August 2010 - KICTANet

blackberry a threat to national security?.......U.A.E. Puts the Squeeze on BlackBerry
by Alice Munyua 02 Aug '10

02 Aug '10

U.A.E. Puts the Squeeze on Black Berry http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748704702304575402493300698912.h… Government Cites National-Security Concerns as It Bans Email, IM and Web Services in Battle Over Access to User By MARGARET COKER in Abu Dhabi, TIM FALCONER in Dubai and PHRED DVORAK in Toronto BlackBerry email, instant-messaging and Web-browsing services soon will be banned in the United Arab Emirates, regulators said, citing a dispute with the device's maker about how it handles electronic data. The U.A.E. market is relatively small for Canada's Research In Motion Ltd., which makes the BlackBerry smartphone. But the suspension of data service comes amid unease by at least one other government, India, over the inability to monitor or review electronic communications on the device in criminal, terrorist or national-security investigations. And a Saudi Arabian official said Sunday that regulators there ordered telecommunications companies to block BlackBerry IM services later this month, according to Zawya Dow Jones. The official didn't explain the decision. At the heart of the battle is access to the data transmitted by BlackBerrys. RIM processes the information through a handful of secure Network Operations Centers around the world, meaning that most governments can't access the data easily on their own. The U.A.E. worries that because of jurisdictional issues, its courts couldn't compel RIM to turn over secure data from its servers, which are outside the U.A.E. even in a national-security situation, a person familiar with the situation said. The U.A.E. ban is the latest in a string of skirmishes world-wide for RIM as governments try to monitor and control communications. Kuwait, India and China are among countries that have asked RIM for easier data access as a condition for operating within their borders. The U.A.E. ban, due to start Oct. 11, was the result of the "failure of ongoing attempts, dating back to 2007, to bring BlackBerry services in the U.A.E. in line with U.A.E. telecommunications regulations," the country's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said Sunday. The ban doesn't affect telephone and text-messaging services. "BlackBerry data is immediately exported offshore, where it's managed by a foreign, commercial organization. BlackBerry data services are currently the only data services operating in the U.A.E. where this is the case," the agency said. "Today's decision is based on the fact that, in their current form, certain BlackBerry services allow users to act without any legal accountability, causing judicial, social and national-security concerns." RIM, based in Waterloo, Ontario, didn't comment on the U.A.E. ban. The U.A.E. acted after RIM refused to set up a proxy server in the country as required by its 2007 contract with telecom provider Emirates Telecommunications Corp., a majority of which is owned by the government, according to the person familiar with the situation. RIM last month offered to allow the government access to the communications of 3,000 of its roughly 500,000 U.A.E.-based BlackBerry clients, including email, text messages and IM communications, the person said. But the U.A.E. declined the offer, the person said. The government doesn't plan to ban smartphones made by the company's two global competitors, Nokia Corp. and Apple Inc., said one of the people familiar with the situation. RIM, which has about 46 million subscribers world-wide, is unusual among cellphone makers in that BlackBerrys, which were initially designed for corporate users, come with a high level of security built in. The messages are encrypted on the device before being sent and remain encrypted until they reach their destination. The messages are processed at one of RIM's Network Operations Centers, the principal one of which is in Canada. The NOCs use proprietary technology, making it difficult for outsiders to hack in. Smartphones from other companies don't have the same centralized control over email or data transmissions and don't come preloaded with the same level of propriety security technology as Black Berrys do. The centralized structure makes BlackBerry communications more secure, said Jonathan Zittrain, a professor of law and computer science at Harvard University. But the structure also creates a tempting target for governments, which see the possibility of getting access to a large pool of information through RIM, he said. And while RIM cooperates with governments on requests for national-security-related data that pass through its servers, it can't be forced to relinquish information from servers that aren't in a particular government's jurisdictions, Prof. Zittrain said. A government has more leverage if the servers are within its borders. "If you've got a NOC there, the government can say 'We're shutting down the power. We're posting guards at your door,' " Prof. Zittrain said. Another person familiar with the matter said a key worry for U.A.E. officials was that BlackBerry's IM service was effectively untraceable. That could be a problem if RIM resisted handing over data sought by the U.A.E. "If the U.A.E. government needs this information, for criminal cases, they are unable to access it because the culprits used BlackBerry messenger service," the person said. A senior Indian official last week said BlackBerry's encryption makes monitoring of its network impossible and creates a security threat. The Indian government, which is negotiating with RIM, has warned the company that its operations will be closed unless the company addresses the concerns. The U.A.E.'s carriers—Emirates Telecommunications, known as Etisalat, and Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Co.—said they would comply with the ban. The ban is the latest twist in a long-running battle between the U.A.E. and RIM. Last year, RIM notified BlackBerry users in the nation that an application Etisalat had told its clients was a technical upgrade was actually spyware. Users who downloaded the patch had complained of disruption in email and other services. Etisalat subsequently offered directions on disabling the software.

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School of Computing & Informatics (UoN) Open Day 23rd July
by Mwololo Tim 02 Aug '10

02 Aug '10

Dear all, Sorry for any cross-posting. Welcome all. tm Dear All, The School of Computing and Informatics, University of Nairobi will hold its annual ICT Open Day on Friday, 23rd July 2010 from 10am to 2pm. This event is an initiative of the School's students to showcase ICT projects developed as part of their project work throughout the year and has been successfully held for the past ten years. Theme: ICT Innovations for a Better Future Date: Friday 23rd July 2010 Venue: Chiromo Campus Time: 10 am – 2 pm It is our pleasure to invite you to join us during this occasion and learn more about the School and its activities. Visit our website: http://sci.uonbi.ac.ke Christopher A Moturi Deputy Director School of Computing and Informatics

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Announcement: Unix System Administration Workshop For Eastern and Central Africa Women Engineers
by Dorcas Muthoni 01 Aug '10

01 Aug '10

Dear Colleagues, *Unix System Administration Workshop For Eastern and Central Africa Women Engineers, Nairobi, Kenya (11th - 15th October, 2010)* *Background* The African Network Operators Group (AfNOG ‚ http://www.afnog.org ) invites women engineers from Eastern and Central Africa to participate in an intensive Unix System Administration workshop. *Workshop goals and outline* *Overall objective*: After attending this track, students will be able to install, upgrade, secure and competently manage the Unix operating system on standard PC hardware, and use it to provide essential Internet services on a network. It is aimed at students who are technically competent but may have had little or no prior exposure to the Unix environment. In addition they will be taught concepts such as: # Basic Internet Protocols and how they work # Some basic Internet services and how they function, including DNS, Web, SSH and E-mail # Designing installations for long-term scalability of services *Who should apply:* All Eastern and Central African women engineers, software developers and systems administrators with a desire to get Unix Administration skills. Due to funding availability, priority will be given to applicants from the following countries: *Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, Gabon, Chad, Republic of the Congo, DR Congo and São Tomé and Príncipe* *Prerequisites:* Experience in managing PCs and installing software (such as installing the 'Windows' operating system), but not necessarily Unix. Some prior Unix/Linux experience would be of great benefit. *Language* Language of instruction will be English. *Application procedure* Complete the application form attached and return it to: * afnogchix2010(a)afnog.org * Please ensure that you submit your application in time and fully completed. Selections will be on a competitive basis. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. *Application deadline* The applications close on *30th August 2010*. Applications received after this date will not be considered. *For more information:* Email: afnogchix2010(a)afnog.org

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ICDL - I apologise
by robert yawe 01 Aug '10

01 Aug '10

Hi, I would like to apologise to Dr. Ndemo for giving the impression that his team had not done their homework when they recommended that ICDL be the official computer proficiency certification. As is said it is only after you have walked in a man's shoes can you then criticise him, I recently looked at a training manual from one of the local computer colleges that was 10 pages long and covered word, excel, powerpoint, access, frontpage and IE. The exam for each subject was done after 1 day of training, in the case of word it included mailmerge. Each application was covered on less than 2 pages and the entire course takes 10 days, Dr. Ndemo the sooner you can operationalise the ICDL issue the sooner students will stop loosing money to quacks and we shall return to the point of making computer users truly IT proficient. Regards Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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