News and Notes Roundup - 9/28/2015

Happy Monday, dear readers! We hope that everyone enjoyed seeing the super blood moon eclipse last night. If you missed it, we have you covered.

Over the weekend, the UN held a summit on sustainable development, announcing 17 goals to reach by 2030 and strategies for accomplishing them. Numerous entities are developing plans for meeting these goals and here’s a playbook for ICT strategies provided by a collaboration between NGOs and tech companies.

After the papal fanfare in DC settled down, Chinese Premier Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama met and discussed standards for their respective governments’ cyber practices. The two agreed to neither conduct nor condone the cybertheft of corporate secrets, but no official doctrines for cyber norms exist currently. As the agreement stands, there are no guarantees on the books for intergovernmental cyber activities, leading some to call for developing norms for cyberspace, while others say the deal is a hollow one.

Tech News:

• Good news for retro gaming fans: you’ll soon be plugging a cartridge into your smartphone

• India launched ASTROSAT, its first space observatory

• A US District Court found it unconstitutional for authorities to demand your phone password

• Do you pay for Google Drive? You’re about to see a big bump in its security capabilities

• Like it or not, chatbots are becoming more human

• There’s a campaign to support intelligence workers considering whistleblowing

• The EFF says the DMCA prevented the Volkswagen cheating from being discovered sooner

ICT4D:

• The UN Broadband Commission released its latest findings on global internet connectivity

• Huawei announced its plans to spur ICT development and knowledge across Africa

• USAID declares its intentions for modernizing foreign aid

• Pakistan announced that it’s joining the Better Than Cash Alliance, which uses digital money to include people in economies

• Mark Zuckerberg pledged to bring internet access to UN refugees

• 3D printing can help solve some of the pollution and waste problems in Africa

• AidData developed multilateral partnerships to launch the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data

Mobile News:

• Google Voice Search is stepping up its game

• WhatsApp has become a battleground for mudslinging in Tanzania’s upcoming election

• Blackberry’s CEO has a bit of problem using his company’s new phone

• The Blackphone 2 has been revamped and is preparing for launch

• Samsung Pay goes live today, with a special advantage over Apple and Android