- KICTANet - KICTANet

Identity-as-a-Service
by Ali Hussein 31 Jul '19

31 Jul '19

Listers As we come close to the end of the KIGF Week this is an interesting whitepaper on Identity-as-a-Service. Coming after the conversation on IPRS it's a must-read. What’s next for cybersecurity? CB Insights examined 15 of the biggest cybersecurity trends, covering everything from zero-knowledge proofs to Identity-as-a-Service. Using the NExTT framework, we looked at the industry adoption and market strength of these trends, categorizing them as necessary, experimental, threatening, or transitory (NExTT). The framework educates businesses about emerging trends and guides their decisions in accordance with their comfort with risk. Identity-as-a-Service <https://www.cbinsights.com/research/report/cybersecurity-trends-2019/?utm_s…> Regards *Ali Hussein* *Principal* *AHK & Associates* Tel: +254 713 601113 Twitter: @AliHKassim Skype: abu-jomo LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim> Any information of a personal nature expressed in this email are purely mine and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the organizations that I work with.

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IGF Week Day 2 Discussion - Digital Inclusion
by Victor Kapiyo 31 Jul '19

31 Jul '19

Good morning listers, As we approach this year's Kenya Internet Governance Forum on 1 August 2019, we would like to continue today's discussion in line with the theme One Kenya. One Net. One Vision. Today's sub-theme is Digital Inclusion. Digital Inclusion is about both identifying those with less or no access to the Internet (e.g. underserved communities, marginalized groups, the minorities, people with disabilities or people lacking digital literacy) and it is about activities related to the achievement of an inclusive information society. We would appreciate your thoughts on the following: - How can we tackle access and affordability issues, and what improvements need to be made? - How can we better utilize primary and secondary schools and tertiary institutions to promote and to deliver on digital literacy programmes? - How do we ensure that Internet governance processes are truly inclusive? - What needs to be done to enhance the capacity of different actors? - How do we ensure that these skills and employment opportunities are equitable to all on an equal footing? We look forward to hearing from you. Regards *Victor Kapiyo* Partner | *Lawmark Partners LLP* *Suite No. 8, Centro House, Westlands, Nairobi | **Web: www.lawmark.co.ke <http://www.lawmark.co.ke> * ==================================================== *“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude” Zig Ziglar*

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Libra & Africa Masterclass & Report Release.
by mauxdatabase 30 Jul '19

30 Jul '19

Hello Listers, BitHub Africa, will be hosting a Masterclass on, *Libra & Africa;* this coming Friday, 2nd August, at the Four Points, Hurlingham, Nairobi. We will also be releasing a Report on the same. Details are here <https://mailchi.mp/bithub/masterclass>. Kind regards, John Karanja

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Fwd: [NRIs List] Gender and Access BPF webinar on gender and the digital economy
by Barrack Otieno 29 Jul '19

29 Jul '19

Listers, Might be of interest. Best Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Anriette Esterhuysen <anriette(a)gmail.com> Date: Mon, Jul 29, 2019 at 12:15 PM Subject: [NRIs List] Gender and Access BPF webinar on gender and the digital economy To: Nadira Alaraj <nadira.araj(a)gmail.com>, igfregionals < igfregionals(a)intgovforum.org> Dear all You are invited to join this call below. Details follow. Anriette -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: ?spam Re: [Bp_gender] 4th BPF Call (theme) - July 29 at 13 UTC Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2019 10:20:59 +0200 From: Anriette Esterhuysen <anriette(a)gmail.com> <anriette(a)gmail.com> Reply-To: anriette(a)gmail.com To: Agustina Callegari <Callegari(a)isoc.org> <Callegari(a)isoc.org>, bp gender <bp_gender(a)intgovforum.org> <bp_gender(a)intgovforum.org> Dear all The call details (Zoom room) for today's thematic call - where Centre for Internet and Society and Equals will present work they are doing on gender and the digital economy is below. Looking forward to you all joining the call at 13h00 UTC. Please invite others in your networks. Best Anriette Esterhuysen Gender and Access BPF support ========================================== Best Practice Forums is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Best Practice Forums - Gender and Access - Webinar on women and the digital economy Time: Jul 29, 2019 13h00 UTC Join Zoom Meeting https://intgovforum.zoom.us/j/260693928 One tap mobile +16699006833,,260693928# US (San Jose) +19292056099,,260693928# US (New York) Dial by your location +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +44 131 460 1196 United Kingdom +44 203 051 2874 United Kingdom +44 203 481 5237 United Kingdom +44 203 966 3809 United Kingdom +90 216 900 1866 Turkey +90 216 900 2606 Turkey +41 22 518 89 78 Switzerland +41 31 528 09 88 Switzerland +41 43 210 70 42 Switzerland +46 8 4468 2488 Sweden +46 850 539 728 Sweden +34 84 368 5025 Spain +34 917 873 431 Spain +82 2 6022 2322 South Korea +82 2 6105 4111 South Korea +27 87 550 7717 South Africa +27 87 551 7702 South Africa +386 1600 3102 Slovenia +386 1888 8788 Slovenia +421 233 056 888 Slovakia +421 233 418 515 Slovakia +65 3158 7288 Singapore +65 3165 1065 Singapore +7 495 283 9788 Russia +7 812 426 8988 Russia +40 31 630 1088 Romania +40 37 170 0418 Romania +1 787 945 1488 Puerto Rico +1 787 966 7727 Puerto Rico +351 308 804 188 Portugal +351 308 810 988 Portugal +48 22 307 3488 Poland +48 22 398 7356 Poland +51 1 707 5788 Peru +51 1 730 6777 Peru +507 833 9588 Panama +47 2396 0588 Norway +47 7349 4877 Norway +64 4 886 0026 New Zealand +64 9 801 1188 New Zealand +31 20 241 0288 Netherlands +31 20 794 0854 Netherlands +52 229 910 0061 Mexico +52 554 161 4288 Mexico +356 2776 1777 Malta +356 2778 1288 Malta +60 3 3099 2229 Malaysia +60 3 9212 1727 Malaysia +352 2786 1188 Luxembourg +352 2786 4277 Luxembourg +370 3799 9260 Lithuania +370 5214 1488 Lithuania +371 6303 1808 Latvia +371 6303 1888 Latvia +81 3 4578 1488 Japan +81 524 564 439 Japan +39 020 066 7245 Italy +39 069 480 6488 Italy +972 3 978 6688 Israel +972 55 330 1762 Israel +353 1 513 3247 Ireland +353 1 653 3895 Ireland +353 6 163 9031 Ireland +36 1 408 8456 Hungary +36 1 701 0488 Hungary +852 5808 6088 Hong Kong, China +30 211 198 4488 Greece +30 231 118 0599 Greece +49 30 3080 6188 Germany +49 30 5679 5800 Germany +49 69 7104 9922 Germany +995 3224 73988 Georgia +995 7067 77954 Georgia +33 1 7037 9729 France +33 7 5678 4048 France +358 3 4109 2129 Finland +358 9 4245 1488 Finland +372 660 1699 Estonia +372 880 1188 Estonia +503 2113 9088 El Salvador +503 2136 6444 El Salvador +1 829 947 9220 Dominican Republic +1 829 956 2188 Dominican Republic +45 32 71 31 57 Denmark +45 89 88 37 88 Denmark +420 2 2888 2388 Czech Republic +420 5 3889 0161 Czech Republic +357 2 200 0888 Cyprus +357 2 505 4777 Cyprus +385 1300 0988 Croatia +385 1777 6333 Croatia +57 1 508 7702 Colombia +57 2 620 7388 Colombia +56 23 210 9066 Chile +56 41 256 0288 Chile +1 647 558 0588 Canada +359 2 492 5688 Bulgaria +359 3 257 1633 Bulgaria +55 11 4680 6788 Brazil +55 21 3958 7888 Brazil +32 2 290 9360 Belgium +32 2 588 4188 Belgium +973 1619 7601 Bahrain +973 1619 8488 Bahrain +43 670 309 0165 Austria +43 72 011 5988 Austria +61 2 8015 6011 Australia +61 8 7150 1149 Australia +54 112 040 0447 Argentina +54 341 512 2188 Argentina +54 343 414 5986 Argentina Meeting ID: 260 693 928 Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/aTXcOFYNY _______________________________________________ Bp_gender mailing list Bp_gender(a)intgovforum.org To unsubscribe or manage your options please go to http://intgovforum.org/mailman/listinfo/bp_gender_intgovforum.org _______________________________________________ Igfregionals mailing list Igfregionals(a)intgovforum.org To unsubscribe or manage your options please go to http://intgovforum.org/mailman/listinfo/igfregionals_intgovforum.org -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Fibre optic cable networks to now be registered with CA in new regulations
by Wamathai (HapaKenya) 26 Jul '19

26 Jul '19

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has introduced new regulations that will see fibre optic networks registered with them. The authority announced these new regulations via an advertisement in the paper. https://hapakenya.com/2019/07/25/fibre-optic-cable-networks-to-now-be-regis… ----- James Wamathai | CEO, hapakenya.com m: 0777-555101 e: w(a)hapakenya.com | Twitter: @Wamathai <http://twitter.com/wamathai> Follow Hapa Kenya: *Twitter*: @HapaKenya <http://twitter.com/hapaKenya>, *FB*: fb.com/HapaKenya

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TechWeek Nairobi 2019: Call for Papers
by Odhiambo Washington 25 Jul '19

25 Jul '19

Greetings, TechWeek aims at providing a platform for experienced engineers in the respective fields of Networking, Data storage, Security and or Internet Services (DNS, Email, Web, etc) to share their knowledge, challenges and ideas with their peers and also with upcoming engineers who may wish to pursue similar career paths. TechWeek 2019 scheduled for the 3rd and 4th of October 2019 at the Panafric Hotel. *Instructions on how to submit are available via this URL: https://techweek.co.ke/papers/ <https://techweek.co.ke/papers/>* Presentations are sought on the following topics: - Networking: - IPv6 Routing, transition, deployment and management, Software Defined Networking / Network Function Virtualisation, Integration - Internet backbone operations and deployments: Access and Transport Technologies, including Cable/DSL, LTE/4 or 5G, wireless, metro ethernet, fibre, segment routing - Community Networks - design, deployment, management - Internet Services: - Email: AntiSpam, Bulk Email Provisioning, Bulk Email Management - DNS: DNSSEC/ DoT/ DoH deployments - Automation and deployment technologies (Ansible, Vagrant, etc) - Web: Bulk provisioning and Management - Storage Technologies: - Deployments of Storage Platforms and File Systems (eg AWS, ZFS, Ceph, etc) - Content & Internet Service Delivery solutions (Multicast, Voice, Video, "telepresence", Gaming), OpenStack and Cloud Computing - Internet Security: - Internet and Network Security deployments - Mobile device/mobile commerce security solutions - Technical implementations to improve Internet Safety - Emerging Tech: - Presentations on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics - Research on Internet Operations, Services and Internet Measurements - IoT deployments and use cases (smart meters, smart homes. sensors, etc) *The Timelines for the Conference are as follows:* - Call for Papers Opens: 23rd July 2019 - Final Deadline for Submissions 23rd August, 2019 - Draft Program Published 15th September, 2019 - Final Program Published 23rd September, 2019 - Final Slides Received 25th September, 2019 Any questions or concerns should be addressed to the Programme Committee by e-mail at: pc(a)techweek.co.ke We look forward to receiving the proposed presentations.. TechWeek Secretariat -- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254 7 3200 0004/+254 7 2274 3223 "Oh, the cruft.", grep ^[^#] :-)

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KIGF 2019: Registration Open and KIGF Week Schedule
by Liz Orembo 24 Jul '19

24 Jul '19

Dear listers, Registration for the Kenya Internet Governance Forum 2019 is now open. Kindly register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kenya-igf-2019-tickets-66318106241 As earlier announced, the KIGF will be held on *1st August at the Sarova Panafric Hotel *from 8:am to 5:00 pm. Please register as soon as you can as we have limited seats available. This year's theme will be *“**One Kenya. One Net. One Vision.**” *More information can be found on the KIGF website here: https://kigf.or.ke/front-page-features/kenya-igf/kenya-igf-programme-2019/ We will provide live streaming details in due course. Also, find the events schedule for the KIGF week attached. Ahsanteni. -- Best regards. Liz. PGP ID: 0x1F3488BF

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This Friday : A Public Discussion on the Huduma Bill and International Best Practices on Digital Identity
by Linda Bonyo 24 Jul '19

24 Jul '19

Dear Listers, Mozilla and Lawyers Hub Kenya hereby extends a formal invite to a discussion on the Huduma Bill and international best regulatory practices on Digital Identity Mozilla is the not-for-profit behind the lightning fast Firefox browser. We put people over profit to give everyone more power online. The Lawyers Hub convenes a community of lawyers, techies, and professionals working in legal technology and innovation that ultimately impacts tech policy. Together, Mozilla and the Lawyers Hub invites you to a sober, candid and impartial discussion on the recently published Huduma Bill 2019 by the Kenyan Government. The event is open to Lawyers, Techies, policy makers and all responsible citizenry. Please download the bill and have a prior reading to ensure stimulating and enriched discussions. Queries can be directed to info(a)lawyershub.ke and 0207840228. Registration is strictly via the Eventbrite link below: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/huduma-bill-a-public-discussion-on-digital-ide… Find attached the event poster _______________________________________________________ *Linda Bonyo* (Ms.) | CEO, * | Lawyers Hub* Immigration & Tech Law Practitioners. Notary Public| Commissioner of Oaths| Advocate High Court of Kenya Email: *bonyo(a)immigrationlawyer.co.ke <bonyo(a)immigrationlawyer.co.ke>* | bonyo(a)lawyershub.ke *Skype:* immigrationlawyer.ke Tel: +254(0)202211313 +254733221313 +254725372113 www.immigrationlawyer.co.ke | www.lawyershub.org | Nairobi, Kenya. *_**_____________________________________________________________________* *DISCLAIMER: The information contained in or accompanying this e-mail is intended for the use of the stated recipient only. It may contain confidential, proprietary or legally privileged information. No confidentiality or privilege is waived or lost by any mistransmission. If you receive this message in error, please immediately delete it and all copies of it from your system, destroy any hard copies of it and notify the sender. You must not, directly or indirectly, use, disclose, distribute, print, or copy any part of this message if you are not the intended recipient. Any views or opinions presented herein are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Bonyo Mwongela & Company Advocates.* -- _______________________________________________________ *Linda Bonyo* (Ms.) | Partner, *Bonyo Mwongela & Company Advocates | Lawyers Hub* Immigration & Tech Law Practitioners. Notary Public| Commissioner of Oaths| Advocate High Court of Kenya Email: *bonyo(a)immigrationlawyer.co.ke <bonyo(a)immigrationlawyer.co.ke>* | bonyo(a)lawyershub.ke *Skype:* immigrationlawyer.ke Tel: +254(0)202211313 +254733221313 +254725372113 www.immigrationlawyer.co.ke | www.lawyershub.org | Nairobi, Kenya. *_**_____________________________________________________________________* *DISCLAIMER: The information contained in or accompanying this e-mail is intended for the use of the stated recipient only. It may contain confidential, proprietary or legally privileged information. No confidentiality or privilege is waived or lost by any mistransmission. If you receive this message in error, please immediately delete it and all copies of it from your system, destroy any hard copies of it and notify the sender. You must not, directly or indirectly, use, disclose, distribute, print, or copy any part of this message if you are not the intended recipient. Any views or opinions presented herein are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Bonyo Mwongela & Company Advocates.*

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The Algorithmic Colonization of Africa
by Alice Munyua 22 Jul '19

22 Jul '19

> The Algorithmic Colonization of Africa > > Startups are importing and imposing AI systems founded on individualistic and capitalist drives > > Abeba Birhane July 18, 2019 > > > Image: From SIM Card Project by Isaac Kariuki. Courtesy the artist. > > The second annual CyFyAfrica 2019 — the Conference on Technology, Innovation, and Society — took place in Tangier, Morocco, in June. It was a vibrant, diverse and dynamic gathering attended by various policymakers, UN delegates, ministers, governments, diplomats, media, tech company representatives, and academics from over 65 nations, mostly African and Asian countries. The conference’s central aim, stated unapologetically, was to bring forth the continent’s voices in the global discourse. The president of Observer Research Foundation (one of the co-hosts of the conference) in their opening message emphasized that the voices of Africa’s youth need to be put front and center as the continent increasingly comes to rely on technology to address its social, educational, health, economic, and financial issues. The conference was intended in part to provide a platform for those young people, and they were afforded that opportunity, along with many Western scholars from various universities and tech developers from industrial and commercial sectors. > > Tech advocates typically offer rationales for attempting to digitize every aspect of life, at any cost > > The African equivalent of Silicon Valley’s tech startups can be found in any corner of the continent — “Sheba Valley” in Addis Ababa, “Yabacon Valley” in Lagos, and “Silicon Savannah” in Nairobi, to name a few — and are pursuing “cutting-edge innovations” in such sectors as banking, finance, heath care, and education. The continent does stand to benefit from these various technological and artificial-intelligence developments: Ethiopian farmers, for example, can use crowdsourced data to forecast and yield better crops. And data can help improve services within education and the health care sector, as this World Heath Organization bulletin details. Data can help bridge the huge inequalities that plague every social, political, and economical sphere. By revealing pervasive gender disparities in key positions, for instance, data can help bring the disparities to the fore and, further, support social and structural reforms. > > Having said that, however, this is not what I want to discuss here. There are already countless die-hard technology worshipers both within and outside the continent who are only too happy to blindly adopt anything “AI,” “smart,” or “data-driven” without a second thought of the possible unintended consequences. Wherever the topic of technological innovation arises, what we typically find is tech advocates offering rationales for attempting to digitize every aspect of life, often at any cost. If the views put forward by many of the participants at CyFyAfrica 2019 are anything to go by, we already have plenty of such tech evangelists in (and outside) Africa, blindly accepting ethically suspect and dangerous practices and applications under the banner of “innovative,” “disruptive,” and “game changing” with little, if any, criticism or skepticism. Look no further than the speaker lineups and the topics of discussion of some of the biggest AI or machine learning conferences taking place throughout the continent: Ethical considerations, data privacy, or AI’s unintended consequences hardly ever feature in these events. The upcoming Deep Learning Indaba conference in Nairobi is a typical example. > > Given that we have enough tech worshipers holding the technological future of the continent in their hands, it is important to point out the cautions that need to be taken and the lessons that need to be learned from other parts of the world. Africa need not go through its own disastrous cautionary tales to discover the dark side of digitization and technologization of every aspect of life. > > Data and AI seem to provide quick solutions to complex social problems. And this is exactly where problems arise. Around the world, AI technologies are gradually being integrated into decision-making processes in such areas as insurance, mobile banking, health care and education services. And from all around the African continent, various startups are emerging — e.g. Printivo in Nigeria, Mydawa in Kenya — with the aim of developing the next “cutting edge” app, tool, or system. They collect as much data as possible to analyze, infer and deduce the various behaviors and habits of “users.” > > But in the race to build the latest hiring app or state-of-the-art mobile banking system, startups and companies lose sight of the people behind each data point. “Data” is treated as something that is up for grabs, something that uncontestedly belongs to tech companies and governments, completely erasing individuals. This makes it easy to “manipulate behavior” or “nudge” people, often toward profitable outcomes for the companies and not the individuals. As “nudging” mechanisms become the norm for “correcting” individual’s behavior, whether its eating habits or exercising routines, the private-sector engineers developing automated systems are bestowed with the power to decide what “correct” is. In the process, individuals that do not fit stereotypical images of what, for example, a “fit body” or “good eating habits” are end up being punished and pushed further to the margin. The rights of the individual, the long-term social impacts of these systems, and their consequences, intended or unintended, on the most vulnerable are pushed aside — if they ever enter the discussion at all. > > AI, like big data, is a buzzword that gets thrown around carelessly; what it refers to is notoriously contested across various disciplines, and the term is impossible to define conclusively. It can refer to anything from highly overhyped deceitful robots to Facebook’s machine-learning algorithms that dictate what you see on your News Feed to your “smart” fridge. Both researchers in the field and reporters in the media contribute to overhyping and exaggerating AI’s capacities, often attributing it with god-like power. But as leading AI scholars such as Melanie Mitchell have emphasized, we are far from “superintelligence.” Similarly, Jeff Bigham notes that in many widely discussed “autonomous” systems — be it robots or speech-recognition algorithms — much of the work is done by humans, often for little pay. > > Exaggeration of the capabilities of AI systems diverts attention from the real dangers they pose, which are much more invisible, nuanced, and gradual than anything like “killer robots.” AI tools are often presented as objective and value-free. In fact, some automated systems used for hiring and policing are put forward with the explicit claim that these tools eliminate human bias. Automated systems, after all, apply the same rules to everybody. But this is one of the single-most erroneous and harmful misconceptions about automated systems. As the Harvard mathematician Cathy O’Neil explains in Weapons of Math Destruction, “algorithms are opinions embedded in code.” Under the guise of “AI” and “data-driven,” systems are presented as politically neutral, but because of the inherently political nature of the way data is construed, collected, and used to produce certain outcomes (that align with those controlling and analyzing data), these systems alter the social fabric, reinforce societal stereotypes, and further disadvantage those already at the bottom of the social hierarchy. > > “Data” is treated as something that is up for grabs > > AI is a tool that we create, control, and are responsible for, and like any other tool, it embeds and reflects our inconsistencies, limitations, biases, and political and emotional desires. How we see the world and how we choose to represent it is reflected in the algorithmic models of the world that we build. Therefore who builds the systems and selects the sorts and sources of data used will deeply affect the influence they may have. The results that AI systems produce reflect socially and culturally held stereotypes, not objective truths. > > The use of technology within the social sphere often, intentionally or accidentally, focuses on punitive practices, whether it is to predict who will commit the next crime or who would fail to pay their mortgage. Constructive and rehabilitative questions such as why people commit crimes in the first place or what can be done to rehabilitate and support those that have come out of prison are almost never asked. Technological developments built and applied with the aim of bringing “security” and “order” often aim to punish and not rehabilitate. Furthermore, such technologies necessarily bring cruel, discriminatory, and inhumane practices to some. The cruel treatment of the Uighurs in China and the unfair disadvantaging of the poor are examples in this regard. Similarly, as cities like Johannesburg and Kampala introduce the use of facial recognition technology, the unfair discrimination and over-policing of minority groups is inevitable. > > Whether explicitly acknowledged or not, the central aim of commercial companies developing AI is not to rectify bias generally but to infer the weaknesses and deficiencies of individual “users,” as if people existed only as objects to be manipulated. These firms take it for granted that such “data” automatically belongs to them if they are able to grab it. The discourse around “data mining” and a “data-rich continent” — common language within Africa’s tech scene — shows the extent to which the individual behind each data point remains inconsequential from their perspective. > > This discourse of “mining” people for data is reminiscent of the colonizer attitude that declares humans as raw material free for the taking. As we hand decision-making regarding social issues over to automated systems developed by profit-driven corporations, not only are we allowing our social concerns to be dictated by corporate incentives (profit), but we are also handing over complex moral questions to the corporate world. > > Behavior-based “personalization” — in other words, the extraction, simplification, and instrumentalization of human experience for capitalist ends, which Shoshana Zuboff details in The Age of Surveillance Capitalism — may seem banal compared with the science fiction threats sometimes associated with AI. However, it is the basis by which people are stripped of their autonomy and are treated as mere raw data for processing. The inferences that algorithmic models of behavior make do not reflect a neutral state of the world or offer any in-depth causal explanations but instead reinscribe strongly held social and historical injustices. > > Technology in general is never either neutral or objective; it is a mirror that reflects societal bias, unfairness, and injustice. For example, during the conference, a UN delegate addressed work that is being developed to combat online counterterrorism but disappointingly focused explicitly on Islamic groups, portraying an unrealistic and harmful image of online terrorism: over the past nine years, there have been 350 white extremist terrorism attacks in Europe, Australia, and North America; one third of all such attacks in this time period in the U.S. are due to white extremism. This illustrates the worrying point that stereotypically held views drive what is perceived as a problem and the types of technology we develop in response. We then hold what we find through the looking glass of technology as evidence of our biased intuitions and further reinforce stereotypes. > > Some key global players in technology — for example, Microsoft and Google’s DeepMind from the industry sector; and Harvard and MIT from the academic sphere — have begun to develop ethics boards and ethics curricula in acknowledgment of the possible catastrophic consequences of AI on society. Various approaches and directions have been advanced by various stakeholders to pursue fair and ethical AI, and this multiplicity of perspectives is not a weakness but a strength: It is necessary for yielding a range of remedies to address the various ethical, social, and economical issues AI generates in different contexts and cultures. But too often, attempts to draft the latest “ethics framework” or the “best guideline to ethical AI” center the status quo as the standard and imply that the solution put forward is the only necessary one. Insisting on a single one-size-fits-all ethical framework for AI, as one of the conference’s academic speakers advised, is not only unattainable but would also worsen the problems it is meant to address in those contexts it wasn’t equipped to anticipate. > > “Mining” people for data is reminiscent of the colonizer attitude that declares humans as raw material > > Society’s most vulnerable are disproportionally affected by the digitization of various services. Yet many of the ethical principles applied to AI are firmly utilitarian. What they care about is “the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people,” which by definition means that solutions that center minorities are never sought. Even when unfairness and discrimination in algorithmic decision-making processes are brought to the fore — for instance, upon discovering that women have been systematically excluded from entering the tech industry, minorities forced into inhumane treatment, and systematic biases have been embedded in predictive policing systems, to mention a few — the “solutions” sought hardly center those on the margin that are disproportionally affected: Mitigating proposals devised by corporate and academic ethics boards are often developed without the consultation and involvement of the people that are affected. But their voice needs to be prioritized at every step of the way, including in the designing, developing, and implementing of any technology, as well as in policymaking. This requires actually consulting and involving vulnerable groups of society, which might (at least as far as the West’s Silicon Valley is concerned) seem beneath the “all-knowing” engineers who seek to unilaterally provide a “technical fix” for any complex social problem. > > As Africa grapples with catching up with the latest technological developments, it must also protect the continent’s most vulnerable people from the consequential harm that technology can cause. Protecting and respecting the rights, freedoms and privacy of the very youth that the leaders of the CyFyAfrica conference want to put at the front and center should be prioritized. This can only happen with guidelines and safeguards for individual rights and freedom in place in a manner that accounts for local values, contexts and ways of life, as well as through the inclusion of critical voices as an important part of the tech narrative. In fairness, CyFyAfrica did allow for some critical voices in some of the panels. However, the minor critical voices were buried under the overwhelming tech enthusiasts. > > Following the conference, speakers were given the opportunity to share their views and research for publication in a semi-academic journal run by the Observer Research Foundation. Like other speakers at the conference, I was encouraged to submit my observations and reflections. However, when I submitted a version of this essay, it was deemed too critical by the editorial board and therefore unsuitable for publication. Ironically, the platform that claims to give voice to the youth of Africa only does so when that voice aligns with the narratives and motives of the powerful tech companies, policy makers, and governments. > > The question of technologization and digitalization of the continent is a question of what kind of society we want to live in. African youth solving their own problems means deciding what we want to amplify and show the rest of the world. It also means not importing the latest state-of-the-art machine learning systems or any other AI tools without questioning what the underlying purpose is, who benefits, and who might be disadvantaged by the implementation of such tools. > > Moreover, African youth leading the AI space means creating programs and databases that serve various local communities and not blindly importing Western AI systems founded upon individualistic and capitalist drives. It also means scrutinizing the systems we ourselves develop and setting ethical standards that serve specific purposes instead of accepting Western perspectives as the standard. In a continent where much of the narrative is hindered by negative images such as migration, drought, and poverty, using AI to solve our problems ourselves means using AI in a way we want, to understand who we are and how we want to be understood and perceived: a continent where community values triumph and nobody is left behind. > > Abeba Birhane is a PhD candidate in Cognitive Science at University College Dublin. Her interdisciplinary research, which intersects between embodied cognition, digital technology studies, and critical data science, explores the dynamic and reciprocal relationships between individuals, society and digital technologies. She is a contributor to Aeon Magazine and blogs regularly about cognition, AI, ethics and data science. > > © 2019 > > Real Life is a magazine about living with technology. The emphasis is more on living. We publish one essay, advice column, reported feature, or uncategorizable piece of writing a day, four or five days a week. > > To find out more about us, click here. To find out more about our contributors, or to contribute yourself, click here. To ask us a question about anything else, email info(a)reallifemag.com > > Real Life is made possible by funding from Snapchat, and we operate with editorial independence and without ads. > > Terms of Use > Privacy Policy > > > > > https://reallifemag.com/the-algorithmic-colonization-of-africa/

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Save the Date: TechWeek 2019
by Odhiambo Washington 22 Jul '19

22 Jul '19

Hi all, TechWeek 2019 will take place in Nairobi on the 3rd and 4th of October 2019. TechWeek aims at providing a platform for experienced engineers in the respective fields of Networking, Data storage, Security and or Internet Services (DNS, Email, Web, etc) to share their knowledge, challenges and ideas with their peers and also with upcoming engineers who may wish to pursue similar career paths. TechWeek 2019 follows on the success of TechWeek 2018 whose report can be found here: https://techweek.co.ke/reports/ Information on the venue, registration and how to submit a presentation will be shared in the coming days. Sent on behalf of TechWeek Secretariat -- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254 7 3200 0004/+254 7 2274 3223 "Oh, the cruft.", grep ^[^#] :-)

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