- KICTANet - KICTANet

African Banking Technology Conference
by Sean Moroney 17 Apr '07

17 Apr '07

Dear Colleagues, I wanted to invite Kictanet members to participate in our Banking Technology Conference by taking advantage of the 20 free delegate spaces we allocate for members at each of our Kenya events. The full programme is available on our web site. Please notify Judy if you would like to apply for a free registration. I look forward to seeing Kictanet members there - and to having your active participation in the discussions. Best regards, Sean Sean Moroney Chairman AITEC Africa <mailto:seanm@aitecafrica.com> seanm(a)aitecafrica.com UK Tel: +44-(0)1480-880774 UK Fax: +44-(0)1480-880765 UK Mobile: +44(0)7973-499224 Kenya Mobile: +254(0)721-845674 Nigeria Mobile: +234(0)802--0571766 SA Mobile: +27(0)72-610-7153 Skype: seanmoroney <http://www.aitecafrica.com/> www.aitecafrica.com

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flashback.... OFC debate
by Rebecca Wanjiku 17 Apr '07

17 Apr '07

hi, here are some issues raised during the OFC discussion, a full report will be uploaded once the site becomes fully operational.... KICTANET facilitates OFC debate “The government is only facilitating, the owners of the Optic Fibre Cable (OFC) will be the private sector,” said Bitange Ndemo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Communication. “Governments must design and implement regulation based on the needs of a particular country and its peculiar historical or other circumstances, of course tending towards best practices,” said Joseph Kihanya, a lawyer. “Will all this fibre talk translate to real consumer cost savings or are they just the usual public marketing of the wonderful world to come?” asked Alex Gakuru These are some of the comments that came out of the two week online discussion on the OFC facilitated by KICTANET. The online forum was calculated to encourage stakeholder input to the OFC debate, analyze the advantages and the concerns of the various sectors. There were contributions from government, private sector as well as academia. The discussions were divided into five themes; Why OFC?, existing business models for OFC provisioning, existing/appropriate regulatory models for OFC, best model (business and regulatory) for East African, projected impact on stakeholders, reconciling stakeholder Why OFC? OFC has been described as the solution to high cost of international Bandwidth. According to Information and Communication minister, Kenya will be in a position to attract ICT business and compete with countries like India, once the cable is in place. Once the whole country is linked via a backbone, then rural areas can conduct business online locally and internationally. For instance, the coffee societies licensed to market their coffee can easily sell their coffee directly without coming to Nairobi or other major towns. In the region, OFC will make easier and cheaper to communicate and share information. Uganda and Ethiopia have already laid their cable, expected to connect through Kenya to the world. With the backbone, the banks and other regional businesses can use the same network for transactions. Existing Business Models Three models persisted throughout the discussion, namely, Open Access (EASSy), Private-led (Flag), and the Consortium models. There was lively discussion about separation of Cable ownership from Cable Management which fits squarely with the Open Access thinking, whereby, the investors in the cable (Govt, Public, Private Companies) appoint an independent management agent (at a fee) to operate the cable on their behalf on a cost-recovery, open access basis. I.e. open to current and future operators wishing to connect to the landing points or invest further in the cable on equal basis. In this case, the cable becomes an essential service or public good, from where operators can compete to offer (other) services at a Profit. Flag- a Private Investment initiative has a variant model where the cable is –privately owned but promises to open access to the landing points - but aims to maximize returns on the investments made on the cable infrastructure by reselling capacity at market rates. They also aim to play only at the infrastructure level, rather than at all levels, namely Infrastructure (cable) and services (network and application), opting to leave that to ISPs and ASP (Application Service Providers). The consortium model was not heavily advocated for but there were suggestions that it can operate if commercial interest are let loose to play dynamically with the market forces. The consortium model is where a group of operators get into a private, closed,Commercial agreement to build, own and operate a submarine cable with aim of maximizing their returns (profit) in the shortest time possible. The question of short term investors has been a bone of contention with arguments that in the end, consumers suffer once investors get their profits and pull out. The short-term interests of investors must be balanced against the long-term social benefits that would accrue from an affordable bandwidth provisions. Discussants asked for the regulator should flex their muscle once the OFC is laid-out. The major financing option was by way Initial Public Offer (IPO) other financing models (Equity, Debt, etc) were not thoroughly discussed. Existing/appropriate regulatory models The overriding argument was that the government should relax its oversight role to allow business to operate with some elasticity. In this relaxed role, the government would maintain the role of regulator e.g. the way governments of other fledging economies such as South Africa, Singapore and Malaysia maintain a subtle oversight role. However, the role of government as the regulatory authority was underscored as the balance between investor interests and the consumers. Why is regulation in telecommunications important?It authorizes new operators, removes barriers to entry, mandates interconnection between players, and oversees the penetration of services in areas that commercial imperatives would not allow or pursue because of minimal profits. Transparent telecommunications will regulate mainly by promoting efficient supply of services, providing an enabling environment for the maintenance of efficient pricing, Protect consumer rights/privacy rights and facilitate interconnection thereby efficient use of communication services. Deregulation was discussed as a theme that is in play in most countries that have achieved above optimal competitive markets. The case of the UK under the Communications Act 2003 was given as an example. Though there is no direct call for deregulation in the draft ICT bill CCK was suggested as a proper authority that could maintaining industry specific competition principles and statutes for the telecommunication sector. Regulation for the OFC may be through the competition framework under the CA (1998) or the ICT bill (2006). Complete lack of regulation may therefore not be an option given the circumstances.The WTO and the ITU also anticipate regulatory oversight given the various international documents that Kenya is signatory to. Projected impact of OFC It was unanimous the OFC will boost connectivity and lower the cost of bandwidth. With faster internet, it will be easier to carry voice, data and images via internet protocol. The issue of local content raised great concern with arguments that Kenya imports 99 % of the content. The implication will mean that people will have to develop content that suits them instead of copying what is already available elsewhere. With local content, the internet industry will employ more people to keep updating the content as well as offer services and goods via the internet. It was felt that regardless of the OFC that will be adopted, benefits might not be maximized due to prevailing market structures. Roland Alden (2006) argues that our current market (regulatory) structures have not adapted to the realities of a converged market and therefore continue to constrain the potential benefits that OFC may bring about. In his extensive writing on telecommunications, Roland contends that networks require capital investment, customers who can support that investment, and a clear regulatory environment that is not disruptive or counterproductive. In Kenya, all three inputs have been in short supply. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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four players in the cable
by Rebecca Wanjiku 17 Apr '07

17 Apr '07

FOUR PLAYERS IN THE CABLE Its now official, another company- Harakles Telecom LLC has commissioned Tyco to survey the 13,000km East and South African coast. Herakles awarded the SEACOM marine survey to Tyco Telecommunications of USA. The survey commences the development of the undersea fiber optic network which will provide high capacity bandwidth connectivity between South Africa, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, India and Europe. SEACOM becomes the fourth entrant to the scene with questions being raised on whether the costs will come down and the time its likely to take before we get the cable. In February, the government said the cost of international broadband is set to drastically reduce within 18 months after it confirmed it is ready to adopt three different under sea cables provided through various routes. Bitange Ndemo, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Information and Communication said that Kenya was taking a three pronged approach calculated to reduce the cost of international connectivity. Priority is given to the East African Marine System (Teams) the fibre optic cable link to Fujairah in the UAE. “The lead arranger will take over the private/public TEAMS project and will be in charge of financial sourcing. We expect to be done within 18 months,” said Ndemo. Under the Teams agreement, the Kenya Government will have a 40 per cent holding in the project, Etisalat of UAE will hold 20% and the remaining 40% will go to investors in the East African region. The Government has said it will organise an Initial Public Offer (IPO) on the Kenyan Stock Exchange. According to John Waweru, Director General at the Communication Commission of Kenya, the Teams project is expected to recover the costs within three years. Kenya is still pursuing the controversial East African Submarine Cable System (EASSy) an initiative aimed at constructing and operating a submarine fiber optic cable along the East African Coast. EASSy will connect nine coastal countries and island nations and to the rest of the world. The route will be from South Africa to Port Sudan, covering over 9,000 km, connecting Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan and Tanzania (including Zanzibar). Thirty-two leading telecommunications operators from East and Southern Africa signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in December 2003 to carry out the construction and maintenance of EASSy. But the project was dogged by controversy over whether NEPAD should take the overall leadership or the leadership should be led by the private sector. Terrestrial backbone networks are also being built in separate developments to link all capitals and major cities in Eastern and Southern Africa to the EASSy cable and the international backbone system. The third international fibre project is fronted by Kenya Data Network (KDN) and which has now signed its contract with Flag Telecom. KDN will link from Mombasa and terminate in an undersea junction in international waters off of the Yemen. KDN says the link will be fully operational in the first quarter of 2008, just 15 months away. KDN also stresses that its landing station at Mombasa will allow other carriers to co-locate therefore charging only electricity and services at cost. According to the PS, the three options are meant to make Kenya competitive in provision of international broadband. Ndemo underscored the need for the country to compete internationally and attract international businesses. He argued that the broadband purchased by international businessmen at a cost of USD 200 costs USD 7,500 in Kenya, therefore ruling the country out as an internet investment destination. SEACOM now gives industry players a chance to evaluate whether any of the operators will lay the cable, then the debate can start over its efficacy. Ends __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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ICT law or none???
by Rebecca Wanjiku 16 Apr '07

16 Apr '07

STILL WAITING FOR ICT LAW It has been a long wait for an ICT Act, and there is no immediate sign that the wait is over. Though the draft policy was presented to the cabinet by Attorney General Amos Wako, it is yet to be published in the Kenya gazette. If the draft is published in the gazette, then there can be a chance it will be presented to parliament for debate before end of this year. Though the AG’s office claims to be attending to the bill together with others pending, the challenge is how to harmonize the draft bill to be in tandem with the Communications Act (1998). Wako’s office is debating whether to come up with a separate ICT Act or to repeal the communications Act to incorporate the draft bill. Lawyer Paul Mwangi, who has been following developments of the draft policy, says that the AG can come up with a new Act so long as it does not contradict the Communications Act. “The draft bill can be published and presented to parliament then they can decide whether to enact an ICT Act or to come up with a more comprehensive Act by repealing the Communications Act and,” says Mwangi. Mwangi argues that the excuses by the AG are about convenience, and nothing substantial. He adds that it is just a matter of codifying the law, and that can come up with another Act and they will still be applicable. Lawyer Joseph Kihanya agrees that Bills can be debated and passed to repeal Acts in force. “Why this cannot be done with the Communications Act (1998) I can not tell,” says Kihanya. Kihanya adds that Telecommunications law demands that the laws be consolidated into one statute. He illustrates this by quoting the UK Communications Act 2003 which was consolidated into one statute that deals with every aspect of ICTs. The UK Communications Act (2003) deals with issues ranging from regulations, media ownership and control, internet, ecommerce to the relationship between the ministry and the British Broadcasting Corporation. The UK CA (2003) is divided into parts that exhaust legislation relation to the field for instance, part 5 deals with competition in communications market. Under this part, there are chapters guiding on functions of the ministry according to the law, and media mergers, detailing how they should be carried out. The Kenya ICT draft bill is a product of the Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth and Employment Creation (2003-2007) and was developed by the Ministry of Information & Communications in January 2006. According to the ministry of Information and Communication website, the ICT draft bill is seeking to encourage sustained economic growth and poverty reduction, promote social justice and equity, mainstream gender in national development, empower youth and disadvantaged groups, stimulate investment and innovation in ICT, and achieve universal access. The draft bill addresses market structure, policy objectives and targets, implementation strategies, universal access, and the institutional framework of information technology (IT), broadcasting, telecommunications, radio frequency spectrum, and postal services. But some stakeholders in the ICT industry feel that some amendments should be made to the draft before it is presented for debate. Media owners feel that the draft has not adequately addressed their concerns and instead has come up with draconian measures regarding media ownership. Ends __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Kictanet events
by Rebecca Wanjiku 16 Apr '07

16 Apr '07

April 26: One day workshop for journalists, April 26: Kictanet monthly furum May 17: KICTANet monthly forum June 14: KICTANet Monthly forum July12: KICTANet Monthly forum August 9: KICTANet monthly forum August (TBC) KICTANet launch Strategic plan, website, Institutional Assessment report and Positioning for the future study September 13: KICTANet Monthly forum October 11: KICTANet monthly forum November 8: KICTANet monthly forum December 20: KICTANet Monthly forum __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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newsletter articles
by Rebecca Wanjiku 16 Apr '07

16 Apr '07

Editor’s note Welcome to the first issue of the KICTANET newsletter. The newsletter will be a forum for members to share views and get updates on the happenings in the ICT industry. This month, the focus is on the Optic Fibre Cable (OFC), a summary of the online discussion and some background information on the three cables that Kenya is pursuing. The articles give some of the suggestions made relating to the regulation as well as legal aspects in the OFC business. Focusing on the ICT draft bill, there are opposing views on how the Attorney General should react- a separate ICT Act or to repeal the Communications Act (1998) and replace it with a more detailed and exhaustive Act. It is proving to be a convoluted debate which KICTANET hopes to keep updating. Remember to update your calendar on all ICT related events, the newsletter will feature upcoming events but members can also contribute to this by writing to KICTANET. Because it is the inaugural issue, KICTANET is counting on you to read and give feedback on the newsletter. Members are invited to forward suggestions on what should be the title of the newsletter. Write to: alice(a)apc.org __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Fwd: [Idlelo2] Google and East african Universities
by Judy Okite 16 Apr '07

16 Apr '07

This really looks good ! ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Dapo Ladimeji <dapo(a)ladimeji.co.uk> Date: Mon, 09 Apr 2007 16:04:08 +0100 Subject: [Idlelo2] Google and East african Universities To: idlelo2(a)fossfa.net East African universities to gain from web tools deal The deal will give more students access to communication technologies Kimani Chege 26 March 2007 Source: SciDev.Net [NAIROBI] A software deal signed between universities in East Africa and the US-based internet giant Google will improve access to web-based communications for staff and students. Under the deal, Rwanda's government ministries and three Rwandan universities — the National University of Rwanda, the Kigali Institute for Education and the Kigali Institute for Science and Technology — as well as Kenya's University of Nairobi (UoN) will have free access to Google Apps. The applications include email, shared calendars, instant messaging and word processing software, along with the associated support services provided by the corporation. The deal, signed last week (19 March), looks set to improve internal communications at UoN and facilitate research, particularly for studies undertaken in remote areas. The head of information and communication technology at UoN, Elijah Omwenga, says the email application Gmail will be particularly useful in reducing the bandwidth required for internal communications by its 50,000 students and staff. He told SciDev.Net that the institution was facing major challenges in acquiring enough bandwidth. "This means our students and staff can access mail from the campuses as well as from outside. This will facilitate communicating all research, even when it is being done in remote areas," said Omwenga. However, he called for Google to come up with specific details of the offer, so that Google and the UoN can develop research schemes geared towards Africa's needs — such as developing software in local languages and making it more relevant to the local audience. About 20,000 users in Rwanda will have access to Google Apps in the first phase. This will be followed by a broader countrywide introduction. Students at UoN will be the first to use Google Apps in Kenya. Software access will then be extended to 150,000 Kenyan students at universities across the country. A Google spokesperson told the International Data Group News Service, "We are exploring other opportunities in both countries, and throughout the region as well." *Related SciDev.Net articles:* Zambia announces ICT training centre for scientists <http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=3453&langua…> Web 2.0 can benefit the world's poor <http://www.scidev.net/Opinions/index.cfm?fuseaction=readOpinions&itemid=572…> ICT for development: hope or hype? <http://www.scidev.net/Opinions/index.cfm?fuseaction=readOpinions&itemid=537…> *Related links:* University of Nairobi <http://www.uonbi.ac.ke> National University of Rwanda <http://www.nur.ac.rw/> *Photo Credit:* SciDev.Net/Tonks *Dossiers:* Technology Transfer <http://www.scidev.net/dossiers/index.cfm?fuseaction=dossierItem&Dossier=12> Back to news <http://www.scidev.net/news/> To the top <http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=3508&langua…> Print Format <http://www.scidev.net/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=printarticle&itemid=3508&la…> Email Article <javascript:emaillink()> Comment <javascript:comments()> Regional Gateways World Map * Latin America <http://www.scidev.net/latinamerica/> * Sub-saharan Africa <http://www.scidev.net/africa/> * Middle-East & North Africa <http://www.scidev.net/middleeast/> * South Asia <http://www.scidev.net/sasia/> * China <http://www.scidev.net/china/> * South-East Asia <http://www.scidev.net/seasia/> Dossiers * Agri-Biotech <http://www.scidev.net/agribiotech/> * Biodiversity <http://www.scidev.net/biodiversity/> * Bird Flu <http://www.scidev.net/birdflu/> * Brain Drain <http://www.scidev.net/braindrain/> * Climate Change <http://www.scidev.net/climate/> * Desert Science <http://www.scidev.net/desertscience/> * Ethics of Research <http://www.scidev.net/ethics/> * HIV/AIDS <http://www.scidev.net/hiv/> * Indigenous Knowledge <http://www.scidev.net/indigenous/> * Intellectual Property <http://www.scidev.net/ipr/> * Malaria <http://www.scidev.net/malaria/> * Research and Development <http://www.scidev.net/randd/> * Technology Transfer <http://www.scidev.net/techtransfer/> Quick Guides * Genomics <http://www.scidev.net/genomics/> * Nanotechnology <http://www.scidev.net/nanotechnology/> * Science Publishing <http://www.scidev.net/sciencepublishing/> FREE SciDev.Net Newsfeed *Would you like to carry SciDev.Net stories on your website? We offer a constantly-updated 'newsfeed' featuring our top three news items. To find out more, click **here* <http://www.scidev.net/index.cfm?fuseaction=subpages&root=aboutthissite&page…> Book Reviews Read SciDev.Net's selection of book reviews <http://www.scidev.net/bookreviews/> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE This e-mail including any attachments may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient you should not use the contents or disclose them to any other person. Unauthorised recipients are requested to preserve this confidentiality and to advise the sender immediately of any error in transmission. Ladimeji & Co, Chartered Accountants & Chartered Tax Advisers, Springfield House, 23 Oatlands Drive Weybridge KT13 9LZ TEL; +44-207-096-1811 FAX: +44 207-900-3574 -- Judy Ann Okite, +254-721237507,+254-734252336 P.O. BOX 2228 00100, NAIROBI,KENYA. "Even if you are on the right track, you'll still get run over if you just sit there."

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CCK Internet Market Study - Looking for PDF copy.
by John Walubengo 13 Apr '07

13 Apr '07

I note the above has now been uploaded at http://www.cck.go.ke/internet_market_study/ However, am looking for a PDF copy for the same. I realise that my mind is hard-wired to read 'offline' rather than 'online' when i get into serious analysis. walu. nb: maybe CCK could upload a PDF version as well? ____________________________________________________________________________________ Get your own web address. Have a HUGE year through Yahoo! Small Business. http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/domains/?p=BESTDEAL

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Re: [kictanet] kictanet Digest, Vol 26, Issue 24
by Joan Walumbe 13 Apr '07

13 Apr '07

Thanks Simret. Joan ----- Original Message ----- From: <kictanet-request(a)kictanet.or.ke> To: "Joan" <jwalumbe(a)globalnetcorps.org> Sent: Friday, April 13, 2007 11:19 AM Subject: kictanet Digest, Vol 26, Issue 24 > Send kictanet mailing list submissions to > kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > kictanet-request(a)kictanet.or.ke > > You can reach the person managing the list at > kictanet-owner(a)kictanet.or.ke > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of kictanet digest..." > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: CCK Internet Market Study - Looking for PDF copy. > (Alex Gakuru) > 2. Re: CCK Internet Market Study - Looking for PDF copy. > (Odhiambo WASHINGTON) > 3. Fwd: [ke-internetusers] User Privacy (deliberately?) > Compromised (Alex Gakuru) > 4. Fwd: [ke-internetusers] User Privacy (deliberately?) > Compromised (Alex Gakuru) > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >

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Fwd: [ke-internetusers] User Privacy (deliberately?) Compromised
by Alex Gakuru 13 Apr '07

13 Apr '07

I need user opinion on this issue. Could you kindly spare some time and comment either on or off line? TIA Alex Gakuru <gakuru(a)gmail.com> wrote: Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 09:27:47 +0300 From: "Alex Gakuru" <gakuru(a)gmail.com> To: ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net Subject: [ke-internetusers] User Privacy (deliberately?) Compromised *** Any comments*** Identity Management Systems invade individual's privacy. Interception of communication, lawful or otherwise, is primarily used to gain "informed advantage" and fore-warn law enforcement agencies to protect everyone, commercial espionage, Intellectual property thefts, or sheer mischief, such as embarrassing an online user, among others. "Private censorship" is a far bigger and real problem that government censorship considering technology users served by state-owned Telkom. Privacy has never been a bigger issue that it is today. For example, with 8 million subscribers but only 2.7 million internet users in Kenya, how, if, when, and where did 7 million pre-paid subscribers ever read website-posted terms of service? These terms are repeated in broadcast advertisements as "terms and conditions apply" Celtel appears not to bother posting their terms of service but several interesting clauses can be read at Safaricom's pre-paid "contract" at . [Safaricom Pre-paid users "contract"] f) Please note that the confidentiality of your communications via our Network is not guaranteed. You are advised that for reasons beyond our control, there is a risk that your communications may be unlawfully intercepted or accessed by those other than the intended recipient. We cannot accept any liability for any loss, injury or damage whether direct or consequential arising out of any such compromise of confidentiality; g) You accept that we may disclose and/or receive and/or record any details of your use of the Services including but not limited to your calls, emails, SMS's, data, your personal information or documents obtained from you for the purposes below: i. Fraud prevention and law enforcement; ii. For reasonable commercial purposes connected to your use of the mobile service, such as marketing and research related activities; iii. Use in our telephone directory enquiry service in printed or electronic format; iv. To comply with any legal, governmental or regulatory requirement; v. Our lawyers in connection with any legal proceedings; vi. In business practices including but not limited to quality control, training and ensuring effective systems operation. h) You must comply with any instructions that we may give you from time to time about the use of the Services; i) The maximum call duration for any one single call made using the Services is approximately sixty (60) minutes. j) With the exception of calls made to our Customer Service Hotline numbers and to any other designated toll free numbers, a variable minimum network access credit requirement shall be applied and shall depend on the Tariff used by the Customer. 2 . 3. ACCEPTANCE AND COMMENCEMENT OF CONDITIONS OF USE You are deemed to have accepted these Conditions of Use as amended from time to time and which take effect:- (a) Upon the Re-charge of your account at any time with any amount using the designated recharge voucher or using any other approved means of Re-charge ; or (b) Upon your use of our Services or upon you accessing our Network at any time; or (c) Upon the initial activation of your SIM Card.3 The EU has perhaps more protection for privacy than in the U.S. The Data Protection Directive of 1995 prohibits sharing of information with any nation that does provide adequate protection for personal data. In 1999 the U.S. Dept. of Commerce worked out a safe harbor regulation that has so far satisfied the EU. FTC (US) has led govt. action to protect consumer privacy. FTC thinks that web sites should adhere to the Five Fair Information Principles: 1. Notice/Awarenessright to be notified if someone is collecting information about you 2. Choice/Consentright to opt out of having information about you collected 3. Access/Participationright to see files collected about you and right to offer corrections 4. Integrity/Securityright to have personal files collected about you be secure 5. Enforcement/Redressright to sue if any of the first four FIPs are violated ------- [How Stuff Works] by Jeff Tyson Carnivorous Evolution Carnivore was the third generation of online-detection software used by the FBI. While information about the first version has never been disclosed, many believe that it was actually a readily available commercial program called Etherpeek. In 1997, the FBI deployed the second generation program, Omnivore. According to information released by the FBI, Omnivore was designed to look through e-mail traffic travelling over a specific Internet service provider (ISP) and capture the e-mail from a targeted source, saving it to a tape-backup drive or printing it in real-time. Omnivore was retired in late 1999 in favor of a more comprehensive system, the DragonWare Suite, which allowed the FBI to reconstruct e-mail messages, downloaded files or even Web pages. DragonWare contained three parts: * Carnivore - A Windows NT/2000-based system that captures the information * Packeteer - No official information released, but presumably an application for reassembling packets into cohesive messages or Web pages * Coolminer - No official information released, but presumably an application for extrapolating and analyzing data found in the messages As you can see, officials never released much information about the DragonWare Suite, nothing about Packeteer and Coolminer and very little detailed information about Carnivore. But we do know that Carnivore was basically a packet sniffer, a technology that is quite common and has been around for a while. Packet Sniffing Computer network administrators have used packet sniffers for years to monitor their networks and perform diagnostic tests or troubleshoot problems. Essentially, a packet sniffer is a program that can see all of the information passing over the network it is connected to. As data streams back and forth on the network, the program looks at, or "sniffs," each packet. Normally, a computer only looks at packets addressed to it and ignores the rest of the traffic on the network. When a packet sniffer is set up on a computer, the sniffer's network interface is set to promiscuous mode. This means that it is looking at everything that comes through. The amount of traffic largely depends on the location of the computer in the network. A client system out on an isolated branch of the network sees only a small segment of the network traffic, while the main domain server sees almost all of it. A packet sniffer can usually be set up in one of two ways: * Unfiltered - Captures all of the packets * Filtered - Captures only those packets containing specific data elements Packets that contain targeted data are copied as they pass through. The program stores the copies in memory or on a hard drive, depending on the program's configuration. These copies can then be analyzed carefully for specific information or patterns. When you connect to the Internet, you are joining a network maintained by your ISP. The ISP's network communicates with other networks maintained by other ISPs to form the foundation of the Internet. A packet sniffer located at one of the servers of your ISP would potentially be able to monitor all of your online activities, such as: * Which Web sites you visit * What you look at on the site * Whom you send e-mail to * What's in the e-mail you send * What you download from a site * What streaming events you use, such as audio, video and Internet telephony * Who visits your site (if you have a Web site) In fact, many ISPs use packet sniffers as diagnostic tools. Also, a lot of ISPs maintain copies of data, such as e-mail, as part of their back-up systems. Carnivore and its sister programs were a controversial step forward for the FBI, but they were not new technology. ---- Alex Gakuru _______________________________________________ ke-internetusers mailing list ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers --------------------------------- Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos.

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