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Should We Reserve a Slot for an ICT Professional Within the IEBC Commission??
by David Indeje 10 Sep '22

10 Sep '22

[image: image.png] Dear Listers, In our latest series of blogs about the 2022 Kenya Election as authored by Mr John Walubengo, we are posing a question: "IEBC Commission: Should We Reserve a Slot for an ICT Professional? Mr Walubengo notes that "In all the past three presidential petitions (2013, 2017a, and 2017b), ICT seems to have been central to the Supreme Court’s final decision. However, the way ICT matters were prosecuted, one could almost say the ICT was on trial." Read the rest of the article here: https://tinyurl.com/3sh2h4vt -- *Kind Regards,* *David Indeje* *KICTANet Communications *_____________________________________ +254 (0) 711 385 945 | +254 (0) 734 024 856 KICTANet portals KICTANet.or.ke <https://kictanet.or.ke/> | Twitter <https://twitter.com/kictanet> | LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/company/18428106/admin/> | Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/KICTANet/>

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Kenya Elections 2022: Presidential Petition – The Tech Issues and Their Rulings
by David Indeje 09 Sep '22

09 Sep '22

[image: Judges of the Supreme Court of Kenya_.jpeg] Dear Listers, The Supreme Court made its final determination on the 2022 Presidential Petition and found that the President-elect, Dr. William Ruto was duly elected and declared. In our ongoing series of blogs about the 2022 Kenya Election, Mr John Walubengo reviews three tech issues that had been adjudicated and tries to help us understand how the court arrived at its judgement. Read more: https://bit.ly/3TVqdzW -- *Kind Regards,* *David Indeje* *KICTANet Communications *_____________________________________ +254 (0) 711 385 945 | +254 (0) 734 024 856 KICTANet portals KICTANet.or.ke <https://kictanet.or.ke/> | Twitter <https://twitter.com/kictanet> | LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/company/18428106/admin/> | Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/KICTANet/>

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BIG Announcement! 🚨 Introducing KICTANet’s Digital Access Fellows
by David Indeje 09 Sep '22

09 Sep '22

Dear Listers, We are pleased to introduce our Digital Equality Access program that will mentor digital governance leaders from the Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) community in Kenya through a fellowship program. The fellowship will seek to bring PWDs' voices to the internet governance ecosystem and help integrate the needs of PWDs into KICTANets programs and ICT policy advocacy. To assist us in implementing the project, we have onboarded Ms Neema Masista. Kindly, join us in welcoming them. 🚨Meet our Fellows🚨 *#ICTAccess4PwDs* [image: Neema Masitsa Mujesia.png] [image: Florence A. Ouma.png][image: Nicodemus Nyakundi.png] -- *Kind Regards,* *David Indeje* *KICTANet Communications *_____________________________________ +254 (0) 711 385 945 | +254 (0) 734 024 856 KICTANet portals KICTANet.or.ke <https://kictanet.or.ke/> | Twitter <https://twitter.com/kictanet> | LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/company/18428106/admin/> | Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/KICTANet/>

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KICTANet At The 13th Seminar on Privacy and Data Protection
by David Indeje 08 Sep '22

08 Sep '22

[image: image.png] Dear Listers, Mr Meshack Masibo <https://www.linkedin.com/in/meshack-kukubo-masibo-a49831b9/>, our Data Protection Consultant, represented us at the 13th Seminar on Privacy and Data Protection organised by Data Privacy Brazil in São Paulo, Brazil. KICTANet participated in a panel session on perspectives on data protection from the Global South moderated by Ramon Costa, with key speakers being Mesenbet Assefa (Addis Ababa University), Khadija El-Usman (Paradigm Initiative), Veronica Salinas (Internet Bolivia), Meshack Masibo (KICTANet), Ricardo Chica Reino (Fundancion Ciudadania y Desarrollo), Laura Henderson (Internews), Masibo shared the work of KICTANet in the local data protection scene in Kenya over the past one year. This includes its research work such as the various topical policy briefs on diverse subjects such as the impact of the Data Protection Act on the election cycle and on digital identification. He also talked about the various memoranda KICTANet had submitted to Parliament and other policy makers on the huduma bill and the Kenya Information and Communications Act. You can read more and listen to the session here: https://bit.ly/3qlR2Qj -- *Kind Regards,* *David Indeje* *KICTANet Communications *_____________________________________ +254 (0) 711 385 945 | +254 (0) 734 024 856 KICTANet portals KICTANet.or.ke <https://kictanet.or.ke/> | Twitter <https://twitter.com/kictanet> | LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/company/18428106/admin/> | Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/KICTANet/>

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Master Class: Utilising data while safeguarding women safety online.
by David Indeje 07 Sep '22

07 Sep '22

[image: image.png] Dear Listers, We cordially invite you to register for "The Privacy Symposium Africa (PSA) 2022". This is a pan-African platform established by Unwanted Witness to discuss the latest technological trends in Data Protection & Privacy. The event will be held physically at the Strathmore University. Some of the sessions include: 1. Master Class: Utilising data while safeguarding women safety online. 2. Master Class: Legal and practical considerations for commercial use of data Kindly, register here: bit.ly/PSA2022Physical -- *Kind Regards,* *David Indeje* *KICTANet Communications *_____________________________________ +254 (0) 711 385 945 | +254 (0) 734 024 856 KICTANet portals KICTANet.or.ke <https://kictanet.or.ke/> | Twitter <https://twitter.com/kictanet> | LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/company/18428106/admin/> | Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/KICTANet/>

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Re: [kictanet] Digital security Presentations
by Nelly Nyadzua 02 Sep '22

02 Sep '22

Hello, Here is the link to the individual assessment form. https://forms.gle/4TpauK8UGfeZDAc66 On Thu, Sep 1, 2022 at 4:17 PM Nelly Nyadzua <mnyadzua(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Hello, > > Kindly find attached the slides and links of the group and individual > assessments with answers. > > Group Activity > https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bCx5NDLDcz3W7D6A1N2TjKW_Iv1V7tJUGs_kfkx… > Individual Activity: > > https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Rpka5jvUz9z_khwYvp5G_Niq-bRnU6FByCeR2hL… > > On Thu, Sep 1, 2022 at 2:06 PM cecilia maundu <cmaundu(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> >> Dear Angela >> >> I hope you are well. Please find attached my presentations for tomorrow's >> training. >> >> Warm regards, >> >> Cecilia Maundu >> >> >> https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PlN5lIACrBI8t25dEod6Jij-gI13cbCypWc… >> >> >> Cecilia Mwende Maundu >> Broadcast Journalist >> Digital Security Expert >> +254 721 231 249 >> >> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcnfxHOA5jAAUFDuU3xHatQ >> >> If you have the fire in your belly go for it!!!! >> >

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Re: [kictanet] KICTANet Digest, Vol 175, Issue 2
by Adrian Teri 01 Sep '22

01 Sep '22

This also extends to: Do we have competent and constant learning teams in police departments who can carry out investigations regarding IT, a team/division in the office of #ODPP who can construct prosecutions that can't be easily tossed and finally a team/division in the judiciary that can substantively and effectively determine matters regarding IT? As Bruce Schneier likes to say, Computers are essentially now in everything! The "*Ubiquitous/Everywhere Computing*". It simply cuts across many if not all aspects of people's lives today! In fact there should be an agency/ministry regulating this! Do you have a medical device/implant in your body like an insulin pump or A pacemaker that monitors your heart's electrical impulses or an artificial assistive heart pumping device? Does your tractor use computers to determine & adjust the angle/slope of your soil during sowing/planting? Do you use digital payment systems(m-pesa, credit cards etc) and online banking? What controls the automotive controls in your car like how hard to accelerate or brake(+ ABS which avoids locking of wheels that negates rubber becoming like ice!) etc etc It's possible for many wins to come out of precedent rule makings. One that I hope will come out is making all technologies & processes #IEBC uses be know-able/list-able, open and even make the #IEBC make part of hardware, the KIEMS kits used, available at a juncture & location just like with the *voting villages *at *#Defcon *where all are welcome to tinker, disassemble, prod etc both the hardware + software Regards, Adrian Teri ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: David Indeje <dindeje(a)kictanet.or.ke> > To: kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > Cc: > Bcc: > Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2022 14:42:44 +0300 > Subject: [kictanet] Should We Reserve a Slot for an ICT Professional > Within the IEBC Commission?? > [image: image.png] > Dear Listers, > > In our latest series of blogs about the 2022 Kenya Election as authored by > Mr John Walubengo, we are posing a question: > > "IEBC Commission: Should We Reserve a Slot for an ICT Professional? > > Mr Walubengo notes that "In all the past three presidential petitions > (2013, 2017a, and 2017b), ICT seems to have been central to the Supreme > Court’s final decision. However, the way ICT matters were prosecuted, one > could almost say the ICT was on trial." > > Read the rest of the article here: https://tinyurl.com/3sh2h4vt > > > -- > *Kind Regards,* > > *David Indeje* > > > *KICTANet Communications *_____________________________________ > +254 (0) 711 385 945 | +254 (0) 734 024 856 > KICTANet portals > KICTANet.or.ke <https://kictanet.or.ke/> | Twitter > <https://twitter.com/kictanet> | LinkedIn > <https://www.linkedin.com/company/18428106/admin/> | Facebook > <https://www.facebook.com/KICTANet/> > _______________________________________________ > KICTANet mailing list > KICTANet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >

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Digital security Presentations
by cecilia maundu 01 Sep '22

01 Sep '22

Dear Angela I hope you are well. Please find attached my presentations for tomorrow's training. Warm regards, Cecilia Maundu https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PlN5lIACrBI8t25dEod6Jij-gI13cbCypWc… Cecilia Mwende Maundu Broadcast Journalist Digital Security Expert +254 721 231 249 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcnfxHOA5jAAUFDuU3xHatQ If you have the fire in your belly go for it!!!!

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Elections 2022: Kenyans fear hacking during elections
by David Indeje 26 Aug '22

26 Aug '22

[image: image.png] Dear Listers, Some interesting insights around Elections and Technology. Our Convenor Ms Grace Githaiga and Ms Egline Samoei,one of our Tech Observer shared insights on the just concluded August 9, 2022 elections for Quartz Africa. *“Kenyans don’t trust technology to run the electoral process. We are afraid that systems might be hacked. People want to see the votes counted one by one,” Egline Samoei.* *“Tech is seen as neural but it doesn’t run elections on its own. People behind the tech run elections. It is a case of garbage in, garbage out. If we key in the right data on the right verification mechanisms, then we will get verified election results,”Grace Githaiga told Quartz. * Read more of it here https://news.yahoo.com/kenyans-still-dont-trust-technology-114700550.html In addition, stay updated from our series of blogs about the 2022 Kenya Election. https://www.kictanet.or.ke/what-we-do/election-observers/

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Re: [kictanet] KICTANet Digest, Vol 174, Issue 17
by Adrian Teri 23 Aug '22

23 Aug '22

I'm starting to see interesting questions pop up and even statements like every technology is not perfect but .... 1. Can we ascertain & inventory versions & dependencies in the software used in the #KIEMS kits and IEBC's front & back-end servers? Were these pieces of software current/up-to-date? Vulnerable? Have publicly assigned #CVEs and/or exploits in the wild? 2. Are there security features for the configs/databases loaded onto the #KIEMS kits? If yes, have there been analyses for both hardware + software risks? 3. A #KIEMS kit for a polling station is the only device that can transmit(images of the Form34A) and there are limited chances to do so ...Are there tests and security analyses to substantiate authentication(verification) + authorization of these devices? 3.1 What's the process/flow of replacing a failed #KIEMS kit for a polling station ... 4. On transmission ...It is well known that IMSI catchers aka "Fake Cell Towers" are readily and aren't exorbitantly expensive. Considering many polling stations are clustered in a small geographical area this is even more feasible. There is even a 5G version of the device. Were #KIEMS kits' modems and/or cell towers hardened to mitigate well known issues like root-kits/backdoors can be injected into the SIM modules, access storage on a device, read messages and even intercept connections on a VPN!? ...sometimes the modem is given free reign to access the entire system! Read -> *https://replicant.us/freedom-privacy-security-issues.php <https://replicant.us/freedom-privacy-security-issues.php>* and Watch ->* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31D94QOo2gY <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31D94QOo2gY>* There are too many of these types of questions and rabbit holes to go over ... IEBC kindly open source your entire codebase, infrastructure provisioning + configurations etc. Have days where hobbyists and "hackers"/tinkerers can play & take apart the hardware to be used in the next elections. Start this process now! Yes this will limit companies you can contract with in the future but for the sake of transparency, accountability and potentially identifying, quantifying & thwarting risks do this! Regards, Adrian Teri ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Benson Muite <benson_muite(a)emailplus.org> > To: kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > Cc: > Bcc: > Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2022 22:18:43 +0300 > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Invitation to Participate in ' Talk to IEBC' > On 7/14/22 13:30, A Mutheu via KICTANet wrote: > > *SERVERS*: > > Our servers are more than 3 years old and so would need an upgrade as a > > norm. Has such an upgrade been effected? The voter numbers have > > increased and so will the current servers have adequate capacity? If > > they lack capacity then at this eleventh hour when it is too late to > > order in others, then perhaps we need to look for other solutions as a > > matter of urgency for example, taking into account Data Protection > > considerations, IEBC can look into borrowing capacity from other major > > government servers that hold sensitive information as a norm, assuming > > they have extra capacity, like KRA or CBK? > > > It appears that forms.iebc.or.ke is on Amazon S3. Making this data > available increases transparency. The information on these forms seems > to be public, though publishing a hash of the files to confirm integrity > would be useful. Some of the forms have returning officer id numbers. > My expectation would have been that the name, and possibly a telephone > number for the returning officer would be publicly visible, but not the > id number. My hope is that servers holding confidential information are > not in the public cloud. > > > > > *OCR (OPTICAL CHARACTER RECOGNITION) TECHNOLOGY*: > > As far as I am aware IEBC does not have OCR technology or do they? If > > they do not then for aggregation purposes this will have to be done > > manually and human error can arise (both accidental or intentional), as > > this is always a risk where the human factor is a component. If this is > > the status quo then what measures has IEBC put in place to secure this > > process? > This is something that IEBC should invest in more. A paper audit trail > is important, but OCR would allow speed up in tabulation. > https://electionlab.mit.edu/research/voting-technology > Tools such as: > https://github.com/PaddlePaddle/PaddleOCR > https://github.com/tesseract-ocr/tesseract > can help in processing A forms, and non machine readable uploads of B > forms. Those with technical skills and interest in the election process > will have already automated the processing of 34A forms. Nevertheless, > the dataset should prove useful for those interested in computer vision: > http://cs230.stanford.edu/projects_spring_2020/reports/38792124.pdf > > > > > > > *CIVIC EDUCATION AND REGULAR UPDATES EVEN ON THE IEBC WEBSITES*: > > IEBC has not been aggressive in much needed civic education to sensitize > > and update the public on the GE and even their website can be better > > utilized. In all of this accessibility of information to the differently > > abled is an important factor and their democratic right. How has IEBC > > addressed this? Even on election day what steps have been put in place > > to protect the privacy of the differently abled but enable them to > > exercise their democratic right fairly? > The updates for forms other than 34 are slow/non-existent. Media > coverage is incomplete. By making forms 34 available, this has allowed > the general public to do their own tallying, with the understanding that > verification is still needed. This seems to have increased confidence > in the process. Hopefully, the numbers on the other forms will also be > made available. > > > > > > > > IEBC needs to realize that with great power like they have, comes great > > responsibility to uphold the democratic rights of Kenyans to fair and > > free elections, and not allow technological issues that are resolvable > > to curtail this right again. > > > > Stay happy, > > > > *Mutheu Khimulu* > > *LLM. Cybersecurity, Counter Terrorism & Crisis Management* > > *https://www.linkedin.com/in/mutheu-khimulu-law/ > > <https://www.linkedin.com/in/mutheu-khimulu-law/> * > > > > > > > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: A Mutheu <mutheu(a)khimulu.com> > To: "Kenya's premier ICT Policy engagement platform" < > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Cc: > Bcc: > Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2022 10:10:10 +0300 > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Invitation to Participate in ' Talk to IEBC' > Dear Benson, > > Your insights are noted with appreciation. > > Stay happy, > > *Mutheu Khimulu.* > *LLM. Cybersecurity, Counter Terrorism & Crisis Management* > *https://www.linkedin.com/in/mutheu-khimulu-law/ > <https://www.linkedin.com/in/mutheu-khimulu-law/>* > > On Sun, Aug 14, 2022 at 10:19 PM Benson Muite via KICTANet < > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: > >> On 7/14/22 13:30, A Mutheu via KICTANet wrote: >> > *SERVERS*: >> > Our servers are more than 3 years old and so would need an upgrade as a >> > norm. Has such an upgrade been effected? The voter numbers have >> > increased and so will the current servers have adequate capacity? If >> > they lack capacity then at this eleventh hour when it is too late to >> > order in others, then perhaps we need to look for other solutions as a >> > matter of urgency for example, taking into account Data Protection >> > considerations, IEBC can look into borrowing capacity from other major >> > government servers that hold sensitive information as a norm, assuming >> > they have extra capacity, like KRA or CBK? >> > >> It appears that forms.iebc.or.ke is on Amazon S3. Making this data >> available increases transparency. The information on these forms seems >> to be public, though publishing a hash of the files to confirm integrity >> would be useful. Some of the forms have returning officer id numbers. >> My expectation would have been that the name, and possibly a telephone >> number for the returning officer would be publicly visible, but not the >> id number. My hope is that servers holding confidential information are >> not in the public cloud. >> >> > >> > *OCR (OPTICAL CHARACTER RECOGNITION) TECHNOLOGY*: >> > As far as I am aware IEBC does not have OCR technology or do they? If >> > they do not then for aggregation purposes this will have to be done >> > manually and human error can arise (both accidental or intentional), as >> > this is always a risk where the human factor is a component. If this is >> > the status quo then what measures has IEBC put in place to secure this >> > process? >> This is something that IEBC should invest in more. A paper audit trail >> is important, but OCR would allow speed up in tabulation. >> https://electionlab.mit.edu/research/voting-technology >> Tools such as: >> https://github.com/PaddlePaddle/PaddleOCR >> https://github.com/tesseract-ocr/tesseract >> can help in processing A forms, and non machine readable uploads of B >> forms. Those with technical skills and interest in the election process >> will have already automated the processing of 34A forms. Nevertheless, >> the dataset should prove useful for those interested in computer vision: >> http://cs230.stanford.edu/projects_spring_2020/reports/38792124.pdf >> > >> >> > >> > *CIVIC EDUCATION AND REGULAR UPDATES EVEN ON THE IEBC WEBSITES*: >> > IEBC has not been aggressive in much needed civic education to >> sensitize >> > and update the public on the GE and even their website can be better >> > utilized. In all of this accessibility of information to the >> differently >> > abled is an important factor and their democratic right. How has IEBC >> > addressed this? Even on election day what steps have been put in place >> > to protect the privacy of the differently abled but enable them to >> > exercise their democratic right fairly? >> The updates for forms other than 34 are slow/non-existent. Media >> coverage is incomplete. By making forms 34 available, this has allowed >> the general public to do their own tallying, with the understanding that >> verification is still needed. This seems to have increased confidence >> in the process. Hopefully, the numbers on the other forms will also be >> made available. >> > >> > >> > >> > IEBC needs to realize that with great power like they have, comes great >> > responsibility to uphold the democratic rights of Kenyans to fair and >> > free elections, and not allow technological issues that are resolvable >> > to curtail this right again. >> > >> > Stay happy, >> > >> > *Mutheu Khimulu* >> > *LLM. Cybersecurity, Counter Terrorism & Crisis Management* >> > *https://www.linkedin.com/in/mutheu-khimulu-law/ >> > <https://www.linkedin.com/in/mutheu-khimulu-law/> * >> > >> > >> >> _______________________________________________ >> KICTANet mailing list >> KICTANet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> Twitter: http://twitter.com/kictanet >> Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KICTANet/ >> >> Unsubscribe or change your options at >> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/mutheu%40khimulu.com >> >> >> KICTANet is a multi-stakeholder Think Tank for people and institutions >> interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. KICTANet is a >> catalyst for reform in the Information and Communication Technology sector. >> Its work is guided by four pillars of Policy Advocacy, Capacity Building, >> Research, and Stakeholder Engagement. >> >> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors >> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, >> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do >> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. >> >> KICTANet - The Power of Communities, is Kenya's premier ICT policy >> engagement platform. >> > _______________________________________________ > KICTANet mailing list > KICTANet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >

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