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[cybercrime] hidden cost of commoditizing IT Talent
by Patrick A. M. Maina 01 Feb '19

01 Feb '19

There's a funny corporate culture that I have observed in Kenya that could shed some light on why local IT systems appear so vulnerable: TALENT COMMODITIZATION. Take the banking industry for example, I recall a while back seeing some chatter on twitter about how big brands UNDERPAY key IT staff (I.e. the hands on technical staff like sysadmins / app admins / dbadmins & devs) in order to "save" on manpower costs. In this day and age that is not an intelligent thing to do. Others assume that outsourcing to India will magically solve for costs, quality and security. I have worked on projects with "world-class" offshore teams and what I saw was a minefield of HIDDEN COSTS if you don't have your own savvy supervisory / QC team. Then there is the "contract fixes everything" fanatics. Contracts mean nothing if you can't detect shoddy work - and if going to court after the fact is almost impossible given risks of PR blowback (in image sensitive industries). In many cases such contracts are just for CYA (avoiding blame or passing audit reviews). Some tradition-heavy institutions still put IT under Finance directors / VPs or GMs instead of having IT representation at board level. This makes it hard for IT to push back on top-down "spreadsheet inspired" directives. You don't increase shareholder value by setting up your critical functions for downstream failure (or putting the entire org or at risk just to hit annual growth targets). Beefing up the Infosec unit is pointless if the underlying architecture is full of holes. There is only so much duct taping that can be done. Worse if that team is underpaid as well. It's also interesting that many local companies don't have a "specialist path" for technical talent advancement. This limits the political/decision making clout for technical talent as well as limiting their personal growth. Hopping / side hustling / track switching (e.g. to management) is the end result. These mistakes have cost the financial industry (for example) a whopping 17BILLION in potentially avoidable losses (and still counting). So much for HR "cost savings". :-/ I think the Infosec crisis in Kenya is just a SYMPTOM of bigger "organisation and culture" issues - and short term thinking is right at the heart of it. "Financial institutions in Kenya have recently become a soft target for cybercriminals, with police records showing that they lost about Sh17 billion to the fraudsters in 2016, up from Sh14 billion in 2015." https://mobile.nation.co.ke/business/Police-probe-130-bank-cyber-fraud-susp…

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Call for Applications: Internet of Rights Fellowship 2019
by Mallory Knodel 01 Feb '19

01 Feb '19

Hi all, Please share our call for applications for this year's Internet of Rights fellowship. The deadline for applications is Friday, 24 February. Thank you! -Mallory === Download the call: https://share.article19.io/index.php/s/f9SzmAYzBizdMg5 # Call for Applications: ARTICLE 19 Internet of Rights Fellowship ARTICLE 19 Team Digital is looking for three new fellows to join the 2019 cohort of the Internet of Rights Fellowship. Since 2014 ARTICLE 19 has been a pioneer in the technical governance and evolution of the global Internet, bridging the knowledge gap within the technical and human rights communities. In doing so, ARTICLE 19 has carved out a key platform for civil society engagement in these bodies; however, there remains the need for greater, more diverse, and more sustainable civil society participation. In its third year, the Internet of Rights Fellowship will equip a diverse community of civil society organizations and their representatives with the tools they need to carry out long-term, influential engagement in the bodies setting the technical policies and standards that uphold the global Internet architecture. Fellows will be expected to have some working knowledge and experience with the technical and policy discussions across the Internet governance landscape. Under the guidance of their assigned mentors, they will develop a deeper knowledge of their target issue area and the skills necessary to meaningfully contribute to discussions in order to further human rights considerations in Internet governance bodies. By the end of the program, fellows will be well equipped to continue developing a robust approach to human rights within these technical communities beyond the life of the program. # The Fellowship The Internet of Rights Fellowship program is designed to be flexible and dynamic to account for each individual’s skills, interests, and experience. Prospective fellows are encouraged to be creative in their approach. Upon selection, fellows will work with ARTICLE 19 Team Digital to elaborate upon their work plan, develop a schedule, and identify potential deliverables. Beyond lending structure to the fellowship, this exercise is intended to give our team insights into how we may best support each individual. The 2019 Internet of Rights Fellowship will start in March and last for one year, during which time fellows will work closely with their mentor—a designated member of our team—on one of the following priority areas: * Algorithmic decision making: This is a technical track on which fellows will complement our policy work on algorithms, artificial intelligence and machine learning to address how algorithmic decision-making can be guided by international human rights law. Algorithms fellows may work on developing research, and/or work in both established and emerging spaces, like the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Partnership on AI (PAI). * Public Interest Internet Standards: This is a technical and policy development track on which fellows will contribute to Article 19's work at the Human Rights in Protocols Considerations Research Group of the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF), or in developing novel technical methods for measuring human rights aspects of existing Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standards. * Radio Network Hardware: This is a technical or humanities track in which the fellow will complement our policy work by studying specific standardization projects ongoing in either the IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee (LMSC) or the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The fellowship has the goal of uncovering hidden effects on human rights of technical choices at the lowest layer of Internet architecture: hardware. Fellows may be given the task to assist ARTICLE 19 representatives with things like Letter Ballots, technical reviews and attend standardization meetings. Each Fellow will be expected to participate in three Internet governance-related meetings over the course of the year. Costs incurred during participation in meetings and conferences as part of this program will be covered by the Fellowship. Fellows will also receive a monthly honorarium of USD 300 over the duration of their fellowship. # The Fellows Fellows are expected to commit to an average of eight hours per week engaging in forum-specific discussions, participating in working groups, and completing projects. The program will be conducted entirely in English; therefore, fellows must have written and spoken proficiency in the language. For all priority areas, the ideal fellow will have: * Technical competence, which may include knowledge and experience in computer networking and protocols, systems design, and architecture * Prior experience contributing to Internet governance fora, and/or in-depth knowledge of their target body * A clear commitment to protecting and promoting human rights and Internet freedom. Applicants from the Global South, women, and other under-represented groups are encouraged to apply. # Application Submissions The deadline for applications is Friday, 24 February 2019. Interested applicants should submit the following to fellowship(a)article19.org: * Curriculum vitae * Statement of interest, indicating priority area and proposed work plan (maximum of two pages) * Contact information of two references Questions can be directed to fellowship(a)article19.org -- Mallory Knodel Head of Digital :: article19.org gpg fingerprint :: E3EB 63E0 65A3 B240 BCD9 B071 0C32 A271 BD3C C780 -- Mallory Knodel May First/People Link :: mayfirst.org gpg fingerprint :: E3EB 63E0 65A3 B240 BCD9 B071 0C32 A271 BD3C C780

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Emerging Trends - India adopting National Champion policy to accelerate growth of indigenous industries
by Patrick A. M. Maina 31 Jan '19

31 Jan '19

It's a proven mid-term strategy for stimulating rapid industrialization and international competitiveness of indigenous industries: "National champions are promoted for the purpose of job creation, technology and skill acquisition, and building competitive advantage. [Example:] 98 of the Chinese companies listed on the Fortune Global 500 list are state owned, including China’s 12 largest companies. Through government policies targeting the SOE sector, key companies have grown drastically in size to now be among the largest companies globally." - Foreign Policy Journal (Link: China’s National Champions: State Support Makes Chinese Companies Dominant | Foreign Policy Journal) | | | | | | | | | | | China’s National Champions: State Support Makes Chinese Companies Domina... China's efforts to centrally plan the economy make it difficult for foreign companies to enter the Chinese marke... | | | "National champions have an inherent multiplier effect that politicians can leverage, for instance to create domestic jobs or increase wages. They often create so-called national brands – an extension of the national champions themselves. These brands also benefit from government lobbying, as Airbus did during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to China in January 2018, during which the Chinese government signalled an interest in buying 184 Airbus jets. Traditional strategic sectors include homeland security and defence companies, utilities (power generation companies), telecommunication service providers and key manufacturing industries, while technology and healthcare are new entries to that list." - World Economic Forum (16th Jan 2019) (Link: A multipolar world brings back the national champions) | | | | | | | | | | | A multipolar world brings back the national champions Strong national consumer brands stand to benefit from greater demand from domestic consumers | | | New Delhi (31st Jan 2019): "The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has asked government departments and public sector units to avoid choosing foreign products and brands at a time when the government is trying to boost domestic manufacturing through PM Narendra Modi’s flagship ‘Make in India’ programme launched at the start of his tenure." “Our concern is Make in India. We want progressive, continuous increase of indigenous components in products procured by us.” - Nripendra Misra (principal secretary to the India's Prime Minister) PMO tells departments, PSUs to pick ‘Made in India’ products | | | | | | | | | | | PMO tells departments, PSUs to pick ‘Made in India’ products “Our concern is Make in India,” Nripendra Misra told ET. “We want progressive, continuous increase of indigenous... | | |

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CALLS FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THE BUDGET POLICY STATEMENT 2019
by Deborah Wanjugu 31 Jan '19

31 Jan '19

Dear Listers, I came to learn the Treasury has issued a call for public comments on the Budget Policy Statement 2019. I never saw any particular firm plans the Government has for ICT so I thought it best to bring this to your attention, albeit a little later than I should have. I could be wrong, though. Maybe I had high expectations owing to the exposure I get from you all. What I love about this group is there are so many diverse opinions on various issues. I think it would be great to let the Government hear all these well - considered opinions on its ICT plans. The deadline for institutions to put in their comments was on Friday, which means Kictanet might not be able to, but as individuals you would be able to participate. The deadline for submitting our comments is 31st January 2019, i.e. this Thursday. I created a public Google folder for this purpose. You can access it here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1LsgzmXlEgPagqUDN-qQqlQEeEzK9pYqM You are free to share this widely. Kind regards, Deborah

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Fwd: [afnog] AFRINIC Internet Measurement Awareness Survey
by Barrack Otieno 31 Jan '19

31 Jan '19

Listers, Kindly participate in this survey if you can spare a few minutes. Best Regards ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Musab Isah <musab.isah(a)afrinic.net> Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2019 11:54:45 +0400 Subject: [afnog] AFRINIC Internet Measurement Awareness Survey To: afnog(a)afnog.org Dear colleagues, AFRINIC has launched a survey with the aim of assessing the current status of Internet measurement in Africa. Your responses will help AFRINIC understand the available measurement infrastructure on the continent as well as the gap in the infrastructure and the relevant skills that need to be filled. AFRINIC will use the responses as guide in building Internet measurement programmes to train network operators, regulators, end users, and other stakeholders in the forthcoming summits, conferences, and *nog meetings across the continent. We invite you to take the survey available in both English (https://survey.afrinic.net/index.php/survey/index/sid/634362/newtest/Y/lang… <https://survey.afrinic.net/index.php/survey/index/sid/634362/newtest/Y/lang…>) and French (https://survey.afrinic.net/index.php/survey/index/sid/634362/newtest/Y/lang… <https://survey.afrinic.net/index.php/survey/index/sid/634362/newtest/Y/lang…>). The deadline for filling the survey is 28 February 2018. Please read more on the benefits and the reasons behind the need for assessing the current status of Internet measurement in Africa from our blog here. https://www.afrinic.net/blog/421-africa-internet-measurement-awareness-surv… <https://www.afrinic.net/blog/421-africa-internet-measurement-awareness-surv…> …………………………………………. Chers collègues, AFRINIC a lancé un sondage dans le but d'évaluer l'état actuel de la métrologie des réseaux en Afrique. Vos réponses aideront AFRINIC à comprendre l'infrastructure de la métrologie disponible sur le continent, ainsi que les lacunes dans l’infrastructure et les lacunes au niveau des compétences. Les résultats de ce sondage servira à élaborer des programmes de métrologie des réseaux destinés à former les opérateurs de réseau, les régulateurs, les utilisateurs finaux et d'autres partenaires lors des prochains sommets, conférences et réunions à travers le continent. Nous vous invitons à répondre au sondage qui est disponible en anglais (https://survey.afrinic.net/index.php/survey/index/sid/634362/newtest/Y/lang… <https://survey.afrinic.net/index.php/survey/index/sid/634362/newtest/Y/lang…>) et en français (https: // survey .afrinic.net <http://afrinic.net/> / index.php / survey / index / sid / 634362 / newtest / Y / lang / fr). La date limite pour remplir le questionnaire est 28 février 2018. Consultez notre blog ici pour

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Fwd: Results of the IGF 2019 Call for issues
by Barrack Otieno 30 Jan '19

30 Jan '19

Listers, This might be of interest. Best Regards ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Faye Makane <makanefa(a)gmail.com> Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2019 20:03:05 +0000 Subject: Results of the IGF 2019 Call for issues To: Cc: Secretariat AfIGF <africanigf(a)gmail.com> Dear Colleagues, Following the call for issues sent in December 2018, kindly find attached the results which were sent out today by the IGF Secretariat during the first IGF MAG Consultations. I wish to thank all those of you who have contributed to it following the call which was forwarded to you. Best regards, ---------------- Makane Faye (Mr.) African Internet Governance Forum Secretariat, African Union https://www.afigf.africa/ West African Internet Governance Forum, ECOWAS www.waigf.org BP 12130 CP 12000 Dakar, Sénégal Email: makanefa(a)gmail.com facebook.com/makane.faye.eca Twitter: @thianar2 Skype: makaneaddis -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Opportunity for East African Lawyers | Digital Rights Litigation Surgery
by Grace Githaiga 30 Jan '19

30 Jan '19

This might be of interest to our lawyers here. From: "Michael Moss" Date: 30-01-2019 17:56 Dear all, There is one week left to apply for a place at our next digital rights litigation surgery (East Africa). [1] Please do share the call with any legal contacts who may be interested. The surgery is open to lawyers working in Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. Further details are in my email below. Best wishes, Michael The Media Legal Defence Initiative (MLDI) has opened applications for an East Africa Digital Rights & Online Freedom of Expression Litigation Surgery. I would be grateful if you were willing to share the call below with lawyers working in the region: Call for Applications: East Africa Digital Rights & Online Freedom of Expression Litigation Surgery 8-12 April, Kampala, Uganda The Media Legal Defence Initiative (MLDI) will be running a litigation surgery on the right to online freedom of expression, digital rights and the internet. This specialised, fully funded, legal workshop is for lawyers based in Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. Applications are currently open. The deadline for submitting applications is Thursday 7 February 2019. For further information and to apply, please visit: https://www.mediadefence.org/east-africa-lawyers-digital-rights-training-20… Michael Moss Project Coordinator | Media Legal Defence Initiative -- Grace Githaiga Co-Convenor, Kenya ICT Action Network Links: ------ [1] https://www.mediadefence.org/east-africa-lawyers-digital-rights-training-20…

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Re: [kictanet] REQUEST FOR PARTICIPATION IN DISCUSSING THE ICT PRACTITIONERS BILL
by Grace Githaiga 30 Jan '19

30 Jan '19

Thanks Shelly. Please avail us with the copy of the Bill so that we know its content, and therefore see who can come. Asante. Rgds Grace Get Outlook for Android<https://aka.ms/ghei36> ________________________________ From: Shelly Mwirichia <shelly(a)apsea.or.ke> Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2019 10:42:22 AM To: ggithaiga(a)kictanet.or.ke; ggithaiga(a)hotmail.com Cc: kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke; Irene Njeri Wanyoike; 'APSEA' Subject: REQUEST FOR PARTICIPATION IN DISCUSSING THE ICT PRACTITIONERS BILL Dear Grace Githaiga-Convener KICTANET, Greetings from APSEA. We were referred to you by Mrs. Irene Wanyoike, APSEA Chairman. We received an invitation from a nominated MP- Hon. Godfrey Osotsi, who is sponsoring the ICT Practitioners bill in the National Assembly as a Private member bill. We are therefore inviting KICTANET members, to join APSEA in discussing the key highlights of the bill and to give input. The meeting to discuss has been tentatively scheduled for Tuesday 5th February 2018, the venue is Professional Centre and will start at 9.00 a.m. Kindly confirm your availability to attend and also confirm representatives of KICTANET who will participate. We will appreciate the confirmation and number of representatives for logistical purposes. Regards, Shelly Mwirichia-APSEA.

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Fwd: [Internet Policy] Workshop on global digital justice
by Barrack Otieno 30 Jan '19

30 Jan '19

Listers, This might be of interest to some of you. Best Regards ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: parminder <parminder(a)itforchange.net> Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2019 08:17:13 +0530 Subject: [Internet Policy] Workshop on global digital justice To: "internetpolicy(a)elists.isoc.org" <internetpolicy(a)elists.isoc.org> Dear All Just Net Coalition <https://justnetcoalition.org/> plans a meeting between March 25th to 27th in Bangkok as a strategic get together of groups interested in issues of equity and social justice in the digital era. The plan is to shape and take forward a global digital justice agenda, working together as a network. This is also meant to further develop and strengthen the Just Net Coalition . The workshop is titled*"Equity and Social Justice in a Digital World: An Inter Sectoral/ Movements Dialogue for a Digital Justice Agenda". * Participants will come from (1) organisations that are already engaged with digital issues and (2) traditional civil society groups that have begun to feel the digital impact and pressure on their work, and would like to understand the digital better, from a progressive point of view, and collaborate in developing a global digital justice agenda. With a digital justice agenda we mean working equally on civil and political rights side as on social, economic and cultural rights. A datafied state is a major threat, but so is data discrimination by the private sector and a big corporation driven data economy that further concentrates wealth and power, within and across societies. Social and economic justice is a key part of this effort, which need to be brought to the centre stage of digital activism. This is also attempt to built bridges between digital activism in the geo-political South and North. Participants will mainly be groups that are already engaged in or with the Just Net Coalition in various ways. But we are eager to also include groups and people that we may not yet be in contact or engaged with, but who are eager to work on social and economic justice issues in a digital context. Such a commitment should be central to such groups/ people's work for them to fruitfully work with JNC and its various partners. This email is an outreach to such groups/ people who may want to engage with us with regard to this initiative of Just Net Coalition, and possibly work with us on these important issues. The accent is to work primarily with organisations because the effort is to develop a strong and sustainable civil society constituency in this area. However, we are open to also dialogue with committed individuals with demonstrated work in these areas. As mentioned, this is a strategic get together, and invitation to the meeting is selective, as per various mentioned criteria. But please do not at all hesitate to ping us , ask questions or clarifications. We need a lots of us to work together for social justice in the digital age. We would normally expect any additional participant to be able to self-fund, but in a few select cases we may be able to offer funding support. Since the meeting is not that far off, if you are going to write to us, please do it asap. Best regards parminder IT for Change <http://www.itforchange.net/> ON behalf of Just Net Coalition <https://justnetcoalition.org/>’s Secretariat -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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URGENTLY REQUIRED IN KENYA & AFRICA - Increased Public Awareness about advanced Fake News methods and technologies
by Patrick A. M. Maina 30 Jan '19

30 Jan '19

I pray that Government officials on this list will take the AFP article below seriously. The technologies described in the article are real and could be used to radicalize ignorant youth or to spark chaos e.g. during political transition events. These are REAL RISKS I believe that need to be addressed PROACTIVELY - before we get into the election (or even referendum cycle). "A well-timed and thoughtfully scripted deepfake or series of deepfakes could tip an election, spark violence in a city primed for civil unrest, bolster insurgent narratives about an enemy's supposed atrocities, or exacerbate political divisions in a society. With believable fake videos in circulation, people can choose to believe whatever version or narrative that they want, and that's a real concern." - Professors Danielle Citron - University of Maryland and Robert Chesney - University of Texas Scientists are working on technologies to detect deep fakes - but it may not be reliable (or available in Africa). Detection may also not be a practical solution after a video goes viral and leads to chaos. "It's more important to disrupt the process than to analyse the videos. An important way to deal with deepfakes is to INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS, making people more skeptical of what used to be considered incontrovertible proof." - Professor Siwei Lyu - State University of New York at Albany TECH BREAK: Misinformation woes could multiply with 'deepfake' | | | | | | | | | | | TECH BREAK: Misinformation woes could multiply with 'deepfake' Deepfake videos are becoming more sophisticated due to advances in artificial intelligence. | | |

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