Enterprise

US plans to spy on Android, but hates Huawei for allegedly doing the same

New bill plans to install backdoors on Android

Published

June 29, 2020

Luigi Leonardo

The US government’s crusade against Huawei’s alleged China-backed spying is well documented. For years, the Trump administration has obsessed on the prospects of banning the Chinese company from their shores for good. Throughout the entire battle, the motivation has always been the same: Huawei can leak American state secrets to the Chinese government.

However, outside of their cybersecurity battle with Huawei, the US is dealing with an internal cybersecurity problem on its own. More and more American citizens are concerned about how the government and big corporations are using their data. Protesters are demanding more accountability from huge social media networks. Some companies have also started boycotting Facebook as an advertising platform.

Though the current conversation rallies against social media, the American government wants to wrestle for more control over the data of its citizens. Last week, the Republican government introduced a new bill — the Lawful Access to Encrypted Data (LAED) Act — that would require tech companies to provide the government unimpeded access over the data of its users.

The bill will supposedly ease the efforts of law enforcement agencies, especially in detecting any potential criminal or terrorist threats inside the US. However, it will naturally present another problem for concerned users: the American government can potentially spy on your phone. Ironically, it’s the same problem the government had with Huawei. However, the government doesn’t seem to mind the infraction as long as they have control over their own data.

Naturally, this should also concern users even outside of the US. Today, Android remains the world’s most popular operating system. If the bill comes to pass, the American operating system will have backdoors which can allow governments, national or foreign, access to any user’s data.

Also, instituting an officially sanctioned backdoor is like painting a huge target on everyone’s phones. Though operating systems can inherently have vulnerabilities, an official vulnerability is prime pickings for a malicious hacker.

Regardless, cybersecurity experts and companies are opposing the bill’s passing. At the very least, the battle against “counter-terrorism” isn’t over yet.

Enterprise

Cebu Pacific becomes 1st SEA low-cost carrier with Starlink Wi-Fi

Rollout expected to begin in 2027

Published

July 15, 2026

GadgetMatch

Cebu Pacific has introduced Starlink, making it the first low-cost airline in Southeast Asia to bring Wi-Fi in the sky for passengers.

The rollout is expected to begin in 2027. Starlink delivers an unparalleled broadband experience inflight, with high-speed, low-latency Wi-Fi capable of HD streaming, online gaming, productivity and more.

Beyond enhancing the passenger experience, Starlink will also support improved operational connectivity for Cebu Pacific’s flight crews and operational teams. This enables better operational efficiency.

The collaboration is a significant milestone for Philippine aviation. The rollout forms part of Cebu Pacific’s continued investment in customer experience and digital innovation.

As part of the partnership, Cebu Pacific and Indigo Partners portfolio airlines, Wizz Air, and JetSMART expect to install Starlink on over 1,000 aircraft.

Enterprise

Google ordered to pay EUR 4.1 billion in fines

The EU alleges that Google uses its apps to establish an unfair dominance.

Published

July 3, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

European fines have unintentionally become a normal part of doing business in the American technology space. For too long have American companies paid paltry fines to prevent harsher regulation in the European Union. Now, for the first time, Google is about to pay a record-breaking fine that goes beyond “paltry.”

Today, via CNBC, Google has been ordered to pay an astonishing EUR 4.1 billion (or approximately US$ 4.67 billion) in fines. The fine is in response to an anti-competition case.

This has been a long time coming for Google. The original case started in 2018. At the time, the European Union accused the brand of using anti-competitive practices to ensure its dominance in the smartphone market. According to the courts, the company’s bundling of first-party apps for every Android smartphone gives them an unfair advantage in the market and lessens the user’s choice in selecting apps.

For years, Google has fought the fine to seemingly no avail. Now, the company has lost its final attempt, which means that the fine still stands. On the bright side, they did get it reduced from the original EUR 4.34 billion fine.

The European Union is the scourge of every American tech company (and a godsend to consumers). Most notably, the continent’s government forced Apple to adopt USB-C, leading to a more universal experience across brands.

Google’s hefty fine aims to do the same. And it is quite hefty. Whereas previous fines were in the millions (and hence, negligible for most companies), a fine in the billions is more tangible.

Apps

foodpanda relaunches cult-favorite roast chicken brand after 8 years of persistent search queries

Heritage chain Andok’s returns to the platform, driven entirely by long-term user analytics.

Published

June 19, 2026

MJ Jucutan

In the world of e-commerce and food delivery, platform algorithms usually dictate what consumers see. But occasionally, consumer behavior is so relentless that it shapes the platform’s strategy.

In a move driven entirely by long-term user analytics, foodpanda has officially relaunched Andok’s, one of the Philippines’ most iconic heritage rotisserie chains, back onto its platform after an eight-year absence.

The search bar as a digital wishlist

The decision to ink the partnership wasn’t just a marketing play. It was a response to an ongoing data anomaly. Despite being offline from the foodpanda platform for eight years, Andok’s consistently ranked as one of the most-searched merchants on the app.

Year after year, users treated the empty search results page as an unofficial wishlist. This persistent search intent gave foodpanda a clear, data-backed signal of pent-up demand.

Prior to the official digital rollout, teaser campaigns on social media validated this demand, generating thousands of organic interactions from users anticipating the return.

Bridging heritage flavor with digital infrastructure

For foodpanda, onboarding a merchant with this level of built-in demand fits its broader strategy of marketplace optimization and hyper-local network expansion, turning a heritage brand into another data point for how legacy retail plugs into delivery infrastructure.

For Andok’s, the integration works as a fast track to digital scale. A legacy quick-service chain skips years of independent app development and reaches customers already using foodpanda’s existing logistics network, on a platform they already check daily.

Andok’s built its following on charcoal spit-roasted chicken, a slow-cooked technique that’s stayed largely unchanged since the brand’s early days, alongside seasoned grilled pork belly.

More recently, the Dokito line extended that following into crispy fried chicken and chicken burgers, broadening the brand’s appeal beyond its original rotisserie format and giving foodpanda a menu with both heritage pull and everyday fast-food convenience.