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Deciphering Trump's "Einstein Pilot" comment & why (most) state mandated backdoors are a bad idea
by Patrick A. M. Maina 14 Mar '19

14 Mar '19

Listers, US president Donald Trump recently triggered a debate about the (often overlooked) negative aspects of placing high/total reliance on modern, increasingly complex (and increasingly opaque), technology for safety-critical applications like aircrafts. Some food for thought... (disclaimer: below is shared for information and/or debate only, with respect to cybersecurity policy discussions): 1. (*2018* article) "Boeing thinks that cyberattacks may be a real threat to flight safety and pilots should be trained to determine and withstand them." https://airlinerwatch.com/boeing-wants-to-train-pilots-against-cyberattacks/ 2. In 2012 researchers reportedly discovered what appeared to be a deliberately engineered (i.e. possibly state mandated) security backdoor in *military grade* chips used for critical functions in aircrafts (e.g. boeing 787) and sensitive military equipment (e.g. drones). The backdoor could be ecploited by sophisticated (state sponsored) attackers to potentially take over sensitive equipment (like a commercial plane). The good intentions behind such backdoors includes anti-hijacking. But the unintended consequence is severely increased vulnerability (ironically to a different form of hijacking) that cannot be hot-fixed. https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/military-grade-chips-may-not-be-… 3. "Five eyes" nations (US, UK, CA, AU, NZ) see themselves as the global "good guys" with infinite wisdom, and who should be allowed (and trusted, without independent oversight or international accountability) to hack any tech device/software for "good" reasons. So they agressively push their tech manufacturers to engineer security backdoors into systems (chips & software). Again, the unintended consequence, which makes (most) state mandated backdoors a terrible idea, is that there is no way to fully secure such backdoors against exploitation by the "bad guys" (e.g. competing states or organized criminal networks). Sadly, it means that "five eyes" origin technology (hardware and/or software) should always be considered *insecure by design*. Yet this is the tech most of Africa relies on for literally *everything*. Actually any non-indigenous technology should be considered insecure by default (a key reason to develop strategic indigenous technology capacity). Could also partially explain why some foreign govs seem to have so much high quality (near real time) information on Africa across all critical spheres (industrial, financial, political, security etc). https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/03/five-eyes-governments-call-on-tech-giants… The floor is open for comments / debate. :-) Good day.Patrick. Patrick A. M. Maina[Cross Domain Innovator | Independent Public Policy Analyst - Indigenous Innovations]

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AFROBYTES Nairobi - Invitation
by Linda Bonyo 14 Mar '19

14 Mar '19

Dear Listers This is to welcome you to Afrobytes Nairobi happening this Friday afternoon at the iHub. The French Development Agency's Innovation team will be present and is looking to meet people in the sector. Let me know if you need tickets as it is on an invite basis. The definitive program is now online with the speakers's profiles: http://www.afrobytes.com/afrobytes-event-series/afrobytes-nairobi/ *Afrobytes is the connection point between the African Tech Industry and other global tech ecosystems. <https://youtu.be/cO87x5VP68g>* Wonder what to expect at Afrobytes events? Just check out this video <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkZxjG_iUPo> Join me on LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/in/ammin-youssouf-4660621> Visit us: www.afrobytes.com, Follow us: twitter.com/socialafrobytes or Have a coffee with us: Station F <https://www.google.com/maps/place/STATION+F/@48.8348101,2.3620091,15z/data=…> // Bonus: *- One of Fast Company's Most Creative People 2018 > Rank 94-95 <https://www.fastcompany.com/most-creative-people/2018> * *- In the 50 Most Daring Entrepreneurs List in 2018 by Entrepreneur.com > Rank 14 <https://www.entrepreneur.com/slideshow/321571>* Regards, ______________________________________________ *Linda Bonyo* (Ms.) | Co-Founder, *Lawyers Hub * Tech for Justice ACK Garden House| Block D, 6th Floor | Email: bonyo(a)*lawyershub.ke* <bonyo(a)lawyershub.ke> | Skype*:* lawyershubke Tel: +254(0)207840228 Mobile : +2547840840228 www.lawyershub.africa | www.lawyershub.ke | Nairobi, Kenya. *_**__________________________________________________________* *DISCLAIMER: The information contained in or accompanying this e-mail is intended for the use of the stated recipient only. It may contain confidential, proprietary or legally privileged information. No confidentiality or privilege is waived or lost by any mistransmission. If you receive this message in error, please immediately delete it and all copies of it from your system, destroy any hard copies of it and notify the sender. You must not, directly or indirectly, use, disclose, distribute, print, or copy any part of this message if you are not the intended recipient. Any views or opinions presented herein are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Lawyers Hub.*

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[corrected version] [connecting the dots] The real reason why Africa struggles with eCommerce and Airlines
by Patrick A. M. Maina 13 Mar '19

13 Mar '19

Correction: KQ revenues in 2018 were ~50 Billion. Dear Listers, Whenever we have a spectacular failure in industry, we rush to attribute it to one or many of the five factors below: 1. Management competence (e.g. manifests through "culture" and/or lack of responsiveness to new/non-standard challenges; lack of awareness that competence is situational) 2. Failed Strategy (e.g. markets respond better to competitors or are already locked-in. Strategy can fail even where the management is highly competent.)3. Corruption / conflicts of interest (includes nepotism, procurement challenges e.g. unethical vendor practices or blatant theft) 4. External factors (e.g. global economic / geopolitical dynamics) 5. Force Majeure (sudden unforeseeable calamities - whether natural or man-made) I'd like to put forward one reason, unique to Africa, that is seldom raised or addressed, yet it in many cases could be the primary reason why many African businesses struggle to remain viable despite adopting business models that succeed in other countries: The biggest obstacle for most African businesses is the structural operating environment. Simply put, Africa doesn't scale. * Scale is the reason that KQ's economic doom was sealed in 1977 when East African Airways was dissolved. * Scale (not trust or delivery infrastructure) is the reason eCommerce simply can't and won't work in Africa (yet works in India) under the current circumstances. Certain types of businesses are simply not viable without scale. It doesn't matter what strategy, caliber of management or whatever else is used. Without scale, you have to swim upstream and perform miracles. No wonder we tell tourists that Kenya / Africa is "Magical". Only a magician can do certain businesses in Africa - under current circumstances. For example KQ earns ~Ksh. 50 Billion annually. Where does the money go? Do you know who really benefits from African Airlines failure to leverage scale? Here's my list: 1. International Vendors (Equipment / Systems / Fuel) 2. International Hedge funds (e.g. Price / Currency hedges) 3. International Insurance.4. Prioritized creditors (most likely international) 5. International Airports. The only country that doesn't get paid is Kenya. Due to lack of scale, we end up literally giving financial aid to rich countries. This is not a smart thing for a poor country to do. Scale benefits are (in part) what makes Delta Airlines, for example, operate with double digit margins, earn Ksh. 4.4 Trillion in a year (enough to run our country for almost 2 years without borrowing) which translates to Ksh. 1.3 Billion DAILY PBT (profits before tax). Yes, a daily profit of Ksh. 1.3 Billion. That kind of performance is not magical - it's just smart application of basic economics and intelligent (strategically meaningful) politics + policies. eCommerce? USPS (et. al) operation at scale is what made Amazon possible at scale. Prosperity is not just about efficiency - the size of market matters. It matters a lot! Africa combined is the 8th largest economy in the world yet as individual countries we barely register on the global radar. Individual African countries are simply not viable. No amount of aid or borrowing will fix scale deficiencies - in fact, the lack of scale is what makes our current national debts worrisome and risky! The idea of "national pride" carriers is ancient and obsolete. We need Pan-African Champion Airlines (where countries buy shares in not more than three Pan-African Airlines - North, Central and South). This would immediately dissolve the perceived (delusional) national advantage of self-imposed barriers to open skies and regional trade. The current heavy reliance on international markets is not smart at all (we are highly exposed to global shocks and geopolitics); it should be supplemented by sensible and massive intra-Africa trade. Pan-Africanism is not a sentimental idea, it is a rational and intelligent economic strategy. It is the only way to create a common and unified mindset that will unlock scale in Africa. Thankfully a good number of African leaders and technocrats are recognizing these challenges, hence the AfCFTA (African Continental Free Trade Area) initiative, which requires ratification of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), the Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons, and the African Passport, as part of the integration process. As business people it is in our interest to support these initiatives as much as we can - but also to be vigilant of powerful (foreign state-backed) resource-extraction MNCs that would want to hijack or sabotage Africa's integration because it spoils their centuries-long plunder party. How does my argument hold, in view of success stories like Equity and/or Safaricom? In science, we disprove arguments by looking for a 'black swan" (just a single instance of contradiction) - are they not the Black Swans? Nope! Equity and Safaricom have certain common business model aspects which allow them to operate "successfully" with limited scale. The most obvious being network effects - but there are other non-obvious factors which are out of scope of this article. Still these are still tiny and fragile operations relative to their scale-leveraged counterparts which earn tens of billions of shillings in revenues daily (and trillions annually). Our culture of mediocrity is what makes us celebrate our (relative) minions. Failure to think in terms of scale is dangerous.. it leads to (or encourages) predatory corporate behavior, comfort zones, mediocrity and other mental barriers. Thanks for reading. I welcome your thoughts on the above. Good day & Brgds, Patrick A. M. Maina[Cross Domain Innovator | Independent Public Policy Analyst - Indigenous Innovations]

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Public Consultation on National Broadband Strategy for Kenya
by Gimode, Chiimbiru 13 Mar '19

13 Mar '19

Dear Listers, You will recall the Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology (MoICT) constituted an inter-agency Steering Committee to review of Kenya’s first National Broadband Strategy (NBS) for the period 2013-2017. The Committee draws membership from the MoICT, Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat (VDS), National Communications Secretariat (NCS) and the ICT Authority (ICTA). The team is at the tail-end of the review of the NBS and is seeking views from the members of the public to enrich the NBS for the period 2018 – 2023 in line with Constitution of Kenya 2010. Attached is a public notice on the same. You can access the consultation paper on the Authority’s website on this link: https://ca.go.ke/consumers/public-consultations/open-consultations/ The deadline for submission of comments is 15th March 2019. Best Regards, Chiimbiru Gimode, CMRP, MPRSK. Communications Officer Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) Head Office: CA Centre,Waiyaki Way,Westlands, Nairobi I P.O Box 14448 Nairobi 00800. Regional Offices: Mombasa I Nyeri I Kisumu I Eldoret Office Line : 0703-042-524 I Website : www.ca.go.ke I Twitter : @CA_Kenya Facebook : Communications Authority of Kenya I YouTube : CA Kenya I Instagram: CA Kenya Flickr : https://www.flickr.com/photos/cck-kenya Core Values: Integrity | Innovation| Excellence “Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be. But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today’’-Ernest Hemingway Please be responsible, consider the environment before printing this e-mail. DISCLAIMER:- This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use by the individual(s) or entity to whom it is addressed to. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that disclosing, copying, distributing or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited. Additionally, if you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately by a reply e-mail. E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message, which arise as a result of e-mail transmission.

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WWW turns 30
by Nanjira Sambuli 13 Mar '19

13 Mar '19

Hi listers, Tomorrow, March 12 marks the 30th anniversary of the World Wide Web! My colleagues (at the Web Foundation) have been recreating a timeline of the web in the 30 years, and would be awesome to have contributions from this our ecosystem, via #web30, #ForTheWeb. See https://webfoundation.org/2019/02/help-build-a-timeline-of-the-webs-history/ <https://webfoundation.org/2019/02/help-build-a-timeline-of-the-webs-history/> for more info on how to participate. Past the celebrations, though, lies a steep task ahead to keep it open and for everyone! Check out the contract for the web, and each ‘estate’ to step up to its role. See: https://fortheweb.webfoundation.org/ <https://fortheweb.webfoundation.org/> Regards, Nanjira

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Re: [kictanet] Public Consultation on National Broadband Strategy for Kenya
by Nanjira Sambuli 11 Mar '19

11 Mar '19

+1, Ali, Additionally, are there reflections on the successes and shortcomings for the 2013-17 period? For instance the goal on broadband speeds for rural vs urban areas, a very lofty goal therein? Regards, Nanjira. Sent on the move. > On 11 Mar 2019, at 07:29, Ali Hussein <ali(a)hussein.me.ke> wrote: > > Gimode > > Greetings. Seeing that you posted this email on Friday, 8th March, I'm curious to understand how the committee can expect to get substantive responses within a week on such a critical piece of document? > > I think it's time this country reviews what it means when the constitution talks about Public Participation. I know that there are members of the August House in this list. I challenge them to address this issue. I fear that government officials are taking us through a 'tick the box' exercise when it comes to public participation. > > Ali Hussein > Principal > AHK & Associates > > Tel: +254 713 601113 > Twitter: @AliHKassim > Skype: abu-jomo > LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim > > 13th Floor , Delta Towers, Oracle Wing, > Chiromo Road, Westlands, > Nairobi, Kenya. > > Any information of a personal nature expressed in this email are purely mine and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the organizations that I work with. > > >> On Fri, Mar 8, 2019 at 9:04 PM Gimode, Chiimbiru via kictanet <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: >> Dear Listers, >> >> >> >> You will recall the Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology (MoICT) constituted an inter-agency Steering Committee to review of Kenya’s first National Broadband Strategy (NBS) for the period 2013-2017. The Committee draws membership from the MoICT, Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat (VDS), National Communications Secretariat (NCS) and the ICT Authority (ICTA). >> >> >> >> The team is at the tail-end of the review of the NBS and is seeking views from the members of the public to enrich the NBS for the period 2018 – 2023 in line with Constitution of Kenya 2010. >> >> >> >> Attached is a public notice on the same. >> >> >> >> You can access the consultation paper on the Authority’s website on this link: https://ca.go.ke/consumers/public-consultations/open-consultations/ >> >> >> >> The deadline for submission of comments is 15th March 2019. >> >> >> Best Regards, >> Chiimbiru Gimode, CMRP, MPRSK. >> Communications Officer >> >> Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) >> Head Office: CA Centre,Waiyaki Way,Westlands, Nairobi I P.O Box 14448 Nairobi 00800. >> Regional Offices: Mombasa I Nyeri I Kisumu I Eldoret >> >> Office Line : 0703-042-524 I Website : www.ca.go.ke I Twitter : @CA_Kenya >> Facebook : Communications Authority of Kenya I YouTube : CA Kenya I Instagram: CA Kenya >> Flickr : https://www.flickr.com/photos/cck-kenya >> >> Core Values: >> Integrity | Innovation| Excellence >> “Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be. But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today’’-Ernest Hemingway >> >> Please be responsible, consider the environment before printing this e-mail. >> DISCLAIMER:- This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use by the individual(s) or entity to whom it is addressed to. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that disclosing, copying, distributing or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited. Additionally, if you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately by a reply e-mail. E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message, which arise as a result of e-mail transmission. >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> Twitter: http://twitter.com/kictanet >> Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KICTANet/ >> >> Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/info%40alyhussein.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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Re: [kictanet] John Suffolk's Statement at the Huawei Press Conference on March 7, 2019 - Huawei
by Ali Hussein 11 Mar '19

11 Mar '19

Adam Thanks for this. Informative. Part of it is public knowledge already especially the part about components of computer systems being manufactured by several vendors. The Global IT Supply Chain is so convoluted and so many players involved that if what the US is alluding to is correct that we will see the collapse of this ecosystem, of which China is a major player. Kind of shooting oneself in the foot so to speak. Take Apple for example: According to the statement 766 global suppliers, among which 346 were on the Chinese mainland. In summary, around half of iPhones are manufactured in China. This will be case study worthy of any Business School going forward. Regards *Ali Hussein* *Principal* *AHK & Associates* Tel: +254 713 601113 Twitter: @AliHKassim Skype: abu-jomo LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim> 13th Floor , Delta Towers, Oracle Wing, Chiromo Road, Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya. Any information of a personal nature expressed in this email are purely mine and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the organizations that I work with. On Fri, Mar 8, 2019 at 6:06 PM Adam Lane via kictanet < kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: > Hi all > > I thought I'd share this, as it's a nice summary of the cybersecurity > challenges we all face globally and addresses some of the concerns raised > by some stakeholders overseas. > > > https://www.huawei.com/en/press-events/special-release/john-suffolks-statem… > > there's a lot more detail on the website, but this may be the most > insightful. > > regards > Adam > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > Twitter: http://twitter.com/kictanet > Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KICTANet/ > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/info%40alyhussein.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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[here we go again.. surely we can't be this dumb] 800, 000 Kenyans need food aid, agency says
by Patrick A. M. Maina 09 Mar '19

09 Mar '19

Guys, last year the problem was TOO MUCH RAIN. This year (less than 12 months later), the problem is TOO LITTLE RAIN. This has been happening for over 100 years. Corruption makes us look foolish and incompetent to the rest of the world.. like we are incapable of something as basic as learning to compensate for nature's cycles. Then we get offended when the developed world holds paternalistic or condescending attitudes towards us... It's not them, we are doing this to ourselves! When will we realize that it is NOT THE RAIN PATTERNS that are the problem... it's having people who don't care about the impact of their selfish actions on the less privileged, in positions or jobs that require caring. When you look at countries like the Netherlands, which should not even be viable (because 1/3 of their land is literally below sea level) or Israel - which is literally a desert but among the top 20 most food secure nations, the significance of our continued failure as a society really sinks in. Some problems are so fundamental, they should have been solved decades ago. There is no excuse. No one to blame, but ourselves as a society. We contribute our part to grand corruption by being silent and passive about it. Silence, in the face of repeated injustice, means CONSENT. These are 800,000 victims of our silence in the face of corruption, nepotism and short sighted thinking. Don't blame the rain.. look in the mirror. That is where the problem is. https://www.nation.co.ke/news/800-000-Kenyans-need-food-aid/1056-5016738-ta… 800,000 Kenyans need food aid, agency says | | | | | | | | | | | 800,000 Kenyans need food aid, agency says National Drought Management Authority warns figure could rise if weather stays same. | | |

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UK to place social media firms under duty of care.
by Patrick A. M. Maina 09 Mar '19

09 Mar '19

[link at the bottom] "Social media firms in the United Kingdom will soon be placed under a new statutory duty of care, the Daily Telegraph reported on Friday. Under the new rules, tech giants will be required to take reasonable and proportionate action to protect their users, especially children, from any online harm. This includes harmful content that is illegal such as physical abuse and legal content which is potentially harmful, such as cyber bullying, self-harm and violence. Firms that fail to do so will be fined, prosecuted and even barred from operating in the UK. To ensure enforcement of the rules, the government will create a new independent regulator that will have wide-ranging powers to require firms to remove harmful or illegal material under legally binding codes." link: https://www.teletrader.com/amp/news/details/47079238

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John Suffolk's Statement at the Huawei Press Conference on March 7, 2019 - Huawei
by Adam Lane 08 Mar '19

08 Mar '19

Hi all I thought I'd share this, as it's a nice summary of the cybersecurity challenges we all face globally and addresses some of the concerns raised by some stakeholders overseas. https://www.huawei.com/en/press-events/special-release/john-suffolks-statem… there's a lot more detail on the website, but this may be the most insightful. regards Adam

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