Merchant Services Manager (Harare)

Library Technical Assistant

Assistant Binder

Broadcast Technician

Research, Innovation and Industry Linkage Officer (RIILO)

Safety, Health and Environmental (SHE) Officer

Procurement Officer

Intellectual Property Management Officer

Research Officers x2

Business Development Officers x2

Innovation Lead (Engineering)

Innovation Lead (Arts & Creative Industries)

Innovation Manager

Public Health Specialist: Prevention, Care & Treatment (Harare)

Driver (Kariba)

Relief Drivers x8

Business Intelligence Analyst (Harare)

Contact Centre Agent-1 (Harare)

Switchboard Operator (OMAO) (Harare)

Procurement Manager (Bulawayo)

Auditor - ICT & Internal Control (Harare)

Legal Officer (Harare)

Auditor (Harare)

Director General (Harare)

A woman from Westgate, Harare, lost more than US$4 000 cash in a botched car deal involving a man she met on Facebook.
Vongai Pepukai (23) was allegedly scammed by Itayi Chikeya of CarsWorld who had promised to deliver a brand new Chevrolet Cruze after making payment through a money transfer agent.
Pepukai paid for the vehicle sometime in February but she is yet to receive the car.
Harare provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Luckmore Chakanza, confirmed the case to <a href="https://www.hmetro.co.zw/woman-loses-cash-to-man-she-met-on-facebook/">H-Metro</a>. She said:
<blockquote>
Police are investigating a case where a woman lost money to a man she found on social media.
The circumstances are that the complainant was defrauded of cash by the accused person.
He placed an advertisement on Facebook that he was an agent of a company called CarsWorld, which imports vehicles from South Africa.
She chose a Chevrolet Cruze on the accused person’s Facebook account, which was going for US$4 181.
She was told it included import duty.
She was told to deposit money through a money transfer agent based at Avondale Shopping Centre, which she did on various occasions.
The vehicle was not delivered as agreed, and that is when the complainant realised that she had been scammed.
</blockquote>
According to <a href="https://www.rd.com/article/how-to-identify-a-scammer/">Reader’s Digest</a>, here is how to identify scammers:
<ul>
<li>Online scammers often claim to be contacting you on behalf of businesses, brands or organizations you know and trust.</li>
<li>If a company or government agency unexpectedly call you on the phone, that’s a tip-off that a scammer may be on the other end of the line.</li>
<li>Beware of anyone who attempts to rush or push you into making a decision without first giving you time to verify and thoughtfully consider their requests.</li>
<li>Scan any emails, messages or online chats you receive for misspellings, grammatical errors, strange subject lines or other discrepancies.</li>
<li>Criminals build fake profiles on dating apps to lure you in with the promise of love, sometimes resorting to love bombing—and then try to coerce you into giving gifts or cash.</li>
<li>On social networks and fake online retailers that are created specifically to appear to be the real thing, it’s not uncommon to find goods at steep discounts. Trust your instincts, and know that if a price is too good to be true, it’s likely a scam.</li>
<li>A promise of easy money – No legitimate financial investment opportunity is sure to ever pay off 100% of the time—and cannot legally be advertised as “guaranteed” income—so be very leery of anyone promising such.</li>
<li>Requests an unusual payment option – It’s not uncommon for romance scammers or someone who’s hacked a friend’s social media account to request that you send money using peer-to-peer payment systems (PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, etc.), gift cards, Western Union, wire transfers or cryptocurrency tokens.</li>
</ul>
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

Harare Woman Scammed By "Car Dealer" She Met On Facebook

Facebook’s parent company, Meta, has sacked over 11 000 employees and is set to extend the hiring freeze.
Meta had overextended, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/nov/09/why-mark-zuckerberg-announce-11000-job-cuts-meta">The Guardian</a> reported citing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Like many of its competitors, Meta believed the rise in online activity during the coronavirus pandemic was a permanent shift which could continue even yonder the lockdowns.
As Meta’s revenue surged during the lockdowns, the company invested accordingly. 
However, Meta’s revenues contracted, leaving the company, with almost 90 000 employees, financially exposed.
Zuckerberg also said wider “macroeconomic downturn” hammered all tech stocks equally, as profit today started to look tastier than growth tomorrow in the eyes of investors facing the end of the western world’s zero interest rate policy. 
He also said there has been “Increased competition,” which hurt further, as did “ads signal loss”.
Although Zuckerberg did not name Facebook’s rivals, it is believed he was referring to competition from TikTok, a trendy app stealing users and dominating the zeitgeist and a change of policy at Apple. 
In 2021, Apple limited the amount of data, or “signals”, Facebook could gather about the behaviour of iPhone users, which made it harder for small businesses to use Facebook adverts to profitably acquire new customers.
In 2021 alone, Meta spent more than $12bn (£10bn) on research and design (R&amp;D) at its Reality Labs metaverse wing and brought in barely a sixth of that in the few metaverse products it actually makes revenue from.
 Those losses are growing: in 2019 Reality Labs lost $4.5bn with $500m in revenue, and in 2020 $6.6bn with $1.1bn in revenue. In an earnings call in February, Zuckerberg said he expected the losses to “increase meaningfully” over 2022.
Shareholders panicked. Brad Gerstner, the founder of Altimeter Capital, and a long-term shareholder in the company wrote an open letter to Zuckerberg in October, calling on him to radically scale back. 
If Gerstner’s estimate is even remotely accurate, Meta could pay every single employee who is losing their job a $9m severance fee, and still spend less than it is expected to invest in building out the metaverse business.
<h2><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h2>

Facebook's Parent Company Meta Has Sacked Over 11 000 Employees

Russia opened a criminal case against Meta Platforms on Friday after the social media company changed its rules to allow users to incite violence against Russian soldiers involved in the invasion of Ukraine.
Meta is the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, one of Russia’s most popular messaging applications.
Russia has also moved to designate Meta as an “extremist organisation” for allowing posts such as “death to the Russian invaders.”
Russia’s Investigative Committee, which reports directly to President Vladimir Putin, said on Friday:
<blockquote>
A criminal case has been initiated … in connection with illegal calls for murder and violence against citizens of the Russian Federation by employees of the American company Meta, which owns the social networks Facebook and Instagram.
</blockquote>
Russian prosecutors said the move by Facebook could violate articles of the Russian criminal law against public calls for extremist activities. It said:
<blockquote>
Such actions of the (Meta) company’s management not only form an idea that terrorist activity is permissible, but are aimed at inciting hatred and enmity towards the citizens of the Russian Federation.
</blockquote>
The State prosecutor’s office has called for access to Instagram to be blocked and to recognise Meta as an “extremist organisation and ban its activities on the territory of Russia”.
Several Russian regional governors <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/11/russia-to-block-instagram-after-meta-relaxes-putin-hate-speech">reportedly</a> deleted their Instagram accounts on Friday.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/kremlin-says-meta-would-have-cease-work-russia-if-reuters-report-is-true-2022-03-11/">Reuters</a></h4>

Russia Opens Criminal Investigation Of Facebook After Meta Relaxes Hate Speech Policies

Meta is temporarily changing its hate speech policy to allow Facebook and Instagram users in some countries to call for violence against Russians and Russian soldiers following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
According to emails seen by Reuters on Thursday, Meta is also temporarily allowing some posts that call for death to Russian President Vladimir Putin or Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Lukashenko is the President of Belarus and Russia used Belarusian soil to launch its ongoing attack on Ukraine to create multiple fronts. A Meta spokesperson said in a statement:
<blockquote>
As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as ‘death to the Russian invaders.’ We still won’t allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians.
</blockquote>
Facebook will also restrict calls for Putin and Lukashenko’s deaths if they contain other targets or have two indicators of credibility such as the location or method.
The temporary policy changes on calls for violence to Russian soldiers apply to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland and Azerbaijan are some of Russia’s neighbours.
In an email recently sent to moderators seen by Reuters, Meta highlighted a change in its hate speech policy regarding Russian soldiers and Russians in the context of what Russia calls a special military operation in Ukraine. It said:
<blockquote>
We are issuing a spirit-of-the-policy allowance to allow T1 violent speech that would otherwise be removed under the Hate Speech policy when: (a) targeting Russian soldiers, EXCEPT prisoners of war, or (b) targeting Russians where it’s clear that the context is the Russian invasion of Ukraine (e.g., content mentions the invasion, self-defence, etc.)
We are doing this because we have observed that in this specific context, ‘Russian soldiers’ is being used as a proxy for the Russian military. The Hate Speech policy continues to prohibit attacks on Russians.
</blockquote>
Responding to the developments, Russia’s embassy in the United States demanded that Washington censures Meta. The embassy said in a post on Twitter:
<blockquote>
Users of Facebook &amp; Instagram did not give the owners of these platforms the right to determine the criteria of truth and pit nations against each other.
</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/exclusive-facebook-instagram-temporarily-allow-calls-violence-against-russians-2022-03-10/">Reuters</a></h4>

Facebook Allows Posts Promoting Violence Against Russian Soldiers, Putin

The Facebook parent company, Meta, says it has uncovered Russian efforts to undermine trust in the Ukrainian government and a separate attempt to hack Ukrainian military officials and journalists using its platform. Said Nathaniel Gleicher, Meta’s head of security policy:
<blockquote>
There’s been a lot of speculation and interest on whether there are covert influence operations targeting public debate in Ukraine and to what degree we’re seeing cyber hacking groups targeting individuals in Ukraine. This is a case where we’re seeing both of those things.
</blockquote>
Meta says it alerted Twitter and Google who on Monday said they also had removed accounts involved in the campaigns.
Meta described the two campaigns on Facebook as small in scale and caught in the early stages. The first campaign involved a network of about 40 accounts, pages and groups on Facebook and Instagram, operated in Russia and Ukraine. They used fake personas, including computer-generated profile pictures, to masquerade as independent news outlets and posted claims about Ukraine being a failed state.
Meta said it has removed the accounts and blocked the associated websites. 
Twitter banned more than a dozen accounts connected to the effort and blocked sharing of links. 
Google took down several YouTube channels involved in the campaign, according to Shane Huntley, who leads Google’s Threat Analysis Group.
Meta and Google have blocked some outlets entirely in Ukraine, at the request of the Ukrainian government. On Monday, Meta said it was barring access to the accounts of two of those outlets, RT and Sputnik, for its users in the European Union at the request of local governments and EU officials.
More: <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/02/28/1083401220/facebook-uncovers-disinformation-and-hacking-campaigns-targeting-ukraine">NPR</a>

Facebook, Google, Twitter Remove Content Undermining Trust In Ukraine Government

Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, all owned by Mark Zuckerberg have crashed. The cause of the crush is not yet known.
All three platforms stopped working shortly before Noon U.S. Eastern on Monday. The company said in a tweet that it was working to get things back to normal.
All three platforms have been down for almost an hour, the longest outage in the history of Facebook. Facebook said in a tweet:
<blockquote>
We’re aware that some people are having trouble accessing our apps and products. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience.
</blockquote>
Users took to other social media platforms including Twitter to express their frustration over the development that has “affected” many people.
More: <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw">Pindula News</a>

Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram Have Crashed

Authorities in Zambia blocked WhatsApp messaging on Thursday, according to data from a global internet monitor.
The suspension of WhatsApp comes as Zambians cast their ballots in an election taking place in a tense security environment.
Netblocks, the global internet watchdog monitoring Zambia’s servers on election day, found that both back-end and front-end servers in Zambia were unavailable on Thursday afternoon.
Netblocks found restrictions on the government-owned Zamtel, as well as private networks Airtel Zambia and Liquid Telecom.
South African-headquartered MTN also saw restrictions of use for WhatsApp, the Netblocks report said. CEO of MTN Zambia, Bart Hofker said:
<blockquote>
WhatsApp is down in Zambia but the cause is not on the MTN mobile network or other operators. Mobile operators did not cut anything. It is outside the environment of the mobile network operators.
</blockquote>
Twitter and Facebook were also restricted according to some reports. Observers fear that this could be the start of an internet shutdown that will continue as vote-counting begins on Thursday evening.
Media reports last week indicated that the Zambian government had resolved to completely shut down access to the internet beginning on voting day.
According to a report by Lusaka Times, government sources said access to the internet would be throttled from Thursday in an effort to maintain peace and order during the voting period. The source said then:
<blockquote>
Yes, the internet will go down from Thursday. There will be a total blackout. We will start to slowly restore access around Saturday in selected areas, we may get full access maybe on Sunday or Monday, depending on the situation.
There is fear that some negative elements might use the internet to incite and organize protests and this is why we are shutting it down altogether.
</blockquote>
Meanwhile, Polls opened at 04:00 and were due to close at 18:00 local time. Voting was slow at several stations, with queues snaking around some of the 12 000 polling stations across the country.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.news24.com/news24/africa/zambia-blocks-whatsapp-as-voters-wait-hours-to-cast-their-votes-in-tense-election-20210812">News24</a></h4>

Zambia Blocks WhatsApp, Restricts Twitter And Facebook On Voting Day

WhatsApp has announced it will soon launch new features that allow users of WhatsApp Web and Desktop to use its chat application without an active phone.
Currently, when using WhatsApp on a laptop, computer or tablet, one has to keep a secure connection to a smartphone. This has been a huge annoyance if the phone is out of battery, lost or broken.
There’s no way to check your messages without an active phone and downloading chats and photos on a second device can be slow.
Last week the Facebook-owned firm announced it will be adding multi-device support. This will enable one to use WhatsApp on up to four devices at once, plus a phone.
The delay was because WhatsApp wanted to make sure it was protecting users’ privacy when switching devices.
All messages and other data like stickers, archived chats, new contacts and starred messages, will be synchronised seamlessly between all your devices. WhatsApp users will also be able to start and answer calls from any device.
The company said each extra device will get its own unique security ID, all linked to your identity.
WhatsApp said you will still need to link each one by scanning a QR code on your phone. There will also be the option to require a fingerprint or face-scanning authentication.
You will be able to easily see all the devices linked to your account when they were last used, and log out of each remotely.
As an extra measure, a new technology called Automatic Device Verification will reduce the number of times you need to carry out identity verifications like security codes.
The new feature is being tested with a small group of users before being rolled out more widely.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/1463612/WhatsApp-update-desktop-web-upgrade-beta">Express</a></h4>

WhatsApp Almost Ready To Launch Multi-device Support Feature

The Zimbabwe Football Association to just Zimbabwe Football (ZIFA) has advised members of the public and all stakeholders to disregard messages being posted on the association’s Facebook timeline, saying its account has been hacked. In a statement, ZIFA said:
Reads the statement:
<blockquote>Our Facebook page has been hacked and our administrators have no control over what is being posted on the page as of 29 April 2021. Some may have noticed that the page’s name had been changed from Zimbabwe Football Association to just Zimbabwe Football. That was the hackers’ first action when they commenced the takeover process.
We urge all our stakeholders who were following our Facebook page for football content to unfollow the page named Zimbabwe Football and follow our new one, Zimbabwe Football Association.
The hackers have already posted a 2-hour long video, and they will definitely post more content which is not related to the football issues that the page was established for. We sincerely apologise for any inconveniences caused to those who have already lost data viewing the hackers’ post.</blockquote>
Zifa said the Facebook account was hacked barely days after the page had been verified by Facebook as a source of credible information about local football.
More: <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News:</a> <a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/just-in-zifa-facebook-page-hacked/">Chronicle</a>

ZIFA Speaks On Hacked Facebook Account

Over the last few minutes, WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook messenger are not working in different parts of the globe. Users have taken to Twitter to complain that they are seeing errors on their Instagram and their chats on WhatsApp have not been delivered and they haven’t received new chats for a while.
Facebook which owns all 3 apps has not commented on the outage so far. The same outage happened for a few minutes at around 11 AM Central African Time as witnessed by this reporter.
WhatsApp did not update their social media pages on the outgate and Instgram did not do the same as they do with other major outages.

JUST IN: WhatsApp And Instagram Down

WhatsApp Is currently witnessing a mass exodus of privacy concerned users after it released <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2021/01/07/share-info-with-facebook-or-lose-account-whatsapp/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an in-app notification forcing users to accept its revised Privacy Policy by 08 February 2021 or stop using its service entirely.</a>
The new privacy policy confirms that Facebook may now have access to messages shared with businesses on WhatsApp and it provides more insight into expansive metadata collection by WhatsApp.
This is a departure from the company’s 2014 privacy policy when Facebook acquired the cross-platform messaging and Voice over IP service as shall be indicated below.
<h2>HOW IT STARTED: WhatsApp in 2014 said:</h2>
<blockquote>
If partnering with Facebook meant that we had to change our values. we wouldn’t have done it. Instead, we are forming a partnership that would allow us to continue operating independently and autonomously. Our fundamental values and beliefs will not change. Our principles will not change… Speculation to the contrary isn’t just baseless and unfounded, it’s irresponsible. It has the effect of scaring people into thinking we’re suddenly collecting all kinds of new data. Thai’s just not true, and it’s important to us that you know that.
</blockquote>
<h2>HOW IT’S GOING: WhatsApp Today </h2>
<blockquote>
The information we share with the other Facebook Companies includes your account registration information (such as your phone number), transaction data, service-related information, information on how you interact with others (including businesses) when using our Services. mobile device information, your IP address, and may include other information identified in the Privacy Policy section entitled ‘Information We Collect’ or obtained upon notice to you or based on your consent.
</blockquote>
The WhatsApp policy states that Facebook will use this information for “understanding how our services or theirs are used,” “improving their services,” “making suggestions for you,” “personalizing features and content,” and “showing relevant offers and ads across the Facebook Company Products.”
More: <a href="https://internetfreedom.in/explainer-whatsapp-privacy-policy-changes-2021/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Internetfreedom</a>

WhatsApp Privacy Policy Changes: Some Are Worried

WhatsApp users are receiving an in-app notice informing them about the application’s updated mandatory terms of service and privacy policy which seek inytergration with Facebook.
The notice gives an overview of the main three updates, covering how WhatsApp processes user data, how businesses can use Facebook-hosted services to store and manage their WhatsApp chats, and how WhatsApp will soon partner with Facebook to offer deeper integrations across all of the parent company’s products.
<img alt="WhatsApp privacy policy update" decoding="async" src="https://images.macrumors.com/t/ml9DH0BLsk_DAv9iCWJFTxoAcfo=/400x0/filters:quality(90)/article-new/2021/01/WhatsApp-privacy-policy-update.jpg?lossy"/>
The changes, which are set to take effect on February 8, 2021, are mandatory and users will not be able to continue using WhatsApp unless they accept the terms.
The new terms and privacy policy appear to build upon changes <a href="https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/privacy-policy">announced in July 2020</a>, yet this previous update offered users the option to withhold their WhatsApp account information from being shared with Facebook. The latest update eliminates this option.
Users that agree to the updated terms will have the following shared with Facebook:
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li>their WhatsApp account registration and phone number,</li>
<li>transaction data,</li>
<li>service-related information,</li>
<li>interaction information,</li>
<li>mobile device information,</li>
<li>IP address,</li>
<li>other information identified… or obtained upon notice to you or based on your consent.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
The WhatsApp policy states that Facebook will use this information for “understanding how our services or theirs are used,” “improving their services,” “making suggestions for you,” “personalizing features and content,” and “showing relevant offers and ads across the Facebook Company Products.”
The updated terms help WhatsApp to integrate more closely into Facebook’s family of products, as it aims to provide a more <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/2020/09/30/facebook-unifies-messenger-and-instagram/">coherent experience</a> to users across services.
While the changes help Facebook to achieve its larger goals, the high-level of data sharing that WhatsApp users will now be subject to may raise privacy concerns.
Last month, WhatsApp <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/2020/12/09/whatsapp-protests-app-store-privacy-requirements/">publicly protested</a> Apple’s requirement that developers submit information about what user data they collect for <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/2020/12/14/app-store-privacy-labels-ios-14-3/">privacy labels</a> on the <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/guide/app-store/">App Store</a>, saying that it could give its messaging app a competitive disadvantage.
Some have since expressed disappointment over WhatsApp’s move saying WhatsApp’s acquisition by Facebook was only accepted when Facebook agreed to never share data between the services.
WhatsApp is widely used as a messaging application in many countries due to its lower costs compared to other applications.
More: <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/2021/01/06/whatsapp-privacy-policy-data-sharing-facebook/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MacRumors</a>

Share Info With Facebook Or Lose Account - WhatsApp

Mr Given Mapukute and his wife Ruramai Nhakuzah are suing a Silobela woman Ms Loice Siziba of Canaan Village under Chief Gobo for allegedly posting a defamatory post about them on popular social media site Facebook, The Herald reports.
The couple is reportedly seeking damages amounting to $45 million:
<ul>
<li>Defamation in the sum of $5million,</li>
<li>Actual loss of business in the sum of $25 million and</li>
<li>Loss of future business $15 million plus costs of suit.</li>
</ul>
It it alleged that Siziba first sent a threatening message to the couple which reportedly owes her between $3000 and $4000 earlier this year and claimed she was going to go to a witch doctor as a way to sort them out for not repaying the debt. Siziba reportedly sent the following message to the couple:
<blockquote>Good morning, I’m done with your nonsense I’m going to sort you guys out not nzira yelaw (not the legal way) coz you seem to be stubborn. I’m going to go on and pay strongest sangoma (witch-doctor) like Baba Banda you whole family will suffer. Please save this message you will come for help (sic) it will be too late</blockquote>
She reportedly went on to expose the couple using a Facebook Group titled: Verified 11 Exposing Zim shurugwis all over the world.
The couple is alleging that the Facebook post which is still available on Facebook, made them lose business because it is in the public domain, according to the publication:
<blockquote>It is argued that as a result of the said defamatory statement being made on such a public platform, Mr Mapukute lost a tender worth an equivalent value of the sum of $25 million, after the procurement committee of the tender, during an assessment of suitability and investigation on him came across the public post.
Further to that, couple claim that also risk losing future business. “This is because, each time any person searches for couple’s names on Facebook, the post is the first post that pops up on the Facebook newsfeed,” said the couple.
“As a result of the defamation, the plaintiffs’ have also suffered psychological trauma, stress, and anxiety for the loss of the tender and the risk of future business loss”</blockquote>
The $45 million lawsuit was filed last week and Siziba is yet to respond to the claims.
More: <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/45m-suit-over-facebook-post/">The Herald </a>

Couple Sue Silobela Woman Over Defamatory Facebook Post

Facebook has announced that it is now required by the local taxman ZIMRA to charge VAT on Facebook Ads, the amount it will definitely remit to ZIMRA every month. The matter came to light as people who have advert accounts started receiving the following email about the soon to be charged VAT:
<blockquote>Dear Baba
Due to implementation of a value-added tax (VAT) in Zimbabwe, Facebook is required to charge VAT on the sale of ads to all advertisers in Zimbabwe. All advertisers with a business country of Zimbabwe will be charged an additional 14.5% VAT on advertising services purchased on or after 1 September 2020.
You don’t have to enter a Zimbabwe tax ID. However, if you’re registered for VAT and provide your tax ID, your tax ID will show up on your ads receipts. This may help you recover any VAT that you paid to Zimbabwe tax authorities if you are a VAT-registered business in Zimbabwe.
How to add your tax ID to your Zimbabwe ad account:
Go to Account settings 
Scroll down to the field labelled “Tax ID number” 
Add your Zimbabwe tax ID 
For additional information, please visit our Help Centre.
Thanks, 
The Facebook Business Team</blockquote>
ZIMRA early this year also decided to charge VAT on all DSTV payments which prompted the provider to also increase their bouquet prices to cater for the charges. However, DSTV said they had been remitting VAT on behalf of their customers but had decided to extend the cost to the customers.
Source: <a href="https://zimpricecheck.com/news/starting-next-month-zimbabweans-on-facebook-will-be-paying-14-5-vat-to-zimra/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=starting-next-month-zimbabweans-on-facebook-will-be-paying-14-5-vat-to-zimra">Facebook Business </a>

ZIMRA To Charge 14.5% VAT On Facebook Adverts

Facebook has announced that it is now required by the local taxman ZIMRA to charge VAT on Facebook Ads, the amount it will definitely remit to ZIMRA every month. The matter came to light as people who have advert accounts started receiving the following email about the soon to be charged VAT:
<blockquote>Dear Baba
Due to implementation of a value-added tax (VAT) in Zimbabwe, Facebook is required to charge VAT on the sale of ads to all advertisers in Zimbabwe. All advertisers with a business country of Zimbabwe will be charged an additional 14.5% VAT on advertising services purchased on or after 1 September 2020.
You don’t have to enter a Zimbabwe tax ID. However, if you’re registered for VAT and provide your tax ID, your tax ID will show up on your ads receipts. This may help you recover any VAT that you paid to Zimbabwe tax authorities if you are a VAT-registered business in Zimbabwe.
How to add your tax ID to your Zimbabwe ad account:
Go to Account settings
Scroll down to the field labelled “Tax ID number”
Add your Zimbabwe tax ID
For additional information, please visit our Help Centre.
Thanks,
The Facebook Business Team</blockquote>
ZIMRA early this year also decided to charge VAT on all DSTV payments which prompted the provider to also increase their bouquet prices to cater for the charges. However, DSTV said they had been remitting VAT on behalf of their customers but had decided to extend the cost to the customers.
Source: <a href="https://zimpricecheck.com/news/starting-next-month-zimbabweans-on-facebook-will-be-paying-14-5-vat-to-zimra/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=starting-next-month-zimbabweans-on-facebook-will-be-paying-14-5-vat-to-zimra">Facebook Business </a>

According to TechnoMag, Zimbabwean born telecoms mogul <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Strive_Masiyiwa">Strive Masiyiwa</a> has overtaken Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to become the most influential businessman on Facebook.
According to the publication Masiyiwa, who has close to 5 Million followers on the social site, ‘s influence is not only ranked on his followership but on his interactions and the growth of his engagement and reach:
<blockquote>Masiyiwa’s facebook account with almost 5 million followers at 4,919,444  is now ranked the first in the world, followed by Mark Zuckerberg according to apps.crowdtangle.com.
The ranking does not only include followers alone but the influence, interaction and quality of posts rated with growth and reach the account acquires.</blockquote>
Meanwhile, recently <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2020/04/27/full-text-strive-masiyiwa-appeals-to-global-funders-to-extend-humanitarian-support-to-zimbabwe-sudan/">Masiyiwa was appealing to global funders to extend humanitarian support to Zimbabwe and Sudan. </a>
More: <a href="https://technomag.co.zw/2020/04/masiyiwa-now-worlds-most-influential-beats-mark-zuckerberg/">TechnoMag</a>
<blockquote> </blockquote>

Strive Masiywa Beats Mark Zuckerberg To Become The World's Most Influential Businessman On Facebook - Report

Facebook is slated to launch a coronavirus information centre in Zimbabwe and all other Sub-Sahara African countries.
This was revealed in a statement by Facebook’s director of public policy for Africa, Kojo Boakye who said that the move is meant to keep all communities informed during the coronavirus pandemic. Read the statement:
<blockquote>We are happy to provide nearly every country in sub-Saharan Africa with its own information centre so people across the continent have a central place to find authoritative information around Covid-19.</blockquote>
The networking giant added that its coronavirus information centre would be featured at the top of newsfeed thereby providing a central place for people to keep informed about the pandemic.
The platform will include up-to-date information from national official sources, regional and global organisations such as the African Centre for Disease Control and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Facebook has already launched the same information centres in other countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Togo.
More: <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/facebook-to-launch-coronavirus-info-centre-in-zim/">The Herald</a>

Facebook Set To Launch Coronavirus Information Centre In Zimbabwe

<blockquote>We are excited to share that, as of today, WhatsApp supports more than two billion users around the world.
Mothers and fathers can reach their loved ones no matter where they are. Brothers and sisters can share moments that matter. Coworkers can collaborate, and businesses can grow by easily connecting with their customers.
Private conversations that once were only possible face-to-face can now take place across great distances through instant chats and video calling.
There are so many significant and special moments that take place over WhatsApp and we are humbled and honoured to reach this milestone.
We know that the more we connect, the more we have to protect. As we conduct more of our lives online, protecting our conversations is more important than ever.
That is why every private message sent using WhatsApp is secured with end-to-end encryption by default. Strong encryption acts like an unbreakable digital lock that keeps the information you send over WhatsApp secure, helping protect you from hackers and criminals.
Messages are only kept on your phone, and no one in between can read your messages or listen to your calls, not even us. Your private conversations stay between you.
Strong encryption is a necessity in modern life. We will not compromise on security because that would make people less safe.
For even more protection, we work with top security experts, employ industry-leading technology to stop misuse as well as provide controls and ways to report issues — without sacrificing privacy.
WhatsApp started with the goal of creating a service that is simple, reliable, and private for people to use. Today we remain as committed as when we started, to help connect the world privately and to protect the personal communication of two billion users all over the world.</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://blog.whatsapp.com/10000666/Two-Billion-Users--Connecting-the-World-Privately" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">WhatsApp</a></h4>

WhatsApp Users Reach 2 Billion... Closes In On Facebook's 2.5bn {Full Text}

NetOne, Zimbabwe’s second-largest Mobile Network Operator and government-owned telecommunications company has increased prices for its social media bundles.
The development comes only two weeks after the same bundles’ prices were increased. Meanwhile, the biggest Mobile Network Operator, Econet Wireless also increased the prices of its data, social media and SMS bundles.
The changes are attributed to the current economic crisis characterised by a local currency that continues to lose value against the United States Dollar.
Below are NetOne’s latest prices.
WhatsApp bundles
<ul>
<li class="selectionShareable">Daily $1 = 15MB</li>
<li class="selectionShareable">Daily $3 = 45MB</li>
<li class="selectionShareable">Weekly $5 = 65MB</li>
<li class="selectionShareable">Weekly $10 = 150MB</li>
<li class="selectionShareable">Monthly $20 = 250MB</li>
<li class="selectionShareable">Monthly $50 = 1GB</li>
</ul>
Facebook bundles
<ul>
<li class="selectionShareable">Daily $1 = 15MB</li>
<li class="selectionShareable">Daily $3 = 45MB</li>
<li class="selectionShareable">Weekly $5 = 65MB</li>
<li class="selectionShareable">Weekly $10 = 150MB</li>
<li class="selectionShareable">Monthly $20 = 250MB</li>
<li class="selectionShareable">Monthly $50 = 1GB</li>
</ul>
Twitter bundles
<ul>
<li class="selectionShareable">Daily $1 = 15MB</li>
<li class="selectionShareable">Daily $3 = 45MB</li>
<li class="selectionShareable">Weekly $5 = 65MB</li>
<li class="selectionShareable">Weekly $10 = 150MB</li>
<li class="selectionShareable">Monthly $20 = 250MB</li>
<li class="selectionShareable">Monthly $50 = 1GB</li>
</ul>
Instagram bundles
<ul>
<li class="selectionShareable">Daily $1 = 15MB</li>
<li class="selectionShareable">Daily $3 = 45MB</li>
<li class="selectionShareable">Weekly $5 = 65MB</li>
<li class="selectionShareable">Weekly $10 = 150MB</li>
<li class="selectionShareable">Monthly $20 = 250MB</li>
<li class="selectionShareable">Monthly $50 = 1GB</li>
</ul>
More: <a href="https://www.financialgazette.co.zw/netones-new-prices-for-whatsapp-other-social-media-bundles-30-september/">Financial Gazette</a>

NetOne Increases Prices Of Social Media Bundles

Data from a global web statistics company, Statcounter, shows that <a href="https://gs.statcounter.com/social-media-stats/all/zimbabwe/#monthly-201811-201907">Pinterest has overtaken Facebook as the most popular social media platform in Zimbabwe</a>.
According to Statcounter, Pinterest overtook Facebook in July 2019. Pinterest now commands 41% of the social media market share and Facebook is at 34%.
It is not clear from the data what has caused the surge in Pinterest usage in the past several months. The data, however, shows that Facebook has been in constant decline since December 2018 and Pinterest has been rising from about the same time.
<a href="https://t792ae.c2.acecdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Social-Media-Usage-in-Zimbabwe.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-122611" decoding="async" height="569" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1121px) 100vw, 1121px" src="https://t792ae.c2.acecdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Social-Media-Usage-in-Zimbabwe.jpg" srcset="https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Social-Media-Usage-in-Zimbabwe.jpg 1121w, https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Social-Media-Usage-in-Zimbabwe-300x152.jpg 300w, https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Social-Media-Usage-in-Zimbabwe-768x390.jpg 768w, https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Social-Media-Usage-in-Zimbabwe-1024x520.jpg 1024w, https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Social-Media-Usage-in-Zimbabwe-600x305.png 600w" width="1121"/></a>
<h3>What is Pinterest?</h3>
Pinterest is a social media website focused on “pinning” pictures to one’s profile and following pictures pinned by others. Regular visitors of the site and app find it useful for idea generation for this such as fashion, recipes, home decor, gardening and other such. It is more popular with women than men.
 
<h3>How does StatCounter compile its data?</h3>
StatCounter is a web analytics service which tracks over 2 million websites globally. Using these it’s able to harvest data about visitors like browser, operating system, screen resolution and what social media site they were on before they visited a site. More on how <a href="https://gs.statcounter.com/faq#methodology">StatCounter’s methodology here</a>.
That said, the data is to not be taken in an absolute sense but more as an indication of the general usage trends.
 
<h3>Why is WhatsApp not Included?</h3>
WhatsApp is not included in these stats and yet its a social media service too and it’s certainly the most popular in Zimbabwe. The reason is more about WhatsApp being harder track that the other sites.
 
<h3>What about the other African countries?</h3>
<h4>Africa</h4>
In the wider African continent, <a href="https://gs.statcounter.com/social-media-stats/all/africa/#monthly-201811-201907">Facebook still rules</a>. In July 2019, it still commanded a 67% market share, and Pinterest was a distant third with 8% share. Second it YouTube with 18%
<a href="https://t792ae.c2.acecdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Africa-Social-Media-Stats.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-122620" decoding="async" height="720" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" src="https://t792ae.c2.acecdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Africa-Social-Media-Stats.jpg" srcset="https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Africa-Social-Media-Stats.jpg 1280w, https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Africa-Social-Media-Stats-300x169.jpg 300w, https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Africa-Social-Media-Stats-768x432.jpg 768w, https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Africa-Social-Media-Stats-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Africa-Social-Media-Stats-600x338.png 600w" width="1280"/></a>
 
<h4>South Africa</h4>
South Africa, however, <a href="https://gs.statcounter.com/social-media-stats/all/south-africa/#monthly-201811-201907" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mirrors the situation in Zimbabwe to an extent</a>. Pinterest had a 47% market share and like Zimbabwe, also overtook Facebook (40%) in July (and it had done so several months before as well briefly). The third is also Twitter (8%) and then YouTube (3%) and so on.
More: <a href="https://gs.statcounter.com/social-media-stats/all/zimbabwe/#monthly-201811-201907">StatCounter</a>

Pinterest Overtakes Facebook As Most Popular Social Media Platform In Zimbabwe

Facebook is set to be fined a record US $5 billion in the United States following an ongoing investigation over bad privacy practices.
The country’s Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted 3:2 to approve a $5 billion settlement with Facebook to end the investigations into the companys privacy practices. The amount is the largest penalty ever assessed against a tech company that broke a past promise to the government to improve its privacy practices.
Follow the approval vote, the matter will go to the US Department of Justice to finalise the settlements. There is a possibility of the fine being rejected but this has reportedly rarely happened.
Said a former director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection:
<blockquote>It’s quite a substantial amount of money, and it sets a baseline [for] the Googles and Microsofts and Apples and the Twitters of the world.</blockquote>
Matt Stoller, a fellow at the Open Markets Institute who specializes in monopoly power said the fine is not significant at all and the equivalent of a parking ticket to the social media giant:
<blockquote>This isn’t a fine, it’s a favor to Facebook, a parking ticket which will clear them to conduct more illegal and invasive surveillance. Congress should start defunding the FTC and move the money to state enforcers like Karl Racine who believe in enforcing the law.</blockquote>
The news sent the company’s share price jumping more than 1%. Facebook had more than $15B in revenue in the first three months of 2019.
More: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/07/12/ftc-votes-approve-billion-settlement-with-facebook-privacy-probe/?noredirect=on&amp;utm_term=.60002744b2d9">Washington Post</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jul/12/facebook-fine-ftc-privacy-violations">The Guardian</a>

Facebook To Get Fined US $5 Billion

The usage of Facebook in Zimbabwe has dropped significantly since 2017, data from StatCounter, an international internet technology measurement company, shows.
Trend data from March 2017 <a href="http://gs.statcounter.com/social-media-stats/all/zimbabwe/#monthly-201703-201903">supplied by the company on its website</a> show that Facebook market-share dropped significantly from about 90% to 47% in March 2019.
The drop in Facebook usage has given way to the rise of other social media apps, most notably Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube all of them US-based.
<img alt="Social media use in Zimbabwe" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-91961" decoding="async" height="564" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 746px) 100vw, 746px" src="https://t792ae.c2.acecdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/gs-statcounter-social-media-use-1.jpg" srcset="https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/gs-statcounter-social-media-use-1.jpg 746w, https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/gs-statcounter-social-media-use-1-300x227.jpg 300w, https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/gs-statcounter-social-media-use-1-600x454.jpg 600w" width="746"/>
 
Pinterest now has 33% market share in compared to 6% in March 2017. Twitter had 11% market share in March 2019 compared to 2% two years ago.
Stats for March 2019 only
<a href="http://gs.statcounter.com/social-media-stats/all/zimbabwe/#monthly-201703-201903" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-91959" decoding="async" height="556" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 524px) 100vw, 524px" src="https://t792ae.c2.acecdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Social-Media-Stats-Zimbabwe.jpg" srcset="https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Social-Media-Stats-Zimbabwe.jpg 524w, https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Social-Media-Stats-Zimbabwe-283x300.jpg 283w" width="524"/></a>
<h3>Related:</h3>
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<h4><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2019/04/20/google-chrome-and-opera-the-most-used-internet-browsers-in-zimbabwe/" rel="bookmark">Google Chrome And Opera The Most Used Internet Browsers In Zimbabwe</a></h4>
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<h4><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2019/04/19/votes-are-not-determined-by-social-media-or-street-popularity-mai-patai/" rel="bookmark">Votes Are Not Determined By Social Media Or Street Popularity – Mai Patai</a></h4>
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<h4 class="entry-title"><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2019/03/22/zimbabwes-largest-youtube-channel-shutdown/" rel="bookmark">Zimbabwe’s Largest YouTube Channel Shutdown</a></h4>
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<h4 class="entry-title"><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2018/11/24/mthuli-ncube-wants-netflix-youtube-facebook-to-be-taxed/" rel="bookmark">Mthuli Ncube Wants Netflix, YouTube, Facebook To Be Taxed</a></h4>
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<h4><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2019/04/16/linda-masarira-takes-over-mdc-t-social-media-accounts/" rel="bookmark">Linda Masarira Takes Over MDC-T Social Media Accounts</a></h4>
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More: <a href="http://gs.statcounter.com/social-media-stats/all/zimbabwe/#monthly-201703-201903">StatCounter</a>

Facebook Usage In Zimbabwe Drops Significantly

Facebook is down at the moment for some users around the world- even here in Zimbabwe.
Error messages are being displayed for those attempting to log in into the platform.Error messages are also showing for those attempting to share anything on the platform. Facebook acknowledged the issue on Twitter. They said they are working on resolving the issue as soon as possible. Said Facebook:
<blockquote>We’re aware that some people are currently having trouble accessing the Facebook family of apps. We’re working to resolve the issue as soon as possible. We’re focused on working to resolve the issue as soon as possible, but can confirm that the issue is not related to a DDoS attack.</blockquote>

Facebook Still Down For Some Users Around The World

Facebook has released a press statement on how it’s fighting fake news ahead of elections across Africa.
<blockquote>
<h2>Eight Ways We’re Preparing for Elections Across Africa</h2>
We want to share an update on our work to reduce the spread of misinformation, protect election integrity and support civic engagement across the continent
With a number of upcoming elections across Africa, we want to share an update on our work to reduce the spread of misinformation, protect election integrity and support civic engagement across the continent. We’ve dedicated unprecedented resources to these efforts globally — and our work across Africa is focused in eight key areas.
<h3>Fighting False News</h3>
We want to stop the spread of false news on our platforms. That’s why we’ve teamed up with local third-party fact-checkers across South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Cameroon and Senegal — including Africa Check (Africa’s first independent fact-checking organization), AFP (Agence France-Presse – an international news agency), Pesa Check (a local Kenyan fact-checking organization) and Dubawa (a local Nigerian fact-checking organization). These independent groups help us assess the accuracy of news shared on Facebook, and when they determine content is false, we reduce its distribution in News Feed so fewer people see it. We also show related articles from fact-checkers for more context and notify users if a story they have shared is rated as false. Additionally, in Nigeria, WhatsApp has worked with Africa Check and CrossCheck Nigeria to let users send questions about potential rumors they have received through the platform. These fact-checking expansions are part of a broader strategy to fight fake news that includes extensive work to remove fake accounts; cut off incentives to the financially-motivated actors that spread misinformation; promote news literacy; and give more context so people can decide for themselves what to read, trust, and share.
<h3>Boosting Digital Literacy and Helping People Spot False News</h3>
We want to make sure people can spot false news and know how to flag it. That’s why we’ve rolled out educational tips on national and regional radio and in print media across Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Kenya and Zimbabwe. In Nigeria, WhatsApp has launched its “Share Facts, Not Rumours” campaign to help increase awareness about hoaxes. Additionally, at the end of last year Facebook began a new Online Safety Programme for students in Nigerian secondary schools. The 12-week workshop is designed to help teenagers understand the fundamentals of online safety and digital literacy, covering topics such as managing an online presence; social media and sharing; public Wi-Fi safety; building healthy relationships online; understanding password security and privacy settings; and identifying misinformation online.
<h3>Promoting Civic Engagement</h3>
Helping to build informed and civically engaged communities is central to our work around elections. In Nigeria, we’ve rolled out new options in English &amp; Hausa so people can report posts that contain incorrect election information, encourage violence or otherwise violate our Community Standards (https://www.Facebook.com/communitystandards/). On Election Day, we’ll show a voting day reminder in English and Hausa at the top of Facebook’s News Feed.
<h3>Making Political Ads More Transparent</h3>
Earlier this month (http://bit.ly/2GpjRGn), we began temporarily expanding enforcement and not accepting foreign election ads on Facebook in Nigeria to help prevent foreign interference. Already today you can see any ad that a Page is running on Facebook (http://bit.ly/2N5tIBH), regardless if it’s shown to you.
<h3>Journalist Trainings</h3>
We continue to educate media groups and journalists across the country on best practices for sharing content on our platforms and online safety. We also provide trainings on our Community Standards (https://www.Facebook.com/communitystandards/), which govern what is and is not allowed on our platform.
<h3>Proactive Removal of Impersonation Accounts</h3>
We’ve always had policies against impersonation. Thanks to recent advancements in our detection technology, we’ve become much more effective at identifying these accounts.
<h3>Partnerships with NGOs and Civil Society</h3>
In order to better understand local issues and how we can tackle them more effectively, we work with a number of NGO and civil society partners across many African countries. These local partners have been instrumental in giving us feedback that we’ve incorporated into our policies and programs, including the aforementioned trainings with teens and journalists.
<h3>Connecting with Political Parties About Security</h3>
We’ve trained parties, campaigns and candidates on security best practices, including how to turn on two-factor authentication and how to avoid common threats online. For the Nigerian elections, we’ve trained vice presidential candidates, senatorial candidates and top advisors from over 35 major political parties — and the information included in these trainings is all available for anyone to access at politics.FB.com.
We want Facebook and WhatsApp to be places where people feel safe, can access accurate information and make their voices heard. We are making significant investments, both in products and in people, and continue to improve in each of these areas.</blockquote>

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