smallest enterprise can present a professional appearance to clients, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders.

Even some business software can be migrated to the cloud.  The purchase and/or annual licensing of expensive accounting, word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software for individual team members can be replaced with a low monthly subscription.

In effect, capital resources can be deployed to profit centers.  There are however, some issues to consider before making the transition.  Whether one, or several, cloud service providers are engaged, executives must be aware of terms which affect data privacy, access, ownership and security.

Cloud service suppliers must adhere to strict privacy policies to protect clients.  They should provide reliable service 99.999% of the time (referred to as the five nines) while being well equipped to ward off a variety of malicious attacks.  Ensure that the contract does not transfer the ownership of the data to the supplier or a third party.  At the end of it all, the business owner should own the data, regardless of where it is stored.

All things considered however, the cloud enables the transformation of ideas into real business.

Read more here

Hurricanes In the Digital Age

Each year, with the official start of the hurricane season on June 1, I dust off and update my disaster preparation plan.  And updating is important, because, my how things have changed.

Back in the day, my parents told me where we would muster (such an odd word), if worst came to worst.  Now, with the family so geographically dispersed, we talk about our communications plan; in effect, we lay out who will call, email, Facebook or tweet who to relay important survival information.

For Gilbert in 1988, my Mom scrambled to find a battery operated radio so that we could listen for updates on the storm.  For Sandy last year I downloaded some important apps and followed prominent media houses on Twitter for my primary news and information.  I tracked the storm from beginning to its bitter end on my mobile phone.

I still stock up on food and water, turn up my fridge and fill my bathtub.  But these days, all of that is just as important as charging all my electronic devices (smartphone, laptop, MiFi and the like), getting a car charger (and filling my car’s gas tank so I can use it to charge) and stocking up on battery packs and spare batteries … just in case.

My important documents are still in a Ziplock® bag, but they are also digitally scanned and uploaded to the cloud.  Heaven forbid the bag floats away or is lodged under a tree, I can access the documents I need from any internet enabled device.

Right after Gilbert, my neighbours and I hit the streets; in effect we went to ‘fass’ and see what damage had been done next door.  These days, I turn to photo and video sharing sites to see the impact of the storm all over the world!

Then	Now
Muster Point	Comms Plan
Stock up on food and water	Get car charger and battery pack
Turn up thermostat on fridge	Charge everything
Secure important documents in water proof bags	Secure important documents in the cloud
Get battery operated transistor radio	Follow news outlets on Twitter
Compile emergency number contact list	Bookmark websites

Resources

• Office of Disaster Preparedness & Emergency Management (ODPEM)
• Jamaica Real Estate Guide
• Jamaica Fire Brigade 
• Go Jamaica Hurricane Tips
• Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency