Access | Common News Update

Dec92020 by adminNo Comments

UK has not ordered ‘backdoor access’ to WhatsApp messages

The UK has not ordered Facebook to provide law enforcement agencies with a way to access end-to-end encrypted messages on WhatsApp, Sky News has learnt, despite a legal power which could allow it to do so in secret.However, the power may be used to prevent Facebook from applying the same encryption protocol to its other services, something the company plans to do despite concerns the move will blind it to child predators' grooming victims over its platform. The notice would allow Facebook to use a potentially weaker form of encryption to protect users' messages, while also forcing the company to retain the ability to monitor those messages and be able to deliver decrypted conversations in response to a warrant - something it cannot do with WhatsApp. Ima...

Dec92020 by adminNo Comments

Women are ‘absolutely critical’ to ensuring everyone has access to finances, Bill Gates says

Finance

Bill Gates, Microsoft founder, at the discussion "Innovation potential in Africa, in Berlin, Germany.picture alliance | Getty ImagesWomen are vital to ensuring finances — and financial education — trickle down to other parts of society, said billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates.Governments and businesses serious about giving all members of society access to financial services should gear their resources toward women, the Microsoft co-founder said at the Singapore FinTech Festival on Tuesday."It's absolutely critical," Gates, noting that women are typically responsible for family-supporting finances."The benefits of getting the money under her control mean that it's more likely to be used for nutrition and education and things that will drive that family out of poverty," he said

Aug182020 by adminNo Comments

Black, White COVID-19 patients with access to care die at similar rates, study shows

Health

Aug. 18 (UPI) -- White Americans hospitalized with COVID-19 are just as likely to die from the disease as Black Americans, according to a study published Tuesday by JAMA Network Open. Just over 23% of White patients with COVID-19 being treated in the hospital ultimately died after getting infected, compared to 19% of Black patients, the data showed. Advertisement Researchers have previously found that Black and Hispanic Americans are hospitalized for the new coronavirus at a rate up to three times their share of the general population, but with access to care the death rates appear to even out. "These findings suggest that while Black U.S. residents might be at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 and represent a disproportionate share of COVID-19 deaths, mortality for those able to access...

Feb282020 by adminNo Comments

West Midlands to get access to ultrafast home broadband

Technology

One million households in the West Midlands will be able to access ultrafast gigabit-capable broadband from March, Virgin media says.The company says the switch-on of its gigabit services is the largest in the UK, and will be available in Coventry, Birmingham and the surrounding areas.Gigabit technology allows for download speeds of more than 1,104 megabits per second. The average UK speed is 54Mbps.But the ultra-high speeds will cost at least £62 a month - that's £744 a year.Customers who pay for the high-speed connectivity will be able to download an ultra-high resolution 4K film of 20 gigabytes in a little over three minutes, rather than the hour it would take on an average connection.Virgin's gigabit offering is already available in Southampton, Manch

Jan42020 by adminNo Comments

Pope Francis: Lack of access to healthcare is social justice issue

World

Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Pope Francis on Friday said governments and institutions should work to ensure everyone has access to healthcare. In a message for the World Day of the Sick, the pope said the lack of access to healthcare is a matter of social justice. "For this reason, I urge healthcare institutions and government leaders throughout the world not to neglect social justice out of a preoccupation for financial concerns," he said. In his address, the pope also encouraged the use of principles of "solidarity and subsidiarity" to ensure access to treatments that will preserve or restore health. Subsidiarity is a concept in Catholic thought that matters should be handled by the smallest or least central unit of social organization at which they will function. He also encouraged healthcare prof...