#TechFriday n°2️⃣4️⃣5️⃣- Issue of 01/08/2025

Cliquez ici pour lire en français

🌍 This week in #TechFriday, social networks are the new town squares in Cameroon—blending connection and digital solitude. Orange Money faces a storm, political donations go viral, Gabon revives IAI, and Congo backs 500,000 startups. Also: ChatGPT gets personalities, WhatsApp tests reminders, Windows 11 boosts recovery tools, and Telegram’s privacy scandal rocks China. From African innovation to global tech twists — here’s your sharp weekly roundup.

From market squares to timelines: the digital shift of social life in Cameroon 🇨🇲📱🫂

Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok… In Cameroon, social media are redefining social life. Tontines, mourning, weddings and humor all thrive there. But this digital sociability also hides loneliness, misinformation and the risk of abuse. Click here for full story

“Give us our money back”: Orange Money users furious over missing mobile credit 😡

No-credit debits, unanswered complaints: Orange Money users in Cameroon are in real distress. Between anger and helplessness, they turn to social networks, hoping for a refund, an explanation, or simply a little consideration. Click here for full story

After two days of network chaos, Orange Cameroon starts paying users back ⚠️

Following a massive blackout on July 26 and 27, Orange Cameroon has apologized and initiated automatic refunds. 99% of affected customers have already been compensated. The company also promises to restore Internet packages that expired during the outage. Click here for full story

#CameroonVotes2025: Tap to donate, swipe to believe: The politics of Mobile Money in Cameroon 🇨🇲 🗳️

As Cameroon’s 2025 presidential election approaches, online appeals for donations are multiplying. Between citizen participation and suspicions of embezzlement, these digital fundraising campaigns are emerging as a new political tool, revealing both the enthusiasm and mistrust of internet users. Click here for full story

Congo is betting big on Africa’s next 500,000 startups—with Italy’s backing 🇨🇩🚀

Congo becomes the pilot country for an Italian-African project to support 500,000 start-ups. By focusing on training, digital technology and entrepreneurship, it aims to create jobs, strengthen digital sovereignty and foster the emergence of an innovative ecosystem in Africa. Click here for full story

Meet ChatGPT’s new alter egos: sarcastic, scholarly, and more 🎭

No more forgotten replies: WhatsApp adds built-in reminders 📣

WhatsApp is testing a new reminder feature for messages: soon you’ll be able to schedule a notification on any message, choose the desired time or date and receive a precise alert, all discreetly and without others being informed. Click here for full story

Gabon revives African tech institute to tackle the continent’s digital talent gap 🇬🇦💻

“We are not downloads”: Chinese women push back against Telegram photo leaks 📱💔

In China, Telegram has become a tool for the mass distribution of stolen intimate content. Groups share thousands of photos and videos of women without their consent. This practice, described as “digital rape,” has alerted feminist activists to the scale of the phenomenon. Click here for full story

Windows 11 kills the blue screen of death — and brings a smarter way to fix crashes 🖤

Windows 11 swaps its mythical blue screen for a more sober black one. As a bonus, an automatic recovery tool corrects most crashes, even without user intervention. A real step forward for system reliability. Click here for full story

To receive our daily news on WhatsApp, subscribe to our channel by clicking here.

That’s it for this week. We wish you a good weekend and look forward to hearing from you in the comments.

TechGriot ✌🏾😁