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How Kenya Became the Cradle of Africa’s Technological Innovation
by Alice Munyua 28 Dec '16

28 Dec '16

"A digital revolution is taking place in Kenya that has had ripples around Africa and the world" http://europe.newsweek.com/how-kenya-became-cradle-africas-ict-innovation-5…

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Jomla security alert
by james ikonya 27 Dec '16

27 Dec '16

| Joomla! Security News | | | [20161205] - PHPMailer Security Advisory Posted: 27 Dec 2016 12:00 AM PST - Project: Joomla! - Severity: High - Versions: 1.6.0 through 3.6.5 - Exploit type: Remote Code Execution in third-party PHPMailer library - CVE Number: CVE-2016-10033 Description All versions of the third-party PHPMailer library distributed with Joomla! versions up to 3.6.5 are vulnerable to a remote code execution vulnerability. This is patched in PHPMailer 5.2.18 which will be included with Joomla! 3.7. After analysis, the JSST has determined that through correct use of the JMail class, there are additional validations in place which make executing this vulnerability impractical within the Joomla environment. As well, the vulnerability requires being able to pass user input to a message’s “from” address; all places in the core Joomla API which send mail use the sender address set in the global configuration and does not allow for user input to be set elsewhere. However, extensions which bundle a separate version of PHPMailer or do not use the Joomla API to send email may be vulnerable to this issue. Generally, the Joomla project does not issue advisories regarding third party libraries, however given the severity of this issue we felt it important to advise our users that we are aware of this issue and we have determined that the additional validations in our API prevent triggering this vulnerability. Affected Installs Joomla! CMS versions 1.6.0 through 3.6.5 Solution No action required for Joomla users, the updated library will be included in the next scheduled release and additional mechanisms exist in Joomla core to prevent triggering the vulnerability. Users of the PHPMailer library separate from Joomla are advised to upgrade to 5.2.18 or newer ASAP. Additional Resources - https://legalhackers.com/advisories/PHPMailer-Exploit-Remote-Code-Exec-CVE-… - https://github.com/PHPMailer/PHPMailer/blob/master/SECURITY.md Contact The JSST at the Joomla! Security Centre. Reported By: Dawid Golunski | James IkuaTwitter: @jImfotech

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Internet, phones blocked as House debates election laws - Politics and policy
by Ali Hussein 24 Dec '16

24 Dec '16

Listers Security personal yesterday blocked the internet, phones in and around parliament buildings during a special session to discuss the budget and amendments to the electoral law to allow for alternative manual transmission of electoral results in the event the electronic systems fail. Read on:- http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Internet--phones-blocked-as-House-debate… A few weeks ago we discussed this issue of shutting down communication channels during crises across African countries. Well now you have your answer. If the government can shut down parliamentarians imagine what they can do to the rest of the country. Ali Hussein Principal Hussein & Associates +254 0713 601113 Twitter: @AliHKassim Skype: abu-jomo LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim "Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought". ~ Albert Szent-Györgyi Sent from my iPad

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Technology has never been this political in India - MediaNama
by Nanjira Sambuli 24 Dec '16

24 Dec '16

Good read, and a cautionary tale. Happy Holidays! http://www.medianama.com/2016/12/223-year-end-rant-2016-technology-has-neve… Year end rant 2016: Technology has never been this political in India Nikhil Pahwa•December 23, 2016 There’s something deeply worrying with where we’re going with digital, when the founder of India’s (self-proclaimed) largest fintech company stands up on a stage and, in a manner that resembles a rallying cry and all the passion that comes with it, calls it his company’s “pious mission” to make India cashless. The religiosity of that phrase – “pious” – invariably invokes thoughts of “white man’s burden”, imperialism and conversion that comes with it. Let’s call it “digital man’s burden”, for the lack of a better phrase. What we’ve seen over the last few of years is this concerted push to convert people to digital: the visible aspect of it has been incentives: cashbacks, cheaper products, cheaper cab rides, free calling. The growth in commerce leads to growth in content, leads to growth in usage of the Internet. It’s all good, because at least for the time being, it gives consumers choice. The growth that is now coming in, and is set to come in, is not through incentives but enforcement: people aren’t being given a choice. We’re seeing this “digital conversion” manifest itself in two ways, both related: firstly, the way Aadhaar is being made mandatory despite how its execution is impacting the poor, in violation of Supreme Court orders. Second, is the way delegitimisation of 86% of the currency in circulation is forcing people to switch to digital currency, despite it being more expensive for citizens, and our infrastructure being incapable of dealing with it. There’s a remarkable lack of empathy – from both the state and the opportunistic founders of companies, or their religious leaders seeding this “pious mission” – when the pain it causes people is being looked at as an “inconvenience”, a period of disruption. There is this bizarre, tech-startup mindset, that the government (or the RBI. Is there a difference?) is being agile with its notifications: that it’s put a plan out there, and based on quick feedback, is iterating. Unfortunately for them, economies aren’t software or products. People don’t starve when Facebook doesn’t upgrade its newsfeed. That entire move-fast-and-break-things philosophy cannot apply to the real world, when it’s people that can get hurt, and lives that get impacted. People have died. We’ve gone from technology giving people choice to technology robbing people of choice: the way technology is being implemented by our government today is an attack on freedom and choice. * Have you heard this phrase “digital colonisation”? The other side of this crusade is this demand for protection against competition for the same businesses, and it has come from the same sources: the fear of digital colonisation in case of Net Neutrality (not a rationale I was comfortable with, by the way), digital colonisation in Ola versus Uber, and in case of Software Patents. There aren’t many places where the phrase “digital colonisation” turns up online in the Indian context, but if you’re in conversation with an iSpirt executive, the phrase invariably does come up, and it goes something like this: In a few years, our authentication will be using fingerprints on Google (Android) and Apple, and to retain India’s sovereignty, we have to ensure that that authentication is ours. Colonisation is an emotional subject for us in this country, but when you point out that Google and Apple authentication are choices (not mandatory) and the citizen has little protection against the might of the sovereign state (as evidenced by demonetization, by the way), none against the theft or misuse of data, there isn’t a cogent response. The protectionist angle also came up when it was used to seek government support, as Flipkart’s Sachin Bansal said: “I think what we need to do is what at some level China did: [tell foreign players that] we need your capital, but we don’t need your companies”. Ola’s Bhavish Aggarwal followed it up by asking for protection against “capital dumping”. Both these companies benefited from having raised more capital than others, and did their own capital dumping, allowing their competition to bleed. Now that both are faced with competition which deeper pockets, they want protection. Lets not forget that Flipkart wanted FDI in inventory based ecommerce until they became a marketplace. Now they speak against it, in order to prevent Amazon from bringing its core business to India. There’s a reason why Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma can say that “The Uber of India is Uber. The Google of India is Google. I can sign it on a wall that the PayPal of India will not be PayPal.” It’s because the company, which has a Payments Banks license, has a regulatory moat which not only protects it from Paypal, but also most of local competition. Payments Banks have another regulatory advantage: they can integrate UPI for payments while wallets are barred. They can raise money while wallets (for the time being), can’t. Their regulatory future is certain, while that of wallets is not. Of course, this is possibly not of their choosing, but they’re making the most of this opportunity. * Technology has never been this political in India before, and the dog-eat-dog competition in tech becomes a battle between a beast and a pup when politics enters it. In an interview a year ago, Nandan Nilekani said, India is going through a period of disruption, and “it is up to individual players to take advantage”. There is a window of a digital opportunity in India right now, to make multi-billion dollar businesses. When that opportunity goes to a chosen few who appear on stage on “Startup India, Standup India”, it’s reminiscent of when Russia privatised its factories, and the oligarchs took ownership of key industries to and built multi-billion dollar businesses out of it. At a private meeting in Bangalore in earlier this year, a key member of a think tank shouted me down when I raised the issues of lack of privacy protection in the (then draft) Aadhaar Bill: “You can’t do anything about the Act. It will be passed before you know it, and nobody will be able to do anything about it.” A couple of weeks later, that’s what happened. They knew. It’s discomfiting how close the technology industry and government have gotten this year. Lets take iSpirt as an example: unlike most organisations, iSpirt benefits from proximity to TRAI Chairman RS Sharma – the Chairman served along with many iSpirt volunteers in Aadhaar, including Nandan Nilekani. They got early access to Ravi Shankar Prasad, who was pitched to for support for Indian product startup shortly after he became IT Minister in 2014, and Jayant Sinha, current Minister of State for Civil Aviation (previously, Finance), appears to be a regular at iSpirt events. They get meetings at the PMO. Flipkart’s payments application was the first to use IndiaStack, which has been set up by iSpirt, and is being used by the National Payments Council of India for enabling UPI payments, but in a manner that is closed to others. As a think tank, iSpirt is doing an exceptional job of pitching to the government and non-government bodies such as the NPCI, which impacts payments. * It was something to celebrate when this government came into power, because it promised support for growth and “Digital India”. What I’m worried about is that the direction being chosen doesn’t appear to have been decided in a manner that is open and participatory, and there’s a distinct attempt to ignore concerns of those who represent how it impacts people. That the government speaks against a right as fundamental as privacy, to protect a project that is a privacy nightmare, is worrying. That people are dying in queues, or are being deprived of their pensions because of authentication failure, is distressing. These are not inconveniences. We’re heading down the wrong path if we’re compromising on rights in exchange for the growth. This is a country low on resources, high on demand, always jostling for space. Life here is often like trying to get into a train at Mumbai’s Dadar Station at peak times: you get sucked in and have no control over whether you’ll get in. Unfortunately, I’m idealistic, and I want there to be openness in the way that technology gets deployed; not in a manner that it is an attack on choice. There are questions to be asked about how policy is being made, and who knows that it is going the way it is? Who’s defining the standards, the protocols, and under what circumstances are these choices being made? How does it impact citizens and why are civil society concerns being ignored? We need more openness and transparency, especially because – to invoke another religious metaphor – this push to become digital – has become a crusade. Lastly, I know that we, as journalists, aren’t doing a good enough job of asking these questions (and more), and this is our failure as well; we’re all jostling for space and struggling for survival too. * This is the last post on MediaNama this year. Here’s to more freedom in 2017. Regards, Nanjira. Sent on the move.

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Fw: [bestbits] (Call for Applications) Internet Policy in South and Southeast Asia: Research Methods for Advocacy [ASC-IPO, CCG-NLU, CIS & DAH]
by WANGARI KABIRU 24 Dec '16

24 Dec '16

Advancements in areas of study in Internet Governance. PS: Share with your Asia networks Blessed day and sikukuu! Regards/Wangari --- Pray God Bless. 2013Wangari circa - "Being of the Light, We are Restored Through Faith in Mind, Body and Spirit; We Manifest The Kingdom of God on Earth". On Saturday, 24 December 2016, 10:28, Sarvjeet Singh <sarvjeet.singh(a)nludelhi.ac.in> wrote: | | | | | The Internet Policy Observatory presents Internet Policy in South and Southeast Asia: Research Methods for Advocacy April 10-14, 2017, New Delhi, India Application Deadline: February 1, 2017 Application available at https://goo.gl/forms/we53DCD62M0Cmx7Z2 | | Activists around the world are working towards influencing internet policymaking processes and raise awareness about the importance of protecting the open internet. Given this background, there is a clear need to link relevant and methodologically sophisticated internet policy research with advocacy efforts. Building on the success of the Internet Policy Research Methods Course for Advocates held in Istanbul in 2015, the Annenberg School for Communication’s Internet Policy Observatory has teamed up with the Centre for Communication Governance at National Law University, Delhi, the Centre for Internet and Society and the Digital Asia Hub to develop a research methods workshop for individuals working on digital rights issues in South Asian and Southeast Asian countries. The workshop will be organized from April 10-14, 2017 at National Law University, Delhi (India). The workshop brings together young scholars, activists, lawyers, and technologists for an intensive five-day practicum on using methodologically rigorous, data-driven, and contextually appropriate research for advocacy. The workshop is designed to cover both qualitative and quantitative, online and offline research methods, providing the space for hands-on activities and project-based learning. The program aims to strategically build collaborative possibilities across sectors, expand research capacity within practitioner and digital rights advocacy communities, and to provide the skills and know-how to use research and data to advance advocacy efforts. The program will provide skill-building tutorials on the following topics: § Defining and framing research topics and questions § Conducting desk and archival research § Researching law, policy and regulation § Questionnaire/interview design and techniques § Conducting surveys and public opinion research § Network measurement § Social network analysis § Data visualization § Translating research into action: dissemination for advocacy and policymaking impact § Developing proposals for funding and creating actionable research agendas We encourage individuals from South Asia and Southeast Asia in the academic (early career), NGO, technology, and public policy sectors to apply. Prospective applicants should have a particular area of interest related to internet governance and policymaking, censorship, surveillance, internet access, political engagement online, protection of human rights online, or corporate governance in the ICT sector. Applicants will be asked to bring a specific research question to the program to be developed and operationalized through trainings and one-on-one mentorship with top researchers and experts from around the world. The course will be conducted in English and applicants should be proficient in English in order to interact with experts, lecturers and other participants from diverse backgrounds. A limited pool of funding in the form of travel support is available and will be allocated based on the strength of the application, fit with the workshop, and demonstrated need. If you require funding support, please indicate as such in the online form.Please do forward this to anyone who may be interested. To apply for the workshop, please visit https://goo.gl/forms/we53DCD62M0Cmx7Z2. For more information about the program, please visit http://globalnetpolicy.org/event/internet-policy-in-south-and-southeast-asi…. For questions, email lsh(a)asc.upenn.edu | | | | | -- Sarvjeet Singh | Programme ManagerCentre for Communication Governance | National Law University, Delhi | Sector-14, Dwarka, New Delhi - 110078 | Cell: (+91) 999-023-2298 | Fax: (+91) 11-280-34256 | skype: sarvjeet.moond | www.ccgdelhi.org . www.ccgtlr.org . www.nludelhi.ac.in | Twitter: @ccgnlud . @sarvjeetmoondPGP: 0xBE8B DD6F | Fingerprint: 9F3B BE61 14F4 D458 0373 535D 9474 2EE9 BE88 DD6F ____________________________________________________________

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Re: [kictanet] Merry Christmas and Prosperous 2017
by Barrack Otieno 24 Dec '16

24 Dec '16

Lister's, This is to wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2017. May we remember the less fortunate among us and give them hope for a greater future. Regards -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Re: [kictanet] Merry Christmas and Prosperous 2017
by ceo 24 Dec '16

24 Dec '16

Thank you Barrack. Have w merry Christmas and happy new year. Regards, Abdalla On Dec 23, 2016 11:32 PM, Barrack Otieno via kictanet <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: > > Lister's, > > This is to wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and a > prosperous 2017. May we remember the less fortunate among us and give > them hope for a greater future. > > Regards > > -- > Barrack O. Otieno > +254721325277 > +254733206359 > Skype: barrack.otieno > PGP ID: 0x2611D86A > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/ceo%40kenic.or.ke > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. > > 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.

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Re: [kictanet] Internet, phones blocked as House debates election laws - Politics and policy - SIGNET off air in Meru?
by Barrack Otieno 24 Dec '16

24 Dec '16

Just seeing on social media that Signet is off in Meru for political reasons can someone confirm if this is true, if that is the case we must stop this trend. Regards On Dec 21, 2016 8:50 PM, "Odhiambo Washington via kictanet" < kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: It's more likely jamming the GSM signal than the base stations option. You see, parliament has good GSM coverage everywhere due to it's location - I suppose. But again, what matters is the action, not the method used. It's an undesirable action in this time and age. And it's worrying enough that this same action is very likely to be replicated in 2017 in certain areas.... On 21 December 2016 at 20:25, Alex Watila via kictanet < kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: > I am curious if they blocked gsm or just turned off the base stations that > served that area. > > > Regards, > > Alex > > -----Original Message----- > From: kictanet [mailto:kictanet-bounces+awatila= > yahoo.co.uk(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Tony White via kictanet > Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2016 7:59 AM > To: awatila(a)yahoo.co.uk > Cc: Tony White <tony.mzungu(a)gmail.com> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Internet, phones blocked as House debates election > laws - Politics and policy > > Technology to locally disable gsm devices has been available commercially > for a long time, and is typically used in some countries in areas you are > asked not to use mobile phones, such as cinemas. I'm not sure if this tech > is legal here. Advice from CA is needed. > > I am guessing, but I think the reported blocking of 'internet' was only > via gsm, and was blocked as a consequence of blocking the gsm devices. > > Whether such localised blocking of communications is permissible is > debatable, but it certainly gives cause for concern. > > I think clear direction is needed ahead of August 2017 > > Cheers, > Tony > > > On 21/12/2016, Ali Hussein via kictanet <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > wrote: > > Listers > > > > Security personal yesterday blocked the internet, phones in and around > > parliament buildings during a special session to discuss the budget > > and amendments to the electoral law to allow for alternative manual > > transmission of electoral results in the event the electronic systems > fail. > > > > Read on:- > > http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Internet--phones-blocked-as-House-d > > ebates-election-laws/539546-3493404-item-0-l9ge6u/index.html > > > > A few weeks ago we discussed this issue of shutting down communication > > channels during crises across African countries. > > > > Well now you have your answer. > > > > If the government can shut down parliamentarians imagine what they can > > do to the rest of the country. > > > > > > Ali Hussein > > Principal > > Hussein & Associates > > +254 0713 601113 <0713%20601113> > > > > Twitter: @AliHKassim > > Skype: abu-jomo > > LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim > > > > > > "Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking > > what no one else has thought". ~ Albert Szent-Györgyi > > > > Sent from my iPad > > > -- > Tony White > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/m > ailman/options/kictanet/awatila%40yahoo.co.uk > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform > for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and > regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT > sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. > > 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 mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/m > ailman/options/kictanet/odhiambo%40gmail.com > > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform > for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and > regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT > sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. > > 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. > -- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254 7 3200 0004/+254 7 2274 3223 "Oh, the cruft." _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/ mailman/options/kictanet/otieno.barrack%40gmail.com The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. 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.

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Fwd: Reminder: Short-Term ICT4D Research Associate Vacancy – University of Manchester (2 Jan Deadline)
by Alice Munyua 23 Dec '16

23 Dec '16

From: Richard Heeks <richard.heeks(a)manchester.ac.uk> > Date: 22 December 2016 at 22:52:05 EAT > To: Richard Heeks <richard.heeks(a)manchester.ac.uk> > Subject: Reminder: Short-Term ICT4D Research Associate Vacancy – University of Manchester (2 Jan Deadline) > > A reminder that we are currently advertising a short-term Research Associate post relating to digital economies and developing countries, with an application deadline of 2 Jan 2017: https://www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/displayjob.aspx?jobid=12606 > > The post involves supporting and contributing to a new research network on digital economies in developing countries, with salary in the range £31,076 to £38,183 per annum. > > Richard Heeks, Director, Centre for Development Informatics, Global Development Institute, University of Manchester, UK > >

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Fwd: [ALAC-Announce] ICANN News Alert -- Successful Candidates Announced for ICANN58 Fellowship
by Barrack Otieno 22 Dec '16

22 Dec '16

Congratulations Bonface Witaba. Regards ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: ICANN At-Large Staff <staff(a)atlarge.icann.org> Date: Wed, 21 Dec 2016 09:17:50 +0000 Subject: [ALAC-Announce] ICANN News Alert -- Successful Candidates Announced for ICANN58 Fellowship To: ALAC Announce <alac-announce(a)atlarge-lists.icann.org> [ICANN][icann.org]<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.icann.org_&d=DgMFaQ…> News Alert https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2016-12-19-en[icann.org]<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.icann.org_news_ann…> ________________________________ Successful Candidates Announced for ICANN58 Fellowship 19 December 2016 ICANN announces 56 individuals from 41 countries have been selected to participate in ICANN's Fellowship program at the 58th Public Meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark 11-16 March 2017. 35 of the selected candidates will be attending their first ICANN meeting. Seven have attended an ICANN Meeting in the past but now will be part of the Fellowship program and fourteen are Fellowship Alumni with various levels of ICANN experience. Nine of the Alumni will take on the additional role of coaching Newcomers. These successful candidates represent all sectors of society including; civil, government, ccTLD operations, academia, facets of the business community, technical, security and end user groups. The Fellowship program seeks to create a broader and more diverse base of knowledgeable constituents with priority given to candidates currently living in underserved and underrepresented communities around the world, those who represent diversity of gender, sector, region, experience, expertise and/or have established financial need. An independent selection committee assessed the 424 Fellowship applications received for this meeting. Click here to see the list of selected candidates and learn more about the Fellowship program: http://www.icann.org/en/about/participate/fellowships[icann.org]<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.icann.org_en_about…> -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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