- KICTANet - KICTANet

Foreign Software Houses of Babel..in kenya.
by Bill Kagai 26 Aug '08

26 Aug '08

I am watching news in awe where they are reporting that Kenya Ports Authority has deployed a Korean piece of software (Kwatos) to ease turn-around at the Port but now its not working well with the Kenya Revenue Authority software from Chile (Simba). Ofcourse both cost billions. As the spanish-speaking chileans 'haga el informe con los otros extranjeros' with the Koreans to '소프트웨어를 저희를 위해 일한' , sisi wakenya tunangoja kusaidiwa. Mwafrika anajimaliza mwenyewe...as Baba Gideon would say. < http://uk.babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_txt> The result according to one Mureithi of Kenya Shipping Associations is that port has now become a 'store' rather than a 'door' taking ages (14 days instead of 3 days) to clear goods because of the software conflict. Here be dragons...is this a kictanet sized problem...or do we just watch and comment later in another study on this discussion forum???? Time for an ICT Commission of Inquiry ??? Bill Kagai

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The digital war on poverty -this, we can win?
by Eric M.K Osiakwan 25 Aug '08

25 Aug '08

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/21/ digitalmedia.mobilephones Eric M.K Osiakwan ICT Integrator Internet Research www.internetresearch.com.gh emko(a)internetresearch.com.gh 42 Ring Road Central, Accra-North Tel: +233.21.258800 ext 2031 Fax: +233.21.258811 Cell: +233.24.4386792

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[Fwd: BPO study]
by alice 25 Aug '08

25 Aug '08

Dear all University of Nairobi will soon undertake comprehensive research in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sub-sector in pioneer, emerging and mature markets in order to provide evidence and a deeper understanding of the imperatives for success in this industry to better inform Kenya’s policy decisions and investment choices. Please find the brief attached and for all those interested, take note of the the launch workshop scheduled for 10^th September. Best alice

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[GENDER CENTRED] Cybercrime legislations]
by alice 25 Aug '08

25 Aug '08

(apologies for cross-posting) --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- *GENDER CENTRED: A GenderIT.org thematic bulletin* --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- *Cybercrime legislations and gender* I. SMALL THOUGHTS AROUND…Cybercrime legislations and gender II. NEW ARTICLES II. FEATURED RESOURCES IV. JARGON V. WHO'S WHO VI. DID YOU KNOW… --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- I. SMALL THOUGHTS AROUND…Cybercrime legislations and gender by Flavia Fascendini This edition of GenderIT.org examines the issue of cybercrime legislation through a gendered perspective and its implication on women, in collaboration with the ICT Policy Monitor Latinamerica and the Caribbean team of the Association for Progressive Communications. The focus of this edition was catalysed by issues and questions raised by our readers on the increasing pervasiveness of cybercrime legislations in different regions, and their potential impact on women's communication rights. As always, we began to investigate the issue with many questions: What is meant by “cybercrime”? In what kinds of spaces would cybercrimes be considered as being committed? How do they differentiate and affect ideas of the public and the private? How can this affect women as users and developers of the internet, e-mail, cell phones and other information and communication technologies (ICT)? Can cybercrime restrict the exercise of individual rights to privacy, freedom of expression and civil liberties? Can the rhetoric of fighting cybercrimes in effect be used to restrict the exercise of women’s communication rights? How can the issue of cybercrimes be analysed from a feminist perspective? Is this issue currently part of the women's movement's agenda? How the criminalisation of online sexual expression and practices as well as the sex trade affect the sexual rights of women? In this edition of GenderIT.org, our team of writers together with the APC Policy Programme in Latin America Minitor team present the many facets of this challenging policy area. Their different approaches and stances clearly demonstrate the difficulty of drawing a clear line between protection of women's rights from violation and empowering their status as users and definers of ICT and the information society. The articles portray the current cybercrime landscape, arising issues and their gendered dimensions in different regions of the world – including India, Burkina Faso, USA, Chile, Brazil, Venezuela and Bolivia. We invite your reflections on this subject that remains contentious and sometimes directly absent. Read the full version of this editorial in the Feminist Talk section: http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?apc=f--e--1&x=96162 <http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?apc=f--e--1&x=96162> --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- II. NEW ARTICLES *Finding a difficult balance* *Human rights, law enforcement and cyber violence against women* GenderIT writer Mavic Cabrera-Balleza probed on new analytical frameworks of violence against women taking into account cyber violence and the challenges and dilemmas women activists confront as they struggle to address this relatively new dimension of gender injustice. She spoke with two women activists who are at the forefront of advocacy on violence against women at the national and international levels - Lesley Ann Foster, founder and Executive Director of Masimanye Women’s Support Network in South Africa and Charlotte Bunch, founder and Executive Director of the Center for Women’s Global Leadership at Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA. http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?w=a&x=96169 <http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?w=a&x=96169> *Cybercrime laws are not enough, there is also a need for education* The different forms of online violence against women should be covered by criminal legislation to provide adequate protection and redress. However, laws are not enough. There is also a need for education, prevention, the development of defence mechanisms and a legal system that is capable of addressing these issues without subjecting the victims to further victimisation. Carlos Gregorio, a researcher at the Research Institute for Justice (Instituto de Investigación para la Justicia) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, shares his views on a number of issues related to cybercrime. http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?w=a&x=96159 <http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?w=a&x=96159> *Unequal protection, cyber crime and the internet in India* In assessing cyber crime legislation, policy makers and gender and development advocates must carefully consider the implications for privacy and information security. On the one hand, ICT have created opportunities to combat inequality through movements and communities against issues that were once deemed 'private', such as domestic violence and sex trafficking. On the other hand, ICT exacerbate existing structures of inequality by enabling cyber criminals to access and misuse private information to target vulnerable groups. As ICT blur the lines between personal and public, the nature of the internet and cyber crime - including how they affect human rights and social justice - must be questioned. Weiting Xu casts a gendered lens on cybercrime laws in India. http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?w=a&x=96161 <http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?w=a&x=96161> *Dealing with fraud and internet "love": women and cybercrime in Burkina Faso* Fraud, data piracy, seeking partners on the internet: Ramata Soré discovers that women in Burkina Faso are as much victims as perpetrators. From Ouagadougou to Banfora via Bobo-Dioulasso, and from Ouahigouya to Dori, all towns with an internet connection are affected by this phenomenon. However, the fight against this crime is in the tentative stages, if not altogether non-existent. Legislation is still under development. http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?w=a&x=96160 <http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?w=a&x=96160> Visit the collection of a wide variety of other articles and resources related to this issue in the violence against women section: http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?apc=i90501-e--1 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- III. FEATURED RESOURCES *Take Back The Tech: Reclaiming ICT to end violence against women* Take Back The Tech! is a yearly 16-day campaign that aims to engage greater participation by all civil society, especially grrls and women ICT-users, to think about the issue of violence against women and ICT in diverse contexts and realities. By calling for all users to reclaim control over technology, the campaign is asking for the right to define, access, use and shape ICTs for its potential to transform power relations, towards a vision and reality of equality. http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?apc=r90501-e96196-1 *Online Harassment/Cyberstalking Statistics* Cyberstalking statistics have been collected by Working to Halt Online Abuse (WHOA) - a US-based online safety organisation - over the period of eight years, from 2000 till 2007. Data is gathered from survivors through the demographic questionnaire published on the WHOA web site at haltabuse.org . The released data are based on a total of 2,285 completed questionnaires. One interesting finding reveals that although women are still the primary victims, with men as the primary harassers, male victims and female harassers have significantly increased over the years. http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?apc=r90501-e96137-1 *CyberStalked: Our Story* The story of Cynthia Armistead, the founder of the site Cyberstalked (www.cyberstalked.org) The site originally began as a place to refute the defamation spread about Cynthia and her family across the internet. In this story, Cynthia shares the experiences of her and her daughter as targets of online harassment and stalking over period of several years. http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?apc=r90501-e96138-1 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- IV. JARGON *Cybercrime* Cybercrime (or e-crime) refers to criminal offences which are committed with the aid of ICTs (e.g. internet, mobile phone). Cybercrime laws may encompass broad range of issues, including such activities as hacking, intellectual property violations, dissemination of 'harmful' content such as child pornography or racist and xenophobic materials. Some experts divide cybercrime into three major categories, those committed against persons (e.g. online harrasment or pornography distribution over internet), cybercrimes against property (e.g. illegal sharing of copyrighted movies and music in peer to peers networks or software piracy), and cybercrimes against government (e.g. cyber terrorism). In many countries, cybercrime bills focus merely on economic and state security threads, and fail to recognise cybercrimes against persons, including serious forms of crimes against women, such as cyberstalking or cyber harassment. At the international level, cybercrime is addressed in the Convention on Cybercrime that attempts to harmonise national laws, improve investigative techniques and increase cooperation among nations. Human rights advocates criticize the failure of this treaty to protect privacy, freedom of expression and civil liberties. To understand unfamiliar ICT or gender terms visit the Jargon section: http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?apc=j--e--1 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- V. WHO'S WHO *EPIC:Electronic Privacy Frontier* A public interest research center established in Washington in 1994. EPIC focus on emerging civil liberties issues, such as protection of privacy or freedom of expression in the information age. EPIC activities involve policy research, public education, conferences, litigation, publications, and advocacy. Among other, EPIC runs 'Domestic Violence and Privacy' project aimed to help practitioners with privacy issues their clients may face. As the part of this project, EPIC along with domestic violence advocates recommended to include strong privacy protections of online court records, which may put in risk domestic violence survivors, into the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the first federal legislation specifically addressing domestic abuse in USA. In their Gender and Electronic Privacy study, EPIC also examimes privacy issues from gender perspective. EPIC website: http://epic.org/ Gender and Electronic Privacy: http://epic.org/privacy/gender/ Domestic Violence and Privacy Project: http://epic.org/privacy/dv/ To find out more about key stakeholders in the field of ICTs, visit the Who's Who in Policy section: http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?apc=w--e--1 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- VI. DID YOU KNOW... *Gender Centred Archive* You can now check all editions of GenderIT.org thematic bulletin, published since 2006, in Gender Centred Archive: http://www.genderit.org/archive/?q=en/bulletin *Sign up for Gender Centred thematic bulletin* You can sign up for Gender Centred thematic e-bulletin focused on topical gender and ICT policy themes and issued in average four times per year: http://www.genderit.org/archive/?q=en/subscribe-bulletin --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- *CopyLeft. 2008 APC Women's Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP)* Permission is granted to use this document for personal use, for training and educational publications, and activities by peace, environmental, human rights or development organisations. Please provide an acknowledgement to APC WNSP. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Sylvie Niombo Brazzaville, Congo ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Envoyé avec Yahoo! Mail <http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mailuk/taglines/isp/control/*http://us.rd.yahoo.com/…>. Une boite mail plus intelligente. --- You are currently subscribed to aisi-l as: [alice(a)apc.org] To unsubscribe, forward this message to leave-aisi-l-84914M(a)lyris.bellanet.org

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Fwd: Misrepresentations?
by Brian Longwe 25 Aug '08

25 Aug '08

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Brian Longwe <blongwe(a)gmail.com> Date: Mon, Aug 25, 2008 at 1:24 PM Subject: Re: [kictanet] Misrepresentations? To: "Gakuru, Alex" <alexgakuru.lists(a)gmail.com> Dear Alex, I find it interesting that you choose to use a public mailing list to ask such questions. You know very well who the KICTANET staff are, you know very well where the KICTANET office is and you also know every single one of the relevant individual email addresses that such a request ought to be directed to. Have you tried this and failed to receive a response? If so, please let me know and as Chairperson I will see to that you get a response. If not, then I strongly suggest that you follow what would be considered normal procedure in most organisations and contact the operations personnel directly. Best regards, Brian On Sun, Aug 24, 2008 at 11:24 AM, Gakuru, Alex <alexgakuru.lists(a)gmail.com>wrote: > Dear Alice, Walu, and Edith > > < > http://www.google.co.ke/search?hl=en&q=kictanet%2C+regulator%2C+discussions… > > > yields the document "Hello Munyua.pdf" published at that includes my > name as a participant in a discussion(s) I openly and explicitly > stated that I did not wish and never did thus your report contains > misrepresentations. (below email forward clearly explains why I chose > not to participate.) The report is factually incorrect, and also the > said discussions did not take place in the cited time frame, (see list > archives) > > Trivial as it may appear to be, it may have the effect of curtailing > list subscriber's active participation in online discussions - not > only for misrepresentation but because the output document was never > posted onlist or members alerted despite this being the source of its > information. It's authors would have had an opportunity for immediate > validation and corrections of their points of view, among other > members' reactions. > > Could Edith Adera of IDRC( funders), Alice Munyua and John Walubengo > (the authors) kindly explain. > > Regards, > > > Alex Gakuru > > PS: I note that in the same month, I asked why I got password > reminders from other kictanet list I had never subscribed? That is yet > to be answered. > AG > > > ---forward--- > > From: > "Alex Gakuru" <alex.gakuru(a)yahoo.com> > Add sender to Contacts > To: > "John Walubengo" <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> > Cc: > "editors" <mediaeditors(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke>, "media" > <media(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke>, "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" > <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > > > > --- Alex Gakuru <alex.gakuru(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > > > > > > > Walu, > > > > > > > > As you are aware, our consumer network is also > > > > scheduled to discuss internet access problems > > > facing > > > > consumers from next week. This was occasioned by > > > the > > > > realisation that government and business both > > > claim to > > > > everything in our best interests only for us to > > > > realise we end up with increased tax baggage on > > > one > > > > shoulder and heavy profit luggage on the other - > > > each > > > > blaming the other for the problem and neither > > > > (honestly) engages consumers. I am still ready > > to > > > > participate, but only if consumer value > > > proposition is > > > > visibly clear. > > > > > > > > First, I am trying to understand whom we are > > doing > > > > this for? Did CCK ask for our help after they > > > > published their Service Charter at > > > > http://www.cck.go.ke/html/chatter.asp early this > > > year? > > > > If so, does it suggest the charter promises are > > > not > > > > being realised? > > > > > > > > 1. What motivated this discussion? > > > > 2. What shall be the output, to whom, and for > > what > > > > purpose? > > > > 3. "Information Access" crosscutting; > > why pick one > > > > agency? > > > > 4. Would not FOI legislation discussion encompass > > > > e-gov services? > > > > > > > > Freedom of Information guarantees every citizen > > > access > > > > to ALL information also requiring every public > > > body > > > > (ministries, state corporation, boards…any > > > "person" > > > > with the colour of the law) to "proactively > > > disclose" > > > > public information held in trust. > > > > > > > > Unless we adopt a holistic approach to access to > > > > information, I fear we shall be lost in piecemeal > > > > information access discussion (e.g. ECK, KRA, > > > > "National Security", et. al.) > > > > > > > > > > > > Alex > > > > > > > > --- John Walubengo <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > > > > > > > > > I know I am competing for space with the > > > overheating > > > > > politics in .KE but I have no choice but to > > give > > > > > notice and > > > > > invitation to participate in the above > > > e-Discussion. > > > > > > > > > > The eDiscussions will kick of next Monday > > > october > > > > > 8th 2007 > > > > > and shall ran for 10days. > > > > > > > > > > The Objective of the discussithe attachedon are: > > > > > > > > > > • Raise Awareness on the Role and > > Objectives of > > > > > Information > > > > > and Communication Regulators > > > > > • Establish the Opportunities that > > Internet can > > > > > provide in > > > > > achieving Regulatory objectives > > > > > • Establish the Threats that Internet > > presents > > > to > > > > > Regulatory functions > > > > > • Discuss how Regulatory bodies can > > utilise the > > > web > > > > > to > > > > > achieve their objectives > > > > > • Establish appropriate eCommunication > > > Strategies & > > > > > Practices for Regulators > > > > > • Way forward and conclusions > > > > > > > > > > Detailed Program is given below: > > > > > • What is the Role of Information > > Communication > > > > > Regulators > > > > > – 1day > > > > > -Vision, Mission, Objective and functions > > > > > -Customer Base (Public, Consumer, Operators, > > > CSO, > > > > > etc) > > > > > • How can Regulators utilise the Internet > > to > > > achieve > > > > > their > > > > > objectives -5 days > > > > > -What are the Opportunities & Threats > > that the > > > > > internet > > > > > presents to Regulators? > > > > > -What are the current web-based Challenges > > and > > > > > Practices > > > > > and for Regulators? > > > > > -What Content Should Regulators Provide > > Online? > > > > > • What are the available e-Communication > > > Strategies > > > > > for > > > > > Regulators- 3days > > > > > -What are the possible e-Tools that the > > > Regulator > > > > > can > > > > > deploy in their Service Provision? > > > > > -How can Regulators use the e-Tools to > > enable > > > > > synergies > > > > > with Consumers, CSO and other players? > > > > > • Way Forward and Conclusions -1day. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > walu. > > > > > > > "Hello Munyua" > http://www.regulateonline.org/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_download… > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: blongwe(a)gmail.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/blongwe%40gmail.com > -- Brian Munyao Longwe e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com cell: + 254 722 518 744 blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com -- Brian Munyao Longwe e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com cell: + 254 722 518 744 blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com

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Misrepresentations?
by Gakuru, Alex 25 Aug '08

25 Aug '08

Dear Alice, Walu, and Edith <http://www.google.co.ke/search?hl=en&q=kictanet%2C+regulator%2C+discussions…> yields the document "Hello Munyua.pdf" published at that includes my name as a participant in a discussion(s) I openly and explicitly stated that I did not wish and never did thus your report contains misrepresentations. (below email forward clearly explains why I chose not to participate.) The report is factually incorrect, and also the said discussions did not take place in the cited time frame, (see list archives) Trivial as it may appear to be, it may have the effect of curtailing list subscriber's active participation in online discussions - not only for misrepresentation but because the output document was never posted onlist or members alerted despite this being the source of its information. It's authors would have had an opportunity for immediate validation and corrections of their points of view, among other members' reactions. Could Edith Adera of IDRC( funders), Alice Munyua and John Walubengo (the authors) kindly explain. Regards, Alex Gakuru PS: I note that in the same month, I asked why I got password reminders from other kictanet list I had never subscribed? That is yet to be answered. AG ---forward--- From: "Alex Gakuru" <alex.gakuru(a)yahoo.com> Add sender to Contacts To: "John Walubengo" <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> Cc: "editors" <mediaeditors(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke>, "media" <media(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke>, "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > > --- Alex Gakuru <alex.gakuru(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > > > > > Walu, > > > > > > As you are aware, our consumer network is also > > > scheduled to discuss internet access problems > > facing > > > consumers from next week. This was occasioned by > > the > > > realisation that government and business both > > claim to > > > everything in our best interests only for us to > > > realise we end up with increased tax baggage on > > one > > > shoulder and heavy profit luggage on the other - > > each > > > blaming the other for the problem and neither > > > (honestly) engages consumers. I am still ready > to > > > participate, but only if consumer value > > proposition is > > > visibly clear. > > > > > > First, I am trying to understand whom we are > doing > > > this for? Did CCK ask for our help after they > > > published their Service Charter at > > > http://www.cck.go.ke/html/chatter.asp early this > > year? > > > If so, does it suggest the charter promises are > > not > > > being realised? > > > > > > 1. What motivated this discussion? > > > 2. What shall be the output, to whom, and for > what > > > purpose? > > > 3. "Information Access" crosscutting; > why pick one > > > agency? > > > 4. Would not FOI legislation discussion encompass > > > e-gov services? > > > > > > Freedom of Information guarantees every citizen > > access > > > to ALL information also requiring every public > > body > > > (ministries, state corporation, boards…any > > "person" > > > with the colour of the law) to "proactively > > disclose" > > > public information held in trust. > > > > > > Unless we adopt a holistic approach to access to > > > information, I fear we shall be lost in piecemeal > > > information access discussion (e.g. ECK, KRA, > > > "National Security", et. al.) > > > > > > > > > Alex > > > > > > --- John Walubengo <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > > > > > > > I know I am competing for space with the > > overheating > > > > politics in .KE but I have no choice but to > give > > > > notice and > > > > invitation to participate in the above > > e-Discussion. > > > > > > > > The eDiscussions will kick of next Monday > > october > > > > 8th 2007 > > > > and shall ran for 10days. > > > > > > > > The Objective of the discussithe attachedon are: > > > > > > > > • Raise Awareness on the Role and > Objectives of > > > > Information > > > > and Communication Regulators > > > > • Establish the Opportunities that > Internet can > > > > provide in > > > > achieving Regulatory objectives > > > > • Establish the Threats that Internet > presents > > to > > > > Regulatory functions > > > > • Discuss how Regulatory bodies can > utilise the > > web > > > > to > > > > achieve their objectives > > > > • Establish appropriate eCommunication > > Strategies & > > > > Practices for Regulators > > > > • Way forward and conclusions > > > > > > > > Detailed Program is given below: > > > > • What is the Role of Information > Communication > > > > Regulators > > > > – 1day > > > > -Vision, Mission, Objective and functions > > > > -Customer Base (Public, Consumer, Operators, > > CSO, > > > > etc) > > > > • How can Regulators utilise the Internet > to > > achieve > > > > their > > > > objectives -5 days > > > > -What are the Opportunities & Threats > that the > > > > internet > > > > presents to Regulators? > > > > -What are the current web-based Challenges > and > > > > Practices > > > > and for Regulators? > > > > -What Content Should Regulators Provide > Online? > > > > • What are the available e-Communication > > Strategies > > > > for > > > > Regulators- 3days > > > > -What are the possible e-Tools that the > > Regulator > > > > can > > > > deploy in their Service Provision? > > > > -How can Regulators use the e-Tools to > enable > > > > synergies > > > > with Consumers, CSO and other players? > > > > • Way Forward and Conclusions -1day. > > > > > > > > > > > > walu. > > > > "Hello Munyua" http://www.regulateonline.org/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_download…

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Day 10 of 10:-IGF Discussion, Socio-Cultural Issues
by mwende njiraini 25 Aug '08

25 Aug '08

Morning! Today we enter our last day of discussion on Socio-cultural issues. To begin with, we discuss issues relating to content control and freedom of expression. The internet governance discussions on content focus on the need to control three groups of content. Firstly, content where a global consensus is in place including child pornography and terrorism. Secondly, content that might be sensitive to particular countries, regions or ethnic groups due to their religious and cultural values. Thirdly, politically and ideologically sensitive content. There already exist several initiatives that limit the potential misuse of the internet. Are there such initiatives in Africa? How can we enhance national legislation to include a content policy that would guarantee the protection of human rights, specifically freedom of expression and also remove the ambiguous role of ISPs, law enforcement agencies and other players? Secondly, we discuss issues relating to the delivery of education services over the internet (e-learning). Many students from developing countries are today opting for online education to overcome the challenge of prohibitive costs associated with foreign education. Increased cross-border education has brought about international governance issues in relation to accreditation of institutions, recognition of qualification and quality assurance. Is there an existing national policy on online education? What measures need to be put in place to assist our local universities develop e-learning programmes in order to protect our culture/traditions implicitly transmitted through our local institutions as well as prevent capital flight? References: 1. Kurbalija, J. and Gelbstein, E. (2005) Internet governance: Issues, Actors and Divides Again, you are encouraged to contribute to previous discussion threads. Kind regards Mwende Disclaimer: These comments are the author's own

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The Future of the Internet, Addressing the growth of the net and more...
by alice 22 Aug '08

22 Aug '08

. Stephen Colbert interviews Jonathan Zittrain on his book The Future of the Internet Fresh from being awarded his most recent Peabody award, Stephen Colbert interviews Jonathan Zittrain wants to save the good chaos of the Internet and separate it from the bad chaos that will stomp on everything. http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/videos.jhtml?videoId=174083 2. Analysis: FCC Comcast Order is Open Invitation to Internet Filtering Using words like "misdirection," "obfuscation," "absurd" and "verbal gymnastics," the Federal Communications Commission released its formal decision Wednesday ordering Comcast to stop throttling BitTorrrent traffic, a practice the carrier has repeatedly denied performing. http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/08/analysis-fcc-co.html 3. FCC Order scolds Comcast for changing story on P2P blocking "Surrender, Comcast!" declares the FCC in its Order on P2P blocking. The agency also calls on the public to stay vigilant on the issue and aligns itself more closely with the net neutrality movement. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080820-fcc-order-scolds-comcast-for-… 4. Telstra tops Canberra lobbyist list Telstra has emerged as the most active employer of Canberra lobbyists in the IT&T field, although others such as Apple and Google also employ external firms to push their agendas with politicians and government workers. ... Another organisation with an A-list roster of tech firms is Government Relations Australia Advisory, which has worked with ARIA, ICANN, Microsoft, eBay and PayPal. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/business/soa/Telstra-tops-Canberra-lobbyist-li… 5. ICANN to Hold Auctions for Disputes ICANN announced this week that it will handle any disagreements over who wins the right to new generic top level domains by auction. http://www.thewhir.com/marketwatch/081908_ICANN_to_Hold_Auctions_for_Disput… 6. ICANN to settle disputes by auction [sun req'd] The body behind the Internet's addressing systems has said that it will settle disputes over who wins the right to new generic top level domains (gTLDs) by auction. http://www.legalbrief.co.za/article.php?story=200808200827208 ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** 7. Govt meddling fears hit .hk domain - ISPs are concerned a new government-dominated structure to administer the territory's .hk domain name will leave end-users without a say. The proposed revamp of the Hong Kong Internet Registration Company will see its number of directors slashed from 13 to eight. http://thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=70535&sid=202708… <http://thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=70535&sid=202708…> 8. Boosting numbers in .ke domain names Domain names have increasingly become part of our daily lives, but the uptake of the .ke (dot ke) is still lagging behind. http://bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9451&Itemid=5… <http://bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9451&Itemid=5…> ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** 9. Cybersecurity and the Law: Dangerous Cybersilence Sometimes no news is worse than bad news. When a company's data is stolen by hackers, affected customers typically receive a disturbing note from the breached firm, warning that they could soon become victims of identity theft. http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/08/19/cybersecurity-infected-software… 10. Cyberwar isn't a grand struggle - it's a scary prospect of pure chaos When Russian tanks rolled into Georgia, it brought back memories of Soviet-era military conquest - a reminder of the cold war. But whether by accident or design, the fight for South Ossettia appears to have given us a taste of the future as well, with internet attacks on Georgian computer systems resulting in theories about 21st-century warfare spilling out everywhere. The BBC said the situation represented a "virtual echo of battles being fought on the ground", while Slate.com's Evgeny Morozov even enlisted as a Russian cybersoldier to see what was really happening. But while the past fortnight has seen plenty of conjecture, there's been very little hard evidence about the conflict that's taking place in cyberspace. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/aug/21/blogging.internet 11. Cyber war or cyber riot? [ABC Radio audio] The Georgians maintain they've been the victims of cyber-warfare, but there is division within internet security circles about whether what is happening is in fact 'cyber-warfare', whether the Russian government is actually involved and also how significant the event really is. Jart Armin, a London-based internet security analyst, and Gadi Evron, an Israel-based internet security analyst, are interviewed. http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2008/2342237.htm 12. Georgia Cyberwar Overblown [Network World] Last week Russian tanks rolled into South Ossetia while Russian bombers were taking out critical communications infrastructure. But even before the first tank rolled across the disputed borders, another war was brewing in cyberspace. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/150021/georgia_cyberwar_overb… 13. China Netcom DNS cache poisoning Websense Security Labs ThreatSeeker Network has detected that the DNS cache on the default DNS server used by the customers of China Netcom (CNC) has been poisoned. When China Netcom customers mistype and enter an invalid domain name, the poisoned DNS server directs the visitor's browser to a page that contains malicious code. http://www.mag-securs.com/spip.php?article11280 ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** 14. China's Internet chiefs ban names of the Games China's sport authorities have banned the issuing of Internet domain names based on the country's Olympic gold medal-winning athletes to anyone but the medalists themselves. http://english.people.com.cn/90002/94411/95075/6481206.html http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-08/20/content_6954726.htm http://china.org.cn/olympics/news/2008-08/20/content_16281739.htm http://english.eastday.com/eastday/englishedition/nation/u1a3816302.html 15. China limits use of Olympians' names online [AP] China has banned the use of its Olympic gold medalists' names as Internet addresses by anyone but the athletes themselves. The move announced Tuesday came after companies registered the names of winning Chinese athletes at the 2004 Athens Olympics as Web addresses, prompting an outcry by sports fans. http://www.thestate.com/techwire/story/496042.html http://news.smh.com.au/technology/china-limits-use-of-olympians-names-onlin… http://news.theage.com.au/technology/china-limits-use-of-olympians-names-on… http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/08/20/financial/f0033… 16. Max Levchin's Slide Loses Domain Name Challenge PayPal co-founder Max Levchin and his internet widget company Slide have lost a UDRP decision to obtain the domain SlideTV.com and 127 other associated domain names. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/08/19/max-levchins-slide-loses-domain-name-c… ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** 17. Addressing the growth of the net Regular commentator Bill Thompson sees no reason to worry about the future of the internet: ... But it's even better if you can focus on aspects of the network's core architecture that few users ever notice, like the unique numerical addresses assigned to every internet-connected device and the complex mechanisms used to move information between those devices. And if you've got an authoritative report from an international body calling for something to be done then you're on to a winner. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7572583.stm 18. Study Shows Glacial Pace of IPv6 Adoption [IDG] A study this week has revealed just how slow is the rate of adoption for IPv6, the next version of the Internet's main communications protocol, and some experts say black markets where companies trade unused IP addresses may be only a few years away. http://www.pcworld.com/article/150013/2008/08/.html http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/081908-study-shows-glacial-pace-of.ht… http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/08/19/Study_shows_glacial_pace_of_IPv6_… http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;883066691 http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&article… <http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&article…> 19. Lots of Foot Dragging on IPv6 The IPv4 address space is near exhaustion, yet a new report claims that traffic on the modernized IPv6 protocol is slow and migration to the newer address spaces is sluggish. In a year-long study of 2,393 peering and backbone routers conducted by Arbor Networks, the majority of respondents (customer and peering interfaces) said IPv6 traffic is a small percentage of overall traffic. http://www.opticallynetworked.com/news/article.php/3766321 ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** 20. "Wildcarding, the implications for the .au space" – Melbourne domain name seminar A seminar and cocktail party sponsored by Melbourne law firm Cooper Mills Lawyers to discuss the .au domain name space, wildcarding and the implications for .au with special guest Ehud Gavron will be held on Tuesday September 2. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=5688 http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/08/20/wildcarding-implications-au-space-mel… http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/wildcarding-the-implications-for-the-.… 21. Melbourne IT Seeks to Diversify to Ensure Future The internet is meant to be a safe harbour from recession. But no harbour is completely safe - otherwise it would be a lake - so domain registrar Melbourne IT is deepening its earnings streams through cyber diversification. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24208902-30538,00.html 22. Melbourne IT warns of slowing economic growth Slowing economic growth and a tight skills market will make it a challenging year for the IT industry, according to Melbourne IT's chief. http://www.arnnet.com.au/index.php/id;975653726 23. Melbourne IT spends up on systems Domain name and hosting specialist Melbourne IT today unveiled plans to embark on a year-long major technology refresh project, targeting everything from its accounting, billing and provisioning systems to its storage network and data centre. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Melbourne-IT-spends-up-on-s… 24. Melbourne IT on track for profit growth [AAP] Domain name manager and online services provider Melbourne IT Ltd says it is on track to deliver a sixth consecutive year of growth in revenue and profit after booking a 20 per cent lift in half year profit. http://www.thewest.com.au/aapstory.aspx?StoryName=507449 25. VeriSign adds SSLs for internationalised domain names [sub req'd] http://telecom.paper.nl/news/article.aspx?id=226636 ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** 26. Sedo Sells JTR.com for $90,000 Three character domain name leads sales chart for Sedo this week. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/08/19/sedo-sells-jtrcom-for-90000/ 27. Domain parking is dead Why parking domains is dead and what you can do to join the web revolution. http://domaininformer.com/guides/General_Information/articles/080819domainp… 28. Search Engine Strategies Domain Live Auction We are live blogging the Domain Auction at the Search Engine Strategies conference in San Jose. Please note that these are not the official results and while we do our best to provide correct results, there may make an occasional mistake. See the live results after the jump. http://www.domainnamenews.com/domain-auction/search-engine-strategies-domai… _______________________________________________ AfrICANN mailing list AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann

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[Fwd: [governance] Two outrageous stories of so-called "intellectual property protection"]
by alice 22 Aug '08

22 Aug '08

Check this out.... -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [governance] Two outrageous stories of so-called "intellectual property protection" Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:20:53 -0400 From: George Sadowsky <george.sadowsky(a)attglobal.net> Reply-To: governance(a)lists.cpsr.org,George Sadowsky <george.sadowsky(a)attglobal.net> To: governance(a)lists.cpsr.org The two patents APPROVED this month are described below below. It's truly remarkable that such giants of of the information industry can make such unbelievable leaps into the future. I first thought that these were clever jokes. They are not. If you don't believe them, check them in: http://patft.uspto.gov/ http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fneta… http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2F… or just Google the patent numbers for some interesting commentary. Then take action to demand a complete overhaul of the patent system. George ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AWARDED TO IBM! On Tuesday,* IBM* was granted US Patent No. 7,407,089 for storing a preference for* paper* or* plastic* grocery bags on customer cards and displaying a picture of said preference after a card is scanned. The invention, Big Blue explains, eliminates the 'unnecessary inconvenience for both the customer and the cashier' that results when '*Paper* or* Plastic*?' must be asked. The patent claims also cover affixing a cute sticker of a* paper* or* plastic* bag to a customer card to indicate packaging preferences. AWARDED TO MICROSOFT! United States Patent 7,415,666 Sellers , et al. August 19, 2008 Method and system for navigating paginated content in page-based increments Abstract A method and system in a document viewer for scrolling a substantially exact increment in a document, such as one page, regardless of whether the zoom is such that some, all or one page is currently being viewed. In one implementation, pressing a Page Down or Page Up keyboard key/button allows a user to begin at any starting vertical location within a page, and navigate to that same location on the next or previous page. For example, if a user is viewing a page starting in a viewing area from the middle of that page and ending at the bottom, a Page Down command will cause the next page to be shown in the viewing area starting at the middle of the next page and ending at the bottom of the next page. Similar behavior occurs when there is more than one column of pages being displayed in a row. -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ George Sadowsky george.sadowsky(a)gmail.com 2182 Birch Way george.sadowsky(a)attglobal.net Woodstock, VT 05091-8155 http://www.georgesadowsky.org/ tel: +1._802_.457.3370 GSM mobile: +1._202_.415.1933 Voice mail & fax: +1._203_.547.6020 Grand Central: +1._202_.370.7734 SKYPE: sadowsky ____________________________________________________________ You received this message as a subscriber on the list: governance(a)lists.cpsr.org To be removed from the list, send any message to: governance-unsubscribe(a)lists.cpsr.org For all list information and functions, see: http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance

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Day 4 of 10:- IG Discussions, Internet Security.
by John Walubengo 22 Aug '08

22 Aug '08

Morning all, Looks like very little response on yesterday's topic...where's Waudo formerly WGIG member? Nway, today's IG theme is the one with the most consensus across all stakeholders. The fact that the internet is becoming a place to place to work, live, pray or play is widely acknowledged and hence the consensus on the need to protect it. The global and borderless nature of the Internet means that a secure internet needs a concerted global effort as earlier mentioned by Brian. A very secure US-territoial Internet is of no use if for example the Africa-territorial Internet is insecure since phising attacks, viruses, spam, eFrauds and other destabilizing conditions can be launched from there. Spam for example is known to constitute over 60% of email traffic on the Internet, which is a fairly significant chunk of Internet Bandwidth and Server Processing power going to waste. The main internet security debate that cross-cuts into legal/social baskets often centers around: I) How the Internet Protocol (IP) could be improved so as to trace-back the origin of the Spammers, eFraudsters, and other criminals. This may demand implementing IP tools that require all internet services (email, dns, web, etc) to be digitally signed - a feature that would come with some overheads (Mich could again assist here on which overheads these could be) II) The Jurisdiction and Arbitration of eCriminals e.g. How would one resolve a case where a Kenyan ISP is hosting an eCommerce site that sells content that is declared illegal in Germany (e.g Hitler's paraphanallia). Can/Should the Germans shut down the Kenyan business site? III) The delicate balance between pursing security and respecting citizen rights. To what extent should governments go into private emails, phone-logs, etc, in order to safeguard national security? Or what should be the mandatory procedures required of Businesses to safeguard sensitive electronic data of citizens? Plse feel free to add, clarify, object or modify the above. More importantly think of what would be an E.African position on the issues. As usual, 1day on this theme. walu.

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