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media bias consequences,,, a good example
by Gakuru Alex 15 Mar '09

15 Mar '09

[Throughout KCA discussions most, including our learned friends, were erroneously made to believe the media that this was just but terrible, no-good, plain "anti-media law." Now (save for into the third month) it's good continue emerging. The author's embarrassment and belated admission of the positives leaves one wondering what the ordinary (wo)man on the street thinks of the law? Does it make a classic "media misinformation" research case? I had hoped that un-biased content obligations by this law were highlighted. This gives information consumers the opportunity to make their most informed and independent view of all media features --AlexG] ---- March 15, 2009 Nairobi-Kenya In Kenya’s recent legislative history, fewer pieces of legislation have enjoyed as much bad press as the Kenya Communications (Amendment) Bill (now Act) 2008 (The KCAA). Admittedly, when a colleague in the industry recently asked me to articulate the positive aspects of the Act, I was embarrassingly surprised that I did not already have something I could e-mail him right away. A lot of the material that was out there seemed to harp on one perceived shortcoming in the Act or the other. In order to atone for my somewhat unbalanced analysis of the Act (but without recanting my previous opinions about its shortcomings), I took the time to prepare this feature-length commercial about its positive virtues.... <http://michaelmurungi.blogspot.com/2009/03/ten-reasons-to-spare-positive-th…>

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Conficker/Downadup Evolves To Defend Itself]
by alice 14 Mar '09

14 Mar '09

Conficker/Downadup Evolves To Defend Itself Worm develops ability to disable antimalware tools, switch domains more frequently By Tim Wilson, DarkReading <http://www.darkreading.com/> March 12, 2009 URL:http://www.darkreading.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=215900041 The enigmatic Conficker worm has evolved, adopting new capabilities that make it more difficult than ever to find and eradicate, security researchers say. In a blog published late last week <https://forums2.symantec.com/t5/Malicious-Code/W32-Downadup-C-Digs-in-Deepe…>, researchers at Symantec said they found "a completely new variant" of Conficker, sometimes called Downadup, that is being pushed out to machines previously infected with earlier versions of the worm. The new variant, which Symantec calls W32.Downadup.C, appears to have defensive capabilities that weren't present in earlier versions. While it spreads in the same manner, "Conficker.C" can disable some of the tools used to detect and eradicate it, including antivirus and other antimalware detection tools. W32.Downadup C also can switch domains at a much greater rate, Symantec said. "The Downadup authors have now moved from a 250-a-day domain-generation algorithm to a new 50,000-a-day domain generation algorithm," the researchers reported. "The new domain generation algorithm also uses one of a possible 116 domain suffixes." A report from CA about Conficker.C <http://www.ca.com/us/securityadvisor/virusinfo/virus.aspx?id=77976> confirms Symantec's findings, although the CA researchers said the jump from 500 to 50,000 domains will not occur until April 1. The ability to quickly switch domains will make it difficult for Internet security organizations, such as ICANN and OpenDNS, to block the domains used by the worm, industry experts note. The new variant emerges just as some vendors have come out with tools they say will eradicate the worm. Enigma Software today issued a new, free tool <http://www.enigmasoftware.com/> that it says will remove Conficker.A and Conficker.B from infected machines. A spokesman says the company has begun work on the new variant. And BitDefender also is offering a free tool <http://www.bdtools.net/> it says will remove all variants of the worm. Perhaps the most disconcerting aspect of the worm is that although it has reportedly infected hundreds of thousands of machines, it does not, as yet, seem to have a purpose. Although it has been contacting domains and spreading itself through various means, security experts say it has yet to be given a task -- such as distributing spam or launching a DDoS attack -- and researchers are still uncertain as to what it might be used for. And some experts say there may be other exploits that behave like Conficker/Downadup. "BitDefender Labs has been seeing an increase in worms, like Downadup, that have a built-in mathematical algorithm, generating strings based on the current date," says Vlad Valceanu, BitDefender's senior malware analyst. "The worms then produce a fixed number of domain names on a daily basis and check them for updates. This makes it easy for malware writers and cybercriminals to upgrade a worm or give it a new payload, as they only have to register one of the domains and then upload the files." /Have a comment on this story? Please click "Discuss" below. If you'd like to contact/ Dark Reading's /editors directly, send us a message <mailto:editors@darkreading.com>/ Copyright © 2007 CMP Media LLC <http://www.cmpnet.com/> _______________________________________________ AfrICANN mailing list AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann

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Grants for African college students
by John Walubengo 13 Mar '09

13 Mar '09

Apologies for cross-posting...but here's an opportunity for University/college students... walu. > From: Juma, Calestous <calestous_juma(a)harvard.edu> > Subject: Grants for African college students > To: "'david.dickson(a)scidev.net'" <david.dickson(a)scidev.net> > Date: Thursday, March 12, 2009, 6:17 AM > BOSTON, MA-- One Laptop per Child (OLPC) is beginning a > summer grant program in which up to 100 teams of university > students from around the world will distribute thousands of > XO laptops to children in Africa this summer. > > Partnering with schools and non-governmental organizations > in Africa, undergraduate and graduate students from around > the world will provide educational opportunities that > facilitate self-expression and exploration for children. > > OLPC is providing each team with 100 XO laptops, related > hardware, and up to $10,000 for operating costs. Student > teams will have the opportunity to attend an orientation > workshop in Kigali, Rwanda from June 8-17. > > Afterwards, they will spend nine weeks in an African > nation, working directly with local community partners to > integrate the XO into primary education. > OLPC founder and Chairman Nicholas Negroponte said that the > new program "represents a determined effort by OLPC to > engage university students worldwide in bringing an > education revolution to children living in some of the most > remote places on Earth. > > By empowering students from a multitude of countries and > cultures to act as agents of change, the belief that all > children have a right to quality education -- regardless of > where they happen to live -- will spread across the > globe." > > To date, OLPC has put over 500,000 XO laptops into the > hands of children all across the world. The One Laptop per > Child association developed a low-cost laptop -- the > "XO Laptop" -- to revolutionize how we educate the > world's children. > > OLPC's mission is to provide educational opportunities > for the world's poorest children by providing each child > with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with > content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, > self-empowered learning. > > The OLPCorps program features a high level of local > community involvement, as local schools and NGOs will > sustain the project for years to come. > *** > One Laptop per Child - Africa Grant Program Students have > played a pivotal role in every revolution, except > learning. That will change in 2009. Through One Laptop > per Child, student teams from around the world will each > deploy 100 XO-laptops throughout Africa this summer. If you > are an undergraduate or graduate student with an interest in > education, technology or capacity building, our summer grant > program will provide you with unprecedented hands-on > experience. > > Student Teams will: • travel to one of the 53 African > countries of their choosing for 9-10 weeks • participate > in a 10-day orientation in Kigali, Rwanda at OLPC's > office• receive up to $10,000 per team for operating > costs• deploy 100 XO laptops, including hardware and > support• collaborate with up to 100 other teams as part of > a life-long global network empowering a generation • send > a representative to MIT/OLPC's all-expense paid summit > from October 10-12, 2009. > > OLPCorps Africa Members will be active members of our > innovative 1 to 1 laptop-learning project and hold key roles > as leaders in our grassroots movement. The OLPC summer > grant program, which is a full-time commitments, begins June > 8. Teams will work closely with the One Laptop per Child > team to design and implement XO deployments, join a uniquely > African OLPC network, and lead a growing social movement. > How to apply: For more information on OLPCorps Africa and > specific application requirements, please visit our website: > http://laptop.org/en/participate/get-involved/OLPCorps.shtml. > Proposals must be received by March 27th. Contact OLPCorps > (OLPCorps(a)laptop.org) with any questions or concerns.

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WhereCamp Africa
by alice 13 Mar '09

13 Mar '09

Dear all This is an interesting event for organizations looking to better use mapping tools for their work. (http://www.wherecampafrica.org/) Great for technical staff to attend - it could be a great networking/inspiration event for them. ------------------------------------ All the best, Janet -- Program Manager Information Program Open Society Institute Oktober 6. ut. 12 H-1051 Budapest Hungary +36 1 327 3182 http://www.soros.org/ip/ jhaven(a)osieurope.org

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ICANN To IP Experts: Come Back With A Solution For Internet Trademark Protection]
by alice 13 Mar '09

13 Mar '09

12 March 2009 ICANN To IP Experts: Come Back With A Solution For Internet Trademark Protection By Monika Ermert <http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/author/monika/> for /Intellectual Property Watch/ @ 1:00 pm http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2009/03/12/icann-to-ip-experts-come-back-wit… Trademark issues are emerging with the upcoming introduction of new generic top-level domains on the internet, and the board members of the body introducing the names has passed the ball back to intellectual property experts to find answers. The Intellectual Property Constituency of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN, the internet technical coordinating body) has been asked to work out a viable solution “no later than 24 May 2009.” Trademark issues have been defined as one of four overarching issues still to be solved before ICANN can finalise the application procedure for the next hundreds or thousands of top-level domains from .eco to .music. In its resolution on Friday in Mexico City, the ICANN board decided to request that the ICANN Generic Name Supporting Organization (GNSO) Intellectual Property Constituency - in consultation with ICANN staff - convene an “implementation recommendation team” comprised of an “internationally diverse group of persons with knowledge, expertise, and experience in the fields of trademark, consumer protection, or competition law, and the interplay of trademarks and the domain name system.” The team is to “develop and propose solutions to the overarching issue of trademark protection in connection with the introduction of new gTLDs.” “We have reached out to the IP community saying, ‘You come back to us with some proposal how this should be solved,’” said ICANN Board Chairman Peter Dengate Thrush. An IP lawyer by profession, Dengate Thrush said he was confident that a proposal would be brought back to ICANN because of the “track record” of the IP experts. “We have gone through this already once in 1998/99,” he said. The debates 10 years ago resulted in the formation of the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy <http://www.icann.org/en/udrp/udrp.htm> (UDRP), built into the system to fight domain grabbing. Many domain-name disputes under the UDRP are brought to the World Intellectual Property Organization, which is expected to release its annual report on internet disputes next week. The danger of name-grabbing at the first stage and the concern that trademark owners will be pressured to protect their brands in hundreds of new TLDs led to a flurry of critical comments during the comment period last year for the first version of the Applicant’s Guidebook to the new domains. Even the US government called into question the need for new gTLDs asking for studies on the issue of market demand and market impact. ICANN recently published “preliminary” versions of studies prepared by Dennis Carlton, economics professor at the University of Chicago and highest-ranking economist in the Antitrust Division of the US Justice Department between 2006 and 2008. The draft texts came under heavy critique from participants at the ICANN meeting in Mexico. After ICANN’s decision on the implementation recommendation team there are some concerns with regard to the composition of group by outside observers. Board member Dennis Jennings of Ireland said he was glad that the resolution taken included internationality as a principle for the group. The discussion about IP issues seemed to have been “driven by big business and West, or North American intellectual property interests,” he said, adding that “other dimensions that need to be taken into account.” Wendy Seltzer, non-voting liaison of the At-Large Advisory Committee on the board said she hoped that members of other communities would be “consulted early in the process and would have full opportunities to analyse proposals that come out of this working group.” ”All interested constituencies will have the opportunity to provide input to the group,” wrote Kristina Rosette, an IP lawyer at Covington & Burling who represents the IP Constituency in the GNSO. This means the opportunity to provide input before drafting starts and during the early stages as well as the opportunity to comment on the draft, she said in a written statement to /Intellectual Property Watch/. ”It may also mean membership on the team,” Rosette added. “To my knowledge, that aspect has not been decided nor has the size of the team.” But she would expect that the group could be established in the next 10 days. Rosette also said she was confident that the IP Constituency could ultimately present a solution acceptable to other constituencies. Members of other constituencies in first reactions were worried that the IP Constituency would start over and neglect the policy development process that has taken place over years on the new gTLD introduction. They complain that the constituency has taken part in it and now is given a privileged chance to push their interests. “We need a solution,” Dengate Thrush said of the trademark issue. If the report is not acceptable to other constituencies in ICANN, “we will start our own work for a solution,” he said. Government Involvement The chairman of the ICANN Government Advisory Committee (GAC), Janis Karklins, welcomed the steps taken to ensure IP protection but criticised a proposal that geographic names be given the same level of protection rather than higher protection. So far GAC advice on the protection of country and place names has not been “fully taken into account,” Karklins said, as ICANN provided protection for the top level but not the second level of the upcoming new gTLDs. The second level would be in the form of @name.othername. Dengate Thrush reacted to this by saying that there might be a need for the GAC to reconsider parts of its advice, “partly because they’re difficult to implement and partly because they’re in conflict with other policy decisions.” Dengate Thrush also confirmed that as details of the different processes of introducing new gTLDs and new internationalised country-code top-level domains (IDN ccTLDs) becoming much clearer, the possibility for different start times for each set of names would become more real. Dengate Thrush asked, “Now that the possibility of divergence is becoming more real, what is the policy behind that?” and called for discussion on the question at the next ICANN meeting to be held in Sydney on 21-26 June. /Monika Ermert may be reached at info(a)ip-watch.ch <mailto:info@ip-watch.ch>./ _______________________________________________ AfrICANN mailing list AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann

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Re: [kictanet] ict@innovation workshop
by Gakuru Alex 13 Mar '09

13 Mar '09

"FOSS is an idea whose time has come", stated Hon. (Eng.) James Rege. News article <http://www.strathmore.edu/News.php?NewsID=50> Enjoy! Alex On Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 5:48 AM, Gakuru Alex <alexgakuru.lists(a)gmail.com> wrote: > folks, > > Been at http://www.strathmore.edu/Events.php?EventID=6 all along. > Great workshop it has been!! Will post a news update in due course. >

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ict@innovation workshop
by Gakuru Alex 12 Mar '09

12 Mar '09

folks, Been at http://www.strathmore.edu/Events.php?EventID=6 all along. Great workshop it has been!! Will post a news update in due course. rgds, Alex

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Confirmed Speakers for National BPO Week 7th to 9th April 2009
by Peres Were 10 Mar '09

10 Mar '09

The Kenya BPO & Contact Centre Society will hold the inaugural Annual National BPO Week on 7th to 9th April 2009. This Conference and Exhibition comes at a very important time as the sub-marine cable lands in Kenya, creating great opportunities within the BPO sector in the country. It is expected that there will be exponential growth of Kenya's BPO sector once the fibre optic cable becomes operational in June 2009. The conference and expo will run concurrently at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, in Nairobi. Internationally recognised speakers from the global and local contact centre and BPO industry will provide thought leadership during the conference sessions. The main expo will mostly include companies that are involved in Business Process Outsourcing, Call Centre, Software, Hardware, and Telecommunication among others. They will seek to showcase their products and offerings to the general public and seek to educate them on the emerging opportunities available to the youth and others alike. Confirmed international speakers include: Ken Bone President - Rising Data Solutions Ken has over 20 years of experience establishing, developing and operating world-class BPO centres in emerging markets. He is one of the pioneers responsible for the establishment and success of the BPO industry in the Philippines. Prior to joining Rising Data, Ken was the CEO of Electraserv Inc., a contact centre based in the Philippines. This call centre was founded in February, 2005. Electraserv is a Hong Kong Company, with operations in the Philippines and marketing offices in the U.S.A. Russ Sandlin Head of Contact Center - Gulf Bank of Kuwait Russ joined the bank in 2008. Prior to this, Russ managed large contact centres for Barclays PLC, HSBC, Chase Manhattan, Bank of America, AT&T and Dell. Russ is also the founder of Benprise LLC, an Outsourcing Service Provider. Russ has helped US based investors move their work offshore setting up contact centres in Korea, Mexico, Dubai, Qatar, Pakistan, India, the Philippines, China, Ghana and Kuwait. Russ is an industry expert in Offshore Outsourcing, BPO, KPO and Contact Centers. Dr. Pradeep Mukherjee President and Managing Partner of Avasant - Asia Avasant is a leading Management Consultancy and Global Sourcing firm headquartered in USA. Dr. Mukherjee has over 20 years of experience and expertise in Consultancy and Management of Technology Business. He has advised leading enterprises in US, Europe and ASPAC on strategic aspects of Services Globalization and Transformational Outsourcing. His expertise includes IT Consulting & Strategy, BPO Strategy, Global Risk Assessment and Management, Relationship Management, Contracting and Program Management and M&A .He has in the past advised Private Equity organizations on deal sourcing, deal structuring and post deal transformation. Captain Percy Jokhi Global Head of Security & Vigilance - Firstsource Solutions formerly Vice President of Security Services HSBC Bank. First Source Solutions has approximately 22,250 employees spread over various contact centers in India and abroad spanning USA, UK, Ireland, Argentina & Philippines. First Source clients include major blue chip international companies. As Global Head of Security and Vigilance, Percy's role includes creation & standardization of security policies & procedures within the organizations contact centres and throughout the entire organization. While Vice President -Security Services, at HSBC Bank, Percy set up the security department for the Bank in India and went on to set up the same for all companies and properties of HSBC Group in India. Percy has wide experience in all aspects of Security and in particular securing contact centre and BPO operations to meet international standards necessary for procuring outsourced contracts from the financial services industry. BOOK YOUR SPACE TODAY! Peres Were Vice-Chair Kenya BPO & Contact Society For bookings contact Kenya BPO & Contact Centre Society. Studio House, along Argwings Kodhek road, 2nd floor E-mail: <mailto:secretariat@kenyabposociety.or.ke> secretariat(a)kenyabposociety.or.ke Tel. No. /020-2391301/ 0722-663176/ 0733-917518 www.kenyabposociety.or.ke <http://www.kenyabposociety.or.ke/> www.bpoweek.co.ke <http://www.bpoweek.co.ke/> www.outsource2kenya.co.ke <http://www.outsource2kenya.co.ke/>

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ICANN Mexico Meeting Briefing note
by alice 10 Mar '09

10 Mar '09

Mexico City Briefing Note Published 9 March 2009 A briefing note on the Mexico City meeting <http://mex.icann.org/briefing-note> of 1-6 March 2009 has been published. ICANN's 34th international public meeting was hosted by ICANN, the Mexican Internet Association (AMIPCI), the Network Information Center (NIC) Mexico, and the Internet Society (ISOC) Mexico. The briefing note summarizes key developments at the meeting and outlines next steps and sources of further information for each. The topics included are: * New generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs) * Internationalized Domain Names and the IDN Fast Track * Amendments to the Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) * The Improving Institutional Confidence (IIC) consultation * GNSO Improvements * Independent Reviews * A summary of Board resolutions The briefing note is an informal summary. The authoritative records of official meetings will be available in their minutes. Further information about the meeting, including presentations and transcripts, is available at http://mex.icann.org/. Information about the next meeting which will be from 21-26 June 2008 in Sydney, Australia can be found at its dedicated website at http://syd.icann.org <http://syd.icann.org/>. *Related links: * Mexico City briefing note: http://mex.icann.org/briefing-note Mexico City meeting website: http://mex.icann.org/ Sydney meeting website: http://syd.icann.org <http://syd.icann.org/> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Sign up for ICANN's Monthly Magazine <http://www.icann.org/magazine/>* _______________________________________________ AfrICANN mailing list AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann

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Re: [kictanet] [ke-internetusers] KICC LAN PROJECT SUCCESFULLY COMPLETED
by James Rege 09 Mar '09

09 Mar '09

Walu, you can say "funny" again, it has been completed on time and without any of those "fleecings". May I also join hands with others in saying congratulation to everybody who had a hand in the project? As we are all trying very hard to prove a point that ict is the way and will assist all sectors in reducing graft, it would have been sad if the project had failed for one reason or the other. I only wish the late Dr Juma Okech was around to have a champaign in celebration. Lucy did you have a chance to add wifi for the geeks - those who rome the corridors with lap tops on their left/right hands and typing with the other? Congrats James Rege On Mar 6, 2009, at 3:09 PM, John Walubengo wrote: > > hey Lucy, > > I have been wanting to comment on this ICT Board project but hadnt > just gotten the minute...until now. > > I think the completion of your Infrastructure Project at KICC is > commendable in several ways. > > Firstly, it is rare for Govt projects to be completed on time, > within budget and hopefully expected quality standards. Particularly > in .KE where we have poor track record for ICT projects (ref: Anglo- > fleecing, et al) > > Secondly, it is rare for Govt Depts to be open about the same > (projects) - even if for it is for purposes of benchmarking and/or > lessons learnt. (Secrecy Act applies?) > > Funny, I just realized that as Kenyans we have been so numbed by > scandals that when a Project is "above board"/"open"- we fail to > notice that flicker of hope that all is not lost. That maybe there > are some "civil-servants" who want to make a change in their own > little ways. And that they should be encouraged and their lessons > shared precisely because they are a minority. Their little successes > should be celebrated because only then, can we built that critical > mass of civil servants that will begin to change the way Govt > thinks, behaves and responds to its 21st century Netizens. > > walu. > > > > --- On Fri, 2/20/09, Lucy Odhiambo <lodhiambo(a)ict.go.ke> wrote: > >> From: Lucy Odhiambo <lodhiambo(a)ict.go.ke> >> Subject: [ke-internetusers] KICC LAN PROJECT SUCCESFULLY COMPLETED >> To: kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> Cc: ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net >> Date: Friday, February 20, 2009, 6:21 PM >> Dear All, >> >> >> >> We are pleased to inform you that Kenya ICT Board and the >> E- Government >> directorate initiative has successfully completed >> installation of the much >> anticipated connectivity project at the Kenyatta >> International Conference >> Center. Sponsored and implemented by the two key >> stakeholders, the project >> has seen the set up of a secure Local Area Network; with >> infrastructure laid >> across the entire KICC premises. >> >> >> >> The network will be centrally managed and maintained on an >> inclusive IT >> system with connectivity to both the internet and the >> Government Common Core >> Network (GCCN). It is supported on a fiber optic backbone >> that was rolled >> out as part of the project and completed under the guidance >> of a team >> comprising experts from the Board among other stakeholder >> organizations. >> KICC has for a long time stood out as a key government >> owned building that >> does not have its own local area network and access to the >> Government WAN >> (wide area network.) >> >> >> >> This project is a milestone achievement as it realizes >> connectivity of all >> government offices to an overall network (comprising all >> other ministries >> and selected departments) allowing seamless and secure >> communication and >> file sharing. >> >> The project will be commissioned next week and we will keep >> you informed on >> the details. >> >> >> >> We congratulate the team that made this project a success - >> lead by Victor >> Kyalo and George Otieno from the board and the late Dr. >> Juma Oketch , >> Elijah Liech and the E-Government Directorate team. >> >> I have attached the project charter to give you some >> background on the >> project. >> >> >> >> >> >> Lucy Gachui Odhiambo >> >> Communications Manager >> >> Kenya ICT Board >> >> 12th Floor Telposta Towers >> >> Koinange Lane >> >> PO Box 27150 - 00100 >> Nairobi, Kenya >> >> Cell 0737- 839047 >> >> Tel: 254-020-2093040 >> >> <http://www.ict.go.ke> www.ict.go.ke >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> ke-internetusers mailing list >> ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net >> http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers > > > > _______________________________________________ > ke-internetusers mailing list > ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net > http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers

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