- KICTANet - KICTANet

Fwd: [AfrICANN-discuss] Nov 26, 2019 from 13:00 to 14:00 UTC: ICANN66 readout webinar
by Bob Ochieng 25 Nov '19

25 Nov '19

Hi All, Sharing the below details for our post ICANN66 webinar planned for tomorrow. You are invited. Thanks. > Begin forwarded message: > > From: Yaovi Atohoun <yaovi.atohoun(a)icann.org> > Subject: [AfrICANN-discuss] Nov 26, 2019 from 13:00 to 14:00 UTC: ICANN66 readout webinar > Date: 21 November 2019 at 18:17:34 EAT > To: AfrICANN Community List <africann(a)afrinic.net> > Reply-To: AfrICANN Community List <africann(a)afrinic.net> > > Hello everyone / Bonjour à tous, > > FR : Ce webinaire est prévu pour le 26 Novembre 2019 de 13 :00 à 14:00 UTC. Il permettra de vous faire un résumé des échanges intervenus pendant la réunion ICANN66 qui s’est tenue à Montréal. > > Lien pour ZOOM https://icann.zoom.us/j/159788352 <https://icann.zoom.us/j/159788352> > (l’audio dans ZOOM sera en Anglais ; appeler par téléphone ou SKYPE ou demander à être appelé si vous voulez l’audio an Français) > Vous pouvez aussi appeler l’un des numéros suivants http://adigo.com/icann/ <http://adigo.com/icann/> pour l’audio le 26 Novembre. Il faudrait ensuite taper le code correspondant à votre langue de préférence pour l’audio. Français: 9002 > Si vous souhaitez qu’un opérateur vous appelle le 26 Novembre (pour l’audio uniquement), prière envoyer un courriel à queries.nairobiec(a)icann.org <mailto:queries.nairobiec@icann.org> (avec nom, numéro de téléphone avec indicatif et votre langue de préférence) au plus tard le 25 Novembre 2019 à 23h50 UTC > > EN: This webinar is scheduled for November 26, 2019 from 13:00 to 14:00 UTC. it will inform you on key takeaways from the ICANN66 meeting in Montreal > Zoom URL https://icann.zoom.us/j/159788352 <https://icann.zoom.us/j/159788352> > You can also dial-in using one of the numbers at http://adigo.com/icann/ <http://adigo.com/icann/> on November 26, 2019. Once you reach the conference center, you need to enter the corresponding language channel conference ID for English which is 9001 . > Please send a mail to queries.nairobiec(a)icann.org <mailto:queries.nairobiec@icann.org> (with your name, your complete phone number and language preference if you want an operator to call you (audio only) no later than November 25, 2019 at 23:50 UTC > > > Thanks/ Merci > -- > Yaovi Atohoun > Stakeholder Engagement and Operations Manager- Africa; ICANN > www.icann.org <http://www.icann.org/> > > _______________________________________________ > AfrICANN mailing list > AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net <mailto:AfrICANN@afrinic.net> > https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/africann <https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/africann>

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Fwd: [At-Large] Internet Governance Acronyms Glossary 3.0
by Barrack Otieno 23 Nov '19

23 Nov '19

Listers, Might be helpful to Internet Governance Enthusiasts. Regards. ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Joly MacFie <joly(a)punkcast.com> Date: Fri, Nov 22, 2019 at 8:59 PM Subject: [At-Large] Internet Governance Acronyms Glossary 3.0 To: At-Large Worldwide <at-large(a)atlarge-lists.icann.org> Just in time for the forthcoming IGF, the Diplo Foundation in partnership with the Internet Society and the Geneva Internet Platform have published version 3.0 of the IG Acronyms Glossary https://www.diplomacy.edu/sites/default/files/IG_Acronym_glossary_2019.pdf -- --------------------------------------------------------------- Joly MacFie 218 565 9365 Skype:punkcast -------------------------------------------------------------- - _______________________________________________ At-Large mailing list At-Large(a)atlarge-lists.icann.org https://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/at-large At-Large Official Site: http://atlarge.icann.org _______________________________________________ By submitting your personal data, you consent to the processing of your personal data for purposes of subscribing to this mailing list accordance with the ICANN Privacy Policy (https://www.icann.org/privacy/policy) and the website Terms of Service (https://www.icann.org/privacy/tos) You can visit the Mailman link above to change your membership status or configuration, including unsubscribing, setting digest-style delivery or disabling delivery altogether (e.g., for a vacation), and so on. -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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For quality laws, MPs should consult stakeholders
by Grace Githaiga 21 Nov '19

21 Nov '19

>From Walu on our town hall last week: IN SUMMARY * So last week, Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTAnet) hosted what is possibly the first town hall meeting with Members of Parliament – specifically the Parliamentary Committee on ICT. * More often than not, MPs meet citizens in only two settings – during election campaigns and during formal stakeholder engagement sessions at Parliament buildings. * Participants from media, academia, civil society, private sector, youth, etc. asked questions and shared ICT experiences and subsequently got honest feedback from MPs. * It was evident that this sort of meetings with parliamentary committees in charge of various sectors should be encouraged and regularised. https://mobile.nation.co.ke/blogs/1949942-5354120-7bdgkj/index.html Best regards Grace Githaiga -- Grace Githaiga Co-Convenor, Kenya ICT Action Network

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How bad tech policies are killing dreams of young entrepreneurs
by Grace Githaiga 20 Nov '19

20 Nov '19

Good morning Listers Our submission to bunge was covered by Standard. During the campaigns for the 2013 presidential elections, President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto adopted a manifesto that hinged on a narrative of digital transformation that eventually got the two elected. At the time, the two candidates told young voters that the existing crop of leaders was out of touch with the needs and aspirations of digital natives - young people under 25 who grew up in an age when smart phones, the internet and social media were becoming mainstream - and that they were best-equipped to drive a digital economy. Half a decade later and the narrative of a ‘digital government’ is quickly unraveling. In the last two years, the government has proven to be the most detrimental to Kenya’s digital economy, eroding previous gains made in the journey of making Kenya a Silicon Savannah. https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/article/2001349701/how-bad-tech-po… Best regards Grace Githaiga -- Grace Githaiga Co-Convenor, Kenya ICT Action Network

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Invitation to attend Public screening and discussion event on Data Privacy , data protection and artificial intelligence.
by alfred＠kenya.ai 16 Nov '19

16 Nov '19

The Great Hack is a 2019 documentary film about the FacebookCambridge Analytica data scandal, produced and directed by Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer. The film uses the Cambridge Analytica scandal as a framework to illustrate the data mining structures and algorithms that are undermining individual liberty and democratic society. Watch the trailer of the film on http://bit.ly/2PW22CQ Join us on 21st November from 6pm - 9.30pm at Alliance Française Nairobi for a viewing of the Great Hack documentary and a discussion afterward on data protection, data privacy and artificial intelligence. What is the current state of data protection laws in Kenya amidst the Huduma Number and Census exercise? What effect does artificial intelligence have on data privacy? This and much more will be discussed during the panel session. Invited panelists are from the legal, data science and human rights industry. Full event details and RSVP on http://bit.ly/greathacke <http://bit.ly/greathacke> Kind regards, Alfred Ongere +254705882004 Team lead, Founder www.kenya.ai <http://bit.ly/AIKPODYTB> Watch Ai Kenya Podcast | <http://bit.ly/2vRuV7Y> World Ai Show Nairobi 2019 Keynote

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Fireside chat with National Assembly ICT Committee (Wednesday November 13, 2019-6 pm to 8 pm)
by Grace Githaiga 13 Nov '19

13 Nov '19

Good morning Listers We have an opportunity to interact with the National Assembly ICT Committee. This is short notice but a good chance for the Committee to engage with Stakeholders. The committee has been busy but will be available tomorrow Wednesday evening November 13, 2019 starting 6pm to 8. pm. Our Liz Orembo will provide us with more details on venue and how we will raise issues of discussion. Best regards Grace Githaiga -- Grace Githaiga Co-Convenor, Kenya ICT Action Network

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IMF chief tells poor countries to cut use of global consultancy firms
by S.M. Muraya 13 Nov '19

13 Nov '19

Old news, but we have we complied? https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/imf-chief-tells-poor-countries-cut-use-gl… *IMF chief tells poor countries to cut use of global consultancy firms* Tom Belger, Finance and policy reporter Yahoo Finance UK, 23 January 2019 IMF head Christine Lagarde in Davos. Photo: REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has told poor countries to stop using global consultancy firms to write development strategies. The fund’s managing director Christine Lagarde singled out inefficient spending on consultants for criticism at an event about funding the sustainable development goals at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. She even ordered any representatives of “the McKinseys and Boston Consulting Groups” or any other consultancy firms in the room to listen to her as she delivered an uncomfortable message about their work. The former French government minister said low-income and emerging-market economies had to raise more revenue themselves domestically and cut white elephant projects and corruption. She argued the private sector had a key role to play if poorer countries were to ever achieve the 17 development goals set by the UN. But she warned: “I’m looking around to see whether there are any of the McKinseys and Boston Consulting Groups, and if there are please listen to me. “I see many, many low-income countries and emerging-market economies spend millions of dollars commissioning consultants to build their strategy plan. I would recommend some saving be made by taking the 17 principles, the actionable items, and start with that. “From there, the consultants can actually do their job of putting it into reality. But don’t reinvent it — it’s right there. So much is wasted. That’s part of the inefficient spending that can actually be saved.” The comments may spark controversy not only in the consultancy industry, but also among critics of the IMF itself. The fund has a tarnished reputation in many parts of the world for its heavy-handed promotion of free-market reforms in indebted countries over the past few decades. The sight of a senior IMF figure now urging developing countries to cut down on their use of imported private sector expertise may raise eyebrows.

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List moderation for Two KICA amendment bills 2019
by Grace Githaiga 12 Nov '19

12 Nov '19

Dear Listers Greetings. Further to sharing of two KICA Bills here, we would like to submit a memorandum on both as part of public participation. We plan to hold a two day moderated debate next week on Wednesday October 23rd and Thursday 24th. The two bills propose to amend KICA on different issues. 1. The first one published on March 15, 2019 proposes to amend KICA by inserting a new section 25A, which will allow Telco companies to engage in any other business, so long as they are licensed. 2. The second Bill published on July 24, 201 9 proposes to amend KICA in section 2, which basically is the regulation of social media (including bloggers and watsapp admins). Mercy Mutemi will moderate the social media one on Wednesday, while Mwendwa Kivuva will handle the Telcos one on Thursday. We hope to have a discussion on the same with the National Assembly ICT committee at a date to be announced here. Looking forward to a vibrant debate. Warmly Grace ---- Grace Githaiga Co-Convenor, Kenya ICT Action Network -- Grace Githaiga Co-Convenor, Kenya ICT Action Network

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People not Technology: the fatal flaw in any business
by Mbugua Njihia 12 Nov '19

12 Nov '19

Every man, woman has a number. A number that when reached, tabled or sighted, throws reason out of the window and converts even the most placid and gentle souls into ravenous criminals with eyes set on an illicit prize, more often than not of the financial kind. Many times technology gets a bad rap as its deployment within business processes is seen to aid and abet all manner of raids on corporate and private coffers. http://www.mbuguanjihia.com/business/people-not-technology-the-fatal-flaw-i… *Regards,* Mbugua Njihia ᐧ

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Fwd: [At-Large] REMINDER: NOW OPEN - Call for Expressions of Interest (EoIs) for the At-Large Board Member Position 2019-2020 Cycle
by Barrack Otieno 10 Nov '19

10 Nov '19

Listers, Might be of interest. Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: ICANN At-Large Staff <staff(a)atlarge.icann.org> Date: Sun, Nov 10, 2019 at 5:59 AM Subject: [At-Large] REMINDER: NOW OPEN - Call for Expressions of Interest (EoIs) for the At-Large Board Member Position 2019-2020 Cycle To: At-Large Worldwide <at-large(a)atlarge-lists.icann.org> Cc: bcec-staff(a)icann.org <bcec-staff(a)icann.org>, bcec-2020(a)icann.org < bcec-2020(a)icann.org> Dear All, Please note that the deadline for the call for Expressions of Interest for the At-Large Board Member Position 2019-2020 Cycle is *23:59 UTC on Monday, 11 November 2019.* Kind regards, ICANN Policy Staff in support of the At-Large Community Website: atlarge.icann.org Facebook: facebook.com/icann <https://www.facebook.com/icannatlarge>atlarge <https://www.facebook.com/icannatlarge> Twitter: @ <https://twitter.com/ICANNAtLarge>ICANNAtLarge <https://twitter.com/ICANNAtLarge> *From: *Heidi Ullrich <heidi.ullrich(a)icann.org> on behalf of ICANN Staff < staff(a)atlarge.icann.org> *Date: *Friday, 18 October 2019 at 1:50 PM *To: *At-Large Worldwide <at-large(a)atlarge-lists.icann.org> *Cc: *ICANN Staff <staff(a)atlarge.icann.org>, "bcec-2020(a)icann.org" < bcec-2020(a)icann.org>, "bcec-staff(a)icann.org" <bcec-staff(a)icann.org> *Subject: *NOW OPEN - Call for Expressions of Interest (EoIs) for the At-Large Board Member Position 2019-2020 Cycle ** Ce message sera envoyé prochainement en ES et FR** **Este mensaje se enviará en breve en ES y FR** Dear All, On behalf of the Board Candidate Evaluation Committee (BCEC), we are seeking Expressions of Interest (EoIs) from individuals who wish to serve as an ICANN Board Director. The selected candidate will serve a 3-year term starting at the end of ICANN69 (2020 Annual General Meeting - AGM). *Background* Seat number 15 of the ICANN Board of Directors is dedicated to a member selected by the At-Large community. This seat is currently occupied by León Sánchez, who assumed the position at the end of ICANN60 (2017 AGM). His 3-year term will be completed at the closing of ICANN69 (2020 AGM), and he will be eligible for re-appointment. Pursuant to Section 19 of the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) Rules of Procedure <https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/Rules+of+Procedure?preview=/226…>* (RoP**)*, the At-Large community began the selection process for the next Board Director in September 2019, with the appointment of the Chairs and Members of the BCEC and the Board Member Selection Process Committee (BMSPC). The BCEC is responsible for outlining candidate requirements and expectations, calling for, identifying, and evaluating applications, and compiling the initial slate of candidates. The BMSPC oversees the entire selection process, including the development of the selection timeline and the election process. Both groups have regionally balanced membership and operate in accordance with a strict code of conduct and confidentiality where applicable. For more information, please visit the At-Large Board Member Selection Home - 2019-2020 <https://community.icann.org/display/ABMS/At-Large+Board+Member+Selection+Ho…>. In accordance with the ALAC Rules of Procedure (RoP), Regional At-Large Organizations (RALOs) may petition to have a candidate added to the slate. The BCEC is expected to finalize its selection by the end of 2019. Following the publication of the BCEC slate, unsuccessful applicants may opt to have their candidacy considered by the five RALOs. The overall selection process will conclude by Wednesday, 22 April 2020. The successful applicant will be announced on or before that date. *How to * *Submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) Form * Interested individuals should begin the process by reviewing the At-Large Board Member Candidate Requirements <https://community.icann.org/x/W5YCBw>* 2019-2020 *and the At-Large Board Member Candidate Reference Links & Resources <https://community.icann.org/x/Z4WGBg>. In particular, please ensure that you meet the eligibility requirements detailed under “Additional Bylaws Qualifications” on the At-Large Board Member Candidate Requirements <https://community.icann.org/x/W5YCBw> page. Those interested and are eligible should email BCEC Staff <bcec-staff(a)icann.org> to briefly indicate your interest. Upon receipt, At-Large staff will provide access to an online EoI Form for your completion. Specifically, applicants are requested to name three (3) to four (4) referees who are willing, at short notice, to provide a written reference for your candidacy when contacted by the BCEC and At-Large staff. The deadline for submitting an EoI Form for the BCEC’s consideration is *23:59 UTC on Monday, 11 November 2019.* Please email the BCEC Staff <bcec-staff(a)icann.org> if you have more questions. Kind regards, ICANN Policy Staff in support of the At-Large Community Website: atlarge.icann.org Facebook: facebook.com/icann <https://www.facebook.com/icannatlarge>atlarge <https://www.facebook.com/icannatlarge> Twitter: @ <https://twitter.com/ICANNAtLarge>ICANNAtLarge <https://twitter.com/ICANNAtLarge> _______________________________________________ At-Large mailing list At-Large(a)atlarge-lists.icann.org https://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/at-large At-Large Official Site: http://atlarge.icann.org _______________________________________________ By submitting your personal data, you consent to the processing of your personal data for purposes of subscribing to this mailing list accordance with the ICANN Privacy Policy (https://www.icann.org/privacy/policy) and the website Terms of Service (https://www.icann.org/privacy/tos) You can visit the Mailman link above to change your membership status or configuration, including unsubscribing, setting digest-style delivery or disabling delivery altogether (e.g., for a vacation), and so on. -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Call for proposals on “Operations, strategic communication and capacity building support for the African Internet Rights Alliance”
by Grace Githaiga 08 Nov '19

08 Nov '19

Listers Please check out this Call for proposals on “Operations, strategic communication and capacity building support for the African Internet Rights Alliance” and apply if interested. Best regards Grace Githaiga -- -- Grace Githaiga Co-Convenor, Kenya ICT Action Network

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Fwd: Invitation codes - Digital Future Society Summit at SCEWC19
by Grace Githaiga 08 Nov '19

08 Nov '19

FYI For those who will be attending the Digital Future Society Summit. Best regards Grace Githaiga --- Original message follows --- Subject: Invitation codes - Digital Future Society Summit at SCEWC19 From: "Adriana Díaz" To: "Grace Githaiga" CC: "Marc Payola" Date: 06-11-2019 16:59 Dear Grace, please feel free to share the following registration [1] codes to the Digital Future Society Summit at the SCEWC19 with contacts in your network that might be in Barcelona and interested in joining the entire event or one of its panel, seminar and working sessions (see here [2] the agenda). Remember that attendees of the Digital Future Society Summit are also given access to all contents of the SCEWC19. BC70A50B 4C5DD9DC E47C5613 A26C2353 1B4378DE Looking forward to seeing you there! Adriana. Register now to get your pass to the Digital Future Society Summit [3] 19-20 NOVEMBER 2019 | FIRA GRAN VIA, BARCELONA We are glad to invite you to Digital Future Society Summit at Smart City Expo World Congress 2019. In order to get your pass, please register at the link below. REGISTER NOW [1] Don’t miss the opportunity to join top-tier international speakers and attend exclusive parallel sessions focused on the debate around digital trust and ethics when it comes to the use of emerging technologies in the public sphere. For more information, you can check out our website [4]. A programme of: +34 932 332 000 [5] www.digitalfuturesociety.com [6] @DFS_MWC [7] Fira de Barcelona ------------------------- See email in browser [8] | Privacy Policy [9] Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences [10] or unsubscribe from this list [11] -- Grace Githaiga Co-Convenor, Kenya ICT Action Network Links: ------ [1] https://registration.firabarcelona.com/#/en_GB/S119019/WEB [2] https://digitalfuturesociety.com/digital-future-society-summit-at-scewc-201… [3] https://digitalfuturesociety.com/digital-future-society-summit-at-scewc-201… [4] https://bit.ly/2NkpurZ [5] tel:+34%20932%20332%20000 [6] https://digitalfuturesociety.com/?utm_source=ownedmittum&utm_medium=email&u… [7] http://www.twitter.com/DFS_MWC [8] $%7bm_showit%7d [9] https://mobileworldcapital.com/privacy-policy/ [10] https://mobileworldcapital.secure.force.com/SubscriptionMemberManagment?p1=… [11] http://mobileworldcapital.secure.force.com/SubscriptionMemberManagment?p1=d…

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Fwd: [AFRI-Discuss] AFRALO Newsletter
by Barrack Otieno 04 Nov '19

04 Nov '19

Listers, Might be of interest. Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: ICANN At-Large <staff(a)atlarge.icann.org> Date: Sun, Nov 3, 2019 at 4:58 PM Subject: [AFRI-Discuss] AFRALO Newsletter To: <afri-discuss(a)atlarge-lists.icann.org> October 2019 AFRALO NEWSLETTER Volume 1 | October 2019 The latest news from the African At-Large Regional Organization (AFRALO) Visit our Website <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> >From the Chair's Desk Mohamed El Bashir, AFRALO Chair Welcome to AFRALO Newsletter 1st Volume, It's a new dawn! I most sincerely welcome everyone to this new dawn of the maiden edition of the AFRALO newsletter. I am excited that what started like mere suggestion is now coming into fruition and thereby positioning AFRALO to join the league of RALOs with their own newsletter. I thank all those who volunteered to make this happen. This is a new dawn looking back from where we were coming from, following AFRALO's successful election of new leadership team to be led by Seun Ojedeji ( incoming Chair) and Aziz Hilali ( incoming Vice Chair). I do appreciate the role and support of Fatimata Seye Sylla (outgoing Vice Chair), Let me once again congratulate all the newly elected members and seek their support moving forward for the incoming leadership as we continue to grow AFRALO members and activities. I write this with nostalgia, given that this is my first and probably the last as the Editor-in-Chief of this new AFRALO Newsletter, but definitely not going to be my last in terms of contributions to the growth and sustenance of AFRALO and ICANN community. I must at this juncture express our gratitude to ALAC leadership and At-Large community members who stood by AFRALO delegates to the Third At-Large Summit (ATLAS III), to ensure that we make good use of this opportunity, using their contacts and time. Special Thanks to Leadership, ICANN staff and particularly the At-Large support staff Heidi, Gisella, Silvia, Evin, Yesim), the Travel Team and ICANN Africa Engagement Team led by the Vice President, Global Stakeholder Engagement, Mr. Pierre Dandjinou. We can only pray and urge you and team to continue to pilot the engagement train so as to sustain the tempo so far. For our ATLAS III Ambassadors, especially those who eventually succeeded in getting the Canadian visa, despite all the hiccups; we are looking forward to your active participation in ATLAS III and ICANN meeting in Montreal. We must make good use of this opportunity so as to encourage others starting from taking the sessions seriously as a number of activities have been well lined up including the plenary on Monday with focus on “Thought and Change Leadership” and a session on ‘Effective Communication’ with a number of breakout sessions, to name a few. Above all, network with peers and the wider ICANN community, it offers extra-opportunity to learn firsthand and I am sure that by the time ICANN66 and ATLAS III will be over, there will be light at the end of the tunnel, for us as individuals and Africa as a continent. Also central is the AFRALO monthly calls, which I think we must continue to be an open forum to share ideas of activities in our region and coordinate our RALO activities. Our active participation in the multistakeholder engagements within the ICANN community is important and valuable, so please continue to be active and engaged. I would like to welcome Ihab Osman and Mandla Msimang, the newly selected African members to the ICANN Board of Directors, we are looking forward to work with you and wish you the best in your new roles.I wish everyone, especially those traveling to Montreal for ICANN66 and very importantly to us, the ATLAS III, a safe trip and active participation. Lastly we lost one of the African Internet industry finest, Dr. Tarek Kamel (1962-2019) may his soul rest in peace, He was a true African Internet Pioneer. Enjoy this new dawn! Editorial Team Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed EL BASHIR Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Fatimata SEYE SYLLA Managing Editor | Secretariat: Sarah KIDEN Editor (English): Remmy NWEKE Co-Editor (French): Olévié KOUAMI CONTRIBUTORS ENGLISH Adetokunbo Abiola Aisha Hamid Bram Fudzulani Bukola Oronti Dave Kissoondoyal Hadia El Miniawi Haroun Mahamat FRENCH Adam Ahmat Brahim Mustapha Cedric Kinanga Christine Anaky Gabdibé Gab-Hingonne Ines Hfaiedh Minata Zong-Naba Full list of team members <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> SUPPORT ICANN At-Large Staff staff(a)atlarge.icann.org About AFRALO African Regional At-Large Organization: Engaging Africa for Development AFRALO is the home of the individual Internet user community for the African region. It provides news, key resources and interactive information sharing tools for individuals and end-user groups in the African region who are interested in ICANN and in shaping the future of the Internet. AFRALO aims to: - Strengthen users’ participation in ICANN decision-making structures - Help ensure that its members will actively encourage more direct participation by end users - Build Internet policy making capacity in the region - Reach out to Internet users on the issues in the scope of ICANN - Represent users’ interests and defining public interest aspects of Internet governance with specific focus on the areas of privacy, transparency, and accountability - Strengthen consumer protection in ICANN policies - Identify social impacts of technical infrastructure design - Take cultural diversity into account when formulating technical standards (e.g. IDN implementation) AFRALO currently consist of 61 ALSes <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> located in 32 countries and territories. To learn more about the ongoing work of AFRALO, you are welcome to check out the AFRALO workspace <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> . AFRALO Secretariat Update: ATLAS III The At-Large Summit (ATLAS III) is the third gathering of the representatives of Internet end-users participating in the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) activities. In the activities leading to this stage, which is part of the 66th ICANN International Meeting <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…>, slated for Montréal, Canada, from 2 - 7 November 2019, the African Regional At-Large Organization (AFRALO) <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> would be well represented. Noteworthy is that the selection process was divided into two parts; namely the assessment to ascertain membership of At-Large; a series of compulsory courses about ICANN and what it does; and already an active member within At-Large or in another section of ICANN, on behalf of At-Large. Out of the 55 selected At-Large members, AFRALO got 19 slots and here we present to you these ambassadors who would make us proud at ICANN66 during the ATLAS III: Abdeljalil Bachar Bong Abdulkarim Oloyede Bakary Kouyate Bram Fudzulani Bukola Oronti Chokri Ben Romdhane Daniel Khauka Nanghaka Ejikeme Egbuogu Ines Hfaiedh Isaac Maposa Joan Katambi Michel M. Tchonang Linze Nkem Nweke Peters Osawaru Omoragbon Ramanou Biaou Raymond Selorm Mamattah Remmy Nweke Sonigitu Asibong Ekpe We wish all the selected AFRALO members for ATLAS III a successful participation! See the blog on ICANN.org: Future Policy and Outreach Ambassadors to Attend the Third At-Large Summit (ATLAS III) <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> ALAC / At-Large Policy Comments & Advice All of AFRALO and the At-Large community are invited to contribute to ICANN public comment proceedings. For more information, please visit the At-Large Policy Advice Development Page <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> or contact At-Large staff <staff(a)atlarge.icann.org>. The At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) recently ratified the following statement: Next Steps to Improve the Effectiveness of ICANN’s Multistakeholder Model <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> The ALAC summarized its comments as follows: I. Strengthen ICANN’s bottom-up multistakeholder decision-making process and ensure that work gets done and policies are developed in an effective and timely manner. - Issue 1: Prioritization of work. ALAC feels this must be addressed (Category A). Some suggestions include: spreading the workload, increased outreach (ATLAS III, further incentives to keep contributing volunteers, adequate knowledge and resources (specified in II) The entire community,as well as ICANN.org <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> must contribute to the resolution of this problem. - Issue 2: Precision in scoping the work. This issue may fall into Category A - must be addressed - or Category B -- might be partially addressed in current processes. We foresee scoping that is tight and smart and relevant to the process. It is impossible to say who should be responsible when so much activity around it is unresolved. - Issue 3: Efficient use of resources. This is a category A issue which must be addressed. We recognize that it might be partially addressed by current processes but cannot assess the situation until these processes are completed. We are concerned that PDP 3.0 may offer efficiency at the cost of inclusiveness which we feel would be a backwards step in the evolution of ICANN’s MSM. - Issue 4: Roles and responsibilities and a holistic view of ICANN. This is a category A issue although it will require further processes to resolve. ALAC seeks a bottom-up review of roles and responsibilities as an independent process. II. Support and grow active, informed and effective stakeholder participation. Strategies to expand the concept of participation are offered as well as various resources and support needed to ensure informed participation. We consider this to be a Category A issue -- the model cannot evolve if it is not addressed. This is a major concern for At Large and other volunteer-based constituencies and all will need to be involved in addressing it. Support from ICANN,org and the Board will be necessary. - Issue 5: Representativeness and inclusiveness. Mentorship programs are a key part of ensuring that the MSM system remains representative and inclusive. Relevant constituencies as well as staff need to make sure these programs are working as they are intended and that they are reaching the right demographics. Inclusiveness at the leadership level needs to be improved through a bottom up process with staff assistance. III. Sustain and improve openness, inclusivity, accountability and transparency. - Issue 6: Culture, trust and silos. This is a category A issue that needs to be addressed in this process. All constituencies need to reach across their boundaries, respect for other viewpoints must be reinforced. This is a problem in many large organizations and there are professional services available to help build trust and cooperation. By engaging some of these services, ICANN.org <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> could help constituencies build a better working environment. - Issue 7: Complexity. This is an inherent feature of ICANN work, but where it can be alleviated, ICANN.org <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> should take the lead. Make sure information such as the website is well organized and understandable and closely monitor the internet governance environment for issues that will impact ICANN directly. - Issue 8: Consensus. Creating conditions that would facilitate consensus is the goal of the issues already listed. Preserving the voice of end users in the decision-making processes is crucial to ICANN’s MSM model -- a Category A issue in which all parties play a role but the role of the Board will be particularly important. Read more ALAC Executive Summaries here <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> . The ALAC also submitted policy feedback in response to: - Amazon Public Interest Commitments (PICs) 2019 <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> - Invitation to Provide Feedback on the ICANN Board’s Proposed Public Interest Framework <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> - ALAC Question to the ICANN Board: Domain Name Abuse <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> The ALAC is drafting the following comments: Drafting Registration Directory Service (RDS-WHOIS2) Review Team Final Report <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> 25 November 2019 Comment DRAFT PTI and IANA FY21 Operating Plan and Budgets <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> 27 November 2019 In addition, there is an ongoing workspace regarding CPWG SubPro Comment <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> . Have your say! To contribute to ALAC public comment, please comment on the wiki space or volunteer as penholder, and join the weekly At-Large Consolidated Policy Working Group (CPWG) <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> meetings. Additional Resources <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> ALAC/At-Large Policy Issues Note from GSE Africa Pierre Dandjinou, VP, Stakeholder Engagement - Africa Congratulations AFRALO Greetings from ICANN org and specifically from the Global Stakeholder Engagement Africa team. May I add my voice, and on behalf of my team in congratulating you, the Afralo leadership and editorial team on the launch of your newsletter. It is our sincere hope that with this newsletter, another channel for furthering awareness about ICANN and its remit in the Internet Ecosystem, including the important work of ALSes has been created! <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> Being the first edition of this newsletter, we take this opportunity to once again introduce our <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…>ICANN Africa Strategy <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> which was one of the first regional strategic documents ever developed in ICANN. It was developed by the Africa The Africa Strategy Working Group (ASWG) and presented during ICANN49 in Toronto. It was adopted by ICANN in 2012 and officially launched in 2013. The strategy remains the cornerstone and road map of our engagement efforts in the continent <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> . Through a two-pronged approach, the Strategy aims to encourage participation of the African Internet community in ICANN as well as build capacity amongst stakeholders to foster the domain name industry in Africa. Thus, we have two broad objectives; <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> · Awareness Creation <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> - Promote Awareness and Meaningful Participation of Africa in ICANN & the wider IG Ecosystem in partnership with other I* and Af* Organizations. <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> · Build Capacity <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…>- Transform the DNS & Internet Industry in Africa by Facilitating capacity development and Cultivating an environment for the emergence of an Africa grown domain name industry and business. <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> Almost six years later, several flagship programs and projects have been implemented in the region including with varying degrees of success, they include; The DNSSEC roadshow series, The Africa DNS Forum amongst others. ( <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…>See our 5-Year Implementation Report for full details <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…>) Equally, we have also had an opportunity, together with you, the community, to review the strategy severally to keep it aligned with changing needs and realities at ICANN. Our Africa strategy thus remains a living document, and we are looking forward to the next iteration to review and realign it with the current ICANN org 2021-2025 Strategic Plan. In this regard, we look forward to a continued and even deeper collaboration with Afralo leadership and team as a whole to make this a reality. Thank you and congratulation once more. <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> AFRALO, ICANN Community Mourn Dr. Tarek Kamel As the preparation for the ICANN66 advanced, the African Regional At-Large Organisation (AFRALO) was saddened on October 10 the passage of Dr. Tarek Kamel to great beyond. Until his death, Kamel was ICANN's Senior Advisor to the President and Senior Vice President of Government and Intergovernmental Organization (IGO) Engagement. A well-cherished gentleman across the Internet ecosystem, Kamel is known to have led efforts to build stronger relationships between ICANN.org and governments, ministries, and IGOs on Internet governance sector. Tarek was known as ardent multistakeholder advocate and determined to building one strong, stable, and interoperable Internet for all people across the globe. To this effect, African Internet Community is planning a session in his honour led by Tijani Ben Jemaa. Also, a section of the Africa Internet community, is seeking 100 signatures in honour of Dr Tarek Kamel as tribute to many of his pioneering efforts on the continent. “Our goal is to reach 100 signatures and we need more support,” the organisers said, urging Africans. They also urge people to read more and sign the petition <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> . African Regional Organizations (AF*) The 4th Summit on Community Networks (CNs) in Africa will take place in Dodoma, Tanzania from 28 October to 2 November 2019. The Summit hopes to promote the creation and growth of CNs, increase collaboration between CN operators in the region, and provide an opportunity for them to engage with other stakeholders. - Training Workshop: 28-29 October - CN Summit Plenary: 30-31 October - Site Visit to Kondoa Community Network: 1-2 November The event is targeted at CN operators, policy makers, researchers, evangelists, sponsors, and related networks such as community radio. Annual Digital Week Burkina Faso <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> An At-Large Structure, the Women and Sustainable Development Foundation (F-FTIC & DD) will be participating in the 15th annual Digital Week Burkina Faso, taking place between November 19 and 23, 2019 in Bobo-Dioulasso, economic capital of Burkina Faso with the theme : Towards innovative financial instruments for the well-being of the citizen in the digital era." Stay Connected At-Large on Twitter <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> | At-Large on Facebook <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> | AFRALO Website <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001bcytASM_AEg9T4MZ84G-uGCby43hYlK4_gR2aSImS-az…> | Mailing List <afralo-newsletter(a)icann.org> ICANN | 12025 Waterfront Drive, Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90094-2536 Unsubscribe afri-discuss(a)atlarge-lists.icann.org <https://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&m=00115LrDzKl3LoTB9FWCDiE2A%3D&…> Update Profile <https://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=oo&m=00115LrDzKl3LoTB9FWCDiE2A%3D&…> | About Constant Contact <http://www.constantcontact.com/legal/about-constant-contact> Sent by staff(a)atlarge.icann.org in collaboration with [image: Trusted Email from Constant Contact - Try it FREE today.] <http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?cc=nge&rmc=VF19_3GE> Try email marketing for free today! <http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?cc=nge&rmc=VF19_3GE> _______________________________________________ AFRI-Discuss mailing list AFRI-Discuss(a)atlarge-lists.icann.org https://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/afri-discuss Homepage for the region: http://www.afralo.org Posting guidelines to ensure machine translations of emails sent to this list are more accurate: http://www.funredes.org/mistica/english/emec/method_emec/presentation.html#… _______________________________________________ By submitting your personal data, you consent to the processing of your personal data for purposes of subscribing to this mailing list accordance with the ICANN Privacy Policy (https://www.icann.org/privacy/policy) and the website Terms of Service (https://www.icann.org/privacy/tos) You can visit the Mailman link above to change your membership status or configuration, including unsubscribing, setting digest-style delivery or disabling delivery altogether (e.g., for a vacation), and so on. -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Re: [kictanet] AFRICA INTERNET SUMMIT (AIS) 2020 – WORKSHOPS & CONFERENCES
by Barrack Otieno 04 Nov '19

04 Nov '19

Listers, AFRICA INTERNET SUMMIT (AIS) 2020 – WORKSHOPS & CONFERENCES AFRICAN NETWORK OPERATORS GROUP (AfNOG) Africa Internet Summit (AIS) Secretariat announces AfNOG’s program at The Africa Internet Summit scheduled to be held in Kinshasa, DRC from 31st May – 12th June 2020. AIS is the pinnacle multi-stakeholder event combining, workshops, conferences and networking for the internet Industry. The annual summit attracts internationally renowned Instructors, Experts and Speakers to share the latest innovations and Best practices in the Internet industry. This is the place where the African Technical Institutions and Af* such as AfNOG, AFRINIC, REN Africa, AfricaCERT, AfTLD –AROC, AfCHIX , ISOC Africa, AfrICANN, AfGWG etc meet. Meeting the needs of the Africa Internet Community: AIS aims at meeting the ever-changing needs of the ICT Industry and includes the core IP Engineering as well as integrating the real world use and impact of IP Technologies. Sessions include technical and business aspects of the Internet :ie Capacity Building, Infrastructure, Security, Policy, Content & Names, Internet Numbers and Research. About the Entire Event : Event Calendar include the following: * AfNOG Workshop on Network Technology (offering advanced training in a week-long hands-on workshop) • Several one /two full-day Advanced AfNOG Tutorials • AfricaCERT Workshop & Forums • AFRINIC Trainings • AfREN Forum • AfTLD – Workshop & Forum • ISOC Africa Sessions • ICANN Africa Day * * AfChixTechWomen Summit • A one-day AfNOG Plenary Session • A three-day AFRINIC Plenary Session. In addition, several side meetings and workshops will be hosted in collaboration with other organizations. Who Attends? A broad range of ICT Industry leaders and technical experts including Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Network Engineers, CSIRTs Engineers and Policy makers who wish to acquire the necessary skills in ICT, Government, Regulators, Telecommunication companies and ICT vendors. It is a good opportunity for networking among peers and businesses. Why Attend? * The AIS addresses the current and future needs of operators in the ICT Industry • It is focused on popular and emerging ICT Industries such as Cyber Security, Mobile Networking among other. • It features discussions on a wide range of issues of the Internet including the current and newest trends in ICT. • Industry experts will be participating in conference sessions from thought-provoking and visionary keynote presentations to interactive panel sessions, all addressing the most pressing topics LOCAL HOST : ISPA - DRC TIME TABLE Workshop & Tutorials - Event Date(s) Unix Boot Camp 31 May 2020 (Sunday) Networking Boot Camp 31 May 2020 (Sunday) CERT Boot Camp 31 May 2020 (Sunday) AfNOG Workshop 1 - 5 June 2020 (Monday - Friday) AfricaCERT Workshop 1 - 5 June 2020 (Monday - Friday) AfTLD – Workshop & Forum TBC AFRINIC Trainings TBC AfCHIX TechWomen Summit 6 June 2020 (Saturday) AfNOG Tutorials 6 – 8 June 2020 (Sunday - Monday) Forums & Conference : Event Date(s) ISOC Africa Sessions TBC ICANN Africa Day 7 June 2020 Opening Session 8 June 2020 (Monday at 5 pm) REN Africa Tech Session 8 June 2020 AfREN Meeting TBC AfNOG-21 Conference 9 June 2020 AFRINIC-31 Conference 10 – 12 June 2020 About AfNOG AfNOG (See http://www.afnog.org/) is a forum for cooperation and the exchange of technical information between operators of Internet-connected networks in Africa. AfNOG aims at building a community of engineers helping each other operate Internet Infrastructure in Africa, and on the Global Internet as well as promote the discussion of issues relating to implementation of new networks that require community cooperation. AfNOG has since year 2000 organized their annual Event in a different African country each year. _“While AfNOG fuels the rapid growth of the Internet in Africa with trained technical capacity, our content has been determined by the needs of the community. In so doing AfNOG’s output training capacity has multiplied in the past decade and the community flourished”_ AfNOG Workshop on Network Technology : The AfNOG Workshop on Network Technology aims to offer advanced training to people who are in the process of developing and enhancing an Internet-connected network with regional and international connectivity. The target audience includes senior and mid-level technical staff of commercial Internet service providers (ISPs), academic networks, government networks, or NGO networks. This workshop builds on the experience of previous AfNOG workshops held annually from 2000 to 2019 in Twenty African countries, and also the Internet Society's INET workshops, held annually from 1993 to 2000 at eight locations around the world. The workshop's Instructors are an international team with many years of experience in operating large networks and teaching about network operations. AfNOG 2020 Workshop Tracks This year’s workshop is divided into Eight parallel Tracks: ( 5 English & 3 French Tracks). * SS-E Scalable Internet Services (in English), focused on the design and operation of email, web, and other Internet services, in ways that can scale to handle large numbers of end users. * SS-F - Internet évolutives (enfrancais), similar to track SS-E, but given in French. * SI-E - Scalable Network Infrastructure (in English), focused on the design and operation of networks using routers and switches, in ways that can scale to handle large numbers of interconnected sites. * SI-F, Infrastructure Reseaux IP (enfrancais), similar to track SI-E, but given in French. * NM – E, Network Monitoring & Management (English) * NM-F, suivi et gestion de réseaux (enfrancais), similar to track NM-E, but given in French. * AR –E, Advanced Routing Techniques (English) * CT- E, CERT Training (English) Workshop application information is at : English: http://www.afnog.org/applications/online_application_en.php French: http://www.afnog.org/applications/online_application_fr.php **Workshop Application Deadline – 15th Jan, 2020 About AFRINIC AFRINIC is the Regional Internet Registry for Africa headquartered in Ebene, Mauritius. It is responsible for the distribution and management of Internet number resources (IP address space and Autonomous System Numbers) in Africa and the Indian Ocean region. AFRINIC ensures equitable and efficient distribution of Internet number resources to the African Internet community to support Internet governance, technology usage and development across the continent. Trainings and capacity building are a central part of AFRINIC’s activities and the objective is to build competence within Africa in IPv6 adoption as well as associated technologies required to use internet number resources effectively. More on AFRINIC can be found at www.afrinic.net [1]. AfricaCERT AfricaCERT will hold a 6 day Workshop & Tutorial on CSIRT Operations from 1 to 5 June 2020 in Kinshasa, DRC. AfricaCERT is the African forum of computer incident response teams, and aims to propose solutions to Challenges for a better health in the Af* Internet Ecosystem. The objectives of AfricaCERT include, but are not restricted to : * Assisting African countries in establishing CSIRTs; • Strengthening the relationships amongst CSIRTs in Africa and with other stakeholders all over the World; • Fostering and supporting education and outreach programs in ICT Security; • Encouraging information sharing in ICT Security; • Promoting good practices and experiences sharing among members to develop a comprehensive framework for cybersecurity including better addressing of legal and regulatory issues; • Assisting African CSIRTS in improving Cyber readiness and enhancing the resilience of ICT Infrastructure; • Promoting Collaborative Technology Research, Development and Innovation in the ICT security field. Please visit www.africacert.org [2] for further information. AfTLD – AROC Workshop & Meeting Africa Top Level Domains Organization (AFTLD) will be conducting a Train the Trainer Session during AIS 2020. Further information will be provided shortly. ICANN Africa ICANN Africa will be holding ICANN.Day. ICANN DAY is an annual full day event taking place during the Africa Internet Summit. Participants will get an update on ICANN’s current area of work, latest discussions on policy development and update on the implementation of the Africa Strategy Further information will be provided shortly. ISOC AFRICA ISOC Africa will be holding Hackathon /sessions on Internet Governance, etc. Further information will be provided shortly. AfCHIX AfCHIX will be holding the Fourth AfCHIX Tech Women Summit on 6th June, 2020. Further information will be provided shortly. AfNOG Tutorials AfNOG will offer 1 to 2 full-day(s) tutorials on advanced topics. Tutorials take place in a classroom-style environment, and may include a hands-on practical component. Tutorials are non-commercial in nature, and most are technically oriented. They are intended to offer advanced training on technology already deployed or soon to be deployed on networking and related services provisioning for ISP operations. Additional information about AfNOG 2020 Tutorials will be available here shortly: http://www.afnog.org/afnog2020/tutorial/ REN Africa Research and Education Network, Africa will be holding a one day meeting on 8th June 2019. The forum is a platform for discussions on issues of interest to the research and education networking (REN) community such as collaboration, advocacy and coordination of activities in Africa. Sharing of experience and best practices as well as presentation of innovative networking technologies are also regularly addressed. Additional information on REN Africa 2020 will be provided shortly. AfNOG - 2020 Conference The 21st AfNOG Conference will be held in Kinshasa DRC, on 9th June 2020. AfNOG conferences provide a forum for the coordination and dissemination of technical information related to backbone/enterprise networking technologies and operational practices. The conferences are informal, with an emphasis on relevance to current and future African backbone engineering practices. The AfNOG 2020 conference in Uganda drew several delegates, mainly consisting of network engineering staff from lnternet Service providers, Telecommunication Companies, Government, Research and Education community, Civil Society. Additional information and the Conference schedule will be available here shortly: http://www.afnog.org/afnog2020/conference/ AFRINIC-32 Public Policy Meeting The AFRINIC-32 Public Policy meeting will be held in Kinshasa, DRC for three days from 10th – 12th June, 2020. AFRINIC Meetings are open to everyone and provide an excellent opportunity to take part in Internet policy discussions. These policies, which describe how Internet Number Resources should be managed and distributed, are developed by the community. The meeting will include tutorials, presentations, update on the various working groups and the AFRINIC Public Policy Meeting. The three day meeting will be preceded by various training sessions. _Please join us, once again, as we come together to learn, network and shape the future of ICT in Africa!!_ Best regards Barrack Otieno Links: ------ [1] http://www.afrinic.net/ [2] http://www.africacert.org/

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Fwd: [AfrICANN-discuss] ICANN66: Africa Strategy Session; Nov 06, 21:00-22:15 UTC
by Barrack Otieno 04 Nov '19

04 Nov '19

Listers, Might be of interest. Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Yaovi Atohoun <yaovi.atohoun(a)icann.org> Date: Thu, Oct 31, 2019 at 7:02 PM Subject: [AfrICANN-discuss] ICANN66: Africa Strategy Session; Nov 06, 21:00-22:15 UTC To: AfrICANN Community List <africann(a)afrinic.net> Hello everyone / Bonjour à tous EN: You are invited to participate in (on site or remotely) the Africa Strategy session during the ICANN66 meeting in Montreal *Session name: ICANN's 2021-2025 Strategic Plan and the Africa Strategy* *Time: 21:00 – 22:15 UTC (17:00 - 18:15 in Montreal) on Wed, Nov 6, 2019* *Venue: Room 517C* *URL: https://66.schedule.icann.org/meetings/1116786 <https://66.schedule.icann.org/meetings/1116786> * . FR : Vous êtes invités à participer (à Montréal ou à distance) à la session sur la Stratégie Africaine prévue le 06 Novembre 2019 de 21h à 22h15 UTC. *Nom de la session : Le plan stratégique 2021-2025 de l’ICANN et la Stratégie Africaine* *Heure : 21:00 - 22:15 UTC (17:00 - 18:15 heure de Montréal) le mercredi 06 Novembre 2019* *Lieu : Room 517C* *Lien pour plus d’information : https://66.schedule.icann.org/meetings/1116786 <https://66.schedule.icann.org/meetings/1116786> * Thanks/Merci -- *Yaovi Atohoun* *Stakeholder Engagement and Operations Manager- Africa*; *ICANN* *www.icann.org <http://www.icann.org>* _______________________________________________ AfrICANN mailing list AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/africann -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Fwd: Why This Africa Youth Day 2019 Is Different (Africa Youth Month)
by Barrack Otieno 03 Nov '19

03 Nov '19

Might be of interest to the Youth. Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: AU Youth Envoy <noreply(a)auyouthenvoy.org> Date: Sun, 3 Nov 2019, 3:59 am Subject: Why This Africa Youth Day 2019 Is Different (Africa Youth Month) To: <otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com> To kick off…. we introduced the individual scavenger hunt which you can start to organise NOW with your friends, networks and family... Why This Africa Youth Day 2019 Is Different (Africa Youth Month) <https://auyouthenvoy.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3adc848d5dbb73b3806…> Learn More About The Scavenger Hunt <https://auyouthenvoy.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3adc848d5dbb73b3806…> November 1st was set aside by the African Union to celebrate the resilience, innovation and change-making spirit of the African youth. Africa Youth day serves as a way to channel our powerful political voices, energy and boldness to build the Africa that we want. We will not only celebrate you, African youth across the continent and the diaspora, just for one day, but the whole November will be Africa Youth Month, which will kicked off kicked of on the 1st of November 2019 and start a series of exciting activities. To kick off…. we introduced the individual scavenger hunt which you can start to organise NOW with your friends, networks and family. We would like all of you to participate in this activity, raise awareness about Africa Youth Month and 1 million by 2021 initiative. Here Are The Scavenger Hunt Instructions <https://auyouthenvoy.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3adc848d5dbb73b3806…> At the African Union headquarters, we gathered with the AU Youth Volunteers at our Amphitheater to celebrate Africa Youth. *HOW TO SUPPORT THE SCAVENGER HUNT* Support the scavenger hunt by taking part in our social media activities. Share our Scavenger Hunt post on *Facebook here,* <https://auyouthenvoy.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3adc848d5dbb73b3806…> ReTweet our Scavenger Hunt *Tweet here <https://auyouthenvoy.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3adc848d5dbb73b3806…> *and show us some love on our *Instagram post here* <https://auyouthenvoy.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3adc848d5dbb73b3806…> Learn more about Africa Youth Month here. <https://auyouthenvoy.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3adc848d5dbb73b3806…> AU Youth Envoy leads umpire scavenger hunt with the youth volunteers. The two winners of scavenger Hunt will join the AU Youth Envoy on future missions. Our East Africa star, member of the AU Youth Advisory Council,* Petrider Paul, *hosted a successful interactive dialogue *"AU Coffee Session"* with full house; to kick off Africa Youth Month engagement and inform the young people of *Tanzania* on the OYE and Youth Advisory Council Action Plan and activities. <https://auyouthenvoy.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3adc848d5dbb73b3806…> <https://auyouthenvoy.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3adc848d5dbb73b3806…> Our Central Africa star, member of the AU Youth Advisory Council, *Nair Abakar,* organised a successful citizenship week in *Chad* to celebrate Africa Youth Month with volunteerism and citizen action through the Initiative *Citoyens sans frontières. * <https://auyouthenvoy.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3adc848d5dbb73b3806…> <https://auyouthenvoy.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3adc848d5dbb73b3806…> *Meet The AU Youth Envoy in Beijing, China* *Did you miss it?* We launched our Action Plan for 2019/20... *More* <https://auyouthenvoy.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3adc848d5dbb73b3806…> <https://auyouthenvoy.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3adc848d5dbb73b3806…> [image: Facebook] <https://auyouthenvoy.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3adc848d5dbb73b3806…> [image: Twitter] <https://auyouthenvoy.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3adc848d5dbb73b3806…> [image: Link] <https://auyouthenvoy.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3adc848d5dbb73b3806…> [image: Website] <https://auyouthenvoy.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3adc848d5dbb73b3806…> *Copyright © 2019 AU Youth Envoy, All rights reserved.* You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. *Our mailing address is:* AU Youth Envoy African Union Headquarters P.O. Box 3243, Roosvelt Street W21K19 Addis Ababa 1000 Ethiopia Add us to your address book <https://auyouthenvoy.us20.list-manage.com/vcard?u=3adc848d5dbb73b3806bec769…> Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences <https://auyouthenvoy.us20.list-manage.com/profile?u=3adc848d5dbb73b3806bec7…> or unsubscribe from this list <https://auyouthenvoy.us20.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=3adc848d5dbb73b3806…>.

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Fwd: [AfrICANN-discuss] Successful Candidates Announced for ICANN67 Fellowship - ICANN68 Application info.
by Barrack Otieno 02 Nov '19

02 Nov '19

Congratulations Eric, Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Yaovi Atohoun <yaovi.atohoun(a)icann.org> Date: Sat, Nov 2, 2019 at 5:07 AM Subject: [AfrICANN-discuss] Successful Candidates Announced for ICANN67 Fellowship - ICANN68 Application info. To: AfrICANN Community List <africann(a)afrinic.net> Hello everyone / Bonjour à tous EN : The list of selected candidates for ICANN67 is available at https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/fellowship-participants-2019-11-01-en - Application round for ICANN68 Policy Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will be opened on 15th of November, 23:59 UTC time. - Please read more about the program at https://www.icann.org/fellowshipprogram FR : La liste des candidats retenus pour ICANN67 est disponible à https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/fellowship-participants-2019-11-01-en - Les demandes de bourse pour ICANN68 ( Kuala Lumpur ) peuvent être soumises en ligne à partir du 15 novembre 2019 à 23 :59 UTC. - Plus d’information sur le programme à https://www.icann.org/fellowshipprogram Thanks / Merci -- *Yaovi Atohoun* *Stakeholder Engagement and Operations Manager- Africa*; *ICANN* *www.icann.org <http://www.icann.org>* _______________________________________________ AfrICANN mailing list AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/africann -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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IS AMAZON UNSTOPPABLE?
by Ali Hussein 31 Oct '19

31 Oct '19

Listers Relevant in this day of Dominance and Market Failures. Not since the heydays of General Motors in the early and mid years of the 20th Century has a company stood over the industry like a colossal. In many ways Amazon is the New General Motors. Regulators and Policy Makers are circling. Globally, led first by the European Union and now the Americans. On can probably say that the American Government has been generally ambivalent to these issues until early this year when arguably first shot was fired by Makan Delrahim, the head of the Ant-Trust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice., when he said of Tech Companies:- " They should think very seriously about their conduct, if you're one of the big guys, you should be careful to make sure you don't snuff out competitors because you think that's good for your business. That not what free markets really mean, and we're going to come down on you like a ton of bricks if that's what you do." This long article by The New Yorker <https://www-newyorker-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.newyorker.com/magazine…> exemplifies the conundrum of Capitalism today. At what point does success become poisonous? What is good and what is bad? Where do we draw the line? Regulators are coalescing around the Four 'Cs'. 1. *Concentration*: “The bigger a tech company becomes, the more they can bully, so we need to put hard caps on how big companies like that can grow, on what they can acquire.” said an FTC <https://www.ftc.gov/> official. 2.* Conflict*. According to Rohit Chopra <https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/biographies/rohit-chopra>, the second “C” is the conflict of interest that comes from “both controlling the pipe and selling the oil.” Chopra, who agreed to speak only about antitrust generally and not about Amazon specifically, explained, “If you do both, you will structure your marketplace in a way that ultimately is self-dealing, and you will use the data from those who sell on your marketplace to benefit yourself.” There’s a long history of the government forcing industries to separate distribution and sales; for years, movie studios have generally been prohibited from owning movie theatres. Unfortunately too often Amazon has been accused of this sin. Too often. 3.* Contracts*. The next area of concern is contracts. Big tech companies often make highly restrictive deals with smaller venders. Amazon retains a contractual right to hold sellers’ revenues for long periods after a sale and imposes limits on what data sellers can share with other companies. Another F.T.C. commissioner, Rebecca Kelly Slaughter <https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/biographies/rebecca-kelly-slaughter>, said, “There are a lot of terms that go into boilerplate contracts that consumers or workers don’t really have an opportunity to negotiate. It is absolutely appropriate for us to be thinking about banning those.” 4. *Complexity*. Lastly, regulators worry about the complexity of current antitrust law. “You really have to be an expert, or hire an expert attorney, if you feel like one of these companies is acting inappropriately,” an F.T.C. official said. “The law only works when it is simple enough for the little guy to bring an action on their own.” It is recommended reading to all business people, policymakers, activists and regulators. *Ali Hussein* Tel: +254 713 601113 Twitter: @AliHKassim Skype: abu-jomo LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim> 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.

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Invitation to celebration at the iHub
by Nekesa Were 31 Oct '19

31 Oct '19

Good morning Listers! Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB) and iHUB are honoured to cordially invite you to join us as our guest at the official launch of NYOTA, our celebration of Africa’s technology and innovation champions, on Wednesday 6th November 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya. Date: Wednesday, 6th November 2019 Time: 5:00 p.m. Venue: iHub, 6th floor Senteu Plaza, Galana road, Nairobi, Kenya We are bringing together global stakeholders who have contributed immense value to the growth of the innovation and technology ecosystem on the continent. The launch will set precedence to the narrative of CcHUB and iHUB’s mission alignment with a focus on our work across Africa. At this event, we will honour key individuals whose work and influence have positively impacted the growth of technology and innovation on the continent. We call these champions; NYOTA - the Kiswahili word for star. Nyota celebrates our champions as guiding stars for the technology and innovation ecosystems in Africa from Cairo to Cape Town, Dakar to Dar es Salaam. Africa communities have used extensive, centuries-old knowledge of the stars for navigation. As a stakeholder in advancing innovation to catalyze economic and social change across the continent, we look forward to hosting you at this exhibition. Kindly RSVP for the official launch of NYOTA here <https://launchofnyota.splashthat.com/>. You can reach me on +254722625633 or nekesa(a)ihub.co.ke for clarification. -- Warm Regards, Nekesa Were iHub <http://ihub.co.ke/> Too brief? Here's why. <http://emailcharter.org/> +254.722.625.633

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WhatsApp/Facebook v. NSO Group
by Alice Munyua 29 Oct '19

29 Oct '19

Of nterest to those who follow privacy data protection issues. Here is the law suit against NSO group by WhatsApp https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6532441-WhatsApp-Facebook-v-NSO-Gro… https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6532441-WhatsApp-Facebook-v-NSO-Gro…

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African Digital Transformation Strategy and AUC and Advocacy Strategy
by Lydia gachungi 29 Oct '19

29 Oct '19

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Kenya Revenue Authority Data Collection
by tevin mwenda 29 Oct '19

29 Oct '19

Hi Listers, I came across this article today in the business daily on how the Kenya Revenue authority will be collecting data from all the other agencies https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/news/tech-KRA-kit-to-track-car-deals-da…. They have even gone further to request that any new power meter connection be linked to the KRA system. In as much as I know they are doing it with an effort of getting tax cheats I am just wondering what are the implications of such massive data sharing with no Data protection laws in place regarding how such Data should be shared between government entities and what should be shared. Kind Regards Tevin Mwenda Gitonga

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Georgia hit by massive cyber-attack
by Barrack Otieno 29 Oct '19

29 Oct '19

Listers, https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-50207192 How prepared are we? Best regards Barrack Otieno

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Fwd: Educators in Uganda/Kenya
by Bitange Ndemo 28 Oct '19

28 Oct '19

If anyone is looking for a job please see below. Ndemo. ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Julia Cook <Julia.Cook(a)dukece.com> Date: Mon, Oct 28, 2019 at 5:40 PM Subject: Educators in Uganda/Kenya To: Julia Cook <Julia.Cook(a)dukece.com> Good afternoon, We are looking for educators who deliver the following subjects in UGANDA or KENYA – ( no flights, should be a local educator based in Uganda or Kenya) in November/December this year. · Personal Mastery · High Performing Teams · Design Thinking 25 Senior Managers ( Excellence Programme ) 25 Middle Managers ( Core Programme ) We look forward to hearing from you if you qualify. Thank you *Julia Cook * *Director Network Development Africa* Mobile + 27 83 701-9730 or Landline + 27 87 353 4684 Eden Gardens Building | The Campus Office Park | 57 Sloane Street | Bryanston | Gauteng RSA 2021 Access our journal Dialogue <http://www.dialoguereview.com/> or follow us on LinkedIn <http://www.linkedin.com/company/duke-corporate-education>, Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/DukeCorpEd>, and Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/dukecorped> ------------------------------ DukeCE Privacy Statement: Please be advised that this e-mail and any files transmitted with it are confidential communication or may otherwise be privileged or confidential and are intended solely for the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you are not the intended recipient you may not rely on the contents of this email or any attachments, and we ask that you please not read, copy or retransmit this communication, but reply to the sender and destroy the email, its contents, and all copies thereof immediately. Any unauthorized dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited.

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BAKE & Lawyers Hub Event to discuss KICA amendments and Regulation of Social Media
by Linda Bonyo 28 Oct '19

28 Oct '19

Dear Listers, The Bloggers Association of Kenya and the Lawyers Hub are pleased to invite you to this public discussion on the KICA amendments this Thursday evening at 6pm at the Lawyers Hub in Upper Hill. Registration on the link below; tickets are limited, sign up early and we hope to see you on Thursday. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bloggers-lawyers-lawtech-meet-up-on-regulation… -- ______________________________________________ *Linda Bonyo* (Ms.) | CEO, *Lawyers Hub * Tech for Justice ACK Garden House| Block D, 6th Floor |Upper Hill, Nairobi| Kenya Email: bonyo(a)*lawyershub.ke* <bonyo(a)lawyershub.ke> | Skype*:* lawyershubke Tel: +254(0)207840228 Mobile : +254784840228 www.lawyershub.org | www.lawyershub.ke | *_**__________________________________________________________* *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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KICA Amendment- Regulation of Social Media
by kanini mutemi 27 Oct '19

27 Oct '19

Good morning Listers, As GG had alerted us last week, there is a bill before the National Assembly that seeks to amend the Kenya Information and Communication Act by including a part on Regulation of Social Media. I will lead us on a discussion on this Bill. Between 2016 to date, we have seen many attempts to regulate social media conduct. Interestingly, one such attempt, the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, where many of its sections on regulation of social media, have been suspended is coming up for hearing today. Now we tackle yet another attempt to ‘fix’ social media. To start with, I will post the definitions proposed in the bill of the word ‘social media platform’ and ‘blogging’: "*blogging" means collecting, writing, editing and presenting of news or news articles in social media platforms or in the internet;* *"social media platforms" includes online publishing and discussion, media sharing, blogging, social networking, document and data sharing repositories, social media applications, social bookmarking and widgets;* What are your initial thoughts? What ‘problem’ is Hon. Injendi trying to fix with this bill? Who will fall under those definitions? Contributions are welcome. -- *Mercy Mutemi, Advocate*.

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Migrating Russian eagles run up huge data roaming charges - BBC News
by Timothy- Coach- Oriedo 26 Oct '19

26 Oct '19

Anecdotal account of mobile phones tariffs disparities across borders. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50180781 When does e-sim kick into action in global markets? It will offer a solution for tarriff rationalization across borders. Restful weekend to you all. Kind Regards Timothy Oriedo Predictive Analytics Lab lab.predictiveanalytics.co.ke

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ComMute _InterssionReport 65OS_ENG.pdf
by Roseleen Nzioka 25 Oct '19

25 Oct '19

Hi, This report on the state of freedom of expression and access to information in Africa contains some ideas on how to legally counter the proposed repressive pretentious proposed laws by our govnt regarding the control of internet platforms including websites, blogs, social media. If Mr. Mute is on this forum, he could kindly consider advising us on this. If he's not on board, we need him asap. PS: Mr. (Commissioner) Lawrence Mute is the Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights and Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa.

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KICA Amendments: Control of anti-competitive practices by telecommunication operators
by Mwendwa Kivuva 25 Oct '19

25 Oct '19

This is a continuation of the debate to amend the Kenya Information and Communications Act (KICA). Comments and thoughts are welcomed for yesterday's debate moderated by Mercy Mutemi on the regulation of social media and blogging. We can continue contributing through that thread. Today, we discuss the amendments to KCIA published on March 15th, 2019, recommended by Hon Elisha Odhiambo, MP, seeking to add a new section 25A on splitting telecommunications businesses, and section 34A on the compensation of telecommunications consumers on call drops, and section 84J prescribing how the Universal Service Fund (USF) should be used. *The new Section 25A requires telecommunications operators to* - Obtain a license for additional business. - Legally split the telecommunications business from additional business. - Provide separate accounts and reports in respect of all business carried out. - Require Communications Authority to report compliance annually to Parliament. The reasons given for this bill are to allow telecommunications companies to engage in other businesses, and also aid in the control of anti-competitive practices by large industries in the sector. What are your thoughts on this amendment? Do we have any specific recommendations we can pass to Parliament through the public participation process? Warm Regard

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KICA Amendments: Universal Service Fund use and reporting
by Mwendwa Kivuva 25 Oct '19

25 Oct '19

This is a continuation of the discusion on the proposed amendment of KICA. The new amendments to KICA proposed by Hon. Elisha Odhiambo, MP, published on March 15th, 2019, seeks to substitute sub-section (2) of section 84J that deals with Universal Service Fund (USF), with Communications Authority (CA) mandated to provide annual reports to parliament on the utilisation of the USF. (2) The object and purpose of the Fund shall be to a) promote the availability of quality of service at just, reasonable and affordable rates for all consumers; b) increase nationwide access to advanced telecommunications services; c) advance the availability of such services to all consumers, including those in low income, and rural areas; d) increase access to telecommunications and advanced services in schools, libraries and rural health care facilities; e) provide equitable and non-discriminatory contribution from all providers of telecommunications services to the fund supporting universal service programs; and f) support capacity building and promote innovation in information and communications technology services. (5) The USF shall be utilised by the Commission as follows a) 6% shall be used for ensuring the availability of telecommunications services to all consumers, including those in low income and rural areas; b) 20% shall be used for increasing access to telecommunications and advanced services in schools, libraries, and rural health care facilities. c)10% shall be used for furthering the other objectives of the Fund as the Commission may determine. The rationale of the bill is to prescribe how the USF is used and make it mandatory for CA to report annually on its usage. What are your thoughts on this new amendment? Does it cover all use-cases for USF e.g courier and news services? Are there other considerations you would want to be included in the bill? Warm Regards ______________________

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KICA Amendments: compensation of telecommunication consumers for call drops
by Mwendwa Kivuva 25 Oct '19

25 Oct '19

The new amendments to KICA proposed by Hon. Elisha Odhiambo, MP, published on March 15th, 2019, seeks to add a new section 34A on the compensation of telecommunications consumers for call drops. 34A. (1) A licensee is liable to credit a consumer who initiates a call that gets cut out after a connection by Kenya Shillings ten worth of airtime for each call drop within its network for a maximum of three call drops per day (2) A licensee shall not be liable to compensate a consumer, where a call gets cut out due to third party interference on the licensee's connection lines, inevitable accident or *force majeure*. The rationale of the bill is to make provisions for quality of service to consumers making calls by compelling licensees in the telecommunications industry to invest in infrastructure that will guarantee the quality of service for consumers making calls. What are your thoughts on this new amendment? Is it adequate? Does KICA cover all other telecommunications service consumers? Warm Regards ______________________ Mwendwa Kivuva,

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Re: [kictanet] KICA Amendment- Regulation of Social Media
by kanini mutemi 24 Oct '19

24 Oct '19

I see the comments coming in. Thank you. Here is more to ponder on: The Amendment will require that all bloggers register with the Commission (Read Communication Authority of Kenya) perhaps on the payment of a fee. Failure to register will be a criminal offense. So *1*. *Licensing of the social media platform* * 2. Registration of bloggers. * I like the question Mwendwa posed. What is news. If I’m walking by town and I witness an accident first hand- take a photo and break that information on my Whatsapp Status or Instagram stories or on Twitter- am I blogger? Will I have committed an offense? On Wed, 23 Oct 2019 at 14:55, Mwendwa Kivuva <lordmwesh(a)gmail.com> wrote: > According to the bill, "*blogging" means collecting, writing, editing and > presenting of news or news articles in social media platforms or in the > internet;* > > > Anything that is not news is not a blog. The bill is defining blogging > with the intention of regulating opinion on news. So that you would need a > license to comment on any newsworthy event. Probably, the next question > should be, what is the definition of News? Other questions are, if you blog > fake news, will that also be blogging? Is fake news under the definition of > blogging? > > > *"social media platforms" includes online publishing and discussion, media > sharing, blogging, social networking, document and data sharing > repositories, social media applications, social bookmarking and widgets;* > > KICTAnet has a document repository for sharing policy briefs and reports. > Does that make KICTAnet a social media platform? Will KICTAnet need a > license to operate it's website? > > On Wed, Oct 23, 2019, 14:05 kanini mutemi via kictanet < > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: > >> Are we worried about the definition of ‘social media platform’ >> >> The amendment proposes that for a social media platform to ‘operate’ in >> Kenya, they must seek a license. To get the license, they will have to >> comply with some obligations eg having an office in Kenya. >> >> >> On Wed, 23 Oct 2019 at 13:44, Mildred Achoch <mildandred(a)gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >>> I think posting on Twitter is covered under the term microblogging. My >>> follow up question then is: does this include retweeting or liking someone >>> else's tweet? If someone from another country criticizes a leader in Kenya, >>> then I retweet this 280 character criticism, have I carried out the action >>> of "blogging"? >>> >>> Regards, >>> Mildred. >>> >>> >>> On Wednesday, October 23, 2019, kanini mutemi <kaninimutemi(a)gmail.com> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> @Mildred, >>>> >>>> Thanks for starting us off. >>>> >>>> Would you say someone posting on Twitter (280 characters) would also >>>> fall under the broad definition of blogger? Drawing this from ‘*writing >>>> on social media platforms*’ >>>> >>>> On Wed, 23 Oct 2019 at 13:21, Mildred Achoch <mildandred(a)gmail.com> >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>>> Dear Listers, >>>>> >>>>> First, thank you for the opportunity to discuss this. I have very many >>>>> initial thoughts but let me begin with the definition of blogging. I think >>>>> it is important to look at the history of blogging as this will expand the >>>>> definition of the term beyond just news items. On the ground, many bloggers >>>>> like myself don't even concern themselves with news. For example, I have a >>>>> poetry blog that is largely inactive but is still a "LOG" of my previous >>>>> creative activities. >>>>> >>>>> Wikipedia has outlined what a blog is: >>>>> https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog >>>>> >>>>> If we are to follow the definition of blogging that is outlined in >>>>> this bill, does it mean then that blogs which do not deal with news will be >>>>> exempt? If a blog deals with the history of Kenya, is this still news or >>>>> not? What about satire based on news items? Parody? Memes? >>>>> >>>>> Regards, >>>>> Mildred Achoch. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Wednesday, October 23, 2019, kanini mutemi via kictanet < >>>>> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Good morning Listers, >>>>>> >>>>>> As GG had alerted us last week, there is a bill before the National >>>>>> Assembly that seeks to amend the Kenya Information and Communication Act by >>>>>> including a part on Regulation of Social Media. >>>>>> >>>>>> I will lead us on a discussion on this Bill. >>>>>> >>>>>> Between 2016 to date, we have seen many attempts to regulate social >>>>>> media conduct. Interestingly, one such attempt, the Computer Misuse and >>>>>> Cybercrimes Act, where many of its sections on regulation of social media, >>>>>> have been suspended is coming up for hearing today. Now we tackle yet >>>>>> another attempt to ‘fix’ social media. >>>>>> >>>>>> To start with, I will post the definitions proposed in the bill of >>>>>> the word ‘social media platform’ and ‘blogging’: >>>>>> >>>>>> "*blogging" means collecting, writing, editing and presenting of >>>>>> news or news articles in social media platforms or in the internet;* >>>>>> >>>>>> *"social media platforms" includes online publishing and discussion, >>>>>> media sharing, blogging, social networking, document and data sharing >>>>>> repositories, social media applications, social bookmarking and widgets;* >>>>>> >>>>>> What are your initial thoughts? What ‘problem’ is Hon. Injendi trying >>>>>> to fix with this bill? Who will fall under those definitions? Contributions >>>>>> are welcome. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>>> *Mercy Mutemi, Advocate*. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> Check out the Rock 'n' roll film festival, Kenya TV Channel! >>>>> http://kenyarockfilmfestivaljournal.blogspot.com >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>> *Mercy Mutemi, Advocate*. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>> >>> -- >>> Check out the Rock 'n' roll film festival, Kenya TV Channel! >>> http://kenyarockfilmfestivaljournal.blogspot.com >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >> *Mercy Mutemi, Advocate*. >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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/kivuva%40transworldaf… >> >> 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. >> > -- *Mercy Mutemi, Advocate*.

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Safaricom Names CEO
by Victor Kapiyo 24 Oct '19

24 Oct '19

Safaricom has named Mr. Peter Ndegwa as the company’s Chief Executive Officer effective April 1, 2020. He joins Safaricom from Diageo PLC where he is the Managing Director of Diageo Continental Europe. https://www.safaricom.co.ke/about/media-center/publications/press-releases/…

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Data Protection Bill Progress
by Grace Bomu 24 Oct '19

24 Oct '19

Listers, It appears that the ICT Ministry Data Protection Bill was read for the first time in the National Assembly. See this story <https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001330606/cs-mucheru-clashes-with-…>. I cannot find the published version of the Bill online but came across this from the interwebs. If anyone comes across one that is authoritatively published, please share. Also please be on the lookout for the public participation from the National Assembly ICT committee. Otherwise, let us prepare to give input. Regards, -- Grace Mutung'u Skype: gracebomu @Bomu PGP ID : 0x33A3450F

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Invitation to the National Cyber Security Conference 2019
by Barrack Otieno 21 Oct '19

21 Oct '19

Dear Listers, The Communications Authority of Kenya is committed to enhancing the National Cyber Readiness and Resilience. This is in recognition of the critical role that the Internet and ICTs play in Kenya’s social economic transformation. In line with these you are invited to the National Cybersecurity Conference from 23rd – 25th October 2019, which shall be a forum for cybersecurity stakeholders to engage on emerging cybersecurity matters. The Conference will be held at Safari Park Hotel. Kindly ensure that you register for the CA National Cybersecurity Conference by close of business Monday 21st October 2019 at the below URL: https://www.ke-cirt.go.ke/index.php/national-cybersecurity-conference-2019/ If you need more information on the conference kindly contact the organizers using the contact details below National KE-CIRT/CC Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) Waiyaki Way Opp. Kianda School P.O. Box 14448 – 00800 NAIROBI Web portal: www.ke-cirt.go.ke; Website: www.ca.go.ke; Email: incidents(a)ke-cirt.go.ke; Tel.: Hotlines: +254-703-042700; +254-730-172700 Thank you Best Regards -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Fwd: Connect Africa : WEBCAST THU/FRI: East Africa Internet Governance Forum 2019 #eaigf19
by Barrack Otieno 18 Oct '19

18 Oct '19

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Joly MacFie via Internet Society <Mail(a)connectedcommunity.org> Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2019 17:33:26 +0000 Subject: Connect Africa : WEBCAST THU/FRI: East Africa Internet Governance Forum 2019 #eaigf19 To: otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com == Please, reply above this line == This is, in fact, that first regional East Africa IGF since 2015 (see that one <https://livestream.com/internetsociety/eaigf>), so plenty of water under the bridge! It culminates a very active week in Arusha that has included the EASIG <https://eaigf.africa/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/EASIG-programme.pdf>, and the Tanzania IGF <https://isoc.live/11426/>, ISOC Live posted: "The 2019 East Africa Internet Governance Forum (EAIGF)will be held in Arusha, Tanzania from 17-18 October 2019. The EAIGF, which first convened in 2008, aims at creating a community of practice that will, in the long term, become a sustaining foundation f" <https://livestream.com/internetsociety/eaigf2019>The 2019 East Africa Internet Governance Forum <https://eaigf.africa/> (EAIGF)will be held in Arusha, Tanzania from 17-18 October 2019. The EAIGF, which first convened in 2008, aims at creating a community of practice that will, in the long term, become a sustaining foundation for meaningful participation of East African stakeholders in internet public policy debates at the national, regional and international level. The participating nations are Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. LIVESTREAM: https://livestream.com/internetsociety/eaigf2019 <https://livestream.com/internetsociety/eaigf2019> AGENDA: https://eaigf.africa/agenda/ <https://eaigf.africa/agenda/> (UTC+3) TWITTER: #EAIGF19 https://priv.sh/WnmbtHP <https://priv.sh/WnmbtHP> Permalink https://isoc.live/11429/ <https://isoc.live/11429/> -- --------------------------------------------------------------- Joly MacFie 218 565 9365 Skype:punkcast -------------------------------------------------------------- - Reply to Sender : https://connect.internetsociety.org/eGroups/PostReply/?GroupId=733&SenderKe… Reply to Discussion : https://connect.internetsociety.org/eGroups/PostReply/?GroupId=733&MID=4234… You are subscribed to "Connect Africa" as otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com. To change your subscriptions, go to http://connect.internetsociety.org/preferences?section=Subscriptions&MDATE=…. To unsubscribe from this community discussion, go to http://connect.internetsociety.org/HigherLogic/eGroups/Unsubscribe.aspx?Use…. -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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[Panel Discussion, 22nd.Oct]Data justice, An agenda worth pursuing in kenya?
by MU Junnan 17 Oct '19

17 Oct '19

Dear KICTANETer, You are most welcome to join our discussion on next Tuesday from 10:00 am to 13:00 at the British Institute of Eastern Africa, Laikipia Roads. Registration through this link: https://forms.gle/uLD37c73rFf6Qjdg6 Is data revolution in our age purely technical? How shall we define an ethical path in this digital Kenya? How these achievements might contribute to the evolution of governance and our life in the digital economy? What are the challenges and opportunities Kenya face nowadays in regulating data protection legislation? Together with pioneering practitioners and scholars, these questions will be reflected and discussed through the lens of “Data justice”, the data justice agenda includes three pillars, visibility, engagement with technology and anti-discrimination. With this framework, we aim to shed light on the political, economic and infrastructural dynamics that are shaping the values and ideas of Kenya’s digital future. [cid:43e3de48-d510-4f6b-96d1-689050e06608] Best Regards Ju

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Follow the Eas African Internet Governance Forum on Livestream
by Barrack Otieno 17 Oct '19

17 Oct '19

Listers, The East African Internet Governance Forum is back after a three year hiatus. This years forum is being hosted by the East African Community Secretariat in Arusha Tanzania in collaboration with the Internet Society Tanzania Chapter. The forum was preceded by the first East African School of Internet Governance attended by 50 participants from the six East African Partner States. The meeting has been graced by 100 participants from the six East African partner states including members of the East African Legislative Assembly, the Inter University Council of East Africa and the East African Court of Justice. The East African School of Internet Governance and East African Internet Governance have been supported by the Africa Union through the Policy and Regulatory Initiative for a Digital Africa which seeks to Strengthen National and Regional Internet Governance initiatives in Africa. For more information you can visit the event website www.eaigf.africa To follow the event through livestream you can use the following link https://livestream.com/internetsociety/eaigf2019 Thank you Best Regards -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Access to Information
by Lydia gachungi 17 Oct '19

17 Oct '19

The United Nations General Assembly #UNGA2019 #UNGA74 has adopted a resolution proclaiming 28 September as “International Day for Universal Access to Information” following @UNESCO resolution 57 adopted in 2015 General Conference.

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No more roaming charges: ECOWAS citizens to enjoy local rates on calls - Ursula - 3news
by Lydia gachungi 16 Oct '19

16 Oct '19

ECOWAS countries will from January 2020 scrap international roaming charges for its citizens travelling within the region as part of efforts to promote regional integration and economic development. https://3news.com/no-more-roaming-charges-ecowas-citizens-to-enjoy-local-ra…

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Your Tweet, My Right. Can a Public Figure block you from Accessing their Tweets?
by Liz Orembo 16 Oct '19

16 Oct '19

Listers, A very interesting read by Tevin Mwenda, Can social media accounts of public officials in Kenya be construed to be channels that can be used by the public to access information from their elected leaders and other public leaders regarding them? Are those public officials allowed to block someone from accessing them when they use the same channels to interact with citizens? Full article here: https://www.kictanet.or.ke/?p=40802 -- Best regards. Liz. PGP ID: 0x1F3488BF

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Fwd: Introducing the GA release of the IBM Digital - Nation Africa mobile app
by John Matogo 16 Oct '19

16 Oct '19

Dear colleague, This maybe of interest to you or someone you know who is learning new & emerging technologies. Do share this opportunity. Regards. This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view <http://links.ibmdeveloper.mkt6741.com/servlet/MailView?ms=NDA4OTQzNjgS1&r=N…> . [image: IBM Digital - Nation Africa] [image: Mobile App Likeness on a mobile phone] Introducing the GA release of the IBM Digital - Nation Africa mobile app The app has been updated based on your valuable feedback. Stay tuned for more exciting new features in the next release. Through the mobile app, you will also get early access to new Explorer courses in the future. Download the app today* <http://links.ibmdeveloper.mkt6741.com/ctt?kn=3&ms=NDA4OTQzNjgS1&r=NzMyNDcxM…> * If you have already downloaded the app, please make sure to update it with the latest version. ------------------------------ Have a question? <http://links.ibmdeveloper.mkt6741.com/ctt?kn=2&ms=NDA4OTQzNjgS1&r=NzMyNDcxM…> You are receiving this email because you subscribed to IBM Digital – Nation Africa updates, or, you have opted in to receive IBM email communications. If you no longer want to receive IBM Digital – Nation Africa updates, you may unsubscribe <http://links.ibmdeveloper.mkt6741.com/servlet/OneClickOptOutServlet?m=40894…>. If you want to continue to receive IBM Digital – Nation Africa updates, but do not want to receive other marketing communications from IBM, please send an email to NETSUPP(a)us.ibm.com <NETSUPP@us.ibm.com?subject=Please%20unsubscribe%20me%20from%20future%20IBM%20marketing%20emails>. Please visit IBM Online Privacy <http://links.ibmdeveloper.mkt6741.com/ctt?kn=4&ms=NDA4OTQzNjgS1&r=NzMyNDcxM…> for more information on the usage of your personal information by IBM. IBM Corporation, 11501 Burnet Rd, Bldg 904 3B-000, Austin, TX 78758

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Tweet from AfricaBizz (@AfricaBizz)
by Roseleen Nzioka 13 Oct '19

13 Oct '19

AfricaBizz (@AfricaBizz) Tweeted: Organizations worldwide failing to adequately protect sensitive #data in the #cloud, Thales study https://t.co/oKHEyCFwdb https://t.co/3WZLMyyjn4 https://twitter.com/AfricaBizz/status/1181894560689070080?s=17

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Twitter 'inadvertently' used email addresses for ads
by Grace Githaiga 10 Oct '19

10 Oct '19

Twitter has apologised for "unintentionally" using email addresses and phone numbers, provided by users for account security, to enable targeted advertising. The company said third-party marketers may have been able to reach specific users on Twitter based on contact details, even if the user had not wished the information be used this way. In a statement [1], Twitter said it "cannot say with certainty how many people were impacted", but the BBC understands it affects users globally. Read on: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-49981981 Best regards Grace Githaiga -- Grace Githaiga Co-Convenor, Kenya ICT Action Network Links: ------ [1] https://help.twitter.com/en/information-and-ads

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Fwd: FW: Charter for a sustainable digital age â€“ Invitation for comments
by Alvin Gachie 09 Oct '19

09 Oct '19

Dear Colleagues, Apologies for cross-posting. Please find below a call for comments and attached the Draft Charter referred to. Regards, Alvin Gachie ---------- Dear colleagues, the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) has drafted a charter for a sustainable digital age based on the almost 500-page report "Our Common Digital Future". Since last week, this draft has been accessible to everyone* and, above all, can be commented on at www.wbgu.de/charter The comments and remarks will serve as a basis for the preparation of the Charter to be published at the beginning of 2020, which will not only provide impetus for sustainability policy within the framework of the United Nations, but also for the European Union. We look forward to an intensive discussion, feedback, criticism, comments and requests. Best regards Benno Pilardeaux, German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) www.wbgu.de --------------------------------------------------------

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evisa.go.ke
by Mark Elkins 05 Oct '19

05 Oct '19

Is evisa.go.ke down? Asking for a friend. Any idea what might be wrong? -- Mark James ELKINS - Posix Systems - (South) Africa mje(a)posix.co.za Tel: +27.128070590 Cell: +27.826010496 For fast, reliable, low cost Internet in ZA: https://ftth.posix.co.za

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Fwd: [AfrICANN-discuss] Registration Open for ICANN Academy 2020 Leadership Program
by Barrack Otieno 02 Oct '19

02 Oct '19

Listers, Might be of interest. Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Yaovi Atohoun <yaovi.atohoun(a)icann.org> Date: Wed, Oct 2, 2019 at 6:22 PM Subject: [AfrICANN-discuss] Registration Open for ICANN Academy 2020 Leadership Program To: AfrICANN Community List <africann(a)afrinic.net> Hello everyone, Please read more at https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2019-10-02-en Thanks -- *Yaovi Atohoun* *Stakeholder Engagement and Operations Manager- Africa*; *ICANN* *Tel. +229 66015649/65209067* *www.icann.org <http://www.icann.org>* _______________________________________________ AfrICANN mailing list AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/africann -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Fwd: Open Forum : Moderated Online Courses - APPLICATIONS OPEN!
by Barrack Otieno 02 Oct '19

02 Oct '19

Listers, Might be of interest. Best Regards ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Alejandra Prieto via Internet Society <Mail(a)connectedcommunity.org> Date: Wed, 2 Oct 2019 09:30:37 +0000 Subject: Open Forum : Moderated Online Courses - APPLICATIONS OPEN! To: otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com == Please, reply above this line == Dear All, The Internet Society is opening applications for the following moderated online courses: Shaping the Internet - History & Futures (in English, Spanish and French): https://www.internetsociety.org/learning/shaping-internet/ <https://www.internetsociety.org/learning/shaping-internet/> Building Wireless Community Networks (in English and Spanish): https://www.internetsociety.org/learning/wireless-community-networks/ <https://www.internetsociety.org/learning/wireless-community-networks/> Introduction to Network Operations (in English and French): https://www.internetsociety.org/learning/network-operations/ <https://www.internetsociety.org/learning/network-operations/> The applications close on 15 October 2019. The online courses will be delivered through an eLearning portal and led by expert moderators. Each course will be offered to Internet Society members who meet the requirements that are mentioned on the application forms. We will contact you once the applications close. Course materials will not be available until the start of the courses on 28 October 2019. If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact us at learning(a)isoc.org <learning(a)isoc.org>. Regards, ------------------------------ Alejandra Prieto prieto(a)isoc.org Program Manager, Internet Leadership Note: replies will be sent to the full discussion group. ------------------------------ Reply to Sender : https://connect.internetsociety.org/eGroups/PostReply/?GroupId=67&SenderKey… Reply to Discussion : https://connect.internetsociety.org/eGroups/PostReply/?GroupId=67&MID=41993… You are subscribed to "Open Forum" as otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com. To change your subscriptions, go to http://connect.internetsociety.org/preferences?section=Subscriptions&MDATE=…. To unsubscribe from this community discussion, go to http://connect.internetsociety.org/HigherLogic/eGroups/Unsubscribe.aspx?Use…. -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Fwd: [ALAC-Announce] ICANN66 Prep Week Announcement
by Barrack Otieno 02 Oct '19

02 Oct '19

Listers, Might be of interest. Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: ICANN At-Large Staff <staff(a)atlarge.icann.org> Date: Tue, 1 Oct 2019, 9:46 pm Subject: [ALAC-Announce] ICANN66 Prep Week Announcement To: alac-announce <alac-announce(a)atlarge-lists.icann.org> https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2019-09-16-en Register for ICANN66 Prep Week Webinars LOS ANGELES – 16 September 2019 – Today, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) released the schedule for ICANN66 Prep Week, which features a series of seven webinars to prepare the community ahead of its Annual General Meeting in November. *To attend any of the below webinars, please register here <http://go.icann.org/prepweeksignup> by 11 October* to receive joining instructions. You may also submit questions during the registration process. All registered attendees will receive participation details days before the webinar dates. ICANN66 Prep Week Webinars Schedule *Monday, 14 October 2019* 16:00 UTC | Global Stakeholder Engagement (GSE) Update: What to Expect at ICANN66 *Tuesday, 15 October 2019* 16:00 UTC | ICANN66 Plenary Session: DNS Abuse 23:00 UTC | Pre-ICANN66 Contractual Compliance Update *Wednesday, 16 October 2019* 16:00 UTC | ICANN66 Plenary Session: Evolution of ICANN's Multistakeholder Model 23:00 UTC | Multistakeholder Strategy and Strategic Initiatives (MSSI) Update *Thursday, 17 October 2019* 12:00 UTC | Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Policy Update 16:00 UTC | Pre-ICANN66 Policy Update All webinars be in English. Materials from the Pre-ICANN66 Policy Update will also be available in French. Recordings and materials will be posted *here <https://meetings.icann.org/en/montreal66-prep-week>*. Prep Week was established to help streamline the pre-meeting experience, as well as increase awareness of plenary Thank you. Kind regards, At-Large Staff ICANN Policy Staff in support of the At-Large Community Website: atlarge.icann.org Facebook: facebook.com/icann <https://www.facebook.com/icannatlarge>atlarge <https://www.facebook.com/icannatlarge> Twitter: @ <https://twitter.com/ICANNAtLarge>ICANNAtLarge <https://twitter.com/ICANNAtLarge> _______________________________________________ ALAC-Announce mailing list ALAC-Announce(a)atlarge-lists.icann.org https://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/alac-announce At-Large Official Site: http://www.atlarge.icann.org _______________________________________________ By submitting your personal data, you consent to the processing of your personal data for purposes of subscribing to this mailing list accordance with the ICANN Privacy Policy (https://www.icann.org/privacy/policy) and the website Terms of Service (https://www.icann.org/privacy/tos) You can visit the Mailman link above to change your membership status or configuration, including unsubscribing, setting digest-style delivery or disabling delivery altogether (e.g., for a vacation), and so on.

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Fwd: CircleID Weekly Wrap for 2019-10-01
by Barrack Otieno 02 Oct '19

02 Oct '19

Listers, Might be of interest to you. Best Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: CircleID <info(a)circleid.com> Date: Tue, 1 Oct 2019, 10:20 pm Subject: CircleID Weekly Wrap for 2019-10-01 To: <otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com> Your CircleID weekly summary prepared for 40. How can we improve this newsletter? Hit reply and let us know. [image: CircleID] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> View in Browser <https://mailchi.mp/circleid/circleid-weekly-wrap-for-2019-10-01?e=131f50a58a> The Weekly Wrap Week 40 – October 1, 2019 TOP NEWS More Than 500 Schools in the U.S. Hit by Ransomware in 2019, Says Report <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> *A recent report* published by the cybersecurity firm Armor says ransomware infections have hit over 500 US schools in 2019 to date. Armor warns the rate of attack seems to be picking up with 15 new ransomware victims in the last two weeks, all of them educational institutions. From the report <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…>: — *Since January 2019, Armor has identified a total of 49 educational institutions and/or school districts that have publicly announced ransomware attacks.* "These attacks have potentially affected 500 K-12 schools. Since January, Armor has identified 182 ransomware victims in the U.S., including schools, municipalities, law enforcement agencies and healthcare networks. Out of the 182 victim organizations in 2019 in the U.S., educational institutions (49) make up the second largest pool of victims, after municipalities (70), followed by healthcare (27)." — *"Cybercriminals know* these organizations can't afford to shut down, they are often using out of date hardware and software, and they have few security measures in place. This is a deadly combination in the case of a ransomware attack, which provides for a high sense of urgency and a high probability of large payments." (Chris Hinkley, Head of Threat Resistance at Armor) Posted on Tue, Oct 01 [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> U.S. Court Upholds FCC's Net Neutrality Repeal But Says States Can't Be Barred from Passing Own Rules <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> *A U.S. court decision* today determined net neutrality laws could return at the state level overruling Trump administration's effort to block states from passing their own net neutrality laws. The court, however, upheld the 2017 repeal of net neutrality laws. David Shepardson reporting <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> in Reuters: "The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said the Federal Communications Commission erred when it declared that states cannot pass their own net neutrality laws and ordered the agency to review some key aspects of its 2017 repeal of rules set by the Obama administration. But it left open the possibility the FCC could seek to block state efforts on a case-by-case basis. The court also found that the FCC acted properly when it overturned a 2015 decision..." Posted on Tue, Oct 01 [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> The U.S. House Judiciary Committee Is Investigating Google's Plans to Implement DNS Over HTTPS <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> *The U.S. House Judiciary Committee* is investigating Google's plans to implement DNS over HTTPS (DoH) in Chrome according to a report <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> by the Wall Street Journal over the weekend. Congressional antitrust investigators say Google could use the new protocol to gain more significant competitive advantage by making access to consumer data harder for others. In a letter issued this month, the Journal reports investigators for the House Judiciary Committee have requested more information from Google on the "decision regarding whether to adopt or promote the adoption" of the protocol claimed to improve Internet security. — *Google has denied* the accusations stating in an emailed statement: "Google has no plans to centralize or change people's DNS providers to Google by default. Any claim that we are trying to become the centralized encrypted DNS provider is inaccurate." — *"We knew this was a controversial* topic within the smallish Internet technical community, but were not quite prepared for it to blossom into a front-page-of-a-national-newspaper kind of a debate," writes <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> Milton Mueller today in response to the report. He notes: "this is not a Justice Department antitrust probe, it is initiated by a congressional committee that is known for being rather political." Posted on Mon, Sep 30 [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> FEATURED BLOGS [image: Doug Dawson] Happy Birthday Wi-Fi <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> By Doug Dawson <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> This year is the twentieth anniversary of the formation of the Wi-Fi Alliance and the launch of commercial Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi has become so ubiquitous in our lives that it's hard to believe that it's only been twenty years since all broadband connections came with wires. In 1999 most people were still using dial-up, and that's the year when early adapters started buying DSL. I remember having incredibly long phone cords so that I could use my laptop at different places around the house. FULL POST <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> Posted on Mon, Sep 30 [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: Wout de Natris] Internet Consolidation at EuroDIG 2019: Questions in Need of Answers <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> By Wout de Natris <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> At EuroDIG 2019 a workshop was organised around the topic of consolidation on the Internet. It was organised around four angles: technique, competition, society and human rights and; future research. One thing became extremely clear: no one contested that consolidation is taking place nor that this already has and will have an impact on the Internet and consecutively on society. FULL POST <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> Posted on Mon, Sep 30 [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: Dan York] Watch Live Tonight – 2019 Internet Hall of Fame Ceremony <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> By Dan York <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> Tonight (27 Sep 2019) you can watch the 2019 Internet Hall of Fame induction ceremony streaming live out of Costa Rica. Eleven individuals from six countries will be inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame (IHOF) today. The 2019 class of inductees have expanded the Internet's reach into new regions and communities, helped foster a greater understanding of the way the Internet works, and enhanced security to increase user trust in the network. FULL POST <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> Posted on Fri, Sep 27 [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: Fabricio Vayra] The End of the Road: ICANN, Whois, and Regulation <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> By Fabricio Vayra <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> There's a well-documented crisis facing the domain name system: very few who rely on domain name registration data from the Whois database to perform vital functions can do so any longer, which is escalating consumer harm and abuse on the internet worldwide. And the problems, thanks to ICANN's overly restrictive policy post-GDPR and a failing policy process, are piling up. FULL POST <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> Posted on Wed, Sep 25 [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: Doug Dawson] The Hidden World of Undersea Fiber <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> By Doug Dawson <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> Since the first undersea cable was completed in 1858 to deliver telegraph messages between the US and England, we've had an extensive network of undersea cable networks that enable communications between continents. Earlier this year there were 378 undersea fiber cables in place that stretch over 745,000 miles. Here's an interactive map that shows all of the cables... What's most intriguing about the map is that there are a few cities around the world where numerous cables terminate. FULL POST <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> Posted on Wed, Sep 25 [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: Dan York] Call for Participation – ICANN DNSSEC and Security Workshop at ICANN66, Montreal, Canada <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> By Dan York <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> The ICANN Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) and the Internet Society Deploy360 Programme are planning a DNSSEC and Security Workshop on Wednesday, 06 November 2019, during the ICANN66 meeting held from 02-07 November 2019 in Montreal, Canada. The original DNSSEC Workshop has been a part of ICANN meetings for many years and has provided a forum for both experienced and new people to meet, present and discuss current and future DNSSEC deployments. FULL POST <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> Posted on Tue, Sep 24 [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> INDUSTRY UPDATES [image: WhoisXML API] The Importance of Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning in Cybersecurity <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> Experts in the realm of cybersecurity are continually trying to keep up with the changes in the threat landscape. Even with advanced tools on hand, any IT security professional knows that a data breach can happen at any time. FULL POST <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> *from* WhoisXML API Posted on Mon, Sep 30 [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: WhoisXML API] IP Geolocation: Improving Data Loss Prevention in Virtual Environments through Geofencing <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> Each day, threat actors search for targets whose assets they can compromise for personal gain. Their attacks often use exploit kits that can find gaps in networks that they use to infiltrate and compromise vulnerable systems and applications. FULL POST <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> *from* WhoisXML API Posted on Fri, Sep 27 [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: Radix] How Radix Is Helping Websites Stand Out With Meaningful, Descriptive Domains <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> Boasting more than 5 million domains under its management, Radix gives website owners and brands several vibrant, refreshing ways to craft an online presence. FULL POST <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> *from* Radix Posted on Thu, Sep 26 [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: WhoisXML API] Thoughts and Recommendations on Addressing Vulnerability Exploitation <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> Cybercriminals aren't always as creative as we think they are. There is a myth about them having a never-ending supply of techniques and tricks up their sleeves. However, many can't be considered as innovators in their shady field. FULL POST <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> *from* WhoisXML API Posted on Thu, Sep 26 [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: WhoisXML API] Can IP Geolocation Contribute to Detecting Online Credit Card Fraud? <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> The problem of credit card fraud is not set to be resolved anytime soon. On the one hand, detecting and preventing the artifice is one of the most challenging aspects of e-commerce. FULL POST <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> *from* WhoisXML API Posted on Tue, Sep 24 [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> [image: Facebook] <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> *CircleID* A world-renowned source for Internet Developments Serving since 2002 *Follow CircleID on Twitter <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> | Facebook <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…> | LinkedIn <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…>* ------------------------------ You are receiving this email because you signed up for CircleID's Weekly Wrap newsletter. You can click here to update your subscription preferences <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/profile?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4fc&i…> or unsubscribe from this list <https://circleid.us15.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=71b27c0808a16ff6f58bfc4…>. If this email does not display properly, view it in your browser <https://mailchi.mp/circleid/circleid-weekly-wrap-for-2019-10-01?e=131f50a58a>. ------------------------------ CircleID, 388 Drake Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 6A8 CA

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Fwd: [At-Large] IGF 2019 Remote Hubs
by Barrack Otieno 02 Oct '19

02 Oct '19

Listers, I hope we can take advantage and have several hubs beyond Nairobi. Best Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Salanieta T. Tamanikaiwaimaro <salanieta.tamanikaiwaimaro(a)gmail.com> Date: Tue, 1 Oct 2019, 11:18 pm Subject: [At-Large] IGF 2019 Remote Hubs To: At-Large Worldwide <at-large(a)atlarge-lists.icann.org> Dear All, Apologies for cross posting. The Internet Governance Forum is scheduled to be held in Berlin, Germany in November, 2019. Should you wish to attend, you can register online. If you wish to set up remote hubs for your community, here is the link: Remote Hubs Info IGF 2019 https://www.intgovforum.org/multilingual/content/igf-2019-remote-hubs You can also directly email Luis Bobo for more information at the IGF Secretariat. With every best wish, Sala _______________________________________________ At-Large mailing list At-Large(a)atlarge-lists.icann.org https://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/at-large At-Large Official Site: http://atlarge.icann.org _______________________________________________ By submitting your personal data, you consent to the processing of your personal data for purposes of subscribing to this mailing list accordance with the ICANN Privacy Policy (https://www.icann.org/privacy/policy) and the website Terms of Service (https://www.icann.org/privacy/tos) You can visit the Mailman link above to change your membership status or configuration, including unsubscribing, setting digest-style delivery or disabling delivery altogether (e.g., for a vacation), and so on.

1 0

Draft Rules-Communications and Multimedia Appeals Tribunal
by Dr. Margaret Nyambura Ndung'u 01 Oct '19

01 Oct '19

Dear listers , The Communications and Multimedia Appeals Tribunal is established under the Kenya Information and Communications [Amendment] Act of 2013. It has an overarching disputes settlement role between parties in the entire communications and multimedia sector with both original jurisdiction to adjudicate first instance disputes upon complaints as well as Appellant to determine appeals from decisions of regulators and service providers in the telecoms sector in order to protect the rights of service providers or consumers and promote harmony in the telecoms sector. The Tribunal is in the process of regulating its proceedings and in order to do so, the tribunal has formulated draft rules, procedures and prepared forms to operate more effectively. Once validated by the stakeholders, the Tribunal will be instrumental in decongesting matters currently handled by the High Court because of lack of sensitization amongst its stakeholders on where to file. Kindly find attached the drafts rules for your comments. A public notification was in today's paper. For further enquiries, please contact Ms. Mercy Mwirigi: Secretariat, Appeals Tribunal on Email: memwirigi(a)gmail.com or Mobile No. 0721863496 Rgrds, Nyambura

1 0

Common Sense Guide to Digital Safety for Women and Girls in sub-Saharan Africa
by Lydia gachungi 01 Oct '19

01 Oct '19

InternetFF (@InternetFF) With @Internews & @DefendersTech, @PollicyOrg has created the Common Sense Guide to Digital Safety for Women and Girls in sub-Saharan Africa, a handy booklet to support women in adopting safer online practices. https://t.co/hj0pJGTEm4 (https://twitter.com/InternetFF/status/1178716133068640256?s=03)

1 0

UNESCO ICT in Education Prize: call for nominations open to projects leveraging AI
by Lydia gachungi 30 Sep '19

30 Sep '19

📢 Call for Nominations for #ICTPrize is still open! 📢 Do you have a project that uses #ArtificialIntelligence to enhance teaching and learning? If so, the UNESCO ICT in #Education Prize could be for you! Find out more: https://en.unesco.org/news/unesco-ict-education-prize-call-nominations-open…

1 0

Techweek-Nairobi-2019 - Working Programme
by Odhiambo Washington 30 Sep '19

30 Sep '19

Greetings,, For those who did not manage to book seats for the event, we're happy to inform you that a few more seats have been made available. Please follow this link to reserve: https://bit.ly/2kfdbRP We'd also like to update participants on the Techweek-Nairobi-2019 - Working Programme, which you can access from the following link: https://techweek.co.ke/working-programme/ (Techweek Secretariat) -- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254 7 3200 0004/+254 7 2274 3223 "Oh, the cruft.", grep ^[^#] :-)

2 1

2019 State of Internet Freedom in Africa
by Lydia gachungi 27 Sep '19

27 Sep '19

2 1

Humanitarian Innovation Challenge | African Union
by Lydia gachungi 26 Sep '19

26 Sep '19

https://au.int/en/humanitarianInnovationChallenge Humanitarian Innovation Challenge" to identify the most promising five digital technology-based ideas which tackle forced displacement or other humanitarian challenges in Africa

1 0

27 Countries Issue Joint Statement on 'Advancing Responsible State Behavior in Cyberspace'
by Barrack Otieno 26 Sep '19

26 Sep '19

Lister's, Interesting article. Regards http://www.circleid.com/posts/20190923_countries_issue_statement_on_advanci… -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

2 2

The Kenya Information and Communication (Amendment) Bill, 2019 - No. 61 of 2019 (Malulu Injendi Bill)
by Twahir Hussein Kassim 25 Sep '19

25 Sep '19

Listers, Reference an article on Standard today (24th September 2019) titled "Facebook, WhatsApp groups admins to seek CA clearance" attached is the said bill. Whilst agreeably we need to regulate the social media inline with Internet Governance; the essence of this bill is both BACKWARD and OPPRESSIVE for lack of stronger terms to use. Having said that, it is imperative that we go through this with a tooth comb and point it's flaws and suggest better ways - a better way is definitely there. On this note, I think it is high time that we started looking at issue and put up measures before we get hit by such bills and start fire fighting. Let's roll up our sleeves. Twahir Hussein Kassim Email: twahir(a)hussein.me.ke Cellphone: +254 734 259 223 WhatsApp: +254 722 259 223

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Re: [kictanet] kictanet Digest, Vol 139, Issue 45
by Kelvin Mbithi 24 Sep '19

24 Sep '19

Every law has specific mischief it seeks to regulate. In this case, the mischief is definitely blogs such as Cyprian Nyakundi, Tuko.co.ke, Ghafla and other social media platforms that attack the elites regularly. They have grown uncomfortable and wish to protect themselves at the expense of innovators. They forget that libel laws are sufficient to protect against the blogs publishing inaccurate information. That being said I believe the social media space is currently in a state of nature and requires regulation on entry, conduct, supervision, and inspection to strengthen its potential to contribute to development. On Tue, 24 Sep 2019 at 16:58, <kictanet-request(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: > Send kictanet mailing list submissions to > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > kictanet-request(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > You can reach the person managing the list at > kictanet-owner(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of kictanet digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: East Africa School of IG (caroline kirichu) > 2. The Kenya Information and Communication (Amendment) Bill, > 2019 - No. 61 of 2019 (Malulu Injendi Bill) (Twahir Hussein Kassim) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2019 12:40:17 +0300 > From: caroline kirichu <njerikirichu(a)gmail.com> > To: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] East Africa School of IG > Message-ID: > < > CAHcoVuoPa4nwYBTETpPLobEDqBW0vbSq91aAJ8w3Mvm65CdHkA(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > Thanks Liz for that update.God bless. > > On Tue, Sep 24, 2019 at 10:52 AM Liz Orembo via kictanet < > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: > > > > > Greetings listers, > > > > Today is the last day to apply for the East Africa School of Internet > > Governance. Here's the application form. > > https://forms.gle/TjKndipw9CzgKVQU8 > > > > -- > > > > Best regards. > > Liz. > > > > PGP ID: 0x1F3488BF > > _______________________________________________ > > 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/njerikirichu%40gmail.… > > > > 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. > > >

1 0

East Africa School of IG
by Liz Orembo 24 Sep '19

24 Sep '19

Greetings listers, Today is the last day to apply for the East Africa School of Internet Governance. Here's the application form. https://forms.gle/TjKndipw9CzgKVQU8 -- Best regards. Liz. PGP ID: 0x1F3488BF

3 2

KICT amendment bill
by Julius Njiraini 23 Sep '19

23 Sep '19

of interest

5 4

Buying a smart phone on the cheap? Privacy might be the price you have to pay
by Alice Munyua 20 Sep '19

20 Sep '19

Most of us access the internet using “cheap” smart phones, which come with “ data exploitation by design and default” http://privacyinternational.org/long-read/3226/buying-smart-phone-cheap-pri…

1 0

new members
by esther kamande 18 Sep '19

18 Sep '19

Good morning, Please add the following advocates to the list Emily Maina :emaina14@gmail.com Wakesho Kililo: wakesho(a)gmail.com Silvya Chepkoech: sylviachepkoech(a)gmail.com Have a good day, Esther Kamande

2 2

Twitter Policy Team
by Mutemi wa Kiama 17 Sep '19

17 Sep '19

Hi Listers, Am searching for Twitter Policy Team for Kenya/Africa contacts. Any leads highly welcome. Thanks in advance. Warm regards, Edwin Kiama Thoughts become things... choose the good ones! *-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------* *Social Justice & Social Accountability Entrepreneur, Facilitator, Movements' Coach, Human Rights Defender, * *#DevolutionIsRevolution Champion* *The Wanjiku Agenda Kenya Foundation (WAKenya)*Ordinary, fearless Kenyans. Sauti Ya Wanjiku Social Movement www.sautiyawanjiku.com https://www.facebook.com/wanjikurevolutionkenya https://twitter.com/WanjikuRevolt https://plus.google.com/u/1/+WanjikuMapinduzi/posts http://www.scribd.com/wmkenya "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." *~Margaret Mead*

1 0

Mesh Networks in South Africa
by Joash Moitui 17 Sep '19

17 Sep '19

Dear all, Innovative mesh networks in South Africa are connecting the connected for less than $2 a month. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-47723967/internet-access-in-africa… Could this be the solution for connecting thousands in rural Kenya? Best, Joash Moitui ~Sent from mobile device. Apologies for brevity and typos ~

8 8

TechWeek 2019 - Registration Open
by Odhiambo Washington 17 Sep '19

17 Sep '19

Greetings All, It gives us great pleasure to announce that the TechWeek 2019 event registration is now open! TechWeek 2019 will be held between the 3rd and 4th October, 2019, in Nairobi, Kenya. TechWeek 2019 is a community organized event which aims at providing a platform for experienced engineers in the respective fields of Networking, Data storage, Security and or Internet Services (DNS, Email, Web, etc) to share their knowledge, challenges and ideas with their peers and also with upcoming engineers who may wish to pursue similar career paths. Space is limited and the meeting is made possible with the help of Sponsors. Therefore, only participants WHO WILL ATTEND IN PERSON should register. To reserve your spot, register through this Eventbrite link: https://bit.ly/2kfdbRP Information about the event programme and other important updates will be made available on http://www.techweek.co.ke/ in the coming days. We are officially 17 days from TechWeek 2019! We look forward to seeing you there! Regards, TechWeek Secretariat

2 1

(no subject)
by Lydia gachungi 17 Sep '19

17 Sep '19

Listers, Drawing your attention to this free online course on African media policy, which draws a lot on UNESCO materials for its content. It runs for 6 weeks, involving a maximum of 3 hours a week. Having looked at the content, UNESCO is recommending it. Please consider sharing the link with networks and individuals that you think may be interested – journalists, policy-makers, students, civil society, etc. https://journalism.co.za/media-freedom-and-freedom-of-expression-in-africa-…

4 3

Fwd: [NRIs List] IGF 2019 Pilot Initiative: Implementing Internet standards and protocols for a safer Internet
by Barrack Otieno 17 Sep '19

17 Sep '19

Lister's, Might be of interest to those keen on the Internet Governance Forum. Best Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Anja Gengo <anja.gengo(a)un.org> Date: Mon, Sep 9, 2019 at 10:13 AM Subject: [NRIs List] IGF 2019 Pilot Initiative: Implementing Internet standards and protocols for a safer Internet To: igfregionals(a)intgovforum.org <igfregionals(a)intgovforum.org>, dc(a)intgovforum.org <dc(a)intgovforum.org> Dear Colleagues, As you probably know, the IGF 2019 MAG supports the community-led project on deployment of Internet standards. ‘’ The pilot project aims to improve the Internet safety for all end users by advancing implementation of agreed, security-relevant Internet standards, by bringing together key stakeholders to recommend joint ways forward to ensure swift implementation. ‘’ More information on this project is available at: *https://www.intgovforum.org/multilingual/content/implementing-internet-standards-and-protocols-for-a-safer-internet* <https://www.intgovforum.org/multilingual/content/implementing-internet-stan…> The project facilitators invite everyone to contribute to this work by responding to a survey that aims at understanding the status que on this project’s core subject. The survey is open for your contributions by 22 September 2019: *https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Internetstandards* <https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Internetstandards> For any questions related to this project, please consult: denatrisconsult(a)hotmail.nl Best regards, Anja _______________________________________________ Igfregionals mailing list Igfregionals(a)intgovforum.org To unsubscribe or manage your options please go to http://intgovforum.org/mailman/listinfo/igfregionals_intgovforum.org -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

1 0

Ethiopia to permit private sector participation in telecom & postal service
by Lydia gachungi 17 Sep '19

17 Sep '19

>From Brook Taye, Ph.D. #Ethiopia/n Communications Service Proclamation gazetted today! Creates an independent regulatory authority (ECA) and permits private sector participation in telecom & postal service. With expected market entry of 2 new operators, it aims to broaden efficient service delivery! https://t.co/z3PytpA48M (https://twitter.com/btaye/status/1168577198556700672?s=03)

2 1

National ICT Policy 2016
by Victor Kapiyo 13 Sep '19

13 Sep '19

Morning listers, Looks like the revised 2016 policy was published and is no longer a draft. Here's the policy: http://icta.go.ke/national-ict-policy/ @Ali Hussein <ali(a)hussein.me.ke> looks like no more reminders will be necessary moving forward. Regards, *Victor Kapiyo* Partner | *Lawmark Partners LLP* *Suite No. 8, Centro House, Westlands, Nairobi | **Web: www.lawmark.co.ke <http://www.lawmark.co.ke> * ==================================================== *“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude” Zig Ziglar*

4 3

Two videos on Network Coverage in Bungoma and Kitui Counties, and in Turkana and Marsabit
by Grace Githaiga 12 Sep '19

12 Sep '19

Listers Is the Universal Service Fund managed by the Communications Authority of Kenya and meant to improve connectivity in unserved and underserved areas bearing fruit? Watch the two videos here: 1. Bungoma and Kitui: https://youtu.be/hm5MAkrH1cI 2. Turkana and Marsabit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NniZ1z9P28E&feature=youtu.be -- Grace Githaiga Co-Convenor, Kenya ICT Action Network

11 25

Policy and Regulation Initiative for Digital Africa (PRIDA) - Continental Meeting on Harmonisation of ICT Policies and Regulations
by Lydia gachungi 10 Sep '19

10 Sep '19

---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Gachungi, Lydiah <l.gachungi(a)unesco.org> Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2019, 19:00 Subject: Fwd: Press Release - Policy and Regulation Initiative for Digital Africa (PRIDA) - Continental Meeting on Harmonisation of ICT Policies and Regulations To: Lydia gachungi <lgachungi(a)gmail.com> Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone. -------- Original message -------- From: Directorate of Information and Communication <DIC(a)africa-union.org> Date: 10/09/2019 18:10 (GMT+03:00) To: Directorate of Information and Communication <DIC(a)africa-union.org> Subject: Press Release - Policy and Regulation Initiative for Digital Africa (PRIDA) - Continental Meeting on Harmonisation of ICT Policies and Regulations AFRICAN UNION [image: AU_Logo correct 2017] UNION AFRICAINE UNIÃO AFRICANA Addis Ababa, Ethiopia P. O. Box 3243 Telephone: +251 11 551 7700 / +251 11 518 25 58/ Ext 2558 Web site: www.au.int DIRECTORATE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION * Press Release N° 130 /2019* *"Policy and Regulation Initiative for Digital Africa (PRIDA) - Continental Meeting on Harmonisation of ICT Policies and Regulations"* [image: 3P9A8228] *Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 5 September 2019: *A Meeting to discuss ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) harmonisation in Africa, how to monitor and evaluate the progress and way forward to better adapt Africa policy and regulatory environment to the challenges of digital transformation has taken place in Addis Ababa this week. The PRIDA Continental Meeting on “ICT harmonization in Africa: How to monitor and evaluate it? “brought together more than One Hundred Forty (140) participants, including Experts and Senior Government Officials from over fifty (50) African Countries as well as representatives from the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), Regional Association of Regulators and the African Telecommunication Union (ATU) in addition to representatives of ICT private sector and partners, the European Union, including the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC), and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). In his opening remarks, Mr. Thomas Huyghebaert, Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to the African Union, recalled that the initiative is a key flagship of the AU (African Union) – EU (European Union) cooperation on digitalisation and underlined its importance and potential to boost the digital transformation of the continent, also benefitting from the exchange of experience between the two Unions. On behalf of the AU Commission Mr. Moctar Yedaly, Head of Information the Society Division, welcomed the participants to the meeting and thanked them for the commitment to support the PRIDA initiative as a cornerstone for the creation of favourable conditions for the development of African digital market. He recalled the role and mandate of the AU Commission in harmonising policies and coordinating regional initiatives as key factors for enabling development and achieving continental integration as per the Agenda 2063 aspirations. Mr. Yedaly emphasized the importance of the Policy and Regulatory Initiative for Digital Africa (PRIDA) as an enabler of the Africa Digital Transformation Agenda. The meeting has been a great opportunity for African governments and regional organisations to assess current and past harmonisation initiatives, identify trends and gaps of policy and regulatory approaches both at national, regional and continental levels. The meeting has also explored possibilities for reforms and improvements towards achieving appropriate regulatory responses to foster the digital transformation of Africa society and economy as well as harmonization methodology and related Monitoring and Evaluation System. African experts have identified common priority areas for African countries to be addressed under PRIDA initiative and adopt a two-year roadmap to enhance harmonization of ICT/telecommunications policies, legislative and regulatory frameworks across Africa in such a manner as to allow their monitoring and evaluation. The meeting has been a great opportunity for African governments and regional organisations to assess current and past harmonisation initiatives, identify trends and gaps of policy and regulatory approaches both at national, regional and continental levels. The meeting has also explored possibilities for reforms and improvements towards achieving appropriate regulatory responses to foster the digital transformation of Africa society and economy as well as harmonization methodology and related Monitoring and Evaluation System. "PRIDA” stands for "Policy and Regulation Initiative for Digital Africa". It is a joint initiative of the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) that aims at enabling the African continent to reap the benefits of digitalisation, by addressing various dimensions of broadband demand and supply in Africa and by building the capacities of African stakeholders in the Internet Governance space. The three years initiative (2018 - 2022) is supported by the EU-funded Pan African Programme, with a specific envelope of 7.5 Mo€, and a contribution to the African Union Budget to the level of up to 1 Mo€ per year. *For media enquires contact*: *Esther Azaa Tankou*, Head of Information Division, +2519113611, e-mail yamboue(a)africaunion.org *Mr.Stephen Kwaku Darko*| Information and Communications Officer, Directorate of Information and Communication, African Union Commission | Tel: +251(0) 953406832 | E-mail: *DarkoS(a)africa-union.org <DarkoS(a)africa-union.org>* *For more information, contact:* *Ms. Souhila Amazouz*, Project Manager – ICT Policy & Regulation E: SouhilaA(a)africa-union.org *Technical Assistance (consortium GFA-CARSA-Research ICT)* *For further information contact* Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: *dic(a)africa-union.org <dic(a)africa-union.org>* I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia *Follow us* Face book: https://www.facebook.com/AfricanUnionCommission Twitter: https://twitter.com/_AfricanUnion YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/AUCommission *Learn more at: * *http://www.au.int* <http://www.au.int/>

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Fwd: [NRIs List] Today is African IGF
by Barrack Otieno 10 Sep '19

10 Sep '19

Listers, You are invited to participate in the Africa IGF remotely. Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Anja Gengo <anja.gengo(a)un.org> Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2019, 10:23 am Subject: [NRIs List] Today is African IGF To: igfregionals(a)intgovforum.org <igfregionals(a)intgovforum.org> Dear Colleagues, A kind reminder that today starts the 8th regional IGF for Africa. The meeting is hosted in N’djamena, Chad and opened by the President of Chad. The overall theme is: Shared Responsibilities of Stakeholders for a Robust Internet Governance Ecosystem. Please visit *https://www.afigf.africa/* <https://www.afigf.africa/> for more information about the programme and online participation. Sincere congratulations and best of luck to the African IGF team! Best regards, Anja _______________________________________________ Igfregionals mailing list Igfregionals(a)intgovforum.org To unsubscribe or manage your options please go to http://intgovforum.org/mailman/listinfo/igfregionals_intgovforum.org

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Fwd: [Internet Policy] Royal Society urges UK to regulate machine-brain interfaces
by Barrack Otieno 10 Sep '19

10 Sep '19

Might be of interest. Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Gosia Fraser via InternetPolicy <internetpolicy(a)elists.isoc.org> Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2019, 9:29 am Subject: [Internet Policy] Royal Society urges UK to regulate machine-brain interfaces To: ISOC Internet Policy <internetpolicy(a)elists.isoc.org> Interesting call from UK's senior scientific academy; They foresee that machine-brain interfaces will evolve quickly within next two decades and will go mainstream in medical applications around 2040. The "iHuman" report highlights the importance of reasonable regulation in the field and puts special pressure on ethical issues: https://www.ft.com/content/9ebd88ba-d266-11e9-8367-807ebd53ab77 Kind regards -- Malgorzata Fraser Editor Polish Press Agency Tech Desk +44 7572 726 749 _______________________________________________ To manage your Internet Society subscriptions or unsubscribe, log into the Member Portal at https://admin.internetsociety.org/622619/User/Login and go to the Interests tab within your profile. - View the Internet Society Code of Conduct: https://www.internetsociety.org/become-a-member/code-of-conduct/

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Fwd: [Internet Policy] PassBlue Article on “Multistakeholderism”
by Barrack Otieno 10 Sep '19

10 Sep '19

Listers, Might be of interest. Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: R C via InternetPolicy <internetpolicy(a)elists.isoc.org> Date: Sat, Sep 7, 2019 at 4:11 PM Subject: [Internet Policy] PassBlue Article on “Multistakeholderism” To: <internetpolicy(a)elists.isoc.org> For those interested in the broader topic of “multistakeholderism” and the UN system, the attached article currently appears in the UN-oriented site PassBlue. Roger Cochetti https://www.passblue.com/2019/09/02/they-call-it-multistakeholderism-where-… PassBlue Independent Coverage of the UN WORLDVIEWS <http://passblue.com/category/worldviews/>They Call it Multistakeholderism. Where Does That Leave the UN? September 2, 2019 <https://www.passblue.com/2019/09/02/they-call-it-multistakeholderism-where-…> by Harris Gleckman <https://www.passblue.com/author/harris-gleckman/> The United Nations headquarters showcasing the Sustainable Development summit, September 2015. The essayist, an expert in governance and democracy, bemoans the growing participation of multinational corporations in UN system forums. CIA PAK/UN PHOTO Global governance is slipping away from the United Nations. Whether it is in managing the Internet, where the UN’s governing structure offers only an advisory role for governments; or climate change, where the most exciting actions are now corporate-led partnerships outside the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change; or the Gates Foundation-sponsored Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, which is in a tug of war with the World Health Assembly on who sets health policy in developing countries, the institutional basis for global decision-making is changing. Where nongovernmental organizations were once the largest nonstate entities attending UN system meetings, transnational corporations have become the biggest players. They participate in well-attended public-private partnership sessions at the UN Conference on Trade and Development, the Human Rights Council and the High-Level Political Forum, the key body for following up on the Sustainable Development Goals. The latest institutional foray is a World Economic Forum-UN partnership <https://www.passblue.com/2019/07/23/as-the-sdgs-falter-the-un-turns-to-the-…>agreement. Under this arrangement, senior UN leaders are invited at national, regional and international levels to interact with forum members, many of whom are actually causing the global problems that the UN system is tasked to fix, such as climate change. These developments are part of a new global governance approach, one in which a team of corporate executives, leaders of civil society organizations, officials from governments and the UN system, academics and other players take on the governance of a specific international challenge. In the economic, social and environmental fields, this governance arrangement is called multistakeholderism, as each new global decision-maker is said to represent a “stakeholder” in an issue. In practice, these governance arrangements can have a role equal to or greater than the one held by the intergovernmental body officially assigned to address a universal problem. These experiments in a new form of global governance and the 2010 report on the Global Redesign Initiative by the World Economic Forum run counter to efforts to enhance a sense of democracy as part of global decision-making. Corporate executives — not leaders of small- and medium-size enterprises, nor microenterprises — are central to these groups and public-private partnerships. Yet these bodies have their own internal governance and constituencies; as a result, they redraft global principles that were agreed on by governments to meet their own, often business-focused, concerns. The selected government officials, those considered sympathetic to the goals of multistakeholders, sit on the board as only one of the decision-makers. At the same time, the other players are elevated to a role in global governance without any democratic basis for their participation. This dynamic is quite different from the one prevalent during the conferences of the 1990s, when civil society organizations, farm and labor organizations, educators, scientists, women and businesses gathered to provide diversified voices to governments, which alone led international decision-making. UN public-private partnerships tend to worsen changes in the relationship between the intergovernmental process and UN secretariat staff members, who act as the administrative arm of a UN entity. Where once the secretary-general and the heads of UN specialized agencies and programs saw themselves — and were seen by UN member governments — as governed by a specific intergovernmental body, now the secretariats act more autonomously. They strike up relationships with multiplayer bodies like the World Economic Forum and corporations without intergovernmental oversight. A result of the increase in institutional ties between the UN and senior corporate executives is that civil society organizations, educators, scientists, women and other social communities have less ability to influence the behavior of the UN bodies and the intergovernmental process. The weakening tie is driven both by outside factors and internal realities. The pressures on the UN system are significant. There is the cumulative effect, for example, of more than 30 years of flat or negative regular budget growth of the UN. As an extension of President Trump’s effort to deconstruct the domestic regulatory state in the United States, his administration is also striving to deconstruct the UN system. Internally, the secretariats perceive that taking relatively autonomous actions is one way to deliver on their generic assignments and to offset the underfunded regular budget by reaching out to potential corporate donors. This increased autonomy is often reflected in more willingness to accept invitations to join a multistakeholder group to “represent” the UN and governments or to invite major corporations to join a secretariat-led multiparty group. These new links can allow corporations to assert that they are working with the UN — albeit without intergovernmental oversight. They can also influence a UN secretariat to frame solutions to global problems in ways that are sensitive to their corporate constituency but not necessarily focused on government expectations or the need for leading the world toward systemic reforms. Of course, the interests of corporations vary. For some consumer-oriented businesses, their increased role in UN operations is a chance to secure a role in creating a global sustainability market for a specific product or service. For other multinationals, particularly those affiliated with the World Economic Forum, it is an opportunity, after the shocks of the 2008 financial crisis, to relegitimate the globalized market in the minds of international and national elites. It does not need to be so. Steps can be taken by governments to reassert leadership in managing globalization and mitigating global environmental crises. These could include a clear definition of conflict of interests to guide secretariats when they partner with a specific enterprise; an intergovernmental review of multistakeholders’ plans to ensure they follow UN goals; and improving intergovernmental oversight of the entire UN system through regular meetings of the heads of all intergovernmental bodies. With the advent of many players involved in decision-making and international public-private partnerships, the secretariats are increasingly semiautonomous from their intergovernmental body, reaching out to one constituency, the international business community, thus marginalizing their overall roles with other global constituencies. These developments undermine a public view that democracy — one country-one vote with all of its exceptions — will be the guiding global governance principles today and in the future. _______________________________________________ To manage your Internet Society subscriptions or unsubscribe, log into the Member Portal at https://admin.internetsociety.org/622619/User/Login and go to the Interests tab within your profile. - View the Internet Society Code of Conduct: https://www.internetsociety.org/become-a-member/code-of-conduct/ -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Safaricom’s ultimatum before Airtel-Telkom merger
by Mwendwa Kivuva 10 Sep '19

10 Sep '19

https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/article/2001340740/safaricom-s-ult… Safaricom has set an ultimatum for the Telkom-Kenya and Airtel merger while downplaying claims that it is opposed to the deal, which is expected before the end of the year. On Tuesday, Telkom-Kenya Managing Director Mugo Kibati cried foul over Safaricom’s opposition to the deal, which he says, will spur innovation in the sector and put Kenya in the map as a tech giant in the region. Safaricom says it does not oppose the move but wants the two operators to settle a debt of Sh1.2 billion and the issue of frequency allocation to be rebalanced. “While we are supportive of industry changes that seek to deliver greater choice and value to consumers, we have raised valid concerns that we hope the regulator will consider and address as part of the approval process,” says Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph. “The first is the debt owed by the two operators, amounting to Sh1,297,448,468.88, incurred for the provision of various services including interconnection, co-location and fibre services. This debt is due and payable, based on the agreement to provide services entered into with the two entities as distinct operators. Our expectation is that the payment obligations should be settled in full before the transfer of business is effected.” Safaricom also wants a rebalance to the frequencies allocation. It says that the post-merger, Airtel-Telkom will jointly hold 77.5 MHz of the spectrum against a customer base of 17.3 million, compared to Safaricom’s 57.5 MHz with almost double the customer base at 31.8 million. “Given the size of Safaricom’s customer base in comparison to the current spectrum holdings, it is apparent that the transaction will create a disproportionate imbalance in the spectrum allocation, which will be inconsistent with the market share,” says Joseph. The interim CEO also wants equal treatment of operators and creation of a level playing field within the industry, specifically in relation to licensing and operations requirements. “Having articulated our concerns, we await direction from the regulator on the way forward, especially in regard to the debt payment and rebalancing of frequencies allocation.” “We also look forward to working alongside other industry players to continue delivering high quality, innovative services to Kenyans.”

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Policy Hackathon on Huduma Bill 2019
by Linda Bonyo 10 Sep '19

10 Sep '19

Dear Listers, The Lawyers Hub is hosting a hackathon this Friday and Saturday on Huduma Bill as we seek to better the bill through public participation in innovative policy making. The Bill impacts Kenyas and we hope that we can use Design thinking at the policy hackathon to come up with valuable insights that will benefit the registration of communities, individuals, Asylum seekers among-st other interest groups. We will run sessions on understanding Good ID governance systems with the support of Omidyar Network. Today’s session runs from 11am to 2pm and if you prefer Saturday it will be on all day. RSVP here : ( https://www.eventbrite.com/e/policy-hackathon -on-huduma-bill-2019-digital-identity-tickets-71200052273 ) Let us know if you have any further questions on the numbers below. -- ______________________________________________ *Linda Bonyo* (Ms.) | CEO, *Lawyers Hub * Tech for Justice ACK Garden House| Block D, 6th Floor |Upper Hill, Nairobi| Kenya Email: bonyo(a)*lawyershub.ke* <bonyo(a)lawyershub.ke> | Skype*:* lawyershubke Tel: +254(0)207840228 Mobile : +254784840228 www.lawyershub.org | www.lawyershub.ke | *_**__________________________________________________________* *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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Policy Hackathon on Huduma Bill 2019
by Linda Bonyo 06 Sep '19

06 Sep '19

Dear Listers, The Lawyers Hub is hosting a hackathon this Friday and Saturday on Huduma Bill as we seek to better the bill through public participation in innovative policy making. The Bill impacts Kenyas and we hope that we can use Design thinking at the policy hackathon to come up with valuable insights that will benefit the registration of communities, individuals, Asylum seekers among-st other interest groups. We will run sessions on understanding Good ID governance systems with the support of Omidyar Network. Today’s session runs from 11am to 2pm and if you prefer Saturday it will be on all day. RSVP here : ( https://www.eventbrite.com/e/policy-hackathon -on-huduma-bill-2019-digital-identity-tickets-71200052273 ) Let us know if you have any further questions on the numbers below. -- _______________________________________________________ *Linda Bonyo* (Ms.) | Partner, *Bonyo Mwongela & Company Advocates | Lawyers Hub* Immigration & Tech Law Practitioners. Notary Public| Commissioner of Oaths| Advocate High Court of Kenya Email: *bonyo(a)immigrationlawyer.co.ke <bonyo(a)immigrationlawyer.co.ke>* | bonyo(a)lawyershub.ke *Skype:* immigrationlawyer.ke Tel: +254(0)202211313 +254733221313 +254725372113 www.immigrationlawyer.co.ke | www.lawyershub.org | 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 Bonyo Mwongela & Company Advocates.*

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Caution! Data Quantity Does NOT Equal Data Quality - ICTworks
by Adam Lane 05 Sep '19

05 Sep '19

interesting and useful research from Uganda https://www.ictworks.org/data-quantity-equal-data-quality/ Caution! Data Quantity Does NOT Equal Data Quality Posted by Guest Writer Uganda tax authority Revenue administrations collect large amounts of data on individuals and firms in the course of their work. Increasingly, this data is digitised. The use of digital technologies has the potential to greatly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of tax administration. In tax collection, as in so many other areas of activity, the realisation of the potential benefits of digital technologies can be a challenging and drawn-out process. It is not simply a matter of purchasing hardware, designing software and training staff. Systems may appear to function well, at least for some purposes, but significantly underperform in terms of accuracy, efficiency or effectiveness. Tax administrations have access to large amounts of data, but they do not always manage that data effectively. The Case of Uganda Revenue Authority Data Quality The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) uses automated digital processes to a higher degree than most tax administrations in Africa. In How Clean is our Taxpayer Register? Jova Mayega, Robert Ssuuna, Muhammad Mubajje, Milly I. Nalukwago and Lawrence Muwonge report on Data Management in the Uganda Revenue Authority. They undertook an assessment with the URA to study one important aspect of its own data management practices: the management and accuracy of one of its most important data bases, the taxpayer register. They focus on the taxpayer register for two main reasons. Registration of a taxpayer is the building block of tax administration on which hinges the effectiveness of other processes and procedures such as filing, payment, assessment, collection, auditing, reporting The integrity of the taxpayer register is fundamental to effective tax administration. It facilitates compliance monitoring Specifically, the study addresses the following questions: What are the data gaps in the taxpayer register? What are the root causes of these gaps? What challenges does the URA face in maintaining a clean tax register? What can the URA do to ensure and maintain a clean tax register? To answer the questions, they employed two main research methods: analysis of the taxpayer register, and staff interviews. They accessed the detailed taxpayer register and analysed the data that had been entered on all the variables in the TIN application form. Our interest was to check the correctness of this information and identify gaps. To identify the root causes as well as the challenges that the URA faces in maintaining a clean tax register, they held interviews and focus group discussions with staff involved in the data management process as well as the data users. uganda data quality issues 5 Data Quality Issues for Uganda Revenue Authority They discovered considerable problems of inaccurate data and, primarily as a result of the activities of tax agents, a high level of duplication of the same telephone numbers and email addresses, and possession of multiple taxpayer identification numbers. These inaccuracies reflect a number of factors, including inadequate design of registration forms and procedures, and the low priority given to verification and the accuracy of the register. 1. Taxpayers supply the URA with wrong information. The process of applying for a TIN follows self-service principles. The URA largely depends on the information that taxpayers declare. Our analysis showed that vital information, such as address, contact details and bank account details, is often wrong. For example, 147 TIN holders had bank account numbers recorded as ‘0’. For another 110 they were ‘0000000000’. The home address given for 64 TINs was a building in Kampala called Crested Towers that is in reality unoccupied. 2. Taxpayers have the same contact information. A total of 581,574 individual taxpayers – 44 per cent of the total number registered – have contact details, especially telephone numbers and email addresses, that are identical to those of at least one other registered taxpayer. The level of duplication is sometimes high. They found that 16,017 individual taxpayers had recorded the same national identification number; 6,173 had the same passport number; 3,360 shared a single email address; and 1,742 had given the same phone number 3. Possession of multiple Tax Identification Numbers They were able to identify 29,511 individual taxpayers (2.4per cent of the total) and 27 companies (0.02 per cent of the total number of non-individual taxpayers) who possessed more than one TIN. 4. Outdated Tax Identification Numbers These are TINs given to taxpayers before the implementation of e-tax in 2009. They are no longer applicable. However, they identified in the taxpayer register, as of the end of June 2018, 185,705 of these outdated TINs belonging to company directors or partners in business partnerships. 5. Inactive taxpayers A predictable result of the big increase in the numbers of registered taxpayers is an increase in the proportion who are inactive, defined as those who have not engaged in any transaction with the URA over the previous two years. This increase in inactivity is confined almost entirely to individual taxpayers. The rate of inactivity for companies and other corporate bodies has barely changed. Data Quality Root Causes There are broadly three immediate causes of the problems they list above with the accuracy of the taxpayer register. Starting with the most specific – and the most easily-remediable – they are: The design of the taxpayer registration form: The TIN application form can accept any information entered. Some fields are mandatory, but taxpayers can fill in anything to bypass system requirements. The design of the IT system used for registration: At the point of taxpayer registration, the e-tax system does not validate some of the newly declared information against information that might already be in URA databases. The behaviour of various categories of people who use the system: They found that three categories of people contribute to the errors found in the taxpayer register: taxpayers themselves, URA staff, and tax agents. Some TIN applicants are simply not honest with their information. Some URA staff are negligent. Unregistered tax agents/brokers offering tax services as a business. How to Fix Data Quality Issues The current databases have a number of data gaps, especially in regard to data quality. The URA thus needs to invest significant resources both in the short and the long term to ensure that the already available data is usable and that the new data is of sufficient quality. The URA needs to hire staff to deal solely with the registration process and tax register maintenance. Registered taxpayers should be required to confirm or amend their details regularly, possibly every two years. The government should integrate URA IT systems with those of other government and/or private agencies. The URA management needs to address the issue of negligent behaviour of staff responsible for new taxpayer registrations. Taxpayers need to be continuously sensitised on how to register for a TIN and how to amend their registration details in case of any changes. The URA collects a lot of information from taxpayers in the process of administering tax. This information is very useful in guiding decision making, enforcing compliance and also for research purposes. -------------------------------------------------- M: +254-790985886<tel:+254-790985886> Senior Director, Public Affairs Huawei Southern Africa region

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EAIGF Save the Date and Call for Topics
by Liz Orembo 04 Sep '19

04 Sep '19

Dear listers We are pleased to announce that the East Africa Internet Governance Forum (EAIGF) will take place on 17th-18th October 2019 at the East Africa Community Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. East Africa Internet Governance Forum (EAIGF) is a platform for inclusive multilateral, multi-stakeholder and multilingual discussion on issues pertinent to enhancing Internet development in East Africa and Internet Governance issues. First convened in 2008, the EAIGF thus creates a Community of Practice allows a sustaining foundation for meaningful participation of East African stakeholders in Internet public policy debates at the national, regional and international level. The EA-IGF model allows for the informed participation, contribution and engagement of community members through the sharing of experiences and skills, solving common problems and challenges, the creation of new knowledge and increasing local capacity and talent. This year the EAIGF will be held in October 17 – 18, 2019 in Arusha, Tanzania. More on EAIGF can be found on the website: http://eaigf.africa/ . We are also reaching out to you to help us develop the theme and program for the forum. Please take a minute to fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1zokc9nmePFMIOudXk31xCiUURjS3-QGeppG0pT0WUL… The EAIGF will be preceded by the East Africa School of Internet Governance which will take place on 14th-15th October at the same venue. Information on registration and EASIG will follow shortly. -- Best regards. Liz. Sent on behalf of the EAIGF secretariat.

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Fwd: [AfrICANN-discuss] TR: Registrations open for the online course: Artificial Intelligence: Technology, Governance, and Policy Frameworks
by Barrack Otieno 03 Sep '19

03 Sep '19

Listers, This might be of interest. Best Regards ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Mamadou LO <alfamamadou(a)hotmail.com> Date: Mon, 2 Sep 2019 09:41:10 +0000 Subject: [AfrICANN-discuss] TR: Registrations open for the online course: Artificial Intelligence: Technology, Governance, and Policy Frameworks To: "africann(a)afrinic.net" <africann(a)afrinic.net> De : NCSG-Discuss <NCSG-DISCUSS(a)LISTSERV.SYR.EDU> de la part de Marilia Maciel <mariliamaciel(a)GMAIL.COM> Envoyé : lundi 2 septembre 2019 04:02 À : NCSG-DISCUSS(a)LISTSERV.SYR.EDU <NCSG-DISCUSS(a)LISTSERV.SYR.EDU> Objet : Registrations open for the online course: Artificial Intelligence: Technology, Governance, and Policy Frameworks Dear all, Applications are open for the second edition of Diplo's online course on Artificial Intelligence until the 16th of September. The course provides an interdisciplinary coverage of the topic, encompassing technical, political, legal, economic, security, and ethical issues related to AI. It will start on the 7th of October and will be conducted over a period of ten weeks. Detailed information can be found on the course webpage<https://www.diplomacy.edu/courses/ai>. You can contact me in case you have any questions. ______________________________ Marília Maciel Digital Policy Senior Researcher | DiploFoundation WMO | 7bis, Avenue de la Paix | 1202 Geneva - Switzerland MariliaM(a)diplomacy.edu<mailto:MariliaM@diplomacy.edu> | @MariliaM www.diplomacy.edu<http://www.diplomacy.edu/> -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Fwd: Netexplo Spotting session for the Netexplo 100 2020
by Bitange Ndemo 03 Sep '19

03 Sep '19

I am a member of the UNESCO's Netexplo Academic Network that spots new innovations and nominates them to an annual conference in Paris. Please circulate the attached request for next year. Ndemo. ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Brigitte LASRY <blasry(a)netexplo.org> Date: Mon, Sep 2, 2019 at 4:54 PM Subject: Netexplo Spotting session for the Netexplo 100 2020 To: Bitange Ndemo <bndemo(a)bitangendemo.me> Cc: Brigitte Lasry <blasry(a)netexplo.org> Dear Bitange , I hope that all is well with you, as we discussed it previously, we would like to proceed with a spotting session, starting now in September through the end of November. We hope that it is a good time for you to organize it with your students. In order to help you organize the spotting session, I am sending you the link of a PPT presentation of the whole process: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CxAAkZoU8QfRRg79OdpngIHh4nk3uB4M/view?usp=… As we mentioned it before, we have developed a submission form on our own Netexplo platform. The problem is that, so far, the full access of the template is only accessible to you upon request. Actually, only we, see the list of projects submitted by your students, but, at any time, upon your request, we can export the full template and send it to you. Here is the link to the submission form: https://www.netexplo.org/en/proposition/43a005fc As a reminder, please note what we are looking for (not exhaustive): - innovation related to internet or digital tech - creation or emergence since 2018 - originality - likely impact I also suggest that before submitting a project, yours students first check on Netexplo website https://www.netexplo.com/n100/ that the project they want to submit has not already been submitted and is not part of previous Netexplo 100. Please don’t hesitate to contact me should you have any questions. All the best, Brigitte Brigitte LASRY I Head of International University Network +33 6 61 17 58 60 264 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré 75008 Paris blasry(a)netexplo.org Netexplo.com

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Techweek-Nairobi-2019 - CALL FOR PAPERS DEADLINE NOW EXTENDED TO SEPTEMBER 16 - RESENDING
by Odhiambo Washington 03 Sep '19

03 Sep '19

Greetings, We are pleased to announce that the TechWeek program committee has extended the deadline for TechWeek Nairobi 2019 *CALL FOR PAPER**S UNTIL SEPTEMBER 16th 2019.* For submission of your proposals please go to https://papers.techweek.co.ke/user/login.php?event=101 <https://www.afpif.org/fr/afpif10/appel-a-communication/> For more information please visit Techweek's website here: https://www.techweek.co.ke TechWeek Secretariat -- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254 7 3200 0004/+254 7 2274 3223 "Oh, the cruft.", grep ^[^#] :-)

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Copyright bill 2017 and President Uhuru's directive to Senate and National Assembly
by Grace Githaiga 03 Sep '19

03 Sep '19

Listers Two weeks ago, during the burial of the Late John De Mathew, President Kenyatta urged both the Senate and National Assembly to fasten the Copyright Bill 2017 as he is ready to sign it. There were complaints from different speakers that the late musician had over 300 songs to his name but only reaped benefits from very few of them. The President directed that the music copyright office be moved from the AG’s office to the Ministry of ICT where CA can monitor which service provider has played what song. In addition, CA was directed that renewal of licenses for various broadcasters and providers be pegged to those who had paid the artistes royalties. The copyright bill 2017 http://www.parliament.go.ke/sites/default/files/2018-09/COPYRIGHT%20%28AMEN… Section 24 proposes to include 35 (A) on Protection of Internet Service Provider and 35(B) on Take down notice. On the takedown request, section 35 (B) (g) requires a complainant to attach an affidavit or any other declaration attesting to claim of ownership, validity of the rights, good faith and setting out any efforts to have entities responsible for making the content available to remove the content; (h) be copied to the Board, Communication Authority and the recognised umbrella association of service providers. In 35 (B) (4), an Internet Service Provider shall, upon receipt of a valid takedown notice, notify the person responsible for making available the alleged infringing content and provide them with a copy of the notice as soon as is practicable. However, in (5) the Internet Service provider shall disable access to the material within forty-eight business hours unless it receives a counter notice fulfilling the requirements set out for a takedown notice and contesting the contents of the takedown notice. See, an artiste can complain, but a service provider can receive a counter notice. How does this help to protect copyright? This issue of exploitation of creatives has gone on for long. Should we not be thinking through of better ways that do not claw back on formal complaints? Will the moving of the music copyright office from AG to ICT Ministry cure the exploitation problem? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Grace Githaiga Twitter: @ggithaiga Skype: gracegithaiga Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gracegithaiga ...the most important office in a democracy is the citizen. So, you see, that’s what our democracy demands. It needs you!----Barrack Obama.

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UNDESA Internship in the Secretariat of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF)
by Grace Githaiga 02 Sep '19

02 Sep '19

Might be of interest to someone here. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: UNOG-IGF <igf(a)un.org> Date: Mon, 2 Sep 2019 10:06:13 +0000 Subject: [Wg-oe] UNDESA Internship in the Secretariat of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) To: UNOG-IGF <igf(a)un.org> This is a kind reminder that there is an open internship position of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland. Interested stakeholders are invited to review the internship requirements at the IGF website: https://www.intgovforum.org/multilingual/content/undesa-internship-in-the-s… and submit their applications as soon as possible. Best regards, IGF Secretariat _______________________________________________

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Fresh new collection of free, Self Paced learning courses: IoT, AI, Blockchain
by John Matogo 02 Sep '19

02 Sep '19

Dear Listers, Have a look at this updated list of new ICT courses, all are free and self paced. Very good for your continuous learning. Kindly share with others that may benefit from this learning and certification. Topics covered include: - AI - IoT - Blockchain - Web Development - Data Science and Analytics, - and many more. Check them out here: Link to courses <https://developer.ibm.com/digitalnation/africa/courses/> Regards. JM

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Kibaki’s letter gave birth to Kenya’s famed Silicon Savannah
by Grace Githaiga 01 Sep '19

01 Sep '19

...The journey to that phone call had begun at an insurance industry dinner two years earlier, in early 2006, at the Panari Hotel in Nairobi. Then, Mr Kagwe was the guest of honour. After his speech, a journalist had asked him to state the one thing he hoped to achieve at the ICT ministry. He told the journalist that he wanted Kenyans to communicate easily and cheaply with the world. At the time it cost Sh35 per minute to make a phone call within the Safaricom network during peak hours and up to Sh50 per minute to other networks. These high costs made Kenyans wait until off-peak hours to make cheaper calls, which often clogged the Safaricom network in the evening, rendering it impossible for anyone to get through. This state of affairs led then Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph to accuse Kenyans of peculiar calling habits, causing a PR crisis for the company. Internet connections, on the other hand, were a nightmare. Read more on: https://www.nation.co.ke/news/Kibaki-s-letter-that-delivered-broadband-inte… Best regards Grace Githaiga -- Grace Githaiga Co-Convenor, Kenya ICT Action Network

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Fwd: [Internet Policy] Age Appropriate Design code - part of UK Data Protection Act 2018
by Barrack Otieno 31 Aug '19

31 Aug '19

Listers, This is for your information and attention. Best Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Richard Hill via InternetPolicy <internetpolicy(a)elists.isoc.org> Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2019, 5:16 pm Subject: [Internet Policy] Age Appropriate Design code - part of UK Data Protection Act 2018 To: <internetpolicy(a)elists.isoc.org> As part of the process to turn the GDPR into UK law last year, an amendment was passed requiring the ICO (UK Data Protection Authority) to develop an Age Appropriate Design Code to recognize that children (anyone under 18) are a vulnerable group who deserve extra protections regarding their personal data. The attached booklet, produced by the 5Rights foundation give an easy explanation of the Code that was developed by the ICO. It also explains how the Code can be easily implemented without complicated age verification. Best, Richard _______________________________________________ To manage your Internet Society subscriptions or unsubscribe, log into the Member Portal at https://admin.internetsociety.org/622619/User/Login and go to the Interests tab within your profile. - View the Internet Society Code of Conduct: https://www.internetsociety.org/become-a-member/code-of-conduct/

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KICTANet resources available for you!
by Grace Githaiga 27 Aug '19

27 Aug '19

Hello Listers This is to bring to your attention that there are several resources available on the KICTANet website. They are categorized into reports, policy briefs, submissions that KICTANet has made to several policy making bodies, and several IGF reports. They can be found here: https://www.kictanet.or.ke/?page_id=40115 Listers are also welcome to blog on our platform '_the KICTANet Post'_ on any ICT policy and regulatory topical issues. For more information, please get in touch with Liz Orembo (lizorembo(a)kictanet.or.ke) or Mwendwa Kivuva (lordmwesh(a)gmail.com) Please see the _KICTANet post_ here: https://www.kictanet.or.ke/?page_id=28812 Best regards Grace Githaiga -- Grace Githaiga Co-Convenor, Kenya ICT Action Network

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Fwd: [Internet Policy] Internet-enabled space crime
by Barrack Otieno 26 Aug '19

26 Aug '19

Learned Listers, Interesting quagmire, interested in local perspectives. Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Richard Bennett via InternetPolicy <internetpolicy(a)elists.isoc.org> Date: Sun, Aug 25, 2019 at 5:48 AM Subject: [Internet Policy] Internet-enabled space crime To: ISOC Policy <internetpolicy(a)elists.isoc.org> An astronaut unlawfully accessed her wife’s bank accounts from the International Space Station. The couple are going through a bitter divorce, custody battle, etc. This is apparently the first crime to be committed in space, so the jurisdiction issues are somewhat interesting as they are with all Internet-enabled crimes. Presumably US law applies since the bank is located in the US, but I don’t really know. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/us/nasa-astronaut-anne-mcclain.html "Ms. McClain acknowledged that she had accessed the bank account from space, insisting through a lawyer that she was merely shepherding the couple’s still-intertwined finances. Ms. Worden felt differently. She filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and her family lodged one with NASA’s Office of Inspector General, accusing Ms. McClain of identity theft and improper access to Ms. Worden’s private financial records. "Investigators from the inspector general’s office have since contacted Ms. Worden and Ms. McClain, trying to get to the bottom of what may be the first allegation of criminal wrongdoing in space. "“I was pretty appalled that she would go that far. I knew it was not O.K.,” Ms. Worden said.” Opinions? RB — Richard Bennett High Tech Forum Founder Ethernet & Wi-Fi standards co-creator Internet Policy Consultant _______________________________________________ To manage your Internet Society subscriptions or unsubscribe, log into the Member Portal at https://admin.internetsociety.org/622619/User/Login and go to the Interests tab within your profile. - View the Internet Society Code of Conduct: https://www.internetsociety.org/become-a-member/code-of-conduct/ -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Fwd: [NRIs List] Inviting Parliamentarians to the IGF
by Barrack Otieno 26 Aug '19

26 Aug '19

Listers, This might be of interest to our Honourable Members of Parliament, Senate, National Assembly and County Assembly. For colleagues working in County Governments share this with your MCA's and Mps. Regards Please note the registration deadlines. ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: <sandra(a)eurodig.org> Date: Sat, Aug 24, 2019 at 1:07 AM Subject: [NRIs List] Inviting Parliamentarians to the IGF To: <igfregionals(a)intgovforum.org> Cc: <IGF2019(a)medienstadt-leipzig.org> Dear NRI colleagues, the Host of this year’s IGF, the German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, is paying particular attention to invite parliamentarians from across the world. In this respect I would like to encourage you to forward the “Save the date Message” enclosed to parliamentarians in your country or region. Parliamentarians from countries on the DAC-List are eligible to apply for travel support with the IGF Secretariat until *31. August 2019.* Details about the application, visa and registration process you can also find enclosed. If you prefer the “Save the date Message” in other languages (like French, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian) kindly contact IGF2019(a)medienstadt-leipzig.org. Best Sandra _______________________________________________ Igfregionals mailing list Igfregionals(a)intgovforum.org To unsubscribe or manage your options please go to http://intgovforum.org/mailman/listinfo/igfregionals_intgovforum.org -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Block-Chain & AI Task Force Report - August LawTech Meetup
by Linda Bonyo 18 Aug '19

18 Aug '19

Lawyers Hub and the Block Chain Association of Kenya will meet this Friday evening to discuss the recently released Report by the Block Chain & AI Task-force. Tickets are absolutely free and available here on eventbrite link ( https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lawtech-nairobi-august-meet-up-on-kenya-block-… ) We hope to see you there for this month’s edition of Nairobi LawTech Meetup as we discuss Policy/ Regulations that impact emerging technologies. Kindly contact info(a)lawyershub.ke for any clarification or queries. Sincerely, Linda Bonyo Lawyers Hub. -- ______________________________________________ *Linda Bonyo* (Ms.) | CEO, *Lawyers Hub * Tech for Justice ACK Garden House| Block D, 6th Floor |Upper Hill, Nairobi| Kenya Email: bonyo(a)*lawyershub.ke* <bonyo(a)lawyershub.ke> | Skype*:* lawyershubke Tel: +254(0)207840228 Mobile : +254784840228 www.lawyershub.org | www.lawyershub.ke | *_**__________________________________________________________* *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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Looking for opportunities to work as a transcriber
by meshack emakunat 18 Aug '19

18 Aug '19

Hello, Listers, Apology for the relevance of this post on the forum. A friend is in need of a work from home jobs such as transcriber or any relevant. This is to sustain the ever demand for her project funding. She is currently doing her masters at Egerton and I have no other way to help rather than reach out to members the group. Name: Grace WanyoikeTelephone: 0780851625Email: wanyoikewairimu(a)gmail.com I hope someone is in need of data analysis, transcription or writer services.

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KRA to tax income from apps downloaded in Kenya
by King Of Zamunda 16 Aug '19

16 Aug '19

Hello Listers, I just came across this on the dailies https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/news/KRA-to-tax-income-from-apps-downlo… What are your thoughts? [image: Mailtrack] <https://mailtrack.io?utm_source=gmail&utm_medium=signature&utm_campaign=sig…> Sender notified by Mailtrack <https://mailtrack.io?utm_source=gmail&utm_medium=signature&utm_campaign=sig…> 08/15/19, 04:25:22 PM

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Public participation on the national CCTV policy: deadline 14 August
by Alice Munyua 16 Aug '19

16 Aug '19

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Fwd: [Open Position] Senior Program Officer, DFS Regulatory & Consumer Protection Technologies
by Rafe Mazer 16 Aug '19

16 Aug '19

Colleagues, See below interesting position with Gates for those with FinTech, ICT and regulatory backgrounds. All the best Rafe > From: Himanshu Nagpal > Subject: [Open Position] Senior Program Officer, DFS Regulatory & Consumer Protection Technologies > > Dear FSP team and partners, > > As you know, we have been ramping up our efforts in the area of DFS risk mitigation; with an emphasis on leveraging technology. > > To further accelerate this body of work we have just opened a new role on my team for a Senior Program Officer, DFS Regulatory & Consumer Protection Technologies. > > The focus of this newly created role is to leverage technology to enable financial regulators in managing the risks posed by emerging financial services models without impeding the innovation required to drive financial inclusion. Our aim is to ensure that the progress being made in financial inclusion remains robust and increases the likelihood for technology to drive inclusive growth and poverty alleviation while protecting consumers and their confidence in the system > > Key areas of focus will include: > Consumer protection including fraud, over indebtedness, grievance redressal, disclosure, informed consent, literacy, product suitability among other topics. > Regulatory tools and data systems for effective market supervision of consumer protection and market conduct. > Anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism. > Technology capacity building for financial regulators in low-middle income countries (LMICs) > > In terms of skills and experience we are hoping to find someone who has experience in both regulatory/policy and technology domains; preferably at a one or more of the following types of institutions: a) leading financial regulatory authority, b) reg-tech/risk management solutions provider, or c) global financial services institution driving their regulatory and compliance agenda. > > I request you to please share this job opening amongst your networks to help us build a strong pipeline of candidates. > > Thanks a lot in advance for your help, > > Best Regards > Himanshu > Himanshu Nagpal > Deputy Director > Financial Services for the Poor > www.gatesfoundation.org

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Fwd: CRYPTO-GRAM, August 15, 2019
by Nelson Kwaje 15 Aug '19

15 Aug '19

Hello members, this info might be helpful to some. ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Bruce Schneier <schneier(a)schneier.com> Date: Thu, Aug 15, 2019 at 8:51 AM Subject: CRYPTO-GRAM, August 15, 2019 To: <nelson(a)web4all.co.ke> Crypto-Gram August 15, 2019 by Bruce Schneier Fellow and Lecturer, Harvard Kennedy School schneier(a)schneier.com https://www.schneier.com A free monthly newsletter providing summaries, analyses, insights, and commentaries on security: computer and otherwise. For back issues, or to subscribe, visit Crypto-Gram's web page <https://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram.html>. Read this issue on the web <https://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram/archives/2019/0815.html> These same essays and news items appear in the Schneier on Security <https://www.schneier.com/> blog, along with a lively and intelligent comment section. An RSS feed is available. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* In this issue: 1. Palantir's Surveillance Service for Law Enforcement <#m_9172732402594497067_cg1> 2. Zoom Vulnerability <#m_9172732402594497067_cg2> 3. Identity Theft on the Job Market <#m_9172732402594497067_cg3> 4. John Paul Stevens Was a Cryptographer <#m_9172732402594497067_cg4> 5. A Harlequin Romance Novel about Hackers <#m_9172732402594497067_cg5> 6. Hackers Expose Russian FSB Cyberattack Projects <#m_9172732402594497067_cg6> 7. Science Fiction Writers Helping Imagine Future Threats <#m_9172732402594497067_cg7> 8. Attorney General William Barr on Encryption Policy <#m_9172732402594497067_cg8> 9. Software Developers and Security <#m_9172732402594497067_cg9> 10. Insider Logic Bombs <#m_9172732402594497067_cg10> 11. Wanted: Cybersecurity Imagery <#m_9172732402594497067_cg11> 12. ACLU on the GCHQ Backdoor Proposal <#m_9172732402594497067_cg12> 13. Another Attack Against Driverless Cars <#m_9172732402594497067_cg13> 14. Facebook Plans on Backdooring WhatsApp <#m_9172732402594497067_cg14> 15. How Privacy Laws Hurt Defendants <#m_9172732402594497067_cg15> 16. Disabling Security Cameras with Lasers <#m_9172732402594497067_cg16> 17. More on Backdooring (or Not) WhatsApp <#m_9172732402594497067_cg17> 18. Regulating International Trade in Commercial Spyware <#m_9172732402594497067_cg18> 19. Phone Pharming for Ad Fraud <#m_9172732402594497067_cg19> 20. Brazilian Cell Phone Hack <#m_9172732402594497067_cg20> 21. AT&T Employees Took Bribes to Unlock Smartphones <#m_9172732402594497067_cg21> 22. Supply-Chain Attack against the Electron Development Platform <#m_9172732402594497067_cg22> 23. Evaluating the NSA's Telephony Metadata Program <#m_9172732402594497067_cg23> 24. Exploiting GDPR to Get Private Information <#m_9172732402594497067_cg24> 25. Side-Channel Attack against Electronic Locks <#m_9172732402594497067_cg25> ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* Palantir's Surveillance Service for Law Enforcement *[2019.07.15]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/07/palantirs_surve.html> Motherboard got its hands on <https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/9kx4z8/revealed-this-is-palantirs-top-se…> Palantir's Gotham user's manual, which is used by the police to get information on people: The Palantir user guide shows that police can start with almost no information about a person of interest and instantly know extremely intimate details about their lives. The capabilities are staggering, according to the guide: - If police have a name that's associated with a license plate, they can use automatic license plate reader data to find out where they've been, and when they've been there. This can give a complete account of where someone has driven over any time period. - With a name, police can also find a person's email address, phone numbers, current and previous addresses, bank accounts, social security number(s), business relationships, family relationships, and license information like height, weight, and eye color, as long as it's in the agency's database. - The software can map out a person's family members and business associates of a suspect, and theoretically, find the above information about them, too. All of this information is aggregated and synthesized in a way that gives law enforcement nearly omniscient knowledge over any suspect they decide to surveil. Read the whole article -- it has a lot of details. This seems like a commercial version of the NSA's XKEYSCORE. Boing Boing post <https://boingboing.net/2019/07/12/leaked-palantir-gotham.html>. Meanwhile <https://www.engadget.com/2019/07/12/fbi-social-media-monitoring-tool-rfp/>: The FBI wants to gather more information from social media. Today, it issued a call for contracts for a new social media monitoring tool <https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=fe943e551236e0e62ee084…>. According to a request-for-proposals (RFP), it's looking for an "early alerting tool" that would help it monitor terrorist groups, domestic threats, criminal activity and the like. The tool would provide the FBI with access to the full social media profiles of persons-of-interest. That could include information like user IDs, emails, IP addresses and telephone numbers. The tool would also allow the FBI to track people based on location, enable persistent keyword monitoring and provide access to personal social media history. According to the RFP, "The mission-critical exploitation of social media will enable the Bureau to detect, disrupt, and investigate an ever growing diverse range of threats to U.S. National interests." ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* Zoom Vulnerability *[2019.07.16]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/07/zoom_vulnerabil.html> The Zoom conferencing app has <https://tidbits.com/2019/07/09/zoom-and-ringcentral-exploits-allows-remote-…> a <https://medium.com/bugbountywriteup/zoom-zero-day-4-million-webcams-maybe-a…> vulnerability <https://boingboing.net/2019/07/09/wontfix.html> that allows someone to remotely take over the computer's camera. It's a bad vulnerability, made worse <https://medium.com/bugbountywriteup/zoom-zero-day-4-million-webcams-maybe-a…> by the fact that it remains even if you uninstall the Zoom app: This vulnerability allows any website to forcibly join a user to a Zoom call, with their video camera activated, without the user's permission. On top of this, this vulnerability would have allowed any webpage to DOS (Denial of Service) a Mac by repeatedly joining a user to an invalid call. Additionally, if you've ever installed the Zoom client and then uninstalled it, you still have a localhost web server on your machine that will happily re-install the Zoom client for you, without requiring any user interaction on your behalf besides visiting a webpage. This re-install 'feature' continues to work to this day. Zoom didn't take the vulnerability seriously: This vulnerability was originally responsibly disclosed on March 26, 2019. This initial report included a proposed description of a 'quick fix' Zoom could have implemented by simply changing their server logic. It took Zoom 10 days to confirm the vulnerability. The first actual meeting about how the vulnerability would be patched occurred on June 11th, 2019, only 18 days before the end of the 90-day public disclosure deadline. During this meeting, the details of the vulnerability were confirmed and Zoom's planned solution was discussed. However, I was very easily able to spot and describe bypasses in their planned fix. At this point, Zoom was left with 18 days to resolve the vulnerability. On June 24th after 90 days of waiting, the last day before the public disclosure deadline, I discovered that Zoom had only implemented the 'quick fix' solution originally suggested. This is why we disclose vulnerabilities. Now, finally, Zoom is taking this seriously and fixing it for real. EDITED TO ADD (8/8): Apple silently released <https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/10/20689644/apple-zoom-web-server-automatic…> a macOS update that removes the Zoom webserver if the app is not present. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* Identity Theft on the Job Market *[2019.07.18]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/07/identity_theft_.html> Identity theft is getting more subtle: "My job application was withdrawn by someone pretending to be me <https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48995846>": When Mr Fearn applied for a job at the company he didn't hear back. He said the recruitment team said they'd get back to him by Friday, but they never did. At first, he assumed he was unsuccessful, but after emailing his contact there, it turned out someone had created a Gmail account in his name and asked the company to withdraw his application. Mr Fearn said the talent assistant told him they were confused because he had apparently emailed them to withdraw his application on Wednesday. "They forwarded the email, which was sent from an account using my name." He said he felt "really shocked and violated" to find out that someone had created an email account in his name just to tarnish his chances of getting a role. This is about as low-tech as it gets. It's trivially simple for me to open a new Gmail account using a random first and last name. But because people innately trust email, it works. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* John Paul Stevens Was a Cryptographer *[2019.07.19]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/07/john_paul_steve.html> I didn't know that Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens "was also a cryptographer for the Navy <https://epic.org/2019/07/justice-john-paul-stevens-1920.html> during World War II." He was a proponent of individual <https://www.law360.com/health/articles/1179418/3-times-justice-stevens-boos…> privacy <https://epic.org/privacy/justice_stevens.html>. EDITED TO ADD (8/12): More <https://stationhypo.com/2019/07/17/remembering-the-honorable-john-paul-stev…> on his cryptography career. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* A Harlequin Romance Novel about Hackers *[2019.07.19]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/07/a_harlequin_rom.html> Really <https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/07/talk-cyber-to-me-ars-reads-a-harlequ…> . ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* Hackers Expose Russian FSB Cyberattack Projects *[2019.07.22]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/07/hackers_expose_.html> More nation-state activity in cyberspace, this time from Russia <https://www.zdnet.com/article/hackers-breach-fsb-contractor-expose-tor-dean…> : Per the different reports in Russian media, the files indicate that SyTech had worked since 2009 on a multitude of projects since 2009 for FSB unit 71330 and for fellow contractor Quantum. Projects include: - *Nautilus* -- a project for collecting data about social media users (such as Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn). - *Nautilus-S* -- a project for deanonymizing Tor traffic with the help of rogue Tor servers. - *Reward* -- a project to covertly penetrate P2P networks, like the one used for torrents. - *Mentor* -- a project to monitor and search email communications on the servers of Russian companies. - *Hope* -- a project to investigate the topology of the Russian internet and how it connects to other countries' network. - *Tax-3* -- a project for the creation of a closed intranet to store the information of highly-sensitive state figures, judges, and local administration officials, separate from the rest of the state's IT networks. BBC Russia, who received the full trove of documents, claims there were other older projects for researching other network protocols such as Jabber (instant messaging), ED2K (eDonkey), and OpenFT (enterprise file transfer). Other files posted on the Digital Revolution Twitter account claimed that the FSB was also tracking students and pensioners. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* Science Fiction Writers Helping Imagine Future Threats *[2019.07.23]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/07/science_fiction_1.html> The French army is going to put together <https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49044892> a team of science fiction writers to help imagine future threats. Leaving aside the question of whether science fiction writers are better or worse at envisioning nonfictional futures, this isn't new. The US Department of Homeland Security did the same thing over a decade ago, and I wrote about it <https://www.schneier.com/essays/archives/2009/06/how_science_fiction.html> back then: A couple of years ago, the Department of Homeland Security hired a bunch of science fiction writers to come in for a day and think of ways terrorists could attack America. If our inability to prevent 9/11 marked a failure of imagination, as some said at the time, then who better than science fiction writers to inject a little imagination into counterterrorism planning? I discounted the exercise <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2007/05/homeland_securi/> at the time, calling it "embarrassing." I never thought that 9/11 was a failure of imagination. I thought, and still think, that 9/11 was primarily a confluence of three things: the dual failure of centralized coordination and local control within the FBI, and some lucky breaks on the part of the attackers. More imagination leads to more movie-plot threats <https://www.schneier.com/essay-087.html> -- which contributes to overall fear and overestimation of the risks. And that doesn't help keep us safe at all. Science fiction writers are creative, and creativity helps in any future scenario brainstorming. But please, keep the people who actually know science and technology in charge. Last month, at the 2009 Homeland Security Science & Technology Stakeholders Conference in Washington D.C., science fiction writers <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/21/AR200905210…> helped the attendees think differently about security. This seems like a far better use of their talents than imagining some of the zillions of ways terrorists can attack America. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* Attorney General William Barr on Encryption Policy *[2019.07.24]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/07/attorney_genera_1.html> Yesterday, Attorney General William Barr gave a major speech on encryption policy -- what is commonly known as "going dark." Speaking at Fordham University in New York, he <https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/23/william-barr-consumers-security-risks-bac…> admitted <https://twitter.com/charlie_savage/status/1153692366966013952> that adding backdoors decreases security but that it is worth it. Some hold this view dogmatically, claiming that it is technologically impossible to provide lawful access without weakening security against unlawful access. But, in the world of cybersecurity, we do not deal in absolute guarantees but in relative risks. All systems fall short of optimality and have some residual risk of vulnerability a point which the tech community acknowledges when they propose that law enforcement can satisfy its requirements by exploiting vulnerabilities in their products. The real question is whether the residual risk of vulnerability resulting from incorporating a lawful access mechanism is materially greater than those already in the unmodified product. The Department does not believe this can be demonstrated. Moreover, even if there was, in theory, a slight risk differential, its significance should not be judged solely by the extent to which it falls short of theoretical optimality. Particularly with respect to encryption marketed to consumers, the significance of the risk should be assessed based on its practical effect on consumer cybersecurity, as well as its relation to the net risks that offering the product poses for society. After all, we are not talking about protecting the Nation's nuclear launch codes. Nor are we necessarily talking about the customized encryption used by large business enterprises to protect their operations. We are talking about consumer products and services such as messaging, smart phones, e-mail, and voice and data applications. If one already has an effective level of security say, by way of illustration, one that protects against 99 percent of foreseeable threats is it reasonable to incur massive further costs to move slightly closer to optimality and attain a 99.5 percent level of protection? A company would not make that expenditure; nor should society. Here, some argue that, to achieve at best a slight incremental improvement in security, it is worth imposing a massive cost on society in the form of degraded safety. This is untenable. If the choice is between a world where we can achieve a 99 percent assurance against cyber threats to consumers, while still providing law enforcement 80 percent of the access it might seek; or a world, on the other hand, where we have boosted our cybersecurity to 99.5 percent but at a cost reducing law enforcements [sic] access to zero percent the choice for society is clear. I think this is a major change in government position. Previously, the FBI, the Justice Department and so on had claimed that backdoors for law enforcement could be added without any loss of security. They maintained that technologists just need to figure out how—an approach we have derisively named "nerd harder <https://boingboing.net/2018/01/12/imaginary-numbers.html>." With this change, we can finally have a sensible policy conversation. Yes, adding a backdoor increases our collective security because it allows law enforcement to eavesdrop on the bad guys. But adding that backdoor also decreases our collective security because the bad guys can eavesdrop on everyone. This is exactly the policy debate we should be havingnot the fake one about whether or not we can have both security and surveillance. Barr makes the point that this is about "consumer cybersecurity," and not "nuclear launch codes." This is true, but ignores the huge amount of national security-related communications between those two poles. The same consumer communications and computing devices are used by our lawmakers, CEOs, legislators, law enforcement officers, nuclear power plant operators, election officials and so on. There's no longer a difference between consumer tech and government tech -- it's all the same tech. Barr also says: Further, the burden is not as onerous as some make it out to be. I served for many years as the general counsel of a large telecommunications concern. During my tenure, we dealt with these issues and lived through the passage and implementation of CALEA the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act. CALEA imposes a statutory duty on telecommunications carriers to maintain the capability to provide lawful access to communications over their facilities. Companies bear the cost of compliance but have some flexibility in how they achieve it, and the system has by and large worked. I therefore reserve a heavy dose of skepticism for those who claim that maintaining a mechanism for lawful access would impose an unreasonable burden on tech firms especially the big ones. It is absurd to think that we would preserve lawful access by mandating that physical telecommunications facilities be accessible to law enforcement for the purpose of obtaining content, while allowing tech providers to block law enforcement from obtaining that very content. That telecommunications company was GTEwhich became Verizon <https://biglawbusiness.com/william-barr-would-bring-telecom-chops-to-justic…>. Barr conveniently ignores that CALEA-enabled phone switches were used to spy <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/07/story_of_the_gr_1.html> on <https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/security/the-athens-affair> government officials in Greece in 2003—which seems to have been an NSA operation—and on a variety of people in Italy <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SISMI-Telecom_scandal> in 2006. Moreover, in 2012 every CALEA-enabled switch sold to the Defense Department had security vulnerabilities <https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2028152>. (I wrote about all this, and more, in 2013 <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2013/06/the_problems_wi_3.html>.) The final thing I noticed about the speech is that is it not about iPhones and data at rest. It is about communications—data in transit. The "going dark" debate has bounced back and forth between those two aspects for decades. It seems to be bouncing once again. I hope that Barr's latest speech signals that we can finally move on from the fake security vs. privacy debate, and to the real security vs. security <https://opensource.com/article/18/6/listening-susan-landau> debate. I know where I stand on that: As computers continue to permeate every aspect of our lives, society, and critical infrastructure, it is much more important to ensure that they are secure from everybody -- even at the cost of law-enforcement access -- than it is to allow access at the cost of security. Barr is wrong, it kind of is like these systems are protecting nuclear launch codes. This essay previously appeared <https://www.lawfareblog.com/attorney-general-william-barr-encryption-policy> on Lawfare.com. EDITED TO ADD: More <https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/07/tech-firms-can-and-must-put-bac…> news <https://www.wsj.com/articles/barr-revives-debate-over-warrant-proof-encrypt…> articles <https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/23/us/politics/william-barr-encryption-secu…> . EDITED TO ADD (7/28): Gen. Hayden comments <https://twitter.com/GenMhayden/status/1153722298861535232>. EDITED TO ADD (7/30): Good response <https://blog.erratasec.com/2019/07/why-we-fight-for-crypto.html> by Robert Graham. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* Software Developers and Security *[2019.07.25]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/07/software_develo.html> According to a survey <https://www.zdnet.com/article/no-love-lost-between-security-specialists-and…>: "68% of the security professionals surveyed believe it's a programmer's job to write secure code, but they also think less than half of developers can spot security holes." And that's a problem. Nearly half of security pros surveyed, 49%, said they struggle to get developers to make remediation of vulnerabilities a priority. Worse still, 68% of security professionals feel fewer than half of developers can spot security vulnerabilities later in the life cycle. Roughly half of security professionals said they most often found bugs after code is merged in a test environment. At the same time, nearly 70% of developers said that while they are expected to write secure code <https://learn.gitlab.com/c/2019-global-develope>, they get little guidance or help. One disgruntled programmer said, "It's a mess, no standardization, most of my work has never had a security scan." Another problem is it seems many companies don't take security seriously enough. Nearly 44% of those surveyed reported that they're not judged on their security vulnerabilities. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* Insider Logic Bombs *[2019.07.26]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/07/insider_logic_b.html> Add to the "not very smart criminals" file <https://www.zdnet.com/article/siemens-contractor-pleads-guilty-to-planting-…> : According to court documents, Tinley provided software services for Siemens' Monroeville, PA offices for nearly ten years. Among the work he was asked to perform was the creation of spreadsheets that the company was using to manage equipment orders. The spreadsheets included custom scripts that would update the content of the file based on current orders stored in other, remote documents, allowing the company to automate inventory and order management. But while Tinley's files worked for years, they started malfunctioning around 2014. According to court documents <https://www.scribd.com/document/419389583/5948342-0-19339>, Tinley planted so-called "logic bombs" that would trigger after a certain date, and crash the files. Every time the scripts would crash, Siemens would call Tinley, who'd fix the files for a fee. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* Wanted: Cybersecurity Imagery *[2019.07.29]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/07/wanted_cybersec.html> Eli Sugarman of the Hewlettt Foundation laments <https://www.lawfareblog.com/sorry-state-cybersecurity-imagery> about the sorry state of cybersecurity imagery: The state of cybersecurity imagery is, in a word, abysmal. A simple Google Image search for the term proves the point: It's all white men in hoodies hovering menacingly over keyboards, green "Matrix"-style 1s and 0s, glowing locks and server racks, or some random combination of those elements—sometimes the hoodie-clad men even wear burglar masks. Each of these images fails to convey anything about either the importance or the complexity of the topic—or the huge stakes for governments, industry and ordinary people alike inherent in topics like encryption, surveillance and cyber conflict. I agree that this is a problem. It's not something I noticed until recently. I work in words. I think in words. I don't use PowerPoint (or anything similar) when I give presentations. I don't need visuals. But recently, I started teaching at the Harvard Kennedy School, and I constantly use visuals in my class. I made those same image searches, and I came up with similarly unacceptable results. But unlike me, Hewlett is doing something <https://hewlett.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Reimagining-Visuals-for-Cybe…> about it. You can help: participate in the Cybersecurity Visuals Challenge <https://www.openideo.com/challenge-briefs/cybersecurity-visuals>. EDITED TO ADD (8/5): News article <https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/4/20751880/cybersecurity-stock-images-conte…>. Slashdot thread <https://idle.slashdot.org/story/19/08/04/1711201/7000-contest-seeks-better-…> . ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* ACLU on the GCHQ Backdoor Proposal *[2019.07.30]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/07/aclu_on_the_gch.html> Back in January, two senior GCHQ officials proposed <https://www.lawfareblog.com/principles-more-informed-exceptional-access-deb…> a specific backdoor for communications systems. It <https://www.lawfareblog.com/exceptional-access-devil-details-0> was <https://blog.cryptographyengineering.com/2018/12/17/on-ghost-users-and-mess…> universally <https://www.benthamsgaze.org/2018/12/06/new-threat-models-in-the-face-of-br…> derided <https://www.lawfareblog.com/detecting-ghosts-reverse-engineering-who-ya-gon…> as unworkable -- by me <https://www.lawfareblog.com/evaluating-gchq-exceptional-access-proposal>, as well. Now Jon Callas of the ACLU explains why <https://www.davisvanguard.org/2019/07/the-ghost-user-ploy-to-break-encrypti…> . ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* Another Attack Against Driverless Cars *[2019.07.31]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/07/another_attack_.html> In this piece of research, attackers successfully attack <https://arxiv.org/pdf/1906.09765.pdf> a driverless car system -- Renault Captur's "Level 0" autopilot (Level 0 systems advise human drivers but do not directly operate cars) -- by following them with drones that project images of fake road signs in 100ms bursts. The time is too short for human perception, but long enough to fool the autopilot's sensors. Boing Boing post <https://boingboing.net/2019/07/06/flickering-car-ghosts.html>. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* Facebook Plans on Backdooring WhatsApp *[2019.08.01]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/08/facebook_plans_.html> This article <https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/07/26/the-encryption-debate-…> points out that Facebook's planned content moderation scheme will result in an encryption backdoor into WhatsApp: In Facebook's vision, the actual end-to-end encryption client itself such as WhatsApp will include embedded content moderation and blacklist filtering algorithms. These algorithms will be continually updated from a central cloud service, but will run locally on the user's device, scanning each cleartext message before it is sent and each encrypted message after it is decrypted. The company even noted <https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/05/28/facebook-is-already-wo…> that when it detects violations it will need to quietly stream a copy of the formerly encrypted content back to its central servers to analyze further, even if the user objects, acting as true wiretapping service. Facebook's model entirely bypasses the encryption debate by globalizing the current practice of compromising devices by building those encryption bypasses directly into the communications clients themselves and deploying what amounts to machine-based wiretaps to billions of users at once. Once this is in place, it's easy for the government to demand that Facebook add another filter -- one that searches for communications that they care about -- and alert them when it gets triggered. Of course alternatives like Signal will exist for those who don't want to be subject to Facebook's content moderation, but what happens when this filtering technology is built into operating systems? The problem is that if Facebook's model succeeds, it will only be a matter of time before device manufacturers and mobile operating system developers embed similar tools directly into devices themselves, making them impossible to escape. Embedding content scanning tools directly into phones would make it possible to scan all apps, including ones like Signal, effectively ending the era of encrypted communications. I don't think this will happen -- why does AT&T care about content moderation -- but it is something to watch? EDITED TO ADD (8/2): This story is wrong. Read my correction <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/08/more_on_backdoo.html>. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* How Privacy Laws Hurt Defendants *[2019.08.02]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/08/how_privacy_law.html> Rebecca Wexler has an interesting op-ed <https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2019-07-30/consumer-data-privacy-laws…> about an inadvertent harm that privacy laws can cause: while law enforcement can often access third-party data to aid in prosecution, the accused don't have the same level of access to aid in their defense: The proposed privacy laws would make this situation worse. Lawmakers may not have set out to make the criminal process even more unfair, but the unjust result is not surprising. When lawmakers propose privacy bills to protect sensitive information, law enforcement agencies lobby for exceptions <https://repository.law.umich.edu/mlr/vol111/iss4/1/> so they can continue to access the information. Few lobby for the accused to have similar <https://scholarship.law.cornell.edu/clr/vol99/iss5/1/> rights. Just as the privacy interests of poor, minority and heavily policed communities are often ignored <https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=25115> in the lawmaking process, so too are the interests of criminal defendants, many from those same communities. In criminal cases, both the prosecution and the accused have a right to subpoena evidence so that juries can hear both sides of the case. The new privacy bills need to ensure that law enforcement and defense investigators operate under the same rules when they subpoena digital data. If lawmakers believe otherwise, they should have to explain and justify that view. For more detail, see her paper <https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3428607>. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* Disabling Security Cameras with Lasers *[2019.08.02]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/08/disabling_secur.html> There's a really interesting video <https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-08-01/watch-hong-kong-protesters-using-…> of <https://boingboing.net/2019/07/31/just-dont-have-a-face-2.html> protesters in Hong Kong using some sort of laser to disable security cameras. I know nothing more about the technologies involved. EDITED TO ADD (8/14): LIDAR from self-driving cars has damaged <https://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/3069427/sony-a7r-ii-camera-destro…> security cameras before. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* More on Backdooring (or Not) WhatsApp *[2019.08.02]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/08/more_on_backdoo.html> Yesterday, I blogged about <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/08/facebook_plans_.html> a Facebook plan to backdoor WhatsApp by adding client-side scanning and filtering. It seems that I was wrong, and there are no such plans. The only source for that post was a Forbes essay <https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/07/26/the-encryption-debate-…> by Kalev Leetaru, which links to a previous Forbes essay <https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/05/28/facebook-is-already-wo…> by him, which links to a video presentation <https://developers.facebook.com/videos/2019/applying-ai-to-keep-the-platfor…> from a Facebook developers conference. Leetaru extrapolated a lot out of very little. I watched the video (the relevant section is at the 23:00 mark), and it doesn't talk about client-side scanning of messages. It doesn't talk about messaging apps at all. It discusses using AI techniques to find bad content on Facebook, and the difficulties that arise from dynamic content: So far, we have been keeping this fight [against bad actors and harmful content] on familiar grounds. And that is, we have been training our AI models on the server and making inferences on the server when all the data are flooding into our data centers. While this works for most scenarios, it is not the ideal setup for some unique integrity challenges. URL masking is one such problem which is very hard to do. We have the traditional way of server-side inference. What is URL masking? Let us imagine that a user sees a link on the app and decides to click on it. When they click on it, Facebook actually logs the URL to crawl it at a later date. But...the publisher can dynamically change the content of the webpage to make it look more legitimate [to Facebook]. But then our users click on the same link, they see something completely different -- oftentimes it is disturbing; oftentimes it violates our policy standards. Of course, this creates a bad experience for our community that we would like to avoid. This and similar integrity problems are best solved with AI on the device. That might be true, but it also would hand whatever secret-AI sauce Facebook has to every one of its users to reverse engineer -- which means it's probably not going to happen. And it is a dumb idea, for reasons Steve Bellovin has pointed out <https://www.cs.columbia.edu/~smb/blog/2019-08/2019-08-01.html>. Facebook's first published response was a comment <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20587643> on the Hacker News website from a user named "wcathcart," which Cardozo assures me is Will Cathcart, the vice president of WhatsApp. (I have no reason to doubt his identity, but surely there is a more official news channel that Facebook could have chosen to use if they wanted to.) Cathcart wrote: We haven't added a backdoor to WhatsApp. The Forbes contributor referred to a technical talk about client side AI in general to conclude that we might do client side scanning of content on WhatsApp for anti-abuse purposes. To be crystal clear, we have not done this, have zero plans to do so, and if we ever did it would be quite obvious and detectable that we had done it. We understand the serious concerns this type of approach would raise which is why we are opposed to it. Facebook's second published response was a comment <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/08/facebook_plans_.html#c6796703> on my original blog post, which has been confirmed to me by the WhatsApp people as authentic. It's more of the same. So, this was a false alarm. And, to be fair, Alec Muffet called foul <https://medium.com/@alecmuffett/on-the-latest-facebook-messenger-conspiracy…> on the first Forbes piece: So, here's my pre-emptive finger wag: Civil Society's pack mentality can make us our own worst enemies. If we go around repeating one man's Germanic conspiracy theory, we may doom ourselves to precisely what we fear. Instead, we should—we must—take steps to constructively demand what we actually want: End to End Encryption which is worthy of the name. Blame accepted. But in general, this is the sort of thing we need to watch for. End-to-end encryption only secures data in transit. The data has to be in the clear on the device where it is created, and it has to be in the clear on the device where it is consumed. Those are the obvious places for an eavesdropper to get a copy. This has been a long process. Facebook desperately wanted to convince me to correct the record, while at the same time not wanting to write something on their own letterhead (just a couple of comments, so far). I spoke at length with Privacy Policy Manager Nate Cardozo, whom Facebook hired last December <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/02/facebooks_new_p.html> from EFF. (Back then, I remember thinking of him -- and the two other new privacy hires -- as basically human warrant canaries. If they ever leave Facebook under non-obvious circumstances, we know that things are bad.) He basically leveraged his historical reputation to assure me that WhatsApp, and Facebook in general, would never do something like this. I am trusting him, while also reminding everyone that Facebook has broken so many privacy promises <https://phys.org/news/2018-03-facebook-history-privacy.html> that they really can't be trusted. Final note: If they want to be trusted, Adam Shostack and I gave them a road map <https://onezero.medium.com/a-new-privacy-constitution-for-facebook-a7106998…> . Hacker News thread <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20585794>. EDITED TO ADD (8/4): Slashdot covered <https://tech.slashdot.org/story/19/08/03/0031206/did-whatsapp-backdoor-rumo…> my retraction. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* Regulating International Trade in Commercial Spyware *[2019.08.05]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/08/regulating_inte.html> Siena Anstis, Ronald J. Deibert, and John Scott-Railton of Citizen Lab published <https://www.lawfareblog.com/proposed-response-commercial-surveillance-emerg…> an editorial calling for regulating the international trade in commercial surveillance systems until we can figure out how to curb human rights abuses. Any regime of rigorous human rights safeguards that would make a meaningful change to this marketplace would require many elements, for instance, compliance with the U.N. Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights <https://www.ohchr.org/documents/publications/GuidingprinciplesBusinesshr_eN…>. Corporate tokenism in this space is unacceptable; companies will have to affirmatively choose human rights concerns over growing profits and hiding behind the veneer of national security. Considering the lies <https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/06/hacking-team-hacked-firm…> that have emerged from within the surveillance industry, self-reported compliance is insufficient; compliance will have to be independently audited and verified and accept robust measures of outside scrutiny. The purchase of surveillance technology by law enforcement in any state must be transparent and subject to public debate. Further, its use must comply with frameworks setting out the lawful scope of interference with fundamental rights under international human rights law and applicable national laws, such as the "Necessary and Proportionate <https://necessaryandproportionate.org/principles>" principles on the application of human rights to surveillance. Spyware companies like NSO Group have relied on rubber stamp approvals by government agencies whose permission is required to export their technologies abroad. To prevent abuse, export control systems must instead prioritize a reform agenda that focuses on minimizing the negative human rights impacts of surveillance technology and that ensures -- with clear and immediate consequences for those who fail -- that companies operate in an accountable and transparent environment. Finally, and critically, states must fulfill their duty to protect individuals against third-party interference with their fundamental rights. With the growth of digital authoritarianism and the alarming consequences that it may hold for the protection of civil liberties around the world, rights-respecting countries need to establish legal regimes that hold companies and states accountable for the deployment of surveillance technology within their borders. Law enforcement and other organizations that seek to protect refugees or other vulnerable persons coming from abroad will also need to take digital threats seriously. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* Phone Pharming for Ad Fraud *[2019.08.06]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/08/phone_farming_f.html> Interesting article <https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/d3naek/how-to-make-a-phone-farm> on people using banks of smartphones to commit ad fraud for profit. No one knows how prevalent ad fraud is on the Internet. I believe it is surprisingly high -- here's an article <https://www.emarketer.com/content/five-charts-the-state-of-ad-fraud> that places losses between $6.5 and $19 billion annually -- and something companies like Google and Facebook would prefer remain unresearched. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* Brazilian Cell Phone Hack *[2019.08.07]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/08/brazilian_cell_.html> I know there's a lot of politics associated with this story, but concentrate on the cybersecurity aspect for a moment. The cell phones of a thousand Brazilians, including senior government officials, were hacked <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-24/brazil-hackers-target-1-…> -- seemingly by actors much less sophisticated than rival governments. Brazil's federal police arrested four people for allegedly hacking 1,000 cellphones belonging to various government officials, including that of President Jair Bolsonaro. Police detective João Vianey Xavier Filho said the group hacked into the messaging apps of around 1,000 different cellphone numbers, but provided little additional information at a news conference in Brasilia on Wednesday. Cellphones used by Bolsonaro were among those attacked by the group, the justice ministry said in a statement on Thursday, adding that the president was informed of the security breach. [...] In the court order <https://politica.estadao.com.br/blogs/fausto-macedo/wp-content/uploads/site…> determining the arrest of the four suspects, Judge Vallisney de Souza Oliveira wrote that the hackers had accessed Moro's Telegram messaging app, along with those of two judges and two federal police officers. When I say that smartphone security equals national security, this is the kind of thing I am talking about. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* AT&T Employees Took Bribes to Unlock Smartphones *[2019.08.08]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/08/att_employees_t.html> This wasn't a small operation <https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/08/att-employees-took-bribes-to-un…> : A Pakistani man bribed AT&T call-center employees to install malware and unauthorized hardware as part of a scheme to fraudulently unlock cell phones, according to the US Department of Justice. Muhammad Fahd, 34, was extradited from Hong Kong to the US on Friday and is being detained pending trial. An indictment alleges that "Fahd recruited and paid AT&T insiders to use their computer credentials and access to disable AT&T's proprietary locking software that prevented ineligible phones from being removed from AT&T's network," a DOJ announcement <https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/leader-conspiracy-illegally-unlock-cel…> yesterday said. "The scheme resulted in millions of phones being removed from AT&T service and/or payment plans, costing the company millions of dollars. Fahd allegedly paid the insiders hundreds of thousands of dollars—paying one co-conspirator $428,500 over the five-year scheme." In all, AT&T insiders received more than $1 million in bribes from Fahd and his co-conspirators, who fraudulently unlocked more than 2 million cell phones, the government alleged. Three former AT&T customer service reps from a call center in Bothell, Washington, already pleaded guilty and agreed to pay the money back to AT&T. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* Supply-Chain Attack against the Electron Development Platform *[2019.08.08]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/08/supply-chain_at.html> Electron is a cross-platform development system for many popular communications apps, including Skype, Slack, and WhatsApp. Security vulnerabilities <https://www.contextis.com/en/blog/basic-electron-framework-exploitation> in the update system allows someone to silently inject malicious code into applications. From a news article <https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/08/skype-slack-other-el…> : At the BSides LV security conference on Tuesday, Pavel Tsakalidis demonstrated a tool he created called BEEMKA <https://www.contextis.com/en/blog/basic-electron-framework-exploitation>, a Python-based tool that allows someone to unpack Electron ASAR archive files <https://github.com/electron/asar> and inject new code into Electron's JavaScript libraries and built-in Chrome browser extensions. The vulnerability is not part of the applications themselves but of the underlying Electron framework—and that vulnerability allows malicious activities to be hidden within processes that appear to be benign. Tsakalidis said that he had contacted Electron about the vulnerability but that he had gotten no response—and the vulnerability remains. While making these changes required administrator access on Linux and MacOS, it only requires local access on Windows. Those modifications can create new event-based "features" that can access the file system, activate a Web cam, and exfiltrate information from systems using the functionality of trusted applications—including user credentials and sensitive data. In his demonstration, Tsakalidis showed a backdoored version of Microsoft Visual Studio Code that sent the contents of every code tab opened to a remote website. Basically, the Electron ASAR files aren't signed or encrypted, so modifying them is easy. Note that this attack requires local access to the computer, which means that an attacker that could do this could do much more damaging things as well. But once an app has been modified, it can be distributed to other users. It's not a big deal attack, but it's a vulnerability that should be closed. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* Evaluating the NSA's Telephony Metadata Program *[2019.08.12]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/08/evaluating_the_1.html> Interesting analysis: "Examining the Anomalies, Explaining the Value: Should the USA FREEDOM Act's Metadata Program be Extended? <https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3434358>" by Susan Landau and Asaf Lubin. *Abstract:* The telephony metadata program which was authorized under Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act, remains one of the most controversial programs launched by the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Under the program major U.S. carriers were ordered to provide NSA with daily Call Detail Records (CDRs) for all communications to, from, or within the United States. The Snowden disclosures and the public controversy that followed led Congress in 2015 to end bulk collection and amend the CDR authorities with the adoption of the USA FREEDOM Act (UFA). For a time, the new program seemed to be functioning well. Nonetheless, three issues emerged around the program. The first concern was over high numbers: in both 2016 and 2017, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court issued 40 orders for collection, but the NSA collected hundreds of millions of CDRs, and the agency provided little clarification for the high numbers. The second emerged in June 2018 when the NSA announced the purging of three years' worth of CDR records for "technical irregularities." Finally, in March 2019 it was reported that the NSA had decided to completely abandon the program and not seek its renewal as it is due to sunset in late 2019. This paper sheds significant light on all three of these concerns. First, we carefully analyze the numbers, showing how forty orders might lead to the collection of several million CDRs, thus offering a model to assist in understanding Intelligence Community transparency reporting across its surveillance programs. Second, we show how the architecture of modern telephone communications might cause collection errors that fit the reported reasons for the 2018 purge. Finally, we show how changes in the terrorist threat environment as well as in the technology and communication methods they employ—in particular the deployment of asynchronous encrypted IP-based communications—has made the telephony metadata program far less beneficial over time. We further provide policy recommendations for Congress to increase effective intelligence oversight. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* Exploiting GDPR to Get Private Information *[2019.08.13]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/08/exploiting_gdpr.html> A researcher abused the GDPR <https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-49252501> to get information on his fiancee: It is one of the first tests of its kind to exploit the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) <https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32016R0679&f…>, which came into force in May 2018. The law shortened the time organisations had to respond to data requests, added new types of information they have to provide, and increased the potential penalty for non-compliance. "Generally if it was an extremely large company -- especially tech ones -- they tended to do really well," he told the BBC. "Small companies tended to ignore me. "But the kind of mid-sized businesses that knew about GDPR, but maybe didn't have much of a specialised process [to handle requests], failed." He declined to identify the organisations that had mishandled the requests, but said they had included: - a UK hotel chain that shared a complete record of his partner's overnight stays - two UK rail companies that provided records of all the journeys she had taken with them over several years - a US-based educational company that handed over her high school grades, mother's maiden name and the results of a criminal background check survey. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* Side-Channel Attack against Electronic Locks *[2019.08.14]* <https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/08/side-channel_at_2.html> Several high-security electronic locks are vulnerable to side-channel attacks <https://www.reuters.com/article/us-locks-cyber-exclusive/exclusive-high-sec…> involving power monitoring. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* Since 1998, CRYPTO-GRAM has been a free monthly newsletter providing summaries, analyses, insights, and commentaries on security technology. To subscribe, or to read back issues, see Crypto-Gram's web page <https://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram.html>. You can also read these articles on my blog, Schneier on Security <https://www.schneier.com>. Please feel free to forward CRYPTO-GRAM, in whole or in part, to colleagues and friends who will find it valuable. Permission is also granted to reprint CRYPTO-GRAM, as long as it is reprinted in its entirety. Bruce Schneier is an internationally renowned security technologist, called a security guru by the Economist. He is the author of over one dozen books -- including his latest, Click Here to Kill Everybody <https://www.schneier.com/books/click_here/> -- as well as hundreds of articles, essays, and academic papers. His newsletter and blog are read by over 250,000 people. Schneier is a fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University; a Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School; a board member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, AccessNow, and the Tor Project; and an advisory board member of EPIC and VerifiedVoting.org. Copyright © 2019 by Bruce Schneier. ** *** ***** ******* *********** ************* Mailing list hosting graciously provided by MailChimp <https://mailchimp.com/>. Sent without web bugs or link tracking. This e-mail was sent to: nelson(a)web4all.co.ke *You are receiving this e-mail because you subscribed to the Crypto-Gram newsletter.* unsubscribe from this list <https://schneier.us18.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=f99e2b5ca82502f48675978…> update subscription preferences <https://schneier.us18.list-manage.com/profile?u=f99e2b5ca82502f48675978be&i…> Bruce Schneier · Harvard Kennedy School · 1 Brattle Square · Cambridge, MA 02138 · USA

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Kenya:- Kenya Finance Bill 2019:- Taxation of digital economy
by Ephraim Percy Kenyanito 08 Aug '19

08 Aug '19

*Kenya:-* Kenya Finance Bill 2019:- Taxation of digital economy In order to tap into the fast growing digital economy, the Bill proposes to tax income accruing through a digital marketplace by introducing a new charging section. Although this is a welcome move to increase the tax base, it is still not clear how international digital platforms with no physical presence in Kenya will be taxed. In this regard, it is expected that special rules may soon be formulated detailing the operational mechanics of how taxation of the digital economy will be undertaken. (It can be found here:- http://www.parliament.go.ke/sites/default/files/2019-07/Finance%20Bill%2C%2…) Below are the relevant portions of the proposed laws: * Section 3: Section 3 of the Income Tax Act is proposed to be amended by inserting the words highlighted: o (1). Subject to, and in accordance with this act, a tax to be known as income tax shall be charged each year of income upon all the income of a person, whetherresident or non-resident, which accrued in or was derived from Kenya o (2). Subject to this Act, income upon which tax is chargeable under this Act is income in respect of + A. Gains or profits from: # Any business, for whatever period of time carried on; # Any employment or services rendered; # Any right granted to any other person for use or occupation of property; + B. Dividends or interest + C. a pension, charge or annuity; ii. Any withdrawals from, or payments out of, a registered pension fund or a registered provident fund or a registered individual retirement fund; and (iii) any withdrawals from a registered home ownership savings plan + D.income chargeable to tax includes income accruing through a digital marketplace + e. ‘Digital marketplace’ means a platform that enables the direct interaction between buyers and sellers of goods and services through electronic means + E. AN amount deemed to be the income of any person under this Act or by rules made under this Act; + F. Gains accruing in the circumstances prescribed in, and computed in accordance with, the Eight Schedule + G. Subject to section 15(5A), the net gain derived on the disposal of an interest in a person, if the interest derives twenty per cent or more of its value, directly or indirectly, from immovable property in Kenya; and + H. A natural resource income * Section 5 of the Value Added Tax Act, 2013 is proposed to be amended by inserting the words highlighted o 1. A tax, to be known as the value added tax, shall be charged in accordance with the provisions of this Act on - + (a). A taxable supply made by a registered person in Kenya + b. The importation of taxable goods; and + c. The supply of taxable services o 2. The rate of tax shall be: + A. in the case of zero-rated supply, 0% or + In the case of goods listed in section B of the first schedule 8% + In any other case, 16% of the taxable value of the taxable supply, the value of imported taxable goods or the value of a supply of imported taxable services. o ...7. The provisions of subsection (1) shall be applicable to supplies made through a digital marketplace o 8. For the purposes of this section, a ‘digital marketplace’ means a platform that enables the direct interaction between buyers and sellers of goods and services through electronic means -- Best Regards, Ephraim Percy Kenyanito Digital Program Officer *ARTICLE 19 EASTERN AFRICA * *DEFENDING FREEDOM **OF EXPRESSION AND INFORMATION* W _https://www.article19.org/regional-office/eastern-africa/ _Tw @article19eafric Fa _facebook.com/article19org <http://facebook.com/article19org> _PGP Fingerprint: B0FA394AF73DEB7AA1FDC7360CFED26DE6BA8DC1

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Fwd: [NRIs List] youth IGF Africa meeting 2019
by Barrack Otieno 07 Aug '19

07 Aug '19

Might be of interest to those who attended Kenya IGF. Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Mahamat Silim <silimof(a)gmail.com> Date: Wed, 7 Aug 2019, 3:23 pm Subject: [NRIs List] youth IGF Africa meeting 2019 To: <igfregionals(a)intgovforum.org> Dear all, It is great news that the coming African Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF-VIII) meeting will be held from 10-12 September 2019 in N’Djamena, Chad. The youth IGF Africa coordination has the great pleasure to invite all of you for the preparation of its coming event that will be held on 9th of September 2019 in N’Djamena. Therefore, the youth IGF Chad has been appointed as a focal point of this event. For the success of the initiative, please join the WhatsApp <https://chat.whatsapp.com/JrojZ0uHKzf105nekIp0hS> and google group <https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/youthigf-africa>. Best Regards, The Coordination -- - *President of United Nations Association of Chad (UNA-Chad) * - *2017-2018 Chadian Youth Delegate to the UN* - *Youth IGF Africa Coordinator* - *Co-Founder and Secretary-General of Chadian Medical Organization (OMT) * - *Member of ISOC- Chad* _______________________________________________ Igfregionals mailing list Igfregionals(a)intgovforum.org To unsubscribe or manage your options please go to http://intgovforum.org/mailman/listinfo/igfregionals_intgovforum.org

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Digital-Nation Africa new and emerging technologies learning platform
by John Matogo 06 Aug '19

06 Aug '19

Dear colleagues , Have a look at this updated learning platform of Digital-Nation Africa. Available at: www.digitalnationafrica.com This release has new features: 1) Newly revamped Job Advisor tool available directly from the menu bar throughout the site with new advanced search capability and much improved UI/UX. 2) New Courses page available from the menu bar that includes list of all Digital-Nation Africa courses broken down by learning paths and journeys with easy navigation and search capability. 3) New look and feel UI/UX 4) updated chatbot virtual assistant along with the live support agent capability 5) a much improved and new "My Dashboard" with 3 tabs Skills, Tools and Jobs for users to see all their courses progress and badges earned, along with a Tools tab with access to a free Cloud account, Demos and Product trials. Also added is a Job bookmarking feature where a user can bookmark their favorite jobs from Job Advisor tool and view their bookmarked jobs on their Dashboard Jobs tab. 6) many new inspiration ideas in the Innovator Get Inspired page over 74 ideas 7) a brand new underlying architecture and design based on the latest microservices technology, multi-tenancy support, dynamic updates, easier content development platform, DevOps, performance improvements and much more. Check it out at www.digitalnationafrica.com It is available free of charge. BR. JM

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Huduma Bill 2019
by Grace Githaiga 06 Aug '19

06 Aug '19

ListerS Has anyone come across any document that outlines what a good digital id law should look like? Here is Kenya's Huduma Bill 2019. http://www.hudumanamba.go.ke/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/12-07-2019-The-Hudu… There will an open public forum for public participation tomorrow (Wednesday) organized by the Ministry of Interior starting 9.00 am to 1.00 pm at the Kenya School of Government, Lower Kabete Campus, off Lower Kabete Road. Best regards Grace Githaiga -- Grace Githaiga Co-Convenor, Kenya ICT Action Network

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KIGF Livestream
by Liz Orembo 01 Aug '19

01 Aug '19

Good morning Listers, You can follow the KIGF remotely from this link. https://livestream.com/internetsociety/kenyaigf2019 Enjoy!

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IGF Week Day 1 Discussion - Data Governance
by Rosemary Koech-Kimwatu 31 Jul '19

31 Jul '19

Good morning listers, As we gear for this year's Kenya Internet Governance Forum the Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) would like to welcome you to a series of discussions derived from this year's theme, One Kenya. One Net. One Vision. This years' first sub theme is Data Governance. Over the years players in the internet governance space have gained an appreciation of the need to be more vigilant in regards to the use of data are aware of their rights as both data providers and consumers. We would appreciate your thoughts on the following:- 1. What is your view on the fundamental challenge of ensuring the benefits of the data revolution to contribute to inclusive economic development while protecting the rights of people? 2. The global nature of the Internet and the transfer of digital information across borders brings an international dimension to discussions around data. The generation, collection, storage, transfer and processing of data (including personally identifiable data) have enabled new social, cultural, and economic opportunities than ever previously imagined. At the same time, the massive collection, transfer and processing of data (in particular through the application of algorithms/AI/machine learning) by public as well as private entities pose challenges around privacy, freedom of expression and the exercise of other human rights. Today in Kenya there are two pieces of legislation on Data Protection in both houses of parliament. What are your thoughts on our interactions with data in light of the above mentioned dynamics? 3. Data and human rights are today intertwined, would you consider as the best approaches to ensure the development of human-centric data governance frameworks at national, regional and international levels. How can we support and operationalize the exercise of human rights and the empowerment of individuals in their digital identity in current uses and the development of data-drivent technologies? 4. Kindly give consideration on how conditions needed to facilitate data-driven innovation can be created, to ensure competition, and to foster trust in the development of services and new technologies, including through the use of inclusive data and the fulfillment of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We look forward to hearing from you. Rosemary Koech-Kimwatu Advocate Legal and Regulatory Specialist- Oxygene MCL Tel: +254 718 181644

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Identity-as-a-Service
by Ali Hussein 31 Jul '19

31 Jul '19

Listers As we come close to the end of the KIGF Week this is an interesting whitepaper on Identity-as-a-Service. Coming after the conversation on IPRS it's a must-read. What’s next for cybersecurity? CB Insights examined 15 of the biggest cybersecurity trends, covering everything from zero-knowledge proofs to Identity-as-a-Service. Using the NExTT framework, we looked at the industry adoption and market strength of these trends, categorizing them as necessary, experimental, threatening, or transitory (NExTT). The framework educates businesses about emerging trends and guides their decisions in accordance with their comfort with risk. Identity-as-a-Service <https://www.cbinsights.com/research/report/cybersecurity-trends-2019/?utm_s…> 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> 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.

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IGF Week Day 2 Discussion - Digital Inclusion
by Victor Kapiyo 31 Jul '19

31 Jul '19

Good morning listers, As we approach this year's Kenya Internet Governance Forum on 1 August 2019, we would like to continue today's discussion in line with the theme One Kenya. One Net. One Vision. Today's sub-theme is Digital Inclusion. Digital Inclusion is about both identifying those with less or no access to the Internet (e.g. underserved communities, marginalized groups, the minorities, people with disabilities or people lacking digital literacy) and it is about activities related to the achievement of an inclusive information society. We would appreciate your thoughts on the following: - How can we tackle access and affordability issues, and what improvements need to be made? - How can we better utilize primary and secondary schools and tertiary institutions to promote and to deliver on digital literacy programmes? - How do we ensure that Internet governance processes are truly inclusive? - What needs to be done to enhance the capacity of different actors? - How do we ensure that these skills and employment opportunities are equitable to all on an equal footing? We look forward to hearing from you. Regards *Victor Kapiyo* Partner | *Lawmark Partners LLP* *Suite No. 8, Centro House, Westlands, Nairobi | **Web: www.lawmark.co.ke <http://www.lawmark.co.ke> * ==================================================== *“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude” Zig Ziglar*

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Libra & Africa Masterclass & Report Release.
by mauxdatabase 30 Jul '19

30 Jul '19

Hello Listers, BitHub Africa, will be hosting a Masterclass on, *Libra & Africa;* this coming Friday, 2nd August, at the Four Points, Hurlingham, Nairobi. We will also be releasing a Report on the same. Details are here <https://mailchi.mp/bithub/masterclass>. Kind regards, John Karanja

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Fwd: [NRIs List] Gender and Access BPF webinar on gender and the digital economy
by Barrack Otieno 29 Jul '19

29 Jul '19

Listers, Might be of interest. Best Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Anriette Esterhuysen <anriette(a)gmail.com> Date: Mon, Jul 29, 2019 at 12:15 PM Subject: [NRIs List] Gender and Access BPF webinar on gender and the digital economy To: Nadira Alaraj <nadira.araj(a)gmail.com>, igfregionals < igfregionals(a)intgovforum.org> Dear all You are invited to join this call below. Details follow. Anriette -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: ?spam Re: [Bp_gender] 4th BPF Call (theme) - July 29 at 13 UTC Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2019 10:20:59 +0200 From: Anriette Esterhuysen <anriette(a)gmail.com> <anriette(a)gmail.com> Reply-To: anriette(a)gmail.com To: Agustina Callegari <Callegari(a)isoc.org> <Callegari(a)isoc.org>, bp gender <bp_gender(a)intgovforum.org> <bp_gender(a)intgovforum.org> Dear all The call details (Zoom room) for today's thematic call - where Centre for Internet and Society and Equals will present work they are doing on gender and the digital economy is below. Looking forward to you all joining the call at 13h00 UTC. Please invite others in your networks. Best Anriette Esterhuysen Gender and Access BPF support ========================================== Best Practice Forums is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Best Practice Forums - Gender and Access - Webinar on women and the digital economy Time: Jul 29, 2019 13h00 UTC Join Zoom Meeting https://intgovforum.zoom.us/j/260693928 One tap mobile +16699006833,,260693928# US (San Jose) +19292056099,,260693928# US (New York) Dial by your location +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +44 131 460 1196 United Kingdom +44 203 051 2874 United Kingdom +44 203 481 5237 United Kingdom +44 203 966 3809 United Kingdom +90 216 900 1866 Turkey +90 216 900 2606 Turkey +41 22 518 89 78 Switzerland +41 31 528 09 88 Switzerland +41 43 210 70 42 Switzerland +46 8 4468 2488 Sweden +46 850 539 728 Sweden +34 84 368 5025 Spain +34 917 873 431 Spain +82 2 6022 2322 South Korea +82 2 6105 4111 South Korea +27 87 550 7717 South Africa +27 87 551 7702 South Africa +386 1600 3102 Slovenia +386 1888 8788 Slovenia +421 233 056 888 Slovakia +421 233 418 515 Slovakia +65 3158 7288 Singapore +65 3165 1065 Singapore +7 495 283 9788 Russia +7 812 426 8988 Russia +40 31 630 1088 Romania +40 37 170 0418 Romania +1 787 945 1488 Puerto Rico +1 787 966 7727 Puerto Rico +351 308 804 188 Portugal +351 308 810 988 Portugal +48 22 307 3488 Poland +48 22 398 7356 Poland +51 1 707 5788 Peru +51 1 730 6777 Peru +507 833 9588 Panama +47 2396 0588 Norway +47 7349 4877 Norway +64 4 886 0026 New Zealand +64 9 801 1188 New Zealand +31 20 241 0288 Netherlands +31 20 794 0854 Netherlands +52 229 910 0061 Mexico +52 554 161 4288 Mexico +356 2776 1777 Malta +356 2778 1288 Malta +60 3 3099 2229 Malaysia +60 3 9212 1727 Malaysia +352 2786 1188 Luxembourg +352 2786 4277 Luxembourg +370 3799 9260 Lithuania +370 5214 1488 Lithuania +371 6303 1808 Latvia +371 6303 1888 Latvia +81 3 4578 1488 Japan +81 524 564 439 Japan +39 020 066 7245 Italy +39 069 480 6488 Italy +972 3 978 6688 Israel +972 55 330 1762 Israel +353 1 513 3247 Ireland +353 1 653 3895 Ireland +353 6 163 9031 Ireland +36 1 408 8456 Hungary +36 1 701 0488 Hungary +852 5808 6088 Hong Kong, China +30 211 198 4488 Greece +30 231 118 0599 Greece +49 30 3080 6188 Germany +49 30 5679 5800 Germany +49 69 7104 9922 Germany +995 3224 73988 Georgia +995 7067 77954 Georgia +33 1 7037 9729 France +33 7 5678 4048 France +358 3 4109 2129 Finland +358 9 4245 1488 Finland +372 660 1699 Estonia +372 880 1188 Estonia +503 2113 9088 El Salvador +503 2136 6444 El Salvador +1 829 947 9220 Dominican Republic +1 829 956 2188 Dominican Republic +45 32 71 31 57 Denmark +45 89 88 37 88 Denmark +420 2 2888 2388 Czech Republic +420 5 3889 0161 Czech Republic +357 2 200 0888 Cyprus +357 2 505 4777 Cyprus +385 1300 0988 Croatia +385 1777 6333 Croatia +57 1 508 7702 Colombia +57 2 620 7388 Colombia +56 23 210 9066 Chile +56 41 256 0288 Chile +1 647 558 0588 Canada +359 2 492 5688 Bulgaria +359 3 257 1633 Bulgaria +55 11 4680 6788 Brazil +55 21 3958 7888 Brazil +32 2 290 9360 Belgium +32 2 588 4188 Belgium +973 1619 7601 Bahrain +973 1619 8488 Bahrain +43 670 309 0165 Austria +43 72 011 5988 Austria +61 2 8015 6011 Australia +61 8 7150 1149 Australia +54 112 040 0447 Argentina +54 341 512 2188 Argentina +54 343 414 5986 Argentina Meeting ID: 260 693 928 Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/aTXcOFYNY _______________________________________________ Bp_gender mailing list Bp_gender(a)intgovforum.org To unsubscribe or manage your options please go to http://intgovforum.org/mailman/listinfo/bp_gender_intgovforum.org _______________________________________________ Igfregionals mailing list Igfregionals(a)intgovforum.org To unsubscribe or manage your options please go to http://intgovforum.org/mailman/listinfo/igfregionals_intgovforum.org -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Fibre optic cable networks to now be registered with CA in new regulations
by Wamathai (HapaKenya) 26 Jul '19

26 Jul '19

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has introduced new regulations that will see fibre optic networks registered with them. The authority announced these new regulations via an advertisement in the paper. https://hapakenya.com/2019/07/25/fibre-optic-cable-networks-to-now-be-regis… ----- James Wamathai | CEO, hapakenya.com m: 0777-555101 e: w(a)hapakenya.com | Twitter: @Wamathai <http://twitter.com/wamathai> Follow Hapa Kenya: *Twitter*: @HapaKenya <http://twitter.com/hapaKenya>, *FB*: fb.com/HapaKenya

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TechWeek Nairobi 2019: Call for Papers
by Odhiambo Washington 25 Jul '19

25 Jul '19

Greetings, TechWeek aims at providing a platform for experienced engineers in the respective fields of Networking, Data storage, Security and or Internet Services (DNS, Email, Web, etc) to share their knowledge, challenges and ideas with their peers and also with upcoming engineers who may wish to pursue similar career paths. TechWeek 2019 scheduled for the 3rd and 4th of October 2019 at the Panafric Hotel. *Instructions on how to submit are available via this URL: https://techweek.co.ke/papers/ <https://techweek.co.ke/papers/>* Presentations are sought on the following topics: - Networking: - IPv6 Routing, transition, deployment and management, Software Defined Networking / Network Function Virtualisation, Integration - Internet backbone operations and deployments: Access and Transport Technologies, including Cable/DSL, LTE/4 or 5G, wireless, metro ethernet, fibre, segment routing - Community Networks - design, deployment, management - Internet Services: - Email: AntiSpam, Bulk Email Provisioning, Bulk Email Management - DNS: DNSSEC/ DoT/ DoH deployments - Automation and deployment technologies (Ansible, Vagrant, etc) - Web: Bulk provisioning and Management - Storage Technologies: - Deployments of Storage Platforms and File Systems (eg AWS, ZFS, Ceph, etc) - Content & Internet Service Delivery solutions (Multicast, Voice, Video, "telepresence", Gaming), OpenStack and Cloud Computing - Internet Security: - Internet and Network Security deployments - Mobile device/mobile commerce security solutions - Technical implementations to improve Internet Safety - Emerging Tech: - Presentations on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics - Research on Internet Operations, Services and Internet Measurements - IoT deployments and use cases (smart meters, smart homes. sensors, etc) *The Timelines for the Conference are as follows:* - Call for Papers Opens: 23rd July 2019 - Final Deadline for Submissions 23rd August, 2019 - Draft Program Published 15th September, 2019 - Final Program Published 23rd September, 2019 - Final Slides Received 25th September, 2019 Any questions or concerns should be addressed to the Programme Committee by e-mail at: pc(a)techweek.co.ke We look forward to receiving the proposed presentations.. TechWeek Secretariat -- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254 7 3200 0004/+254 7 2274 3223 "Oh, the cruft.", grep ^[^#] :-)

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KIGF 2019: Registration Open and KIGF Week Schedule
by Liz Orembo 24 Jul '19

24 Jul '19

Dear listers, Registration for the Kenya Internet Governance Forum 2019 is now open. Kindly register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kenya-igf-2019-tickets-66318106241 As earlier announced, the KIGF will be held on *1st August at the Sarova Panafric Hotel *from 8:am to 5:00 pm. Please register as soon as you can as we have limited seats available. This year's theme will be *“**One Kenya. One Net. One Vision.**” *More information can be found on the KIGF website here: https://kigf.or.ke/front-page-features/kenya-igf/kenya-igf-programme-2019/ We will provide live streaming details in due course. Also, find the events schedule for the KIGF week attached. Ahsanteni. -- Best regards. Liz. PGP ID: 0x1F3488BF

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This Friday : A Public Discussion on the Huduma Bill and International Best Practices on Digital Identity
by Linda Bonyo 24 Jul '19

24 Jul '19

Dear Listers, Mozilla and Lawyers Hub Kenya hereby extends a formal invite to a discussion on the Huduma Bill and international best regulatory practices on Digital Identity Mozilla is the not-for-profit behind the lightning fast Firefox browser. We put people over profit to give everyone more power online. The Lawyers Hub convenes a community of lawyers, techies, and professionals working in legal technology and innovation that ultimately impacts tech policy. Together, Mozilla and the Lawyers Hub invites you to a sober, candid and impartial discussion on the recently published Huduma Bill 2019 by the Kenyan Government. The event is open to Lawyers, Techies, policy makers and all responsible citizenry. Please download the bill and have a prior reading to ensure stimulating and enriched discussions. Queries can be directed to info(a)lawyershub.ke and 0207840228. Registration is strictly via the Eventbrite link below: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/huduma-bill-a-public-discussion-on-digital-ide… Find attached the event poster _______________________________________________________ *Linda Bonyo* (Ms.) | CEO, * | Lawyers Hub* Immigration & Tech Law Practitioners. Notary Public| Commissioner of Oaths| Advocate High Court of Kenya Email: *bonyo(a)immigrationlawyer.co.ke <bonyo(a)immigrationlawyer.co.ke>* | bonyo(a)lawyershub.ke *Skype:* immigrationlawyer.ke Tel: +254(0)202211313 +254733221313 +254725372113 www.immigrationlawyer.co.ke | www.lawyershub.org | 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 Bonyo Mwongela & Company Advocates.* -- _______________________________________________________ *Linda Bonyo* (Ms.) | Partner, *Bonyo Mwongela & Company Advocates | Lawyers Hub* Immigration & Tech Law Practitioners. Notary Public| Commissioner of Oaths| Advocate High Court of Kenya Email: *bonyo(a)immigrationlawyer.co.ke <bonyo(a)immigrationlawyer.co.ke>* | bonyo(a)lawyershub.ke *Skype:* immigrationlawyer.ke Tel: +254(0)202211313 +254733221313 +254725372113 www.immigrationlawyer.co.ke | www.lawyershub.org | 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 Bonyo Mwongela & Company Advocates.*

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The Algorithmic Colonization of Africa
by Alice Munyua 22 Jul '19

22 Jul '19

> The Algorithmic Colonization of Africa > > Startups are importing and imposing AI systems founded on individualistic and capitalist drives > > Abeba Birhane July 18, 2019 > > > Image: From SIM Card Project by Isaac Kariuki. Courtesy the artist. > > The second annual CyFyAfrica 2019 — the Conference on Technology, Innovation, and Society — took place in Tangier, Morocco, in June. It was a vibrant, diverse and dynamic gathering attended by various policymakers, UN delegates, ministers, governments, diplomats, media, tech company representatives, and academics from over 65 nations, mostly African and Asian countries. The conference’s central aim, stated unapologetically, was to bring forth the continent’s voices in the global discourse. The president of Observer Research Foundation (one of the co-hosts of the conference) in their opening message emphasized that the voices of Africa’s youth need to be put front and center as the continent increasingly comes to rely on technology to address its social, educational, health, economic, and financial issues. The conference was intended in part to provide a platform for those young people, and they were afforded that opportunity, along with many Western scholars from various universities and tech developers from industrial and commercial sectors. > > Tech advocates typically offer rationales for attempting to digitize every aspect of life, at any cost > > The African equivalent of Silicon Valley’s tech startups can be found in any corner of the continent — “Sheba Valley” in Addis Ababa, “Yabacon Valley” in Lagos, and “Silicon Savannah” in Nairobi, to name a few — and are pursuing “cutting-edge innovations” in such sectors as banking, finance, heath care, and education. The continent does stand to benefit from these various technological and artificial-intelligence developments: Ethiopian farmers, for example, can use crowdsourced data to forecast and yield better crops. And data can help improve services within education and the health care sector, as this World Heath Organization bulletin details. Data can help bridge the huge inequalities that plague every social, political, and economical sphere. By revealing pervasive gender disparities in key positions, for instance, data can help bring the disparities to the fore and, further, support social and structural reforms. > > Having said that, however, this is not what I want to discuss here. There are already countless die-hard technology worshipers both within and outside the continent who are only too happy to blindly adopt anything “AI,” “smart,” or “data-driven” without a second thought of the possible unintended consequences. Wherever the topic of technological innovation arises, what we typically find is tech advocates offering rationales for attempting to digitize every aspect of life, often at any cost. If the views put forward by many of the participants at CyFyAfrica 2019 are anything to go by, we already have plenty of such tech evangelists in (and outside) Africa, blindly accepting ethically suspect and dangerous practices and applications under the banner of “innovative,” “disruptive,” and “game changing” with little, if any, criticism or skepticism. Look no further than the speaker lineups and the topics of discussion of some of the biggest AI or machine learning conferences taking place throughout the continent: Ethical considerations, data privacy, or AI’s unintended consequences hardly ever feature in these events. The upcoming Deep Learning Indaba conference in Nairobi is a typical example. > > Given that we have enough tech worshipers holding the technological future of the continent in their hands, it is important to point out the cautions that need to be taken and the lessons that need to be learned from other parts of the world. Africa need not go through its own disastrous cautionary tales to discover the dark side of digitization and technologization of every aspect of life. > > Data and AI seem to provide quick solutions to complex social problems. And this is exactly where problems arise. Around the world, AI technologies are gradually being integrated into decision-making processes in such areas as insurance, mobile banking, health care and education services. And from all around the African continent, various startups are emerging — e.g. Printivo in Nigeria, Mydawa in Kenya — with the aim of developing the next “cutting edge” app, tool, or system. They collect as much data as possible to analyze, infer and deduce the various behaviors and habits of “users.” > > But in the race to build the latest hiring app or state-of-the-art mobile banking system, startups and companies lose sight of the people behind each data point. “Data” is treated as something that is up for grabs, something that uncontestedly belongs to tech companies and governments, completely erasing individuals. This makes it easy to “manipulate behavior” or “nudge” people, often toward profitable outcomes for the companies and not the individuals. As “nudging” mechanisms become the norm for “correcting” individual’s behavior, whether its eating habits or exercising routines, the private-sector engineers developing automated systems are bestowed with the power to decide what “correct” is. In the process, individuals that do not fit stereotypical images of what, for example, a “fit body” or “good eating habits” are end up being punished and pushed further to the margin. The rights of the individual, the long-term social impacts of these systems, and their consequences, intended or unintended, on the most vulnerable are pushed aside — if they ever enter the discussion at all. > > AI, like big data, is a buzzword that gets thrown around carelessly; what it refers to is notoriously contested across various disciplines, and the term is impossible to define conclusively. It can refer to anything from highly overhyped deceitful robots to Facebook’s machine-learning algorithms that dictate what you see on your News Feed to your “smart” fridge. Both researchers in the field and reporters in the media contribute to overhyping and exaggerating AI’s capacities, often attributing it with god-like power. But as leading AI scholars such as Melanie Mitchell have emphasized, we are far from “superintelligence.” Similarly, Jeff Bigham notes that in many widely discussed “autonomous” systems — be it robots or speech-recognition algorithms — much of the work is done by humans, often for little pay. > > Exaggeration of the capabilities of AI systems diverts attention from the real dangers they pose, which are much more invisible, nuanced, and gradual than anything like “killer robots.” AI tools are often presented as objective and value-free. In fact, some automated systems used for hiring and policing are put forward with the explicit claim that these tools eliminate human bias. Automated systems, after all, apply the same rules to everybody. But this is one of the single-most erroneous and harmful misconceptions about automated systems. As the Harvard mathematician Cathy O’Neil explains in Weapons of Math Destruction, “algorithms are opinions embedded in code.” Under the guise of “AI” and “data-driven,” systems are presented as politically neutral, but because of the inherently political nature of the way data is construed, collected, and used to produce certain outcomes (that align with those controlling and analyzing data), these systems alter the social fabric, reinforce societal stereotypes, and further disadvantage those already at the bottom of the social hierarchy. > > “Data” is treated as something that is up for grabs > > AI is a tool that we create, control, and are responsible for, and like any other tool, it embeds and reflects our inconsistencies, limitations, biases, and political and emotional desires. How we see the world and how we choose to represent it is reflected in the algorithmic models of the world that we build. Therefore who builds the systems and selects the sorts and sources of data used will deeply affect the influence they may have. The results that AI systems produce reflect socially and culturally held stereotypes, not objective truths. > > The use of technology within the social sphere often, intentionally or accidentally, focuses on punitive practices, whether it is to predict who will commit the next crime or who would fail to pay their mortgage. Constructive and rehabilitative questions such as why people commit crimes in the first place or what can be done to rehabilitate and support those that have come out of prison are almost never asked. Technological developments built and applied with the aim of bringing “security” and “order” often aim to punish and not rehabilitate. Furthermore, such technologies necessarily bring cruel, discriminatory, and inhumane practices to some. The cruel treatment of the Uighurs in China and the unfair disadvantaging of the poor are examples in this regard. Similarly, as cities like Johannesburg and Kampala introduce the use of facial recognition technology, the unfair discrimination and over-policing of minority groups is inevitable. > > Whether explicitly acknowledged or not, the central aim of commercial companies developing AI is not to rectify bias generally but to infer the weaknesses and deficiencies of individual “users,” as if people existed only as objects to be manipulated. These firms take it for granted that such “data” automatically belongs to them if they are able to grab it. The discourse around “data mining” and a “data-rich continent” — common language within Africa’s tech scene — shows the extent to which the individual behind each data point remains inconsequential from their perspective. > > This discourse of “mining” people for data is reminiscent of the colonizer attitude that declares humans as raw material free for the taking. As we hand decision-making regarding social issues over to automated systems developed by profit-driven corporations, not only are we allowing our social concerns to be dictated by corporate incentives (profit), but we are also handing over complex moral questions to the corporate world. > > Behavior-based “personalization” — in other words, the extraction, simplification, and instrumentalization of human experience for capitalist ends, which Shoshana Zuboff details in The Age of Surveillance Capitalism — may seem banal compared with the science fiction threats sometimes associated with AI. However, it is the basis by which people are stripped of their autonomy and are treated as mere raw data for processing. The inferences that algorithmic models of behavior make do not reflect a neutral state of the world or offer any in-depth causal explanations but instead reinscribe strongly held social and historical injustices. > > Technology in general is never either neutral or objective; it is a mirror that reflects societal bias, unfairness, and injustice. For example, during the conference, a UN delegate addressed work that is being developed to combat online counterterrorism but disappointingly focused explicitly on Islamic groups, portraying an unrealistic and harmful image of online terrorism: over the past nine years, there have been 350 white extremist terrorism attacks in Europe, Australia, and North America; one third of all such attacks in this time period in the U.S. are due to white extremism. This illustrates the worrying point that stereotypically held views drive what is perceived as a problem and the types of technology we develop in response. We then hold what we find through the looking glass of technology as evidence of our biased intuitions and further reinforce stereotypes. > > Some key global players in technology — for example, Microsoft and Google’s DeepMind from the industry sector; and Harvard and MIT from the academic sphere — have begun to develop ethics boards and ethics curricula in acknowledgment of the possible catastrophic consequences of AI on society. Various approaches and directions have been advanced by various stakeholders to pursue fair and ethical AI, and this multiplicity of perspectives is not a weakness but a strength: It is necessary for yielding a range of remedies to address the various ethical, social, and economical issues AI generates in different contexts and cultures. But too often, attempts to draft the latest “ethics framework” or the “best guideline to ethical AI” center the status quo as the standard and imply that the solution put forward is the only necessary one. Insisting on a single one-size-fits-all ethical framework for AI, as one of the conference’s academic speakers advised, is not only unattainable but would also worsen the problems it is meant to address in those contexts it wasn’t equipped to anticipate. > > “Mining” people for data is reminiscent of the colonizer attitude that declares humans as raw material > > Society’s most vulnerable are disproportionally affected by the digitization of various services. Yet many of the ethical principles applied to AI are firmly utilitarian. What they care about is “the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people,” which by definition means that solutions that center minorities are never sought. Even when unfairness and discrimination in algorithmic decision-making processes are brought to the fore — for instance, upon discovering that women have been systematically excluded from entering the tech industry, minorities forced into inhumane treatment, and systematic biases have been embedded in predictive policing systems, to mention a few — the “solutions” sought hardly center those on the margin that are disproportionally affected: Mitigating proposals devised by corporate and academic ethics boards are often developed without the consultation and involvement of the people that are affected. But their voice needs to be prioritized at every step of the way, including in the designing, developing, and implementing of any technology, as well as in policymaking. This requires actually consulting and involving vulnerable groups of society, which might (at least as far as the West’s Silicon Valley is concerned) seem beneath the “all-knowing” engineers who seek to unilaterally provide a “technical fix” for any complex social problem. > > As Africa grapples with catching up with the latest technological developments, it must also protect the continent’s most vulnerable people from the consequential harm that technology can cause. Protecting and respecting the rights, freedoms and privacy of the very youth that the leaders of the CyFyAfrica conference want to put at the front and center should be prioritized. This can only happen with guidelines and safeguards for individual rights and freedom in place in a manner that accounts for local values, contexts and ways of life, as well as through the inclusion of critical voices as an important part of the tech narrative. In fairness, CyFyAfrica did allow for some critical voices in some of the panels. However, the minor critical voices were buried under the overwhelming tech enthusiasts. > > Following the conference, speakers were given the opportunity to share their views and research for publication in a semi-academic journal run by the Observer Research Foundation. Like other speakers at the conference, I was encouraged to submit my observations and reflections. However, when I submitted a version of this essay, it was deemed too critical by the editorial board and therefore unsuitable for publication. Ironically, the platform that claims to give voice to the youth of Africa only does so when that voice aligns with the narratives and motives of the powerful tech companies, policy makers, and governments. > > The question of technologization and digitalization of the continent is a question of what kind of society we want to live in. African youth solving their own problems means deciding what we want to amplify and show the rest of the world. It also means not importing the latest state-of-the-art machine learning systems or any other AI tools without questioning what the underlying purpose is, who benefits, and who might be disadvantaged by the implementation of such tools. > > Moreover, African youth leading the AI space means creating programs and databases that serve various local communities and not blindly importing Western AI systems founded upon individualistic and capitalist drives. It also means scrutinizing the systems we ourselves develop and setting ethical standards that serve specific purposes instead of accepting Western perspectives as the standard. In a continent where much of the narrative is hindered by negative images such as migration, drought, and poverty, using AI to solve our problems ourselves means using AI in a way we want, to understand who we are and how we want to be understood and perceived: a continent where community values triumph and nobody is left behind. > > Abeba Birhane is a PhD candidate in Cognitive Science at University College Dublin. Her interdisciplinary research, which intersects between embodied cognition, digital technology studies, and critical data science, explores the dynamic and reciprocal relationships between individuals, society and digital technologies. She is a contributor to Aeon Magazine and blogs regularly about cognition, AI, ethics and data science. > > © 2019 > > Real Life is a magazine about living with technology. The emphasis is more on living. We publish one essay, advice column, reported feature, or uncategorizable piece of writing a day, four or five days a week. > > To find out more about us, click here. To find out more about our contributors, or to contribute yourself, click here. To ask us a question about anything else, email info(a)reallifemag.com > > Real Life is made possible by funding from Snapchat, and we operate with editorial independence and without ads. > > Terms of Use > Privacy Policy > > > > > https://reallifemag.com/the-algorithmic-colonization-of-africa/

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Save the Date: TechWeek 2019
by Odhiambo Washington 22 Jul '19

22 Jul '19

Hi all, TechWeek 2019 will take place in Nairobi on the 3rd and 4th of October 2019. TechWeek aims at providing a platform for experienced engineers in the respective fields of Networking, Data storage, Security and or Internet Services (DNS, Email, Web, etc) to share their knowledge, challenges and ideas with their peers and also with upcoming engineers who may wish to pursue similar career paths. TechWeek 2019 follows on the success of TechWeek 2018 whose report can be found here: https://techweek.co.ke/reports/ Information on the venue, registration and how to submit a presentation will be shared in the coming days. Sent on behalf of TechWeek Secretariat -- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254 7 3200 0004/+254 7 2274 3223 "Oh, the cruft.", grep ^[^#] :-)

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Re: [kictanet] Africa DNS Forum 2019 is live!
by Barrack Otieno 22 Jul '19

22 Jul '19

Dear Colleagues, The Africa Domain Name System Forum starts this morning in Gaborone Botswana, you can participate in the Forum remotely. The details are contained below. Welcome and e-see you. Best Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Livestream <notifications(a)e.livestream.com> Date: Mon, Jul 22, 2019 at 9:56 AM Subject: Africa DNS Forum 2019 is live! To: <otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com> [image: Vimeo . Livestream] <http://email.e.livestream.com/c/eJxVjcEOwiAQBb8GbpItpcAeOLRq_2MLVIlFDEW_33o…> Barrack Otieno, Internet Society <http://email.e.livestream.com/c/eJxVkMtugzAQRb_G7EDjt71gAU35jciYIbGCcWScqv3…> is broadcasting live video on Africa DNS Forum 2019 <http://email.e.livestream.com/c/eJxVkM1uhDAMhJ8m3EBxEhJ84ADd8hork5jdaPlZQbZ…>. Log in <http://email.e.livestream.com/c/eJxVkM1uhDAMhJ8m3EBxEhJ84ADd8hork5jdaPlZQbZ…> to join the conversation! [image: Africa DNS Forum 2019] LIVE <http://email.e.livestream.com/c/eJxVkM1uhDAMhJ8m3EBxEhJ84ADd8hork5jdaPlZQbZ…> Africa DNS Forum 2019 <http://email.e.livestream.com/c/eJxVkM1uhDAMhJ8m3EBxEhJ84ADd8hork5jdaPlZQbZ…> *Monday, July 22nd, 2019* at *10:00 AM EAT* on internetsociety <http://email.e.livestream.com/c/eJxVkMtugzAQRb_G7EDjt71gAU35jciYIbGCcWScqv3…> The 7th edition of the Africa Domain Name System Forum (AFDNS) will be held in Gaborone, Botswana from 22nd to 24th July 2019 with the theme 'Building Trust in the African DNS Industry for a Thriving Digital Economy'. The objective of the three-day event is to help the Africa Domain Name Industry grow at a competitive rate; and ensure that the continent is on par with the rest of the world. Discussions will cover the state of the domain name industry in Africa, opportunities and challenges ... Watch Event <http://email.e.livestream.com/c/eJxVkM1uhDAMhJ8m3EBxEhJ84ADd8hork5jdaPlZQbZ…> You are receiving this notification because you follow Internet Society <http://email.e.livestream.com/c/eJxVkMtugzAQRb_G7EDjt71gAU35jciYIbGCcWScqv3…>. To stop receiving notifications like these you can unfollow this account <http://email.e.livestream.com/c/eJxVkM1ugzAQhJ_G3EDrvzV74ECa5jUiY-zEKsYRmLa…> . <http://email.e.livestream.com/c/eJxVkMtugzAQRb_G7EDjt71gAU35jciYIbGCcWScqv3…> Internet Society <http://email.e.livestream.com/c/eJxVkMtugzAQRb_G7EDjt71gAU35jciYIbGCcWScqv3…> The Internet Society is an independent international nonprofit organisation founded in 1992 to provide leadership in Internet related standards, education, and policy around the world. View Profile <http://email.e.livestream.com/c/eJxVkMtugzAQRb_G7EDjt71gAU35jciYIbGCcWScqv3…> Visit your account settings <http://email.e.livestream.com/c/eJxVjssOwiAURL8GdhIKtwUWLFofv2GugEosxbRXE_9…> to control which notifications you receive from Livestream or unsubscribe here <http://email.e.livestream.com/c/eJxVjsuOwyAMRb8GdoOMwyNesEj6-I0KCDNFTZoKyHz…> . Livestream, LLC. 555 West 18th Street New York, NY 10011 This message was sent to otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Great new resource for internet engineers
by Brian Munyao Longwe 21 Jul '19

21 Jul '19

Vital resource for network engineers. Some old friends at NSRC.org have produced a great series of videos about BGP. See the "BGP For All series" at https://learn.nsrc.org/bgp.. Critical knowledge for scaling up networks.

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Service Delivery data OPEN to the public?
by S.M. Muraya 20 Jul '19

20 Jul '19

Dear Listers, For performance tracking purposes, which procurement (service delivery) data do national & county Go.Ke departments, authorities, agencies publish ONLINE (make available for public scrutiny)? Which progressive MP will sponsor a BILL (amend some law) to require the funding of transparency (access to information) EQUALS that of sitting allowances (per diems)? The link below has about 5 topics which should be SERIOUSLY discussed but one paragraph reveals how Chinese firms are encouraged to secure their localities (economies). https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-xinjiang-mit-tech-insight/risky-pa… Government procurement databases contain 31 other documents naming iFlytek Intelligent Information Technology or a previous name for the same company as a supplier of voiceprint-related products or services to 25 police departments in China and the Ministry of Public Security between 2014 and 2018. Most documents were from police departments in Anhui, the province in eastern China where iFlytek is based.

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Huduma Namba Bill
by Alice Munyua 19 Jul '19

19 Jul '19

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Legal or legislative needs for Precision Agriculture.
by meshack emakunat 18 Jul '19

18 Jul '19

Hello Listers, I would like to know if there is any legal (legislative) requirement for one to run the following in several farms in Kenya today. - A fleet of drones operating in several farms in rural Kenya. - A crop monitoring system broadcast infrastructure for early warning and food security guide. I am not sure and have done a small research on the same I have not found any requirement recently yet some years back one required some sort of license or permit to operate a drone within the airspace either from KAA or something, or CCK then. Someone, please help in clarifying the above issues. A list of the requirement will be helpful.

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Call for public comments and participation: Huduma
by Alice Munyua 18 Jul '19

18 Jul '19

6 6

5G in Africa Report
by Adam Lane 18 Jul '19

18 Jul '19

For those interested, GSMA published a report about 5G in Africa https://www.gsmaintelligence.com/research/2019/07/5g-in-sub-saharan-africa-… Adam

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Fwd: PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION BILL
by Rafe Mazer 17 Jul '19

17 Jul '19

Anyone have insights on how the Senate Bill will interact with the National Assembly version? Rafe Mazer Consumer Protection and Behavioral Research Consultant Nairobi, Kenya +254 723950645 @rkmazer

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12-07-2019-the-huduma-bill-2019-2.pdf
by Alice Munyua 16 Jul '19

16 Jul '19

There is a call for comments/participation meeting on 25 July

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Re: [kictanet] Press Statement on Appointment of CEO, KeNIC with effect from July 15, 2019
by Barrack Otieno 16 Jul '19

16 Jul '19

Listers, For your information http://kenic.or.ke/index.php/en/kenic-news/kenic-news Best Regards -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Online Business School for Africa
by Bitange Ndemo 14 Jul '19

14 Jul '19

*Triciabiz Launches Online Business School for Entrepreneurs in Africa* Business coach and trainer, TriciaBiz has launched an online business school, Business Lab Africa with the aim of helping entrepreneurs in Africa succeed in business. The school, which offers a new approach to learning, is subscription-based and is geared towards providing quality content at a price MSMEs can afford. According to its management, not only is BLA easily accessible via mobile or web, it also offers knowledge that is practical, qualitative and locally relevant. Courses on the BLA curriculum, are taught by business experts from around the world covering a wide range of business subject areas including Marketing, Sales, Global Expansion, Business Structure and Processes, Business Models and more. Speaking on the operations of the platform, Lead Trainer of the school, Tricia Ikponmwonba said that BLA’s faculty consists of trainers with deep business knowledge having consulted and trained for several Fortune 100 companies and taught a combined pool of over 1 million entrepreneurs through their online and in-class courses/workshops. She revealed that the school has trained over twenty thousand people in Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, United States, United Kingdom and the UAE. “At BLA, we are poised towards our simple goal; helping entrepreneurs succeed in business. To achieve this, we have adapted a blended learning model where we make use of several methods that simplifies the entire process. “One of our methods is instructor learning which is achieved via recorded videos addressing specific sub-topics under the subject area for the month, Live classes with experts to answer burning questions you might have and “worksheets/templates for guidance,” she said. The school also uses peer-to-peer learning in its online community where fellow learners can teach each other ideas that have worked for them and build on the belief that to teach is to learn twice and most importantly the use of case studies. Ikponmwonba said that BLA boasts of differentiating factors from other learning platforms which includes using content that is curated specifically for the African market, the use of recorded videos and live classes for access to the experts and for further learning through Q and A. “We also have a support system consisting of community coaches who are on ground to respond to any questions learners have which can be communicated in the comment section of each lesson,” s/he said. By 2022, BLA hopes to have empowered 100,000 entrepreneurs with the much-needed tools to succeed. Entrepreneurs who were present at the launch include: Funke Bucknor, CEO Zapphaire Events; Jimi Tewe, CEO The Jimi Tewe Company and Gbubemi Fregene, Head Chef at Chef Fregz. For more information contact *Celestine Achi* 34 Lawson Street, off Moloney, Lagos Island Mobile: 2348037197175 Email: celestine(a)cihangroup.net www.cihangroup.net www.kairosweb.tv

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Re: [kictanet] kictanet Digest, Vol 137, Issue 76
by Felicia Solomon 11 Jul '19

11 Jul '19

Meshack The Ministry had formulated regulations but they were rejected by Parliament. As such, we reverted back to the old process which involved approval from KCAA and I think a security agency I can't remember which one. Felicia On Thu, Jul 11, 2019 at 1:41 PM <kictanet-request(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: > Send kictanet mailing list submissions to > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > kictanet-request(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > You can reach the person managing the list at > kictanet-owner(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of kictanet digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Legal or legislative needs for Precision Agriculture. > (Barrack Otieno) > 2. Re: Legal or legislative needs for Precision Agriculture. > (waitherero njoroge) > 3. Re: Data Protection Bill Progress (Rafe Mazer) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Thu, 11 Jul 2019 13:19:39 +0300 > From: Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com> > To: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Legal or legislative needs for Precision > Agriculture. > Message-ID: > <CAKX6dsGbKHHNJ+84r4oGr3GDGgOVYC6vipXRZNsgKfmmR= > gHcQ(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > > Dear Meshack, > > The issue of drones is a gray area. Some of the Media Houses are > already using them. It would be interesting to know whether they seek > permission to fly the drones as they cover news and who issues the > permission. > > Best Regards > > On 7/11/19, meshack emakunat via kictanet <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > wrote: > > Hello Listers, > > I would like to know if there is any legal (legislative) requirement for > one > > to run the following in several farms in Kenya today. > > > > - A fleet of drones operating in several farms in rural Kenya. > > - A crop monitoring system broadcast infrastructure for early warning > and > > food security guide. > > > > I am not sure and have done a small research on the same I have not found > > any requirement recently yet some years back one required some sort of > > license or permit to operate a drone within the airspace either from KAA > or > > something, or CCK then. Someone, please help in clarifying the above > > issues.?A list of the requirement will be helpful. > > > > > > > -- > Barrack O. Otieno > +254721325277 > +254733206359 > Skype: barrack.otieno > PGP ID: 0x2611D86A > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Thu, 11 Jul 2019 13:29:51 +0300 > From: waitherero njoroge <waithe.njoroge(a)gmail.com> > To: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Legal or legislative needs for Precision > Agriculture. > Message-ID: > <CAD6UnB15aZ0XMPwmgfc6OySjXNdhzWWiGGzOH77X9ODGq= > qEmQ(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > Interesting question. Drones are being used even in weddings. Next they > will be used by thieves to survey their target areas. They should be > regulated and if they are, by whom? > > On Thu, 11 Jul 2019, 13:20 Barrack Otieno via kictanet, < > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: > > > Dear Meshack, > > > > The issue of drones is a gray area. Some of the Media Houses are > > already using them. It would be interesting to know whether they seek > > permission to fly the drones as they cover news and who issues the > > permission. > > > > Best Regards > > > > On 7/11/19, meshack emakunat via kictanet <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > > > wrote: > > > Hello Listers, > > > I would like to know if there is any legal (legislative) requirement > for > > one > > > to run the following in several farms in Kenya today. > > > > > > - A fleet of drones operating in several farms in rural Kenya. > > > - A crop monitoring system broadcast infrastructure for early > warning > > and > > > food security guide. > > > > > > I am not sure and have done a small research on the same I have not > found > > > any requirement recently yet some years back one required some sort of > > > license or permit to operate a drone within the airspace either from > KAA > > or > > > something, or CCK then. Someone, please help in clarifying the above > > > issues. A list of the requirement will be helpful. > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > 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 > > 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/waithe.njoroge%40gmai… > > > > 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. > > >

1 0

Facebook "Community Standards£.
by Mutemi wa Kiama 09 Jul '19

09 Jul '19

According to Facebook these posts go against "Community Standards"! Why, because they're critical of GoK and it's leadership, advocate for African wokeness, or the kids are in ethnic attire? Whose Community Standards and on what basis? Facebook has taken most of them down today. Could someone please make me understand! Or has Cambridge Analytica taken over Facebook? This is censorship in my book! Warm regards, Edwin Kiama Thoughts become things... choose the good ones! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Social Innovator, Social Justice Entrepreneur, Catalyst, Human Rights Defender, Social Accountability Champion, Rhize Coach #DevolutionIsRevolution Champion The Wanjiku Agenda Kenya Foundation (WAKenya) Ordinary, Fearless Kenyans. Sauti Ya Wanjiku Social Movement www.sautiyawanjiku.com https://www.facebook.com/wanjikurevolutionkenya https://twitter.com/WanjikuRevolt https://plus.google.com/u/1/+WanjikuMapinduzi/posts http://www.scribd.com/wmkenya "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." ~Margaret Mead

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.KE SGR + CNBC - Why The US Has No High-Speed Rail
by S.M. Muraya 08 Jul '19

08 Jul '19

Interesting documentary here.. Why The US Has No High-Speed Rail - https://youtu.be/Qaf6baEu0_w Even with digital transformations, the USA is still creating (service industry jobs) which require movement of people + cargo, not just movement of money (online banking services). MAYBE, the KE SGR will break even in 30 years (serving over 90 Mln Kenyans) if Kenyan SMEs are empowered to create more jobs all over Kenya. http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/opinion/2010/04/28/demographic-transition-… worldpopulationreview.com/countries/kenya-population/

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GSMA The role of privacy frameworks in building trust for digital identity services | Mobile for Development
by Alice Munyua 08 Jul '19

08 Jul '19

Very interesting research focusing on perceptions of and attitudes towards privacy, data sharing and trust in four African countries. Key finding: “Mobile users attitudes to trust, privacy and identity linked services are often independent from the presence or absence of a comprehensive data protection/privacy law” https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/blog/50297/

2 1

In Court, Facebook Blames Users for Destroying Right to Privacy
by Alice Munyua 08 Jul '19

08 Jul '19

Still trying to understand perceptions of privacy/data protection. Here is a really interesting coverage of recent Facebook courtroom debates. Face book says they have worked very hard to build privacy into all their products, but once you share information with your friends “you have lost control over the information and it’s subsequent disclosures” Here is the article: https://theintercept.com/2019/06/14/facebook-privacy-policy-court/ Thanks Patrick, Ali, Barrack, Grace, Esther, Poncelet and others for your comments on the Mozilla privacy by default initiative. Very best regards Alice

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Fwd: [AfrICANN-discuss] Remote participation for ICANN DAY @ AIS 2019, Kampala
by Barrack Otieno 08 Jul '19

08 Jul '19

Listers, Might be of interest. Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Yaovi Atohoun <yaovi.atohoun(a)icann.org> Date: Sun, Jun 16, 2019 at 9:23 AM Subject: [AfrICANN-discuss] Remote participation for ICANN DAY @ AIS 2019, Kampala To: AfrICANN Community List <africann(a)afrinic.net> Hello everyone / Bonjour à tous, FR : Vous pouvez participer à distance à ICANN DAY AIS 2019 ce 16 juin 2019 de 09 :00 à 17 :30 via ZOOM à *https://icann.zoom.us/j/330901182 <https://icann.zoom.us/j/330901182> . *L’audio est en Anglais mais vous pouvez taper vos questions en Français dans le « CHAT ROOM de ZOOM » . Vous pouvez aussi envoyer au besoin un mail à queries.nairobiec(a)icann.org . Notez que le fuseau horaire à Kampala est UTC+3 EN: You can join remotely via ZOOM at https://icann.zoom.us/j/330901182 on June 16, 2019 from 09:00 to 17:30. You can type questions or comments in the CHAT ROOM. Please send any other request to queries.nairobiec(a)icann.org . Please note time the time zone in Uganda is UTC+3 Thanks/Merci -- *Yaovi Atohoun* *Stakeholder Engagement and Operations Manager- Africa*; *ICANN* *Tel. +229 66015649/65209067* *www.icann.org <http://www.icann.org>* *Upcoming events:* *@AIS2019: ** Workshop on June 15 <https://features.icann.org/event/icann-speaking-events/icann-workshop-afric…>; ICANN DAY on June 16 <https://features.icann.org/event/icann-speaking-events/icann-day-ais-2019>* *ICANN65 , 24-27 June 2019 in Marrakech <https://meetings.icann.org/en/marrakech65>* _______________________________________________ AfrICANN mailing list AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/africann -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

3 3

Membership Number / Password.
by Muthoni Njogu 08 Jul '19

08 Jul '19

Dear Waudo, My name is Muthoni, Proprietor of Njogu & Associates Advocates. Am very interested in Legal Tech and hence my interest in KICTANet . From your email, I see that there is a Membership Password, I recently subscribed to the emails but not aware that there is a Membership Number or Password. Kindly advice on this. Kind regards I Muthoni Njogu | I +254721281569| I P.O.Box 40493-00100 I I Nairobi, Kenya I *"**"Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible; but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary" - Reinhold Neibhur*

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KICTANetiquette - The Rules of Engagement on this forum.
by Odhiambo Washington 08 Jul '19

08 Jul '19

As a reminder to fellow listers, The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi stakeholder network of members from civil society groups, academia, private and public sectors, development partners and media. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the governments mission to enable Kenyans to gain maximum benefit from the opportunity offered by ICTs The rules on engagement, aka KICTANetiquette, as defined at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet for those who haven't had a chance to read them, or those who might have forgotten, are simple: *1: Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life* *2: Respect people's times and bandwidth,* *3: Share knowledge* *4: Don't flame or abuse or personalize* *5: Respect privacy* *6: Do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.* Let's observe these 6 cardinal rules. We do not want to unsubscribe you from this interesting list, you know! :-) Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen. [From the List Admins] -- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254 7 3200 0004/+254 7 2274 3223 "Oh, the cruft.", grep ^[^#] :-)

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Fwd: [Internet Policy] A summary of the report of the UN High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation
by Barrack Otieno 08 Jul '19

08 Jul '19

Listers, Might be of interest. Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Richard Hill <rhill(a)hill-a.ch> Date: Tue, Jun 11, 2019 at 5:45 PM Subject: [Internet Policy] A summary of the report of the UN High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation To: Internetpolicy@Elists. Isoc. Org <internetpolicy(a)elists.isoc.org> Here is a very short summary of the cited report: http://nissaba.net/tldr/hlpdc-report/ Best, Richard _______________________________________________ To manage your Internet Society subscriptions or unsubscribe, log into the Member Portal at https://admin.internetsociety.org/622619/User/Login and go to the Interests tab within your profile. -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Fwd: [At-Large] Fwd: Pre-ICANN65 Policy Report
by Barrack Otieno 08 Jul '19

08 Jul '19

Listers, This is for your information and attention. Best Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Maureen Hilyard <maureen.hilyard(a)gmail.com> Date: Wed, Jun 12, 2019 at 5:59 PM Subject: [At-Large] Fwd: Pre-ICANN65 Policy Report To: At-Large Worldwide <at-large(a)atlarge-lists.icann.org> Report is found here: https://meetings.icann.org/en/marrakech65/pre-icann65-policy-report-11jun19… David A. Olive | Senior Vice President Policy Development Support *ICANN *| Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers 801 17th Street NW, Suite 400 | Washington, DC 20006 _______________________________________________ At-Large mailing list At-Large(a)atlarge-lists.icann.org https://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/at-large At-Large Official Site: http://atlarge.icann.org _______________________________________________ By submitting your personal data, you consent to the processing of your personal data for purposes of subscribing to this mailing list accordance with the ICANN Privacy Policy (https://www.icann.org/privacy/policy) and the website Terms of Service (https://www.icann.org/privacy/tos) You can visit the Mailman link above to change your membership status or configuration, including unsubscribing, setting digest-style delivery or disabling delivery altogether (e.g., for a vacation), and so on. -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

2 1

Fwd: [afren] Chief Technology Officer | One Acre Fund
by Barrack Otieno 08 Jul '19

08 Jul '19

Listers, Might be of interest. Regards ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Lucy Lynch <llynch(a)civil-tongue.net> Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2019 13:03:23 -0700 Subject: [afren] Chief Technology Officer | One Acre Fund To: afren(a)afnog.org All - Of possible interest here: https://oneacrefund.org/work-with-us/job-openings/g/?gh_jid=1631732 _______________________________________________ afren mailing list afren(a)afnog.org https://www.afnog.org/mailman/listinfo/afren -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

2 1

Fwd: [afnog] For two hours, a large chunk of European mobile traffic was rerouted through China
by Barrack Otieno 08 Jul '19

08 Jul '19

Listers, Might be of interest. Regards ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: *Amreesh Phokeer* <amreesh.phokeer(a)gmail.com> Date: Monday, June 10, 2019 Subject: [afnog] For two hours, a large chunk of European mobile traffic was rerouted through China To: African Network Operators <afnog(a)afnog.org> Some good MANRS required here: <https://www.zdnet.com/article/for-two-hours-a-large- chunk-of-european-mobile-traffic-was-rerouted-through-china/> -- Amreesh Phokeer -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

2 1

When it comes to privacy by default, settings matter!
by Alice Munyua 08 Jul '19

08 Jul '19

> https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2019/06/04/when-it-comes-to-privacy-default-s… > > What if I told you that on nearly every single website you visit, data about you was transmitted to dozens or even hundreds of companies, all so that the website could earn an additional $0.00008 per ad! This is a key finding from a new study on behaviorally targeted advertisements from Carnegie Mellon University and it should be a wake-up call to all of us. The status quo of pervasive data collection in service of ad targeting is untenable. That is why we’re announcing some key changes to Firefox. > > Today marks an important milestone in the history of Firefox and the web. As of today, for new users who download and install Firefox for the first time, Enhanced Tracking Protection will automatically be set on by default, protecting our users from the pervasive tracking and collection of personal data by ad networks and tech companies. > > It seems that each week a new tech company decides to decree that privacy is a human right. They tout how their products provide people with “choices” to change the settings if they wish to opt into a greater level of privacy protection to exemplify how they are putting privacy first. That begs the question — do people really want more complex settings to understand and fiddle with or do they simply want products that respect their privacy and align with their expectations to begin with? > > Privacy shouldn’t be relegated to optional settings > > When thinking about consumer privacy online, I’m reminded of the behavioral economics studies which led to 401K plans (US retirement savings plans) moving from voluntary enrollment to auto-enrollment. Not too long ago most defined contribution retirement savings plans in the US required employees to sign-up and volunteer to start participating. Participation rates were very low. Why was that? Was it because people didn’t care about saving for retirement? Not at all! There were simply too many barriers to aligning with people’s expectations and desires and the benefits of saving for retirement aren’t felt immediately. > > We are in a similar position with respect to software privacy settings. Pervasive tracking is too opaque and potential privacy harms are never felt immediately. The general argument from tech companies is that consumers can always decide to dive into their browser settings and modify the defaults. The reality is that most people will never do that. Yet, we know that people are broadly opposed to the status quo of pervasive cross-site tracking and data collection, particularly when they learn the details on how tracking actually works. > > We also know that traditional privacy features such as Chrome’s Incognito mode are failing to live up to consumer expectations. The feature might keep your spouse from knowing what you’re thinking about getting them for your anniversary by erasing your history, but it does not prevent third-party tracking. Our research shows that Firefox users are seeking out privacy protection, particularly through the use of Firefox’s Private Browsing mode. In fact, nearly 25% of web page loads in Firefox take place in a Private Browsing window. The good news for these users is that Firefox’s Private Browsing mode has long put users first by blocking tracking. The bad news is that this generally isn’t true for many popular browsers, which allow tracking even in private browsing/incognito mode. A recent study found that users don’t understand this and think their data is being protected, when it is actually not. > > As was the case with retirement savings plans, what this shows us is that the burden needs to shift from the consumers to the companies whereby the complexity of privacy settings shouldn’t be placed on users to figure out. The product defaults should simply align with consumer expectations. That is the approach we are taking in Firefox. > > Enhanced Tracking Protection by Default > > As stated above, new Firefox users will have strong privacy protection from the moment they install. We also expect to deliver the same functionality to existing users over the coming months. Because we are modifying the fundamental way in which cookies and browser storage operate, we’ve been very rigorous in our testing and roll-out plans to ensure our users are not experiencing unforeseen usability issues. If you’re already using Firefox and can’t wait, you can turn this feature on by clicking on the menu icon marked by three horizontal lines at the top right of your browser, then Content Blocking. Go to your privacy preferences and click on the Custom option on the right side. Mark the Cookies checkbox and make sure that “Third-party trackers” is selected. To learn more about our privacy and security settings and get more detail on what each section — Standard, Strict, and Custom — includes, visit here. > > > For existing users, go to your privacy preferences and click on the Custom option, ark the Cookies checkbox > > If you are new to Firefox, we’d love for you to give it a try. Download the latest version here. > > When it comes to privacy, default settings matter! We hope that the actions we are taking can ultimately compel change in the industry. Afterall, consumers deserve better.

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Public interest projects, Access to Information
by S.M. Muraya 08 Jul '19

08 Jul '19

Dear Listers, What being done to enable access to information on Public interest (debt) projects? What needs to be constitutionally amended to require parliamentary approval for these public projects? https://twitter.com/ntvkenya/status/1137947611925639169?s=19 In the almost 3 minute clip, Senator Mwaura did not mention, to succeed, compensation fraud required the participation of county authorities.

2 1

Transit Visa through France
by Robert Muthuri 08 Jul '19

08 Jul '19

Hello, Just a quick alert to those going to RightsCon in Tunis next week, it seems there is a new requirement for transit visa through France for Kenyans. You may need to alter arrangements if this was your itinerary. Best, Robert.

3 3

Invitation to the launch of Takwimu, a new African data platform
by Eric Mugendi 08 Jul '19

08 Jul '19

Code for Africa <http://codeforafrica.org>would like to invite you to the launch of Takwimu <https://takwimu.africa/>, a new African data platform, on Tuesday, June 11 at iHub, Senteu Plaza. Takwimu provides users with accurate, up-to-date information about development-focused political decision-making in a select number of countries across Africa including Kenya - combined with a growing body of data on key health, agriculture, education, and financial inclusion metrics. The aim is to provide African development champions and storytellers with the best analysis and data available, supporting their work to educate, influence and advocate for change in their communities. Takwimu is an initiative by Africa Practice <http://www.africapractice.com/>, Code for Africa <https://codeforafrica.org/>, and iHub <https://ihub.co.ke/>, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. [image: image.png] The keynote address will be delivered by Prof. Bitange Ndemo followed by a panel discussion on “the role of data and analysis in shaping policy and development planning in Kenya” moderated by Linet Kwamboka the CEO of Data Science Limited. Also on the panel will be Douglas Waudo- Regional Communications, Advocacy & Media Specialist for East & Southern Africa, PATH; Abraham Rugo- Country Director IBP; Dr. Alex Awiti, Vice Provost Aga Khan University (GSMC) and Juliana Rotich- Technology entrepreneur, Novato Africa. Your presence will be highly appreciated and will go a long way to further the conversation on access to relevant data and its use in development planning. Date: Tuesday 11th June 2019 Time: 4-7 pm Location: iHub, 6th Floor, Senteu Plaza Please RSVP here <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfcyc77LbaPOXo3TBFQeZuGK5lEWY2C_bw…> by Friday 7th June 2019 For more information, contact: naima(a)codeforafrica.org Sincerely, Eric Mugendi about.me/mugendi [image: Eric Mugendi on about.me] <http://about.me/mugendi>

2 1

Huawei soldiers on
by Ronald Ojino 08 Jul '19

08 Jul '19

Interesting events continue to unfold in the 5G space. https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/07/business/huawei-russia-china-splinternet… Regards, Ronald Ojino -- Faith is a living and unshakable confidence. A belief in God so assured that a man would die a thousand deaths for its sake.

2 1

The history and evolution of the motorcycle taxi industry in Africa, and the unseen consequences of its intersection with the internet
by Mbugua Njihia 08 Jul '19

08 Jul '19

*The Subtext* in partnership with Mettā Nairobi is pleased to announce the first edition of the Subtext Sessions event series, where we will discuss the history and evolution of the motorcycle taxi industry in Africa, and the unseen consequences of its intersection with the internet.The conversation will be led by Osarumen Osamuyi <http://twitter.com/skweird>, an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Africa's Talking Labs, Google Launchpad Africa Accelerator mentor, and the author of *The Subtext*, with participation from the audience, as well as a series of domain experts. Prerequisite Material No materials necessary for the audience to read before coming, but a notepad and an interest in transportation and the business of innovation will help. If interested, they could read the Subtext article about two-wheeled mobility for more context: <https://www.thesubtext.io/marchettis-motorcycles> https://www.thesubtext.io/marchettis-motorcycles *The Subtext* is a web publication about the business of innovation in Africa. It examines the impact of the mobile internet, levers of adoption, and mental models showing how [not what] to think about the industry. Join the conversation about history, competitive strategy, and the causes of success and failure in African technology at <https://thesubtext.io/> https://thesubtext.io Sign Up here - https://www.eventbrite.hk/e/subtextsessions-nairobi-two-wheeled-mobility-ti… ᐧ ᐧ

2 1

Fwd: [i-network] Africa Internet Summit 2019 Kampala
by Barrack Otieno 08 Jul '19

08 Jul '19

Listers, This is for your information. Best Regards ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "badru.ntege(a)nftconsult.com" <badru.ntege(a)nftconsult.com> Date: Fri, 07 Jun 2019 05:36:59 GMT Subject: [i-network] Africa Internet Summit 2019 Kampala To: I-Network Uganda <i-network(a)dgroups.org> Good morning all Africa's biggest annual internet summit and gathering kicks off next week with the Africa Network Operating Group's training sessions which will happen from Sunday 9th to Friday 14th. This will then be followed by 3 days of tutorials where i encourage those of you who will not be attending the network and systems training to try and attend. Tuesday 18th to Friday 21st will then be the week of discussions and presentations on internet Policy. I urge all those interested in the current and future of the internet to find time and participate especially in the final week. We have a number of Global internet bodies also holding conferences like ICANN and ISOC among the many. This event was last in Uganda in 2003 and moves to a different African country every year. The Event is hosted by NFT Consult. at Sheraton Kampala Hotel.'' https://www.internetsummit.africa [signature_1765883880] [signature_1529211969] __________ MAILING LIST RULES - http://www.i-network.or.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=189… WEEKLY DISCUSSION ROUNDUPS - http://www.i-network.or.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=19… QUARTERLY eNEWSLETTERS - http://www.i-network.or.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&id=34&… WEBSITE - www.i-network.or.ug TWITTER - http://twitter.com/inetwork FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/inetwork.ug The I-Network Dgroup is a platform for ICT Knowledge Sharing --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit [web site]( http://dgroups.org/iicd/i-network/ ) Click [here]( mailto:leave.i-network@dgroups.org ) to unsubscribe The email is intended only for the recipients. The owners of the Dgroups cannot be held responsible for the contents of the email message. -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Fwd: [NRIs List] FW: announcement - HLP Report launch
by Barrack Otieno 08 Jul '19

08 Jul '19

Listers, Might be of interest to those following Internet Governance Developments. Best Regards ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Anja Gengo <anja.gengo(a)un.org> Date: Thu, 6 Jun 2019 07:58:47 +0000 Subject: [NRIs List] FW: announcement - HLP Report launch To: "igfregionals(a)intgovforum.org" <igfregionals(a)intgovforum.org> Dear Colleagues, Please see below the announcement from the High Level Panel on Digital Cooperation. Best regards, Anja The High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation will launch its report on Monday 10 June 2019 To mark the occasion, join a live conversation on digital cooperation with: UN Secretary-General António Guterres Melinda Gates Jack Ma Moderated by international broadcast journalist, Femi Oke The live event will begin at 10:45am EST and will be streaming on: UN Web TV:http://webtv.un.org<https://twitter.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7bda30c293b7634877890700…> YouTube:http://youtube.com/unitednations<https://twitter.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7bda30c293b7634877890700…> Facebook:http://facebook.com/UNWebTV<https://twitter.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7bda30c293b7634877890700…> Twitter:http://twitter.com/UNWebTV<https://twitter.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7bda30c293b7634877890700…> This global online event is an opportunity to discuss how the public sector, private sector and civil society can work together to realize the potential of digital technologies for advancing human well-being, while mitigating the risks. Communities, organizations and individuals working on issues ranging from digital inclusion, digital rights & security, governance and more are encouraged to tune in and join the online conversation during the webcast. To send in your questions for the UN Secretary-General, Jack Ma and Melinda Gates, post on social media with the hashtag#digitalcooperation, or email contributions(a)digitalcooperation.org<mailto:contributions@digitalcooperation.org> with the subject line "Webcast Question." About the High-level Panel<https://twitter.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7bda30c293b7634877890700…> Tweet<https://twitter.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7bda30c293b7634877890700…> Forward<http://us18.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=7bda30c293b7634877890700a&id=66…> Share<https://twitter.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7bda30c293b7634877890700…> Our mailing address is: 220 E 42nd St - 20th floor, New York, NY 10017 You are receiving this message because you have either subscribed to the mailing list directly, or have engaged in an event or consultation. You canupdate your preferences<https://twitter.us18.list-manage.com/profile?u=7bda30c293b7634877890700a&id…> orunsubscribe from this list<https://twitter.us18.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=7bda30c293b7634877890700…>. -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Fwd: [afnog] Now Open! Submission of Expression of Interest to Host AfPIF-2020
by Barrack Otieno 08 Jul '19

08 Jul '19

Listers, Might be of interest Regards ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Betel Hailu <hailu(a)isoc.org> Date: Thu, 6 Jun 2019 08:37:57 +0000 Subject: [afnog] Now Open! Submission of Expression of Interest to Host AfPIF-2020 To: "afnog(a)afnog.org" <afnog(a)afnog.org> Hello everyone- The African Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF) Program Committee in collaboration with the Africa IXP Association (Af-IX) and the Internet Society are looking to partner with institutions or organizations that are keen to host AfPIF-2020. Interested parties can submit their expression of interest to: sec(a)afpif.org For all information and documentations on the application process please go to: https://www.afpif.org/hosting/ The deadline for submissions is 12 July, 2019. Thank you, Betel Hailu AfPIF Comms -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Fwd: Connect Africa : **Internet Society - 2019 IGF Youth Ambassadors Program - Applications Open**
by Barrack Otieno 08 Jul '19

08 Jul '19

Listers, This might be of interest. Regards ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Corinne Ogu via Internet Society <Mail(a)connectedcommunity.org> Date: Tue, 4 Jun 2019 18:33:58 +0000 Subject: Connect Africa : **Internet Society - 2019 IGF Youth Ambassadors Program - Applications Open** To: otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com == Please, reply above this line == The Internet Society is now accepting applications for the 2019 IGF Youth Ambassadors Program! We encourage you to apply or share this... **Internet Society - 2019 IGF Youth Ambassadors Program - Applications Open** <https://connect.internetsociety.org/communities/community-home/digestviewer…> <https://connect.internetsociety.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=4b6acb8…> Jun 4, 2019 8:18 AM Alejandra Prieto <https://connect.internetsociety.org/network/members/profile?UserKey=4b6acb8…> The Internet Society is now accepting applications for the 2019 IGF Youth Ambassadors Program! We encourage you to apply <https://www.internetsociety.org/fellowship/igf-youth-ambassadors-program/ > or share this announcement with your communities who are also passionate about empowering the Next Generation of Internet Leaders. Information and links to apply can be found here: www.internetsociety.org/fellowship/... <https://www.internetsociety.org/fellowship/igf-youth-ambassadors-program/> Please, note that the call for applications will close on 25 June 2019. Also, if you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the Internet Society IGF Youth Ambassadors Program, please contact me. Thank you very much in advance! ------------------------------ Alejandra Prieto prieto(a)isoc.org Program Manager, Internet Leadership Note: replies will be sent to the full discussion group. ------------------------------ Reply to Sender : https://connect.internetsociety.org/eGroups/PostReply/?GroupId=733&SenderKe… Reply to Discussion : https://connect.internetsociety.org/eGroups/PostReply/?GroupId=733&MID=3924… You are subscribed to "Connect Africa" as otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com. To change your subscriptions, go to http://connect.internetsociety.org/preferences?section=Subscriptions&MDATE=…. To unsubscribe from this community discussion, go to http://connect.internetsociety.org/HigherLogic/eGroups/Unsubscribe.aspx?Use…. -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Re: [kictanet] Digital solutions for Social Good
by Patrick A. M. Maina 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Eric, Not sure if you had noticed but your original message made it appear like *you* were the investor. This is more clear. How you fit in as an intermediary is still not clear however. So how exactly do you tailor these pitches to improve the applicant chances (what's your specific value proposition)? Can you give some examples? Are you offering a free service or do you charge? What is your fee? What are your T&Cs so that those who go thru you know exactly what the relationship between you, them and the accelerator entails? I'm still puzzled as to why the UK visa has been dangled because according to the website, it is not even assured. The BGV website clearly says that you qualify if "You have the right to work in the UK (Unfortunately, you cannot take part in our programme on a tourist visa)" Do you have a confirmation letter from the UK consulate that indicates that it is now not "near impossible" for participants of this initiative to get a visa (provided they are not on a bad-guys watchlist of course)? Also not clear from the website... who pays for Visa, return Airfare & accommodation? The accelerator is charging GBP £20,000 as "training" fees??? They also get a 6% stake. So the "lucky startup" gets no cash (1-1=0) but gives up equity??? Or they get the cash, which is spent where (in kenya or UK?) and come back with £20K debt + still give up 6% equity? This deal is full of red flags IMO. How can they purport to train a Kenyan company to succeed in Kenya yet they don't have any experience or a presence in Kenya? Or do they? Don't they have better odds of offering better value and success if they first come to Kenya, learn about the local business landscape and set up a local chapter here? It doesn't make sense. Even more puzzling, they are asking for already proven business models? How do they advise a company to scale in a market that they barely know (if at all)? What's really going on there? Can you expound on how that works? If the investors saw promising startups at the Nairobi Innovation Week, have they engaged and onboarded them? Doesn't make sense to start from zero when they have already made progress. I know there are those who will ignore these red flags and trust blidly in hope. Good luck to them. I wish them success and I sincerely wish that my instincts are completely wrong about this. Thanks and good evening. Patrick. Patrick A. M. Maina[Cross-domain Innovator | Public Policy Analyst - Indigenous Innovations] On Thursday, June 6, 2019, 9:51:48 AM GMT+3, Erick Mwangi <erick.mwangi(a)gmail.com> wrote: Listers / Patrick A bit of background. The organisation in question is BGV (Bethnal Green Ventures). The premise was from investors asking to look beyond EEA. I advised the partners on E Africa and even attended the Nairobi Innovation week. They were impressed and we identified a number of start ups we could work with, to get Visas was near impossible. From then we have worked tirelessly to lobby UK government and now this is now a reality. Secondly from the initial fillers, our comms are different hence why I was asking interested parties to come through me and we can curate stories better for the partners. However feel free to engage directly. The website is comprehensive and answers the bulk of your questions. But I will not go as far as saying the want to steal IP from us - that's a stretch of imagination. Eric E Njoroge MwangiTechnology| FINTECH | Big Data Cell +44 7539372742Skype: Erick.mwangi On Tue, Jun 4, 2019 at 4:35 PM Patrick A. M. Maina <pmaina2000(a)yahoo.com> wrote: Hi Erick, Which organization is doing this? Is there a website that people can visit for more details? How does the UK visa come into play? Is there a bootcamp in UK or something like that? Where are the details + past bootcamps? How many startups are you looking to invest in? What is the range of investment amount? What kind of deal (debt, equity or convertible notes?) Do you have a portfolio of startups that founders can contact to get independent info about the program? Can you share your list of succesful investments, exits and big wins, including the duration under your portfolio? What are the T&Cs and do they contain robust features (like non-disclosure, non-circumvent & non-compete provisions) to protect our hopeful enterpreneurs / youth from the risk of losing trade secrets and intellectual property that would be critical to their competitiveness and long-term survival? I'm asking the above on behalf of inexperienced founders because there have been numerous cases in the past (in other platforms/fora) where "investors" call for pitches but in reality they are exploiting our policy vacuum to mine for ideas from our hopeful - but sometimes gullible - founders, which they ultimately pass on / sell to other startups (or to "partner" corporations) to avoid R&D costs. GENERAL REMARKS (FROM A POLICY-GAP PERSPECTIVE) Dear Listers, While a "bounty" approach is often pitched to corporations / investors as a smart "cost saving" measure, it is, in reality, an economically destructive, ruthless, and inhumane form of intellectual property transfer because it relies on trickery and false hope to achieve unpublished agendas. It demoralizes our youth and stifles innovation by unfairly misallocating opportunity/reward to the undeserving, whose only advantage is their connection to capital gatekeepers. Bounty programs pervert the idea of enterpreneurship, turning it into an unregulated GAMBLING affair, where for every one "jackpot winner" there are thousands of "losers" who discover that they handed over their IP to future competitors for FREE, and who are not protected from unfair future sale/exploitation of their mined IP. Such programs have led to the rise to serial pitchers, a type of gambler who plays for the bounty, instead of real enterpreneurs who truly want to solve real problems. This has resulted in the rise of "shiny object" enterpreneurship that focuses on impressing ponzi-style investors rather creating value to society. More so when they predate on poor countries, where REAL opportunities are scarce and desperately needed. It is unfortunate that ICT regulators have not yet recognized the real cost of such losses in terms of wealth transfer and destruction of jobs / opportunities. How do you create jobs without sources of sustainable advantage? In a recent media interview, I heard CISCO's CEO say something very powerful when discussing Huawei. He said that if the US didn't care about IP, it would be a "third world country", because third world countries only focus on raw materials instead of innovations. Intellectual property is highly valued in developed economies. Paradoxically, poor countries tend to adopt policies that sustain poverty. These general comments are not meant to cast shade on Erick's initiatives as I have no information to draw any objective conclusions, so I hope my motives will not be misunderstood. I have been consistent on highlighting IP mining risks in the past on this and other forums. Without clear policies and rules, there is no telling what/who is really genuine, and our enterpreneurs remain vulnerabe to predation from within and from without. Our "wild wild west", "every man for himself" business landscape makes it difficult even for the genuine investors to get high quality, diverse pitches because of low trust levels (everyone loses). It's sad to see our Universities and innovative MSMEs struggling to get funding yet they are sitting on billions of shillings in intellectual capital. Hoping the Competition Authority and the Trade, Labor, Education & ICT ministries can team up with stakeholders (not just corporate reps who have a conflict of interest because they fear innovation, but also academia, independent innovators, enterpreneurs and MSME reps) to solve this at policy level. If you need ideas or help in architecting this, feel free to onboard me. Economic prosperity doesn't just happen on its own, or with ad-hoc "spray and pray" policies. It has to deliberately planned for, designed and implemented. Good evening, Patrick. Patrick A. M. Maina[Cross-domain Innovator | Independent Public Policy Analyst - Indigenous Innovations] On Tuesday, June 4, 2019, 2:15:08 PM GMT+3, Erick Mwangi via kictanet <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: Listers, I am looking for start-ups who fit the below criteria. Investment focus We invest broadly in tech for good, but we are particularly interested in startups that address the following challenges: - Affordable, accessible health and social care - Effective education and employability - Climate change, resource efficiency and conservation of the environment - Civic participation, maintenance and advancement of democracy - Empowering vulnerable young people, improving health and wellbeing and giving them the tools to thrive - Pro-worker innovation for the low-wage economy, solutions that increase bargaining power, boost pay and curb work insecurity Investment criteria At the accelerator stage we select teams based on: The team - A talented team (more than 1 person) of diverse founders with a strong commitment to a shared vision and mission - A strong understanding of the problem and the market they will be operating in - Technical experience within the team The idea - An innovative idea with some evidence of its merits and how it would solve the problem - A clear hypothesis of how to produce, sell and distribute the solution The potential for impact - A strong ambition to scale and positively impact millions of lives. We will provide early stage seed funding as well as apply on your behalf a "start-up visa" to come to the UK for 3-6months. If thats you, please reach me directly with your pitch deck. Best Wishes, E Njoroge MwangiTechnology| FINTECH | Big Data Cell +44 7539372742Skype: Erick.mwangi On Sun, Jun 2, 2019 at 1:40 PM Lydia gachungi via kictanet <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: Listers, Anyone with an idea of an individual / private sector in Eastern Africa using digital solutions to create impact in the culture industry/ Artistic Freedom (film, music, events, broadcasting, webcasting, anything in that sector)? Please inbox me Lydia Gachungi UNESCO Liaison Office to AU and UNECA _______________________________________________ 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/erick.mwangi%40gmail.… 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 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/pmaina2000%40yahoo.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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How Qualcomm shook down the cell phone industry for almost 20 years
by Ali Hussein 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Listers A look at how modern-day monopolies operate and how Systemic Failure in how regulators regulate can cause a player to use heavy-handed tactics to gain and maintain Market Dominance. Is it time to relook at how State Players navigate the increasingly complicated Technology Landscape to ensure Market Driven Monopolies don't abuse their powers? The examples are many but of note are:- 1. Microsoft in the '90s 2. Google and Facebook in the 2010s 3. And now Qualcomm whose bad behaviour is now coming to light in a scathing indictment by Judge Lucy Koh in an Anti-Trust ruling in the US. This latest misbehaviour by #BigTech calls the whole 'Free Market' ethos of the Capitalist System to question. How will the world deal with such Systemic Failure and State Capture by huge multinationals? The Qualcomm Story <https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/05/how-qualcomm-shook-down-the-cel…> is even more shocking in its scope because it held to ransom some of the biggest players in the Global Telcom sector - From Lenovo, to Apple to Blackberry to Samsung. It is amazing how it took so long to unravel and even now as we speak the game is not over yet. Read on:- In 2005, Apple contacted Qualcomm as a potential supplier for modem chips in the first iPhone. Qualcomm's response was unusual: a letter demanding that Apple sign a patent licensing agreement before Qualcomm would even consider supplying chips. How Qualcomm shook down the cell phone industry for almost 20 years! <https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/05/how-qualcomm-shook-down-the-cel…> *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.

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Data Scientists Kaggle Meet Up In Nairobi
by Timothy- Coach- Oriedo 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Thank you Listers for following our Journey in bridging the Data Science Talent gap in the country. We are pleased to welcome you to our very first meet up of our Predictive Analytics Lab partnership with Kaggle, the leading Global community of Data Scientists. This evening we are privileged to hold our inaugural to be hosting Saikumar Allaka, Senior Analytics Manager Equity Bank and a master Kaggler. The event is free and shall also be live streamed please register on this link https://events.predictiveanalytics.co.ke/ Because we believe the best way to learn is learning through practice and through meeting people. Creating a connected and well-knit Data Science community will enable participants to motivate each other to learn more, and inspire to do great things. What is more, the aim of creating this community is for its participants to have fun together and make new friends with common passion - Data Science. To sum up, we create this community for 3 things. NETWORKING, EDUCATION and ENTERTAINMENT See online and Poster for more details and stay tuned for future events. Timothy Oriedo Founding Data Scientist Predictive Analytics Lab

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Kenya Industry & Entrepreneurship Project Beneficiaries
by Kentice Tikolo 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Listers, The Ministry of Industry, Trade & Cooperatives (MoITC), in partnership with the World Bank Group, launched the Kenya Industry and Entrepreneurship Project (KIEP), on 4th June 2019. The USD 50 million project aims to increase innovation and productivity in select private sector firms in Kenya over the next six years (2019-2024). KIEP highlights the importance of technology and innovation to the development of industries and recognizes the centrality of firm-level support to Kenya’s industrialization. KIEP will be implemented through the following components: Component 1: Strengthening the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem Component 2: SME linkages and upgrading The target beneficiaries are: - Accelerators/Incubators - Technology Bootcamp Providers - Startups - SMEs - Students - Corporates The project aims to have a countrywide presence. Kindly share (inbox) ideas on how best to create interest and demand among the beneficiaries, that will encourage them to apply. I have attached a fact sheet for more information, which can also be found on www.kiep.go.ke. Best regards, Kentice Tikolo, MScPR, FPRSK *Strategic PR & Communication Consultant* *Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift. Regina Brett*

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Digital solutions for the Culture industry/ Art
by Lydia gachungi 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Listers, Anyone with an idea of an individual / private sector in Eastern Africa using digital solutions to create impact in the culture industry/ Artistic Freedom (film, music, events, broadcasting, webcasting, anything in that sector)? Please inbox me Lydia Gachungi UNESCO Liaison Office to AU and UNECA

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Five Things to Know
by Alice Munyua 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

> > > > > 5 Things to Know in Less Than Five Minutes > > 1. Block "Fingerprinting" & Increase Privacy with Firefox > Fingerprinting is a type of online tracking that's different from cookies or ordinary trackers. Companies use it to make a unique profile of your computer, software, add–ons, and even preferences. Settings like the screen you use, the fonts installed on your computer, and even your choice of a web browser can all be used to create a fingerprint. The latest Firefox has a new feature to help you block fingerprinting coming from many ad trackers. Learn how » > > > 2. Mozilla Brings Ethics to Computer Science Curriculum > Mozilla joined with others to award funding to 17 initiatives that integrate ethics into undergraduate computer science courses. "Today's computer scientists write code with the potential to affect billions of people's privacy, security, equality, and well–being," says Mozilla Fellow, Kathy Pham. Check out the winning initiatives, and learn more about this important work » > > > 3. "Deepfakes" are Here. Now What? > Mozilla's 2019 Internet Health Report digs into "deepfakes." Deepfakes are photos, videos or audio clips manipulated using artificial intelligence to depict a person saying something that they have never said, or doing something they have never done. See the report to learn more about what deepfakes are, how they've been used, and what strategies might work to deal with them. > > > 4. The Latest Firefox Release is Faster than Ever > Firefox has gotten up to 80% faster than a year ago (and still going) by making improvements at an average of 1% faster every week all while protecting your privacy online. Learn more about how we made such huge gains » > > > 5. We're Making Virtual Reality Available to Everyone > Even though virtual reality (VR) has been in the mainstream for several years now, it's still not very accessible. It often takes trained engineers to create, release and distribute VR content. That could soon change, however, thanks to a new project built on top of the WebVR platform that Mozilla has pioneered. Read more » > > > Bonus Content! > Get more power and privacy. Sign up for your free Firefox account » > > Access your passwords across devices for free with Firefox Lockwise » > > Firefox Send just launched — a free way to share files safely and privately. > > Sign up for Firefox Monitor. Recieve alerts if your data is involved in data breaches — and it's free! > > > Thanks for reading! > You're receiving this email because we think you're neat, AND you subscribed to hear from us. > If our emails aren't sparking joy, we'll understand if you unsubscribe. > > You can also update your email preferences at any time. > > > > Donate to Mozilla | Download Firefox > > > 331 E. Evelyn Avenue Mountain View CA 94041 > Legal • Privacy

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Information Controls Cocktail
by Robert Muthuri 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Dear Listers, First, apologies, I've just been alerted my email from earlier in the week may not have been delivered here. CIPIT is holding a cocktail tomorrow afternoon - program attached - to reflect on the question: what have we learnt from 3 years of information controls research? We will share the key learnings and recommendations from the related project and hope to have a lively discussion with you ranging from online censorship and digital rights to Cambridge Analytica and elections security. As always, we very much look forward to welcoming you to Strathmore. Kindly register so we can cater for you in the best way possible: https://bit.ly/2YSHlJ8 [image: InformationControl-01.png] Best, Robert.

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Raising money for your startup
by Eric Osiakwan 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Sent from my iPhone

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Babusi Nyoni TownHall Meetings Tour , 5 days, 6 Towns Across Kenya
by alfred＠kenya.ai 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Dear Listers, Ai Kenya in partnership with Majadiliano is proud to bring you a series of town hall meetings across 6 different locations: Kisumu, Kakamega, Siaya, Miwani, Nairobi and Mombasa. Our first guest is a brilliant self-taught Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovator & speaker from the Netherlands. He has never been to University. He is a high school graduate who schooled and grew up in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Babusi Nyoni, a 31 year old Zimbabwean and a self-taught emerging technology pundit will be sharing how he began his journey leaving Zimbabwe as an economic refugee, entering South Africa, where he lived for 5 years before moving to the Netherlands. In 2016 he created what Forbes magazine described as "the world's first Artificial intelligent football commentator" for the UEFA Champions League final. In the same year, he created a prototype for the prediction of human displacement in Africa using artificial intelligence & thereafter worked with UNHCR to actualize a pilot project in the same field. He founded the Ulwazi Accelerator in 2018 to equip young Zimbabweans with the skills needed to contribute to the global digital economy. In 2019 he created an app for the early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease & presented his findings at Oxford University on the Skoll Foundation stage. Babusi has a strong passion for fresh new ideas that will change the lives of those around him and is a firm believer that AI is shaping the technological zeitgeist worldwide. Join us for an informative session as Babusi shares on his innovation journey and the work he has done in the artificial intelligence space. Event Venues are as follows: Kisumu, 3rd June - University of Nairobi Auditorium Kakamega, 3rd June - Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) , MCU hall Siaya, 4th June - Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology Miwani, 5th June - Nyakoko High school Nairobi, 6th June - Daystar University Mombasa 7th June - Swahili Pot Hub To be a part of the event(s), ensure you REGISTER FOR YOUR TICKET(s) on http://bit.ly/majadiliano Full event details and schedules can be obtained on the same link Kind regards, Alfred Ongere Team lead, Founder www.kenya.ai <http://bit.ly/AIKPODYTB> Watch Ai Kenya Podcast | <http://bit.ly/2vRuV7Y> World Ai Show Nairobi 2019 Keynote

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Grant Funding: £50,000 - £500,000 / Mobile Innovation Fund
by Philip Adar 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Dear listers, I found this interesting and felt to share. GSMA is promoting innovation in use of mobile technology to address humanitarian challenges, with a focus on developing countries – particularly in Sub Saharan Africa. Grant Funding: £50,000 - £500,000 More details in the link: Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation Fund <https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/mobile-for-humanitarian-innovatio…> Kindly, please feel free to share within your networks Kind regards, -- Philip Adar

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Re: [kictanet] Vacancy announcements for Article 19 Eastern Africa
by Ephraim Percy Kenyanito 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

*Dear All,* *Please find below links to job openings at the Article 19 Eastern Africa. Kindly circulate widely through your networks. You can copy the link to your browser in order to access the vacancy notice.* *SPO - Civic Space:*https://article.peoplehr.net/Pages/JobBoard/Opening.aspx?v=ba671488-… *SPO - Media and Protection:*https://article.peoplehr.net/Pages/JobBoard/Opening.aspx?v=ca54… *Best regards,* *Ephraim *

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Huawei interview on China-Africa Podcast
by Adam Lane 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

For anyone with 50 minutes to spare and interested to listen to this podcast interview I did... Eric and Cobus do go for the fairly tough questions. https://chinaafricaproject.com/podcast-china-africa-huawei-adam-lane/ [AUDIO] Like it or Not, Huawei is the Indispensable Tech Company in Africa [EDITOR'S NOTE: This episode was recorded before the United States government announced that it would blacklist Huawei and blocked the company from using Google's Android operating system and other apps.] It is hard to overstate Huawei's singular importance in the development of Africa's information technology sector. Over the past ten years the company, often armed with state-backed loans from China, has built significant portions of Africa's IT infrastructure, everything from networking to broadband connectivity to new cloud data centers in places like Egypt and South Africa. 70% of all 4G networks across the continent were reportedly built by Huawei. But while Huawei's presence in Africa is pervasive it's also controversial. Allegations that Huawei was involved in Chinese spying efforts against the African Union prompt similar questions like those being raised by the United States who challenge the company's independence from both the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government. "The U.S. is going to have to be strategic about how they approach this challenge. You can't just blunder in and say, 'It's us or them.' China does provide things that the continent needs." - Joshua Meservey, Heritage Foundation senior analyst<https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/03/19/for-africa-chinese-built-internet-is-b…> Although African stakeholders contend that security and privacy concerns surrounding Huawei are important, most do not believe they are paramount issues. Instead, access to affordable, high-quality telecommunications infrastructure is much more important. But now that the United States is closing in on the company, blocking Huawei from using the Android operating system, African telecom operators are likely starting to worry about what happens if Washington similarly blacklists Huawei's use of components that are used in all that networking gear now running their phone and data networks. If Huawei is forced out of those markets, it could be cataclysmic for African telcos who would find it difficult, if not impossible, to switch to American, Korean or European vendors. The bottom line is that African telecommunications operators now rely on Huawei gear, making the Chinese company truly indispensable in the operation of their networks. Huawei, like almost every Chinese company, is notoriously averse to interacting with the media and rarely grants extended, on the record interviews with no pre-conditions. So, it was a bit of a surprise when Adam Lane, senior public affairs director for Huawei Kenya, offered to appear on the podcast. He joins Eric & Cobus for a wide-ranging discussion on all aspects of the company's operations in Africa and what the mood is like inside the firm. Show Notes: * IT Web Africa: Safaricom describes Huawei issue as 'worrying'<http://www.itwebafrica.com/kenya/245917-safaricom-describes-huawei-issue-as…> by Vincent Matinde * Daily Nation: What Huawei restriction means for Kenya and Africa<https://www.nation.co.ke/news/What-Huawei-restriction-means-for-Kenya-/1056…> by Aggrey Mutambo * Business Insider South Africa: If you own a Huawei phone in South Africa, here is everything you need to know about the Google crisis<https://www.businessinsider.co.za/huawei-news-in-south-africa-what-is-happe…> by Phillip de Wet * Foreign Policy: For Africa, Chinese-Built Internet Is Better Than No Internet<https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/03/19/for-africa-chinese-built-internet-is-b…> at All by Amy Mackinnon About Adam Lane:<https://www.africahealthbusiness.com/speakers/adam-lane/> At Huawei since 2014, and based in Nairobi since 2016, Adam is currently responsible for working with governments, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, the media and other stakeholders with a focus on the Kenya and East Africa region. Adam helps these groups understand how to use ICT for Development in their strategies, policies and programs; as well as developing partnerships and cross-sector collaboration with various actors in the ICT ecosystem including social enterprises. Adam has a strong focus on digital health in the region and is also actively engaging with those in the Internet of Things space. Previously, Adam was based in Huawei's HQ as a Director for Corporate Sustainable Development responsible for Huawei's global flagship project to bridge the digital divide as well as thought leadership on the digital divide. In 2015 after an extensive research effort around the world, Adam published Huawei's white paper on Digital Enablement summarizing the challenges and solutions to bridging the digital divide (www.huawei.com/minisite/digital-enablement) He then set-up a new digital divide project related to e-health in Kenya building on the findings from this white paper working with a Kenyan social enterprise and helping them scale up their e-health project.

5 13

(no subject)
by DANIEL MECHA 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Ttyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyytr

2 1

Facebook plans to launch 'GlobalCoin' currency in 2020 - BBC News
by Timothy- Coach- Oriedo 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48383460

2 1

Google has revoked Huawei's Android license
by Kelvin Kariuki 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Dear Listers, I hope this email finds you well, this is the current trending topic, I'd like to here your views on this topic from a Policy Perspective. Are we overrelying on Global Techs? What are the possible repercussions if they pull out on us? Should Global Techs be declared Dominant to balance the market and reduce the risks of a failure? Feel free to add more questions. Looking forward to your views on this. -- Best Regards, Kelvin Kariuki Assistant Lecturer Multimedia University of Kenya Faculty of Computing and Information Technology Twitter Handle: @teacherkaris Alt email: kkariuki(a)mmu.ac.ke Mobile: +2547 29 385 557 The Lord is my Shepherd

11 33

[Leadership & Corporate Governance] Succession Planning - Lessons from Jack Ma
by Patrick A. M. Maina 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Dear Listers, In a letter to Alibaba’s customers and shareholders (see link #1), Jack Ma announced his successor and mapped his own exit as CEO. A few excerpts: "This transition demonstrates that Alibaba has stepped up to the next level of corporate governance from a company that relies on individuals, to one built on systems of organizational excellence and a culture of talent development. A sustainable Alibaba would have to be built on sound governance, culture-centric philosophy, and consistency in developing talent. No company can rely solely on its founders. Of all people, I should know that. Because of physical limits on one's ability and energy, no one can shoulder the responsibilities of chairman and CEO forever. We asked ourselves this question 10 years ago - how could Alibaba achieve sustainable growth after Jack Ma leaves the company? We believed the only way to solve the problem of corporate leadership succession was to develop a system of governance based on a unique culture and mechanisms for developing consistent talent and successors. For the last 10 years, we kept working on these ingredients.” DISCUSSION: Visionary leaders develop other leaders because they see the company's vision and mission as bigger than themselves (see link #3). Jack Ma's star is even brighter because he allowed his juniors to shine. Do you agree that the presence (or absence) of succession planing can be an indicator of leadership caliber? How does private sector Africa fare when it comes to succession planning and local talent development? Good day. Links: 1. Jack Ma's Succession letter to customers and shareholders https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Alibaba-s-Jack-Ma-reveals-succes… 2. Alibaba profits jump under Jack Ma's successor https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/15/alibaba-2019-annual-earnings/ 3. Deloitte: How to overcome the succession planning paradox https://www2.deloitte.com/insights/us/en/topics/leadership/effective-leader… Brgds,Patrick. Patrick A. M. Maina[Cross-domain Innovator | Public Policy Analyst - Indigenous Innovations]

2 1

Facebook: Another three billion fake profiles culled
by Victor Kapiyo 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Facebook has published its latest "enforcement report" <https://transparency.facebook.com/community-standards-enforcement>, which details how many posts and accounts it took action on between October 2018 and March 2019. During that six-month period, Facebook removed more than three billion fake accounts - more than ever before. More than seven million "hate speech" posts were removed, also a record high. For the first time, Facebook also reported how many deleted posts were appealed, and how many were put back online after review. Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-48380504 *Victor Kapiyo* Partner | *Lawmark Partners LLP* *Suite No. 8, Centro House, Westlands, Nairobi | **Web: www.lawmark.co.ke <http://www.lawmark.co.ke> * ==================================================== *“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude” Zig Ziglar*

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Software development companies
by John Gitau 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Good day Is there a list of local software development companies with at least 5 years experience with some regional experience somewhere I can just go pick 10 and send to companies that ask for this information - some sort of directory where I can direct inquiries to? Meantime if you are such a company please direct message me your contact details. With thanks JGitau

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FW: Apply for the Africa Digital Rights Fund (ADRF)
by Grace Githaiga 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Listers This might be of interest to some of you. Rgds. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Grace Githaiga Twitter: @ggithaiga Skype: gracegithaiga Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gracegithaiga ...the most important office in a democracy is the citizen. So, you see, that’s what our democracy demands. It needs you!----Barrack Obama. ________________________________ ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: CIPESA <media(a)cipesa.org<mailto:media@cipesa.org>> Date: Wed, May 22, 2019 at 11:03 AM Subject: Apply for the Africa Digital Rights Fund (ADRF) To: <compsoftnet(a)gmail.com<mailto:compsoftnet@gmail.com>> Apply for a grant to support an initiative that advances digital rights in Africa View this email in your browser<https://mailchi.mp/6aff78f010ab/apply-for-the-africa-digital-rights-fund-ad…> [https://gallery.mailchimp.com/d80a8e0082e29ffa0986bfd77/images/210d06fc-63f…] Call For Applications: Africa Digital Rights Fund With a quarter of Africa’s population using the internet and with 76 mobile phone connection for every 100 individuals, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has become pivotal to improving livelihoods and promoting human rights on the continent. However, with rising digital rights violations such as arrests and intimidation of internet users, network shutdowns<https://cipesa.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d80a8e0082e29ffa0986bfd77&…>, and a proliferation of laws and regulations that hamper internet access and affordability<https://cipesa.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d80a8e0082e29ffa0986bfd77&…>, the potential of digital technologies to catalyse free expression and civic participation or to drive innovation is under threat in Africa. Yet many organisations working to defend and promote digital rights face limitations of reach, skills, resources, and consistency in engagement in this area. To address this, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)<https://cipesa.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d80a8e0082e29ffa0986bfd77&…> has established the Africa Digital Rights Fund (ADRF) to offer flexible and rapid response grants to select initiatives in Africa to implement activities that advance digital rights, including advocacy, litigation, research, policy analysis, digital literacy and digital security skills building. Assessments have found that whereas digital rights advocacy in the region has a large pool of interest, ”it is very shallow, spread very thinly and difficult to sustain”. The policy and practice developments in the region, coupled with the challenges faced by civil society organisations, necessitate partnerships that bring together various competences for advancing digital rights. The ADRF has been developed to strengthen local capacity in evidence-based research, collaborative advocacy and impactful policy engagements responsive to regulatory and practice developments that affect internet freedom in the region. The ADRF grant amounts will range between US$ 1,000 and US$ 10,000 based on the need and scope of the proposed intervention. The grant period will not exceed six months with an average of 15 grants to be awarded per year. The Fund will benefit small organisations, including those that do not qualify for support from most funders for lack of registration and institutional capacity to develop applications and manage big projects. It will also benefit organisations and initiatives that need rapid response support to respond swiftly to emerging issues that can not wait for many funders’ lengthy application procedures. Applications are now open for the period July-December 2019. The deadline for submissions is Friday May 31, 2019. Read more about the Fund and the eligibility criteria here<https://cipesa.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d80a8e0082e29ffa0986bfd77&…>. The application form can be accessed here.<https://cipesa.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d80a8e0082e29ffa0986bfd77&…> [https://cdn-images.mailchimp.com/icons/social-block-v2/color-twitter-48.png]<https://cipesa.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d80a8e0082e29ffa0986bfd77&…> [https://cdn-images.mailchimp.com/icons/social-block-v2/color-facebook-48.png]<https://cipesa.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d80a8e0082e29ffa0986bfd77&…> [https://cdn-images.mailchimp.com/icons/social-block-v2/color-link-48.png]<http://www.cipesa.org> [https://cdn-images.mailchimp.com/icons/social-block-v2/color-forwardtofrien…]<mailto:media@cipesa.org> [https://cdn-images.mailchimp.com/icons/social-block-v2/color-linkedin-48.png]<https://cipesa.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d80a8e0082e29ffa0986bfd77&…> Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences<https://cipesa.us8.list-manage.com/profile?u=d80a8e0082e29ffa0986bfd77&id=8…> or unsubscribe from this list<https://cipesa.us8.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=d80a8e0082e29ffa0986bfd77&…>. This email was sent to compsoftnet(a)gmail.com<mailto:compsoftnet@gmail.com> why did I get this?<https://cipesa.us8.list-manage.com/about?u=d80a8e0082e29ffa0986bfd77&id=87c…> unsubscribe from this list<https://cipesa.us8.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=d80a8e0082e29ffa0986bfd77&…> update subscription preferences<https://cipesa.us8.list-manage.com/profile?u=d80a8e0082e29ffa0986bfd77&id=8…> CIPESA · Plot 157 - 159, Mutesa II Road · Ntinda · Kampala · Uganda [Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp]<http://www.mailchimp.com/monkey-rewards/?utm_source=freemium_newsletter&utm…> -- [https://thumbs.about.me/thumbnail/users/p/e/t/petertaiwoakinremi_emailsig.j…] <https://about.me/petertaiwoakinremi?promo=email_sig&utm_source=product&utm_…> Peter Taiwo Akinremi about.me/petertaiwoakinremi <https://about.me/petertaiwoakinremi?promo=email_sig&utm_source=product&utm_…> -- Vous recevez ce message, car vous êtes abonné au groupe Google Groupes "acsis_info". Pour vous désabonner de ce groupe et ne plus recevoir d'e-mails le concernant, envoyez un e-mail à l'adresse acsis_info+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com<mailto:acsis_info+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com>. Pour envoyer un message à ce groupe, envoyez un e-mail à l'adresse acsis_info(a)googlegroups.com<mailto:acsis_info@googlegroups.com>. Cette discussion peut être lue sur le Web à l'adresse https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/acsis_info/CAGK4d09%3DRAjdmxkWyBc4j7T4QgZ…<https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/acsis_info/CAGK4d09%3DRAjdmxkWyBc4j7T4QgZ…>. Pour obtenir davantage d'options, consultez la page https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

2 1

After Access report launch
by Margaret Nyambura Ndung'u 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Listers, the attached after access report by Research ICT Africa was launched today at the Stockholm Internet forum. "A comparative analysis of demand-side view of mobile Internet from 10 African countries². As noted at the broadband meeting last Friday, available demand side data on Internet and mobile use in Kenya and many other countries is insufficient. The report attempts to bridge that gap. Interesting statistics with Internet penetration in Kenya at 26% in line with ITU statistics. Differences are noted in other countries highest being in Rwanda with an 11% difference (See table 3). Rgrds, Nyambura

7 15

Re: [kictanet] [AI-IoT-BD] Survey announcement BPF IoT-BigData-AI
by Alex Comninos 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Dear Listers, The IGF Best Practice Forum on Internet of Things, Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence launched a survey to get insight in the community’s views on the use of IoT-Big Data-AI applications to address societal challenges. The survey can be answered online or via email. (instructions below) Input received before 30 June 2019 will be used for the first draft of the BPF output document. ******************************************************************* Survey BPF IoT, Big Data, AI reply by 30 June 2019 Reply online: https://forms.gle/7nYdrFhXa4o8Lbqt5 <https://forms.gle/7nYdrFhXa4o8Lbqt5> <https://forms.gle/7nYdrFhXa4o8Lbqt5 <https://forms.gle/7nYdrFhXa4o8Lbqt5>> Reply via email: Download the questionnaire here http://bit.ly/2JVwnOP <http://bit.ly/2JVwnOP> <http://bit.ly/2JVwnOP <http://bit.ly/2JVwnOP>> , and submit to bpf-IoT-BD-AI(a)intgovforum.org <mailto:bpf-IoT-BD-AI@intgovforum.org> <mailto:bpf-IoT-BD-AI@intgovforum.org <mailto:bpf-IoT-BD-AI@intgovforum.org>> . ******************************************************************* Please share the survey invitation with colleagues and your networks. Thank you for your cooperation !!! More on the IGF 2019 BPF IoT-Big Data-AI on the IGF website at https://www.intgovforum.org/multilingual/content/bpf-internet-of-things-iot… <https://www.intgovforum.org/multilingual/content/bpf-internet-of-things-iot…> <https://www.intgovforum.org/multilingual/content/bpf-internet-of-things-iot… <https://www.intgovforum.org/multilingual/content/bpf-internet-of-things-iot…>> . _______________________________________________ Aiiotbd mailing list Aiiotbd(a)intgovforum.org <mailto:Aiiotbd@intgovforum.org> To subscribe, unsubscribe or manage your options please go to http://intgovforum.org/mailman/listinfo/aiiotbd_intgovforum.org <http://intgovforum.org/mailman/listinfo/aiiotbd_intgovforum.org>

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Fwd: [Internet Policy] Finland is winning the war on fake news
by Barrack Otieno 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Listers, Might be of interest to some. Regards ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Richard Bennett <richard(a)bennett.com> Date: Sun, 19 May 2019 14:48:29 -0600 Subject: [Internet Policy] Finland is winning the war on fake news To: ISOC Internet Policy <internetpolicy(a)elists.isoc.org> Sharing this good article from CNN on Finland’s approach to fake news: https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2019/05/europe/finland-fake-news-intl/ <https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2019/05/europe/finland-fake-news-intl/> TL;DR: Finland has long been a target of Russian disinformation campaigns; it combines media literacy training with reliable media and regulation. Its defenses are so strong that Russia has turned to softer targets. RB — Richard Bennett High Tech Forum <http://hightechforum.org/> Founder Ethernet & Wi-Fi standards co-creator Internet Policy Consultant -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

5 9

Preliminary Analysis - After Access report launch
by Jimmy Gitonga 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Patrick! I have nothing to add. You are my hero on this issue. Thank you for the excellent “initial thoughts”. Best Regards, Jimmy Gitonga Web Software Design and Development LinkedIn: Jimmy Gitonga | Twitter: @Afrowave ______________________________________ Web: afroshok.com <http://afroshok.com/> > On 18 May 2019, at 9:41 PM, kictanet-request(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke wrote: > > Message: 2 > Date: Sat, 18 May 2019 18:38:43 +0000 (UTC) > From: "Patrick A. M. Maina" <pmaina2000(a)yahoo.com <mailto:pmaina2000@yahoo.com>> > To: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke <mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke>>, > Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com <mailto:otieno.barrack@gmail.com>> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] [preliminary analysis] After Access report > launch > Message-ID: <43006288.2640308.1558204723308(a)mail.yahoo.com <mailto:43006288.2640308.1558204723308@mail.yahoo.com>> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > Hi Barrack, > I'm still studying it but can share my initial thoughts... I had a quick look at GSMA's mobile economy report 2019 (link #5 below) and it pegs Kenya's internet penetration number at ~24% up from 16% based on lagging indicators (2014-2017). It also says 3G coverage was 85% as at 2017 with 4G reaching more than a third of the population (~16.7 Million people assuming ~50M total). > > The GSMA report is alluding to a high supply - low demand situation (high network coverage and low internet uptake) which is congruent with Research ICT Africa's findings. > > The data (and economic theory - see link #1 below) is telling us not to focus on supply side but to develop the demand side - because supply is abundant - but there is something that is impeding demand. > > This means looking at whether internet pricing (a factor of value perception) or internet quality (or both) are impeding penetration. It's hard to argue that QoS is a significant factor with 85% 3G coverage - because 3G internet is pretty good (even for compressed video 240-480p which is adequate for budget phones). > > The more credible explanation for low demand is affordability - and this has been alluded in several studies - including Research ICT Africa's study. Majority of Kenyans are poor - yet mobile service pricing is inequitably skewed in favor of the urban middle-class or higher who comprise < 12% of our 26.8Million (~57%) labor force, say ~3.2 million people filing tax returns as a rough indicator (see link #3 for Kenya's demographic profile). > > So ~88% of the work-capable population gets to pay a significantly higher premium per MB, as well as for voice and SMS. > > The poorer you are the heavier you are penalized. A 6MB for 3/- offer bundle with 24hr validity works out to 2MB per shilling. But if you can afford to pay 50/- for an hour you get ~40MB per shilling. The poor person pays 20 times more for the same commodity than the wealthier person. This is penalizing poverty - and quite ruthless, considering the essential nature of the services. > > Economic theory says that when supply is high and the pricing is uncompetitive in a market characterized by low disposable incomes, it can be expected that the demand would be low (unless some coercive factors exist e.g. for utilities like Kenya Power). The data supports this. > > The data is also challenging the procurement driven narrative that internet coverage is driven by technical gaps (coverage and capacity), rather than underlying economic issues (lack of quality jobs and stifled opportunities). So what should be examined instead is the relationship between disposable income, bundle pricing and internet uptake. > > Although one service provider in Kenya is making super profits, and has been growing in double digits, the broader economy does not reflect their vibrancy (the disparity is so wide, it is like the company exists in another dimension or on another planet) - which is a compelling indicator of serious market dysfunction e.g. unfair competition, excessive market power by one player, economically risky dominance and/or predatory practices (see link #4). > > When market dysfunction persists for long it can be an indication of regulatory capture or excessively high economic dependency, such that regulator is afraid to interfere - which severely degrades economic resilience via single point of failure scenario, and allows the problem to baloon to catastrophic levels over time (see link #2). > > More telling is the fact that we don't have a "number two" in terms of profits. So the demand/supply data is supporting the oft posited assertion that there is an unfair competitive landscape and monopolistic practices in the Telecomms sector (e.g. customer lock-in via network effects thus high switching costs / stifled innovations when the leader wants to get involved in everything - from taxi services to selling vegetables online etc).?? > What the data is telling us is that initiatives like the National Broadband Strategy should focus more on addressing demand side factors (e.g. deploying USF towards local content production, seed funding for startups and so on). Increasing supply at this time will be inefficient and wasteful (only a few will benefit at the expense of majority). > > Good evening. > > Links / References: > 1. Market gap analysishttp://www.consumerpsychologist.com/dist_Gap_Analysis.html <analysishttp://www.consumerpsychologist.com/dist_Gap_Analysis.html> > 2. Regulatory Capture: A reviewhttps://www.jstor.org/stable/23606888?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents <reviewhttps://www.jstor.org/stable/23606888?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents> > 3. Kenya Demographic Profile 2018 > https://www.indexmundi.com/kenya/demographics_profile.html <https://www.indexmundi.com/kenya/demographics_profile.html> > 4. Market Failure > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_failure <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_failure> > 5. GSMA Mobile economy 2019 > https://www.gsma.com/r/mobileeconomy/ <https://www.gsma.com/r/mobileeconomy/> > Brgds,Patrick. > [Cross-domain Innovator | Independent Public Policy Analyst - Indigenous Innovations] >

2 1

[cyber risk management opportunity for Africa] Huawei willing to sign "no-spy" "no backdoor" agreements with governments: Chairman
by Patrick A. M. Maina 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Good morning Listers, It is my hope that Kenya government and other African countries will move swiftly to take advantage of Huawei's "no spy" "no backdoor" agreement offer (and then push for similar agreements from other manufactures like CISCO, Intel as well as OS and DB providers like Microsoft, IBM, and Google - among others) because once international pressure is off, it will be very difficult (if not impossible) to get such deals on win-win terms. This is a rare and time-bound window of opportunity for African countries because we seldom have real international negotiation leverage and we do need affordable technologies (and supplier diversity) so hopefully it will not be wasted! Huawei can benefit by using Africa as a PR model to assure Europe and other regions where its technologies are popular. This can also turn the PR tables and put the spotlight on other global manufactures who are also known to offer undocumented backdoor access to their technologies. In the long run, this could lead to higher levels of trust within global markets - a win for everyone. Kenya can also leverage such agreements as a basis for B2G partnerships in cyber-defense to help Kenya develop indigenous technical capabilities for improved Cyber Resilience. Not just relying on imported (opaque - and probably trojan ridden) tools - as is currently the case - but being able to write our own low-level quality assurance tools for example. Data has no value if you can't protect it (from risks like theft / corruption / destruction / hijack etc). ------ Excerpt: “We are willing to sign no-spy agreements with governments, including the UK government, to commit ourselves to making our equipment meet the no-spy, no-backdoors standard,” Huawei chairman Liang Hua told reporters in London via an interpreter. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-huawei-security-britain-chairman/huawei-… Have a great day, Brgds,Patrick. Patrick A. M. Maina[Cross-domain Innovator | Independent Public Policy Analyst - Indigenous Innovations]

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Finally we have a Digital Economy Blueprint! But now the real work of IMPLEMENTATION begins.
by Patrick A. M. Maina 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Dear listers, What are your thoughts on the Digital Economy Blueprint? My first impressions are that the document is comprehensive and inclusive. It does a good job of balancing a complex landscape of diverse interests - while maintaining focus on Kenya's prosperity as an overarching goal. Stakeholders now have common reference point for shared understanding on how public and private sector initiatives fit into the bigger picture; and the 5 Pillars approach, if well implemented, should lead to an optimal balance of initiatives and outcomes. Kudos to NCS, MoICT and all (public/private sector) stakeholders who were involved for doing a great job! But even as we celebrate, let us remind each other that "the map is not the territory". Kenya is renowned for world-class documents, blueprints, strategies and policies which are launched with pomp and color, only to be carefully shelved after the excitement is over (and then everyone goes back to the chaos that we are used to). A document is only a map; it is not the goal. Real success comes with implementation; hence the focus now should be on getting things done in the real world and striving for real measurable results. Here are some ideas for implementation: 1. Set up a website for the Digital Economy Blueprint to bring the document to life. 2. Develop a Visual Traceability Map (hopefully interactive - but can be static to begin with) showing: a. How the blueprint maps to Big 4 and Vision 2030 b. How all recent, ongoing and planned initiatives (including tenders) link back to the five pillars - to help improve visibility on whether resources allocation is optimally and sensibly balanced across all pillars - in order to avoid the trap of sub-optimization. 3. Enhance the map by adding the ability to switch the view according to different perspectives (e.g. budget / expenditure / new revenues / number of startups / jobs / investments / acquisitions / PPP projects / project status overviews / vendor distribution / counties etc) to give fairly precise indicators of where we are and where we are going as a country. 4. Develop a ROI Linkage Map that associates expenditure initiatives with benefit generating initiatives (including forward looking - ahead of demand, but time-bound projections - which would then be compared to actuals over time). The questions to answer include: are we optimally allocating capital and are investments yielding the promised benefits? This way we can learn about what works and what doesn't - and build confidence and competence across the board. 5. Blueprint implementation should look beyond tenders and spending: Our government needs new diversified sources of revenues - and pillars 2 and 4 are about developing new revenue streams for the country by establishing Kenya as a leading exporter of digital products and services in Africa and beyond. Hopefully these crucial pillars will get strong attention and financial targets will be set for implementation teams, against which performance should be measured. If done well, it should help reduce our country's reliance on debt for budget support. Implementation is the only way to bring a great plan / vision to life. Have a great day! Link: http://www.ict.go.ke/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Kenya-Digital-Economy-2019.… Brgds,Patrick. Patrick A. M. Maina[Cross-domain Innovator | Independent Public Policy Analyst - Indigenous Innovations]

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Fwd: [afnog] Application for AfPIF-2019 fellowship is now open/ L'inscription au programme de bourses AfPIF-2019 est ouverte
by Barrack Otieno 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

This might be of interest to some. Regards ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Betel Hailu <hailu(a)isoc.org> Date: Tue, 14 May 2019 06:05:48 +0000 Subject: [afnog] Application for AfPIF-2019 fellowship is now open/ L'inscription au programme de bourses AfPIF-2019 est ouverte To: "afnog(a)afnog.org" <afnog(a)afnog.org> VERSION FRANCAISE CI-DESSOUS ============================== Hello everyone- Application for AfPIF-2019 fellowship is now open! Looking for fellowship to attend AfPIF-2019? There is limited fellowship opportunity - see if you qualify. #WomeninTech who have an interest in peering and interconnection are also encouraged to apply. Applications will close on May 29 2019 ============================== Bonjour à toutes et à tous- L’inscription au programme de bourses AfPIF-2019 est ouverte ! Vous cherchez des bourses pour participer à AfPIF-2019 ? Les places sont limitées, cependant vérifiez si votre profil correspond aux critères. #LesFemmesTech qui sont intéressées autour des concepts de peering et de transit sont également invitées à soumettre leurs candidatures. Dernier délai pour déposer les candidatures: le 29 Mai, 2019 Betel Hailu For AfPIF Comms -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Government AI Readiness Index Launch - May 15th 1400 UTC
by Alex Comninos 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Dear All, I Invite you to the launch of the Oxford Insights Government AI Readiness Index (a webinar) tomorrow May15th 1400 UTC If you would like to attend please register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ai4d-knowledge-webinar-introducing-the-2019-go… Description Technologies have had an undeniable impact on improving living standards, connecting us together, and increasing productivity. With the right policies and institutional arrangements, governments can ensure that the benefits of artificial intelligence are shared broadly. This one-hour webinar will introduce and ignite a dialogue on this year’s Government AI Readiness Index and its implications on various regions. The dialogue will draw on the knowledge of leading regional experts who penned this report. The Panelists • Hannah Miller, Report Lead Author from Oxford Insights, UK • Isaac Rutenberg, Director of the Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law, Kenya • Fabrizio Scrollini, Executive Director of the Latin American Open Data Initiative, Uruguay • Alex Comninos, AI4D Policy & Regulation Focal Point, Research ICT Africa, South Africa This webinar will be moderated by Robert Muthuri, AI4D Policy & Regulation Focal Point, Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Technology, Kenya When • Wednesday, May 15, 2019, from 16h-17h PM Nairobi Time | 14h-15h PM London -GMT | 9h-10h AM ET - Ottawa Time • This webinar will be hosted on Webex We look forward to your participation in this webinar. For more information visit our website: https://ai4d.ai/project/ai-index/ The 2019 Government AI Readiness Index was produced by Oxford Insights with support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Kind regards, Alex Comninos Alex Comninos Researcher | Research ICT Africa acomninos(a)researchictafrica.net | twitter: @alexcomninos @RIAnetwork 409 Old Castle Brewery, 6 Beach Road, Woodstock, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa +27 21 447 6332 | researchictafrica.net | facebook.com/researchICTafrica.net

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Annual ICT conference
by Fiona Makaka 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Good morning Listers, Do we have a representative participating in this conference? Regards, Fiona Makaka Associate - Telecommunications, Media and Technology T: +254 (709) 830 100 | E: fmakaka(a)tripleoklaw.com A: 5th Floor, Block C, ACK Garden House, 1st Ngong’ Avenue, off Bishops Road, Nairobi, Kenya | View MapDownload contact details | View Disclaimer

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[team up & bid] CA's Tender for Consultancy Ser- vices For The Study On Over-The- Top (OTTS) Technologies/Services In Kenya
by Patrick A. M. Maina 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Dear listers, This might be of interest to some listers. The above tender by CA is reserved for local 100% owned consultancies. Deadline is 22nd May (~8 days). Do you own or know an eligible consultancy that could be interested in bidding? Or you can team up with others to meet the requirements? If you need an extra hand (I qualify for "other consultant") I can be of service. Just inbox me. OTT is an area that I have researched on quite deeply and accumulated a lot of insights (as well as broad hands-on experience). Good day,Patrick. Patrick A. M. Maina[Cross-domain Innovator | Public Policy Analyst - Indigenous Innovations]

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KRA targets online businesses in tax evasion crackdown
by Victor Kapiyo 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has set sights on businesses using the Internet to market and sell products in a renewed bid to reduce revenue leakage through tax evasion. The taxman says some of the businesses, which have invested in online channels to provide services and drive sales were neither paying taxes nor filing annual returns. https://mobile.nation.co.ke/business/KRA-targets-online-businesses-in-tax-e…

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Re: [kictanet] [the CNBC report supports SGR idea] .KE SGR + CNBC - Why The US Has No High-Speed Rail
by Patrick A. M. Maina 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

For those who haven't watched it (see link #4 below), the video posted by Mr. Muraya supports the idea of a rail system like SGR and discusses how past US administrations' mistake of pandering to corporate interests (like car manufacturers, road contractors and petroleum barons) led to sub-optimal infrastructural decisions which will be very costly to undo, if at all possible, and which inadvertently created a niche for other countries, like China, to establish technological leadership in Rail innovations, that is now being used for geopolitical advantage against US interests. This is an excellent case study of how short-term oriented corporate lobbyists push for policies that sabotage governments and public interest in the long term. It also makes an interesting point: that high quality public infrastructure decisions are best driven by public interest and long term strategic planning (i.e. master-plan design instead of a haphazard "lets please the deepest pockets" approach). The politics around our SGR makes it a tricky and sensitive topic. It is very difficult to have a sober debate on such topics because positions are so deeply entrenched and heavily reliant on deep personal convictions (rather than rational thought or evidence), as well as undisclosed political motivations, that it sometimes looks like a religious debate. A key sign of entrenched positions is when sweeping statements are articulated as absolute and irrefutable "truths", applicable to ALL scenarios, no matter what, often with no supporting evidence or data, but even when confirming evidence or data exists, there is little if any interest in looking for, or entertaining, contradictory evidence or data. You can't establish an "absolute truth" by inductive reasoning (see links #1 & #2 below). No wonder at the end of every debate on such hot topics, each side becomes more entrenched in their previous beliefs and absolutely no learning takes place, because in reality, it is not the issue itself being debated or defended, but the normative (right/wrong/good/bad) connotations around the issue - which significantly raises the personal stakes among participants leading to a natural defensive reaction. There are scientific explanations for this i.e. cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias - so irrational positions are not just about "tribe" or political affiliations but how our brains are fundamentally wired to operate when we are in real/perceived groups. (see link #3 below) Even as I write this, I can't help but feel like a fly walking into the spider's den... Still, let me muster some courage and try tiptoe around the political minefield, so as to offer an intellectual perspective to those who may be receptive to a rational discussion on the topic of investment appraisal for public infrastructure. To begin, two interesting phrases have been made by fellow listers, which I think are not as congruent as they may appear. The phrase "ahead of demand" makes more sense to me than "not really supposed to break even". The former considers or recognizes the question of demand. The latter dispenses with it completely. I believe that SGR is an "ahead of demand" project that makes a lot of sense - just like Thika Superhighway and the various city bypass roads. The government is just not articulating its position well because it seemingly does not have a technocratic communication team (or Think Tank) that can engage ,non-politically, with opposing intellectuals to offer robust rebuttals to (real/purported) intellectual arguments, whilst educating the public on complexities and nuances around public interest projects. This failure to offer a robust articulation of net gains has a negative impact on trust - which creates room for toxic politics (propaganda). SGR is a component of a continent-wide master-plan. If you consider developments like AfCFTA and continent-wide infrastructure projects, the SGR starts to make a lot of sense. Most arguments against it try to limit the scope of benefit to tangible aspects (direct revenue) strictly within the local context - but holistic business cases will also consider the intangible benefits (e.g. opening up the economy for MSMEs) as well as broader contexts (e.g. AfCFTA, strategic geopolitical gains etc). So the business case for SGR (and it's payback period) largely depends the methodology and inputs used to calculate it - and this is why it is so vulnerable to politics. Sadly, Wanjiku doesn't know this - and Government has, so far, been doing a poor job of articulating it (as well as losing out of the benefits of teaching citizens how to think critically and independently - such as, lowering susceptibility of general population to geopolitical subversion. But these weaknesses can be addressed at any time by the relevant decision makers, if they wish to do so. Is it pedantic to examine the difference between "ahead of demand" vs "not really supposed to break even"? Well, if you believe resources are unlimited, that any debt is better than smart debt, and that there are no competing alternatives where allocation of capital would yield better returns, then, yes, you will assert pedantry. But if you take the view that resources are indeed scarce, that we are a poor country that relies on debt to provide even basic services like healthcare and/or education for our children, that we need to accumulate smart debt - not any debt, and you recognize the need to strike a balance between immediate needs (economic pain relief) and long term gains, you will see value in considering the demand-side and a culture that strives to focus on projects that have a clear and high value proposition for the country (the SGR being one of them, IMO). Perhaps Isiolo Airport would be an example of Ali's "not really supposed to break even" project, if recent media reports are anything to go by (see link #5). I don't have data to make any definitive conclusions on it as yet so I reserve my opinion. In order to establish a robust counter-narrative to that posed by economists and intellectuals (so that Wanjiku doesn't fall for intellectual dishonesty) the government should consider setting up "think tank" agencies or workgroups, in collaboration with entrepreneurs, TVETs and Universities, to offer intellectually robust thought leadership on national discourse; taking in the good ideas and offering robust counter-narratives to politically motivated intellectual arguments. We need a culture of low-stakes debate, where we people can talk to each other about things/perspectives that we disagree on, with the goal of educating ourselves as curious individuals, and as a collective that desires to make the right choices for our, and our children's long term benefit. Good evening. Links / References: 1. The Problem of Induction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_of_induction 2. Deeper discussion on Inductive reasoning https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_reasoning 3. Confirmation Bias And the Power of Disconfirming Evidence https://fs.blog/2017/05/confirmation-bias/ 4. CNBC Report - Why The US Has No High-Speed Rail https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qaf6baEu0_w 5. https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/corporate/shipping/Isiolo-Airport-mostl… Brgds,Patrick. Patrick A. M. On Friday, May 10, 2019, 8:54:24 PM GMT+3, Eng. Dr. Zaipuna O. Yonah via kictanet <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: I concur! I consider Infrastructure projects as investments AHEAD of demand, not where there is demand. RegardsZaipuna On Fri, 10 May 2019, 19:16 Ali Hussein via kictanet <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke wrote: Interesting take. Just one thing. Infrastructure projects are not really supposed to break even. This is not a Profit and Loss situation. The ramifications of great infrastructure supersede the profit motive. Regards AliHussein 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, May 10, 2019 at 11:20 AM S.M. Muraya via kictanet <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: Interesting documentary here..Why The US Has No High-Speed Rail - https://youtu.be/Qaf6baEu0_w Even with digital transformations, the USA is still creating (service industry jobs) which require movement of people + cargo, not just movement of money (online banking services). MAYBE, the KE SGR will break even in 30 years (serving over 90 Mln Kenyans) if Kenyan SMEs are empowered to create more jobs all over Kenya. http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/opinion/2010/04/28/demographic-transition-… worldpopulationreview.com/countries/kenya-population/ _______________________________________________ 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. _______________________________________________ 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/engyonah%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. _______________________________________________ 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/pmaina2000%40yahoo.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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State of Broadband in Kenya - breakfast meeting
by Mwendwa Kivuva 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

KICTAnet conducted an online debate on the state of play and impact of broadband in Kenya, broadly looking at the socio-economic impact on consumers, businesses and various sectors like agriculture, education, healthcare, finance and government; looking at real life examples of impact of broadband, challenges we face in increasing impact of broadband and recommendations on interventions needed to address the challenges identified. The results of the discussion will be shared in a face to face breakfast meeting to be held on Friday 10th May 2019 at Sarova Panafric hotel, Nairobi from 7.30am Below is the eventbrite link for registration to participate in the event. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/state-of-broadband-in-kenya-breakfast-meeting-… ______________________ Mwendwa Kivuva

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Re: [kictanet] State of Broadband in Kenya - breakfast meeting
by nzambi kakusu 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Thanks, I will be there. On Thu, 9 May 2019 11:05 am Mwendwa Kivuva, <lordmwesh(a)gmail.com> wrote: > You can just come. You are welcomed > > On Thu, May 9, 2019, 07:21 nzambi kakusu via kictanet < > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: > >> Good morning, I had been asked to confirm to Mwara about the attendance. >> Can I still register? >> >> >> On Wed, 8 May 2019 4:11 pm Mwendwa Kivuva via kictanet, < >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: >> >>> We still have some slots remaining for the breakfast meeting on Friday. >>> Apply here on Eventbrite >>> >>> >>> https://www.eventbrite.com/e/state-of-broadband-in-kenya-breakfast-meeting-… >>> >>> >>> Warm Regards >>> ______________________ >>> Mwendwa Kivuva, >>> >>> >>> On Tue, 7 May 2019 at 01:28, Mwendwa Kivuva <Kivuva(a)transworldafrica.com> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> KICTAnet conducted an online debate on the state of play and impact of >>>> broadband in Kenya, broadly looking at the socio-economic impact on >>>> consumers, businesses and various sectors like agriculture, education, >>>> healthcare, finance and government; looking at real life examples of impact >>>> of broadband, challenges we face in increasing impact of broadband and >>>> recommendations on interventions needed to address the challenges >>>> identified. >>>> >>>> >>>> The results of the discussion will be shared in a face to face >>>> breakfast meeting to be held on Friday 10th May 2019 at Sarova >>>> Panafric hotel, Nairobi from 7.30am >>>> >>>> >>>> Below is the eventbrite link for registration to participate in the >>>> event. >>>> >>>> >>>> https://www.eventbrite.com/e/state-of-broadband-in-kenya-breakfast-meeting-… >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> ______________________ >>>> Mwendwa Kivuva >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>> 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/kakusuj7%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. >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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/kivuva%40transworldaf… >> >> 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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Webinar Invitation: Evolving ICANN’s Multistakeholder Model
by Bob Ochieng 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Dear listers, Let me share details of the above webinar here: https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2019-05-07-en <https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2019-05-07-en> You are all invited if you can find time. Thank you. Bob.

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Fwd: [afnog] NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2019 JONATHAN B. POSTEL SERVICE AWARD NOW OPEN
by Barrack Otieno 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Listers, This is for your information and action. Best Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Betel Hailu <hailu(a)isoc.org> Date: Wed, May 8, 2019 at 10:13 AM Subject: [afnog] NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2019 JONATHAN B. POSTEL SERVICE AWARD NOW OPEN To: afnog(a)afnog.org <afnog(a)afnog.org> Hi everyone- Each year, the Internet Society awards the Jonathan B. Postel Service Award to an individual or an organization that has made outstanding contributions in service to the data communications community. The award committee places particular emphasis on candidates who have supported and enabled others in addition to their own specific actions. Nominations may be submitted by self-nomination or by a third party. The deadline for nominations is *15 May 2019*. For more information, see: https://www.internetsociety.org/postel Thank you, *Betel Hailu *| *Communications Coordinator – Africa Regional Bureau *|* Internet Society* skype: betty.hailu | *www.InternetSociety.org <http://www.InternetSociety.org> *| *Follow Us * [image: iption: Macintosh HD:Users:betelhailu:Desktop:facebook.png] <https://www.facebook.com/ISOCAfrica>[image: iption: Macintosh HD:Users:betelhailu:Desktop:twitter.png] <https://twitter.com/ISOC_Africa> _______________________________________________ afnog mailing list https://www.afnog.org/mailman/listinfo/afnog -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Crowd Sourced Citizen Report Cards + strategic inefficiency is what creates a large number jobs
by Jimmy Gitonga 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

This is what I think about the two issues. We need Citizen Report Cards. We need to find a way to do this by crowd sourcing not just the information, but the funding as well. At some point, Kenyans who are wealthy enough to offer patronage to citizen worthy causes and projects. This is the same for the seed funding required to develop local, indigenous ideas that have a potential to benefit all of us. The first obstacle we must get rid of is the “get rich quick” mentality in the “startup" fad. Sadly, we are mostly suspicious of one another in this country so few are willing to give money to a visibly worthy cause because the said startup entrepreneurs will probably line their pockets and not succeed in fulfilling the “social contract”. But if we went past these small issues, we can build web portals that visualise a lot of public data such as the KNBS census and household data. I did some work with Mzalendo Trust where a report was done on the Women representatives in the 11th Parliament. It was released as an infographic that really was a score card - http://info.mzalendo.com/media_root/file_archive/WP-Contributions_11th_Parl… <http://info.mzalendo.com/media_root/file_archive/WP-Contributions_11th_Parl…>. We did some research on what the baseline issues should be in the counties these women represent. We found the Kenya Socio-economic Atlas invaluable - https://www.kenya-atlas.org/ <https://www.kenya-atlas.org/>. We were able to see that Kenya should really be divided around its climatic predispositions and state funding should flow with these conditions in mind. I asked myself, why can’t the Kenya Atlas be made interactive and up-to-date? As it is, it is a fantastic source of data for socio-economic policy development. After talking to the program manager at CETRAD and remembering some conversations with a commissioner at the Commission on Revenue Allocation, I think that this is a worthwhile thing to pursue. This then informs and frames the issue of strategic inefficiency. Just by looking at the Kenya Atlas, one could quickly understand why sugar cane growing in Kenya will never be sustainable compared to the COMESA region. The inefficiencies in the sugar sector do keep a lot of farmers busy but these jobs are not sustainable. We have a lot of the information and most of the tools that we can use to make Kenya strategically efficient in this region for our benefit. If sugar from Sudan and maize from Malawi are cheaper to buy than to grow and the fact that we have a larger source of educated human resource and are leading in financial services means we have things we can trade in with our neighbours, to our benefit. The cheap and unnecessary political animosity we seem to encourage with our COMESA exemptions would be dissipated. These types of information can be disseminated as Citizen Report Cards with the added benefit of civic education that would result from discussions around the reports. After the Women Representatives report card, Parliamentarians began using the Mzalendo score cards in their re-election material. Best Regards, Jimmy Gitonga Web Software Design and Development LinkedIn: Jimmy Gitonga | Twitter: @Afrowave ______________________________________ Web: afroshok.com <http://afroshok.com/> > Indeed, Crowd Sourced Citizen Report Cards could lead to increased public sector accountability. Currently this gap is being filled by Twitter, in a crude way, but the potential is clear.? > > How do you see the PPP arrangement with MSMEs looking like conceptually? Hopefully not to be financially sustained by Government, keeping in mind the reality of cartels / MNC lobbyists / tenderpreneurs who will quickly hijack it, establish themselves as gatekeepers and turn it into a rent seeking charade? > I am of the view that the data should be provided for free to anyone (e.g. via secure government APIs) and MSMEs should find their own ways of "monetizing" it by creating innovative value-add propositions e.g. unique methods of analysis to yield forensic or predictive insights, independent content publishing or journalism. > > Crowd funding via voluntary donations could also come into play to provide additional financial sustenance and maximize public ownership/goodwill around the initiative. > > The open model will keep cartels away because there is real work and real value creation involved with no "assured income" and no gatekeepers to collect rent. Incidentally, these difficulties will attract real entrepreneurs, so it's a great way of screening. > > I think the idea (or different flavors of it) is worth piloting e.g. at a progressive County or Ministry (perhaps in partnership with a local University or TVET institution). Let's see what happens, now that the idea is in the public domain. Great potential for creating new jobs and for inspiring an R&D culture that focuses on solving real-world problems. > > Have a great evening! > > Brgds,Patrick. > > Patrick A. M. Maina[Cross-domain Innovator | Public Policy Analyst - Indigenous Innovations] > > On Fri, May 3, 2019 at 5:13 PM Patrick A. M. Maina <pmaina2000(a)yahoo.com <mailto:pmaina2000@yahoo.com>> wrote: > > Noted Muraya & thanks for clarifying. > True. Public projects should have public oversight unless there are clear compelling reasons, in public interest, to the contrary. > So, if I understand you correctly, the role of MSMEs would be to: > 1. Create public information web portals and keep them updated regularly. > 2. Collect accurate updates on government projects (e.g. go to project sites take photos and conduct contractor interviews every month; also collect data from relevant agencies) and update the data to the portal. > 3. Conduct analyses on data and publish fairly objective scorecard/dashboard reports for all eligible government projects.? > Is that similar to what you had in mind?? > What would the SME business model look like to avoid a rent-seeking type arrangement that in itself would be subject to corruption (which would turn the whole idea into a big mess)? > Though I support the idea of initial seed capital from gov, I think the SMEs would have to sustain themselves independently afterwards for it to make sense e.g. through ads or some indirect synergies where the portal adds value to their core business. > New Media businesses (independent publishers) for example might use this to boost their traffic/engagement (and advertising revenues). > Govenment could spice it up by creating a whistleblower bounty program where people who help identify corruption are paid x% of funds recovered (a graduated scale can be used, with hard capping). There would of course be need for smart rules to ensure the bounty program itself is not turned by cartels into a racket to fleece the gov. > I think you're on to something... > Brgds,Patrick.

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Fixing Africa's zig zag investment ecosystem
by Eric M K Osiakwan 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

https://www.africa.com/fixing-africas-zig-zag-investment-ecosystem/ <https://www.africa.com/fixing-africas-zig-zag-investment-ecosystem/> Eric here

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draft_declaration_of_principles_on_freedom_of_expression_in_africa_eng.pdf
by Lydia gachungi 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

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Public Consultation on the Draft Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa
by Lydia gachungi 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Public Consultation on the Draft Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa The Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa (the Special Rapporteur), one of the special mechanisms of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Commission), is undertaking an initiative to revise the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa (the Declaration), which was adopted during the 32nd Ordinary Session in October 2002. This initiative is being undertaken in pursuance of Resolutions 362, 350 and 222 of the African Commission, which mandated the Special Rapporteur, in conjunction with State Parties, civil society and other stakeholders, to revise and/or expand the Declaration to cover freedom of expression and access to information issues that may have been only part-included or not included at all in the Declaration, including by taking account of developments in the internet age. The draft Declaration on Principles of Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa (Draft Declaration) has been developed under the leadership of the Special Rapporteur. As part of the consultative process, the Special Rapporteur invites all state and non-state stakeholders to forward their inputs on the draft Declaration, by close of business on 01 July 2019. The Draft Declaration can be found using the link above, to the English, French and Portuguese versions. Contributions should be sent to the Secretariat of the African Commission on the following email address: au-banjul(a)africa-union.org. Done in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, 30 April 2019 http://www.achpr.org/news/2019/04/d375/

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Go big or Go Home: Money Matters
by Mbugua Njihia 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Sometimes, deep pockets are needed to power through long-term opportunities; providing runway and capital for physical infrastructure and ‘plumbing’ before technology can stitch it all together - http://www.mbuguanjihia.com/business/gobigorgohome.html *Regards,* Mbugua Njihia ᐧ

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Fwd: [AfrICANN-discuss] Alert: Phishing Scam Email From "sales@icann.org"
by Barrack Otieno 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Yaovi Atohoun <yaovi.atohoun(a)icann.org> Date: Sun, 5 May 2019 21:13:33 +0000 Subject: [AfrICANN-discuss] Alert: Phishing Scam Email From "sales(a)icann.org" To: AfrICANN Community List <africann(a)afrinic.net> Hello everyone / Bonjour à tous EN: Please read more at https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2-2019-05-02-en FR : Alerte hameçonnage : escroquerie par message électronique depuis « sales(a)icann.org ». Plus d’information à https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2-2019-05-02-fr Thanks / Merci -- Yaovi Atohoun Stakeholder Engagement and Operations Manager- Africa; ICANN Tel. +229 66015649/65209067 www.icann.org -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Twitter Kenya, Twitter Policy/Support
by Mutemi wa Kiama 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Dear all, Are there individuals who work for Twitter Public Policy or Twitter Support on this list? Warm regards, Edwin Kiama Thoughts become things... choose the good ones! *-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------* *Social Justice & Social Accountability Entrepreneur, Facilitator, Movements' Coach, Human Rights Defender, * *#DevolutionIsRevolution Champion* *The Wanjiku Agenda Kenya Foundation (WAKenya)*Ordinary, fearless Kenyans. Sauti Ya Wanjiku Social Movement www.sautiyawanjiku.com https://www.facebook.com/wanjikurevolutionkenya https://twitter.com/WanjikuRevolt https://plus.google.com/u/1/+WanjikuMapinduzi/posts http://www.scribd.com/wmkenya "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." *~Margaret Mead*

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Fwd: Invitation to join the Africa Youth IGF session planning working group
by Keith Andere 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Dear Listers, This might of interest to some of you. Regards, Keith. ---------- Forwarded message --------- From:SILLAH Kawsu <kawsu.sillah(a)gmail.com> Date: Thu, 2 May 2019, 22:47 Subject: Invitation to join the Africa Youth IGF session planning working group To: KAWSU ESSA SILLAH <kawsu.sillah(a)gmail.com> Cc: Keith Andere <kephand(a)gmail.com> Dear All, I am transmitting this message on behalf of my colleague Mr. Keith Andere, Youth Representative at African Internet Governance Forum <https://afigf.africa/>'s Multi Advisory Group <https://afigf.africa/sites/default/files/2018/Composition%20of%20African%20…> (AfIGF MAG) for 2019-2020. Mr. Andere is currently working on planning the Youth session at upcoming 8th session of African Internet Governance Forum to be held in September 2019 in a location to be determined. Accordingly, Mr. Andere is inviting young people active in the field of ICT/Internet policy related discussions to join the African YouthIGF Working Group. Interested candidates should be between the age of 18-35, and resident in African continent. To join, register your details from this link HERE. <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1L-XdZ_A1221TrMzzkZ35vU0e1jCb0Ts7KZv…> Also to a WhatsApp Group. Find link HERE. <https://chat.whatsapp.com/BFHCoywlZOM1kT2KY0rfoT> Kind regards, Kawsu <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1L-XdZ_A1221TrMzzkZ35vU0e1jCb0Ts7KZv…> -- Best Regards, [image: --]SILLAH Kawsu [image: https://]about.me/ksillah Website <http://www.auyc.org/> | Twitter <https://twitter.com/AYCommission> | Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/AYCommission/> | LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/company/african-youth-commission/about/> M/WhatsApp: +2209865300 Skype: profkawsu

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[strategic inefficiency is what creates a large number jobs] Jobs fall to 6 year low despite GDP "boom".
by Patrick A. M. Maina 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Dear listers, In order to create jobs, the government should move away from policies that focus on increasing efficiency to those that are strategically inefficient. Examples: 1. SMEs, e. g. cottage industries, are inefficient - compared to larger factories, but they can create exponentially more jobs with less tax breaks. Most SMEs also spend all their revenues in Kenya, while promoting other dependent MSMEs.. unlike large corporations which tend to move funds abroad for different reasons (tax, asset protection, hedging, dividends etc). 2. We always see donors (especially, I believe, WB & IMF if I recall correctly) always pushing govt to redirect expenditure from recurrent/wages to "development"/infrastructure (clearly in their own interest as assets can be securitized for their own peace of mind, and more debt can be incurred in dev projects). So they push developing countries to reduce manpower in critical strategic sectors of the economy (less teachers, doctors etc) or to pay below-market wages. What is the impact of such financial efficiency measures? Do they not care that the employees they keep asking to be retrenched are real people with families? Do they not care that manpower reduction means our children get the worst teacher:pupil or doctor:patient or police:civillian ratios? Such recommendations lead to massive hidden costs downstream that cannot be attributed (e.g. low quality education, poor healthcare, increased insecurity due to overloaded+underpaid workers). It just looks like we have endless problems of incompetence but it is not by accident... we follow "weaponised advice", designed to keeps us poor. Efficiency efforts should be limited to enabling high impact service delivery (optimized processes) not financial efficiency. Government should find ways/tactical excuses to ignore callous and unethical requests/pressures for cold blooded fiscal efficiency. Public sector Performance Contract targets need to be linked to a basket of grassroots metrics that reflect the general quality of life for the ordinary population (besides GDP, Inflation, NSE Index & exchange rate). This can be presented in dashboard format on eCitizen so that wanjiku can see what is happening, hold officials to account for not delivering and be motivated to support such initiatives (but the data must be *real* to avoid risk of future backlash). Our "missing middle" problem (i.e. a tiny middleclass) needs to be addressdd. It exists because government incentives for business have focused mainly on Micro enterprises which are too inefficient to be sustainable, and large corporations that are too efficient to fill the jobs gap (and too demanding - always asking for endless concessions just to maintain status quo). If you track current incentives given to large corporations and account for all outflows and hidden costs (many of these corporations are the architects of grand corruption in the country) - you will see a MASSIVE NET LOSS / WEALTH EXTRACTION directly attributable to corporate activities (e.g. encouraging harphazard spending, lobbying for bad laws or poor incentives).. despite the appearance of "gains" on simplistic paper reports that ignore the full impact. A thriving middle class (people who are not rich and not poor - with ability to buy a car, spend regularly on mid-level leisure and even save for luxury spending) is what ends poverty and drives a strong economy. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises SME are the key to a thriving middle class and rapid, large scale jobs creation. They tend to lean towards formality, will often have more educated founders, are inefficient because of scale - but not overly so as to be unsustainable like Micro enterprises, and a few will have potential to grow into mega corporations. De-risked MSEs are what attracts high quality FDI in the form of venture capital. So rather than pitch tax breaks to global investors, the government should pitch de-risked high potential small enterprises (the way Israel and some EU countries are doing) whose business model has been proven in order to attract capital to scale up the businesses. The reality of Tax incentives to big corporations is that they only cannibalize the treasury - and these same corporations will do everything they can to minimize local expenditure (even furniture is imported yet we have skilled carpenters), and extract wealth in all manner of ways (e.g. transfer pricing). Most jobs offered by large factories are low level, while skilled jobs (r&d, conceptualization, design, development) will be outsourced with the (false) excuse that Kenyans are not competent. In reality they just want to prevent HIGH VALUE KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER so that locals don't build indigenous alternatives. I know some of the things I write are not supposed to be said because it will spoil some lucrative plunder parties.. but I alsonknow many of you know what I am saying is TRUE because you have seen it being done, heard about it or (God forbid) participated in it . This habit of taming monsters by feeding them with our kids is becoming too much and has to be called out for what it is. The youth are our children. It is our duty to create an enabling ecosystem framework that attracts opportunities and truly rewards them for innovation. We need a Kenyan Steve Jobs or Bill Gates who own their own companies - rather than have them and their ideas gobbled up by monopolistic dinosaur corporations that want to suppress their enterpreneurial dreams supressed in order to delay, the next wave of disruptive innovations. We need hundreds of winning case studies - not tens of mostly foreign owned startups (not that it's a bad thing to have foreign ownership, the key thing is that, given our history of suppressed esteem, our youth desperately need role models they can relate to so that they can start BELIEVING in themselves). We can't just tell youth to be job creators.. that's like telling a starving person to go find food. If they knew how - or where, they would not be starving. The REAL reason we tell the youth to employ themselves - yet we have not created an enabling framework - is because they have caught us napping and we want to deflect responsibility. "We" means anyone over 35 years old whether in privage sector or Government. Our parents didn't give us a gift to keep (the opportunities we enjoyed), they gave us a BATON to pass on in a long term RELAY RACE. Did you drop your baton (I did too)? Pick it up. Ignore the naysayers. Start running. Link: https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/news/Formal-jobs-fall-to-6-year-low-des… Warmest regards,Patrick. Patrick A. M. Maina[Cross-domain Innovator | Public Policy Analyst - Indigenous Innovations]

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Fwd: [AfrICANN-discuss] [OT] Invitation RightsCon-Tunez: Roundtable discussion about biometrics
by Barrack Otieno 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Listers This is for your information and attention. Best Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From:Katitza <katitza(a)eff.org> Date: Fri, 3 May 2019 00:40 Subject: [AfrICANN-discuss] [OT] Invitation RightsCon-Tunez: Roundtable discussion about biometrics To: <africann(a)afrinic.net> Cc: Jennifer Lynch <jlynch(a)eff.org> Dear friends: My colleague Jennifer Lynch, EFF Surveillance Litigation Director,[1] is organizing a strategic roundtable at RightsCon to discuss biometric surveillance. If you are working on the issue and also going to RightsCon, would be great if you can join this conversation. If that's the case, could you please let Jennifer lynch(a)eff.org <jlynch(a)eff.org> knows directly that you’re interested in participating? [1] https://www.eff.org/about/staff/jennifer-lynch <https://www.eff.org/about/staff/jennifer-lynch> Thanks so much! Looking forward to seeting you at RightsCon! Katitza *Session Title: You're Not Just a Pretty Face: Biometric Surveillance Has Moved Beyond Face Recognition - How Do We Stop It?* Session Description: Every day we hear about new developments in face recognition in China, Israel, the US, and other countries - face recognition accuracy has improved exponentially; cameras are being deployed in more and more places; and face recognition is used for more and more services. However, by focusing solely on face recognition, activists, NGOs and lawyers are missing the forest for the trees. Face recognition is now just one of the many technologies incorporated into vast surveillance systems and used to track people. Other technologies in these systems - like object recognition, license plate and text recognition, voice recognition, and gait recognition - combined with cheap cloud storage and machine learning are allowing for tracking on a never-before-seen scale. This session will provide a space to discuss these topics. It will bring in experts to explain how technologies are working and how they are being deployed around the world. It will also encourage interactivity by asking all participants to share stories and contribute ideas for change. Main Goal of Session: The main goal of this session will be to share knowledge about the biometric technologies that governments are using or planning to use to surveil and track their citizens - what are the capabilities of these surveillance systems; which are the companies designing the technologies; what activism has worked to limit the reach of these systems; and how can we strategize and work together to stop them. Translate to Post-Conference Action: This session will translate to a post-conference action by building a community of lawyers and activists who are working together to share knowledge about and fight biometric surveillance. It may also develop principles for companies that are working on these technologies. _______________________________________________ AfrICANN mailing list AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/africann

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Data Protection Bill: Portability section
by Rafe Mazer 05 Jul '19

05 Jul '19

Hi KICTA Net members. I'm Rafe Mazer, a consumer protection in digital financial services specialist working in Kenya the past 5 years (and globally on this toic for 10+ years.) I just saw the new Data Protection Bill within the National Assembly ( http://parliament.go.ke/sites/default/files/2019-07/The%20Data%20Protection…) and wanted to raise a discussion internally about Section 38 on Data Portability to see if KICTA Net may want to engage further on the topic. Specifically there are two aspects that were concerning: 1. The allowance for 30 days to honor a data subject's request for information held on them. In a digital economy, this is an excessively long period, and also quite a blunt instrument to apply across the entire economy, where health records are different from government records are different from financial records, etc. This would also kill the utility of portability in spaces like FinTech. Imagine I want to use my economic history with data controllers to get competing mobile loan offers. It could take up to 30 days to share that information, which is not aligned with the near-instant nature of these products and consumers' expectations on timing. Already the Bill rightly notes portability should only apply where "technically feasible" to exempt low-tech industries or providers, so there is no sense is saying that those who are deemed to be able to comply technically with portability should have up to 30 days to do so. If this language is kept in it will be used to delay--and defacto deny--consumer use of their data for increased choice in digital segments of the economy. Further, since access to information is included in the same section as portability, and they are not explicitly differentiated, you could argue data controllers have not just 30 days to honor a portability request, but to even tell you what data they hold on you the data subject. This is far too long a time to permit for a basic consumer data right. Right now some providers offer financial statements to the data subject much faster than that--in minutes or seconds--but allowing 30 days could encourage setting practices to that standard going forward, reducing consumer access to their own data not improving it. 2. The allowance of a "reasonable fee" to be charged for a portability request could lead to anti-competitive and excessive pricing. "Reasonable" is highly subjective, and we have seen Competition Authority already had to intervene to stop anti-competitive use of wholesale USSD rates in mobile financial services ( https://techweez.com/2017/03/17/cak-wants-safaricom-lower-ussd-charges-mobi…) It is highly likely a "reasonable fee" window would be deployed similarly where beneficial to firms and require ex-post intervention. The original language from the 2018 Bill where this was free of charge seems a much better approach. Curious to hear others' thoughts or context on this section, and how KICTANet could help to fix this section for the final version of the Bill so we don't create an anti-innovation and anti-consumer portability regime that will be the law of the land. Thanks for the chance to share and discuss on this platform, Rafe Mazer

4 7

Call for Topics - Kenya IGF 2019
by Victor Kapiyo 05 Jul '19

05 Jul '19

Good afternoon Listers, The Kenya Internet Governance Forum (KIGF) is an annual meeting that brings together various stakeholder groups to dialogue on ICT and Internet policy. While the discussions give soft policy outcomes, KIGF is a knowledge sharing platform that informs and inspires policy actors in both the public and private sectors. The national forum also feeds into the regional and global IGFs through a chain of reporting and representation to the regional and global IGFs to ensure a bottom-up Internet policy development processes and a strong link between global internet policies and the national one. This year's event shall be held on *1 August 2018 in Nairobi. *Kindly save the date. Details of the venue and other logistics will be communicated in the coming days. On behalf of the local Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG), we'd be interested to hear your views on the issues and topics that you think ought to be discussed during this year's Kenya IGF. We have 3 themes in line with the Global IGF 2019 Themes <https://www.intgovforum.org/multilingual/content/igf-2019-themes> i.e. Data Governance; Digital Inclusion; and, Security, Safety, Stability and Resilience. Kindly share your input in this *Google Form. <https://forms.gle/VrLBYuwScjjJmixq8> *We'll be happy to receive your feedback by *Sunday, 7 July, 2019. * We shall then compile your input and prepare the topics for the pre-IGF online discussion in the coming weeks and the final IGF Programme. Good day *Victor Kapiyo* MAG 2019 ==================================================== *“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude” Zig Ziglar*

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CALL TO PARTICIPATE AT THE 4TH EDITION OF KENYA SCHOOL OF INTERNET GOVERNANCE (KESIG)
by mwara gichanga 05 Jul '19

05 Jul '19

Dear Listers The internet has become a vital platform for social, economic and political development in the world, and more increasing so here in Kenya. These bring about a lot of national interests around internet governance debates across all sectors . The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is pleased to welcome applications from those individuals interested in internet Governance for the 4th Edition of the Kenya School of Internet Governance (KeSIG). KeSIG takes place prior to the Kenya IGF, with the aim of introducing beginners to basic concepts in internet policy making. This is with the goal of creating and increasing the available expertise for participation in local and global internet governance processes. Learn more about KeSIG HERE Whether you are a policy maker, a researcher, a regulator, an engineer, a journalist, an entrepreneur or a human rights defender – if you are interested and want to get involved in internet policy and governance , KeSIG is designed perfectly for you! KeSIG will take place over a 3-day course from the 29th-31st July 2019, with the deadline for submissions closing on 13th July 2019, and announcement of selected participants following soon after. Kindly access application form HERE | | | | | | | | | | | 4TH EDITION OF KENYA SCHOOL OF INTERNET GOVERNANCE(KESIG) KICTANet welcomes applications for fellows for the 4th Edition of the Kenya School of Internet Governance (KeSIG... | | | For any further information or clarification , kindly email info(a)kictanet.or.ke or Mwara Gichanga mwaragichanga(a)kictanet.or.ke Warmly Mwara Gichanga Tech Policy Associate KICTANet

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Fwd: "Policy Engagement Alert" for July 2019.
by Barrack Otieno 05 Jul '19

05 Jul '19

Listers, Might be of interest to those following global Policy issues. Best Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Jasper Mangwana, eng <mailer(a)isoc.org> Date: Wed, Jul 3, 2019 at 10:57 PM Subject: "Policy Engagement Alert" for July 2019. To: Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com> "Policy Engagement Alert" for July 2019. Hello Barrack, Dear Colleagues, Please find below our "Policy Engagement Alert" for July 2019. This is a monthly information update, shared with our members to make you aware of forthcoming ISOC submissions, our policy-related engagements, meetings and dialogues, or upcoming policy documents where your input might be sought. We hope that you find the below information useful. Best regards, Carl Gahnberg *Upcoming policy papers or surveys for release or out for comment* The *Policy Brief - Principles for Responsible Data Handling* is now available on the Internet Society website at: https://www.internetsociety.org/policybriefs/responsible-data-handling/ *Engagements (Conferences, National IGFs, etc.) * *7th Annual LAC Telecommunications Congress (CLT), Cordoba, Argentina, 1-5 July *. The seventh edition of the "Congreso Latinoamericano de Telecomunicationes" will be held in Cordoba, Argentina, from 1st to 5th July. Sebastian Bellagamba and Raquel Gatto will be speaking at the event. More information can be found here: www.clt.lat/2019/eng *IGF France, Paris, 4 July* The French version of the IGF will be held on 4 July in Paris, Constance Bommelaer and Konstantinos Komatis will be engaged in discussions relating to regulation and IoT security. More information is available here: https://www.igf-france.fr/ *Taiwan IGF, Taipei, Taiwan July 5-6*. The APAC Bureau will be conducting two sessions, on Internet Consolidation, and on Multistakeholder Policymaking in Practice, at this year's TWIGF. More information can be found here: https://www.igf.org.tw/ *ITU Global Symposium for Regulators, 9-12 July, Vanuatu* The APAC Bureau will speak about inclusive connectivity at the ITU-GSR. Discussions will focus on digital strategies and policies, infrastructure regulation, trust and confidence in a data driven economy, spectrum management policy, and 5G. More information can be found here: www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Conferences/GSR/2019/Pages/... <https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Conferences/GSR/2019/Pages/default.aspx> *APAC Regional IGF, Vladivostok, Russia, July 16-19* The APAC Bureau will lead two workshops, one on Internet consolidation and another on IoT security at this year's APrIGF. The Bureau is involved in various committees of the APrIGF Multistakeholder Group, with Raj Singh currently chairing the APrIGF MSG. More information can be found here: https://aprigf.ru/ *7th Africa DNS Foru**m, **Gaborone, Botswana**, 22**-24 July,* The 7th Africa DNS Forum will be taking place in Gaborone, Botswana from the 22nd to 24th of July 2019. The event is now organized by AFTLD and ICANN and ISOC will be attending to make presentations on topics on DNS and security. More about the event here https://dnsforum.africa/ *West Africa Internet Governance Forum, 25 - 26** July**,** 2**019* Economic Commission of West Africa States (ECOWAS) and West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA) are leading the West African Internet Governance Forum (WAIGF) to establish a real multi-stakeholder platform for discussion on Internet issues. WAIGF meets once a year to discuss public policy issues related to Internet by including all stakeholders. This year is the 11th edition hosted in the Gambia, Banjul, from 25 to 26 July 2019 with the theme "Shared Responsibilities of Stakeholders for a Robust Internet Governance Ecosystem". This will be preceded by the 2nd West African School of Internet Governance (WASIG) from 22 - 24 July 2019. ISOC will be represented by Verengai. For more information please follow http://www.waigf.org/ *Youth IGF-USA Day Zero, July 24. **Washington, DC,* The Internet Society is helping to sponsor an event for youth ahead of the IGF-USA on July 25. The half-day event - being planned by youth for youth - will feature a keynote speaker and interactive conversations surrounding internet governance issues. NARB Summer Research Analyst Anna Higgins is leading the event. *Internet Governance Forum USA,** July 25**, **Washington, DC* The Internet Society North America Regional Bureau will attend IGF-USA for panels and discussions on internet governance issues such as techlash, cybersecurity and resiliency in internet infrastructure, and digital inclusion. Katie Jordan - NARB's Senior Policy Advisor - was on the planning committee for the panel on digital inclusion, which will discuss the digital divide, digital literacy, and innovative solutions to solving disparities in broadband access. Read more about IGF-USA here <https://www.igfusa.us/>. *North America Regional Bureau Chapter Workshop July 26, **Washington, DC,* Chapter representatives will gather in Washington DC to collaborate and plan ISOC mission activities in addition to participating in a masters class on membership recruitment, retention and engagement . *Launch of Indigenous Connectivity Summit Registration, Hilo, Hawaii. * NARB opened up registration for its third Indigenous Connectivity Summit that will take place in Hilo, Hawaii, from November 12-15, 2019. The summit is community-led and brings together Indigenous leaders, community members, community network operators, Internet service providers, researchers and policy makers with a common goal: connecting Indigenous communities to fast, affordable and sustainable Internet. Learn more about ICS 2019 here <https://www.internetsociety.org/events/indigenous-connectivity-summit/2019/> . *Highlights of Recent Activities* *Northwest Territories Tour, June 7-14. * NARB's Katie Jordan and Mark Buell - with the help of Mike West, Spencer Sevilla, and Dustin Phillips - traveled to the Northwest Territories of Canada to speak with communities about the benefits of community networks and the training processes we use. NARB is excited to begin training community members in Ulukhaktok, NWT, Canada, this year. Read more about our visit to Ulukhaktok in NNSL News here <https://nnsl.com/nwtnewsnorth/more-options-for-internet/>. *IG discussion with Francophone Missions, Geneva, 18 June* ISOC and ICANN was invited by the group of francophone ambassadors to the UN in Geneva to discuss emerging policy topics (Consolidation, Security, etc.) as well as Internet governance issues. Constance Bommelaer represented ISOC at this occasion. The discussion showed the importance of fluid discussions between stakeholder groups as policy leaders are more and more engaged in the digital sphere. *UN GGE, European consultations, Brussels, 20 June* The Internet Society participated at the EU Institute for Security Studies' (EUISS) session on the United Nations Group of Governmental Experts in advancing responsible behavior in cyberspace in the context of international security (UN GGE). The 73rd UN General Assembly established the UN GGE (2019-2021) and its first meeting will be held on 9-13 December 2019. The GGE Chair, Ambassador Guilherne Patriota (Brazil) was in attendance. The discussions were focused on the mandate of the UN GGE. The Internet Society was represented at this meeting by Constance Bommelaer *Asia-Pacific ICT Ministerial Meeting, Singapore, 25-26 June* The APAC Bureau participated in the high-level APT-MM, which drew up a five-year plan for ICT development in the region. The resulting ICT Ministerial Statement makes clear references to the multistakeholder model, fostering trust online, free flow of data, interoperability and connectivity for unserved and underserved areas--reflecting our key messages in our sustained engagement with the fora and with individual governments in the region. More information can be found here www.apt.int/2019-APT-MM *Hawaii Chapter Launch. * The North America Regional Bureau team is happy to announce the opening of the US Hawai'i chapter. Read more about the chapter and its mission in this post <https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2019/06/community-dispatch:-new-hawaii…> by Chapter Chair Burt Lum. The US Hawai'i chapter will help coordinate the Indigenous Connectivity Summit <https://www.internetsociety.org/events/indigenous-connectivity-summit/2019/> to be held in Hawai'i this November. Find the chapter website here <http://www.isochawaii.org/>. *Op-ed on internet access and indigenous languages in the Toronto Star. * NARB's Regional Bureau Chief Mark Buell co-wrote an op-ed in the Toronto Star this week on how Internet access can help conserve and revitalize indigenous languages. It called for more work to be done in funding Internet access in indigenous communities. Read the piece here <https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2019/06/25/internet-access-key…> . *Op-ed on bipartisan solutions for net neutrality in The Hill. * Katie Jordan - NARB's Senior Policy Advisor - published an op-ed in The Hill detailing the need for bipartisan collaboration on net neutrality policy. The op-ed also champions NARB's net neutrality multistakeholder process that wrapped up last month. Read the multistakeholder process report here <https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/doc/2019/net-neutrality-process-r…> and the op-ed here <https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/448561-america-needs-bipartisan-solu…> . *IoT Security Framework in **U**ruguay.* On 12 June, ISOC has signed an agreement with AGESIC - Government of Uruguay to develop recommendations for an IoT Security framework, similar to the processes developed in Canada, France and others. The kick-off meeting is expected to happen on mid July, to be organized together with the local Chapter. Information can be found here: www.internetsociety.org/blog/2019/06/... <https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2019/06/uruguay-joins-others-taking-ac…> *2019 Hackathon@AIS**, 19-20 June, Uganda* ISOC and AFRINIC co-organized the 3rd Hackathon@AIS alongside the Africa Internet Summit in Kampala, Uganda. The event attracted more than 100 participants for the two day event held on the 19th and 20th of June. 17 fellows from 12 countries were supported by ISOC to attend the event. 12 expert facilitators lead the participants in covering 5 main topics related to open Internet Standards development. To learn more about the event, please visit the event webpage here https://hackathon.internetsummitafrica.org *ISOC ARB Participates in the 2nd GFCE Triple I workshop in Kampala, 19 June 2019, Uganda * This workshop is initiated by the Global Forum for Cyber Expertise ( https://www.thegfce.com) and is supported by AfriNIC (https://afrinic.net/) AfricaCERT (https://www.africacert.org) AFNOG https://www.afnog.org/) (WACREN (https://www.wacren.net) ICANN (http://www.icann.org) the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate and the Internet Society. The workshop covered topics on open Internet Standards, security and encryption and also best practices to help improve Internet reliability. Sessions on IoT and MANRS were lead by ISOC at the event. *G20 Leaders Summit, 28-29 June, Osaka, Japan* G20 Heads of State and invited International Organizations leaders met in Japan to find common agreement under the 8 key thematic areas: Global Economy, Trade and Investment, Innovation, Environment and Energy, Employment, Women's Empowerment, Development and Health. They've released 2 outcomes documents: G20 Osaka Leaders' Declaration <https://g20.org/pdf/documents/en/FINAL_G20_Osaka_Leaders_Declaration.pdf>which mentions the benefits of technology and exchange of best practices, including the value of security in digital economy and the importance of bridging the digital divide; and G20 Osaka Leaders' Statement on preventing exploitation of the Internet for terrorism and violent extremism conducive to Terrorism (VECT) <https://g20.org/pdf/documents/en/FINAL_G20_Statement_on_Preventing_Terroris…> which builds on the Christchurch Call statement calling for online platforms to take action. *The Future of Tech Policy in India, Delhi, India, June 27*. The APAC Bureau supported discussions organised by Medianama to identify concerns and opportunities brought by various technology policies, including encryption and cybersecurity, in India. More information can be found here: www.medianama.com/2019/06/... <https://www.medianama.com/2019/06/223-announcing-policynext-on-the-future-o…> *1st Africa Region Data Protection and Privacy Conference, 23-27 June 2019 * ISOC participated in the Network of African Data Protection Authorities and Ghana Data Protection Commission hosted the Africa Data Protection and Privacy Conference, from June 23rd– June 27th 2019 in Accra, Ghana. The Africa Data Protection and Privacy Conference convened established Authorities in Africa and Global North counterparts for thought leadership, insight, best practice, high level strategic content and networking, providing a critical platform for promoting Africa's drive for Data Protection and Privacy laws in Africa. For more information visit the link, https://ardppc.com/ *OECD CDEP and Going Digital Project Phase II, Paris, 1-3 July, Paris, France* The CDEP will convene at OECD HQ in Paris to discuss upcoming work and new directions for the OECD's cross-sectoral initiative "Going Digital Phase II", discussing among other things the role of online platforms. ISOC participates in these processes through the Internet Technical Advisory Committee to the OECD (ITAC). Constance Bommelaer and Carl Gahnberg have participated in the event. ------------------------------ gahnberg(a)isoc.org Note: replies will be sent to the full discussion group. ------------------------------This is where your email content will go. Sincerely, [image: Internet Society] Don't miss a thing. 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Re: [kictanet] [who are the sponsors? Managing indoctrination risks...] CALL TO PARTICIPATE AT THE 4TH EDITION OF KENYA SCHOOL OF INTERNET GOVERNANCE (KESIG)
by Grace Bomu 04 Jul '19

04 Jul '19

1. Let's agree to disagree. I respect your views but do not want to lose a great idea like KeSIG to semantics and tradition. 2. KICTANet is donor funded. The theory of change is people centred ICT policy reforms in a multistakeholder space. Any donor who gives money understands that the network is made up of diverse views. Donors do not dictate content, they support programmes or activities. 3. Please read the book then we can discuss further. I find Dr. Kurbalija's organisation of internet governance issues genius as it helps beginners to make sense of a field that is full of jargon which may scare many away. 4. KICTANet is registered as a trust. The registered trustees have been petitioning for incorporation since 2016. This has been a difficult journey as it is at the discretion of the Minister (for lands). There is a plan for staggered succession. I guess all the energy has been directed at getting the incorporation so that there can be an proper organisation separate from the volunteers who are setting it up. There was an assessment of KICTANet in 2007 where options for registration of the organisation were floated. The urgency to formalise the organisation became apparent after the new Constitution when public participation was made mandatory. A group of us volunteered to pursue the registration in 2015 after the Kenya IGF. We consulted the founding members and got their blessing to go ahead. At the end of every year we have a state of ICT event. During this, people review the year and give suggestions for the next year's projects. Fundraising is on the basis of these suggestions. The gist of KICTANet has been a space for everyone interested in ICT policy development. Examples of policy issues that have been worked on from a proactive approach in the recent past include blockchain, elections technology and data protection. I believe the policy research is on the website and you can see the names of all the people who were involved. 5. It is easy to become an "insider". Just volunteer for a task/programme for example KeSIG and KIGF which are currently being planned. You can also bring an issue you care about and use the KICTANet brand we have built to work on it. This is how we got into the programme on community networks. 6. There has been thought about an organisational structure. It is envisaged that once incorporated (and funded), the trust will have employees who will run the programmes while trustees will be a board for governance. But all these are still visions. For the time being we have a convenor who provides strategic leadership and a steering team made of trustees and associates. Yes, volunteers are paid stipends and honoraria whenever the funding permits. I am not aware of any complaints from members/officials and would be happy to channel them to whoever can address them. I believe KICTANet has built a reputation in policy making circles locally, regionally and globally. Please understand that locally, we are working in an environment where most public bodies do not have proper public participation policies. Sometimes they send notices for public participation just a few days before expiry of the input period. I know many here would want more meaningful public participation, for example proactive participation. That said, it is the duty of everyone to notify the network when they see a relevant opportunity for public participation. Moderators do not have to be neutral, all stakeholders have different interests and backgrounds. Moderators have to be objective and inclusive. I am assuming that you are referring to moderated debates? 7. Yes, we have students assisting to run projects. We also have other groups of people who are learning, even though formally. I am hoping that they will come here and introduce themselves to you. Though between you and I, your style can be a bit intimidating. See how you tore apart an innocent message from a young Kenyan announcing KeSIG :) With regard to documents, there was a revamping of the website and I have also noted that I can't see all the annual reports, state of ICT/End year reports as well as the strategic report, which talks about the organisational structure that you are interested in. Let me look for them and get them posted. Yours, On Thu, 4 Jul 2019 at 22:28, Patrick A. M. Maina <pmaina2000(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > Thank you Grace for the detailed response and for acknowledging that the > issues that I raised are valid. Unfortunately your response seems to be > quite generalized/vague and that raises even more questions and/or > observations... > > 1. On the use of "school" to denote an event: Is it really an issue for a > "global" entity (I suppose you mean donors) to address? Do we not have our > own values as Kenya(ns) - or are they imposed on us? Shouldn't decisions on > core principles and values be made by local chapters? > > Disruption does not mean the use of deceptive tactics. To understand the > concept of disruption, please look up Clayton Christensen's extensive > work on the subject (see link #1). > > 2. Does KICTANet have a policy on sources of funding (e.g. to avoid > conflicts of interest or getting captured by vested interests via > dependency)? Recognizing that whoever pays the piper calls the tune, how > is this challenge managed? What about the perceptions of receiving money > from scandal ridden companies that are known for aggressive lobbying / > lawbreaking? > > While I appreciate your personal assurances, it is better to have > formalized institutional checks and balances as they are much more robust > (continuity, consistency, verifiability, documented expectations etc). I > shouldn't even be making this argument because the need for institutions > and systems approach is so obvious in Kenya given the pervasiveness of > corruption. > > 3. Isn't a taxonomy too abstract (more of a contextual lexicology guide) > to be considered as the basis for a training program? But what about the > actual course content? Where can it be viewed/downloaded from? How was it > developed? What quality assurance processes were applied? and so on... > > 4. KICTANet was registered in 2016? Noted. What type of organization is > KICTANet formally registered as? Is it an NGO? > > Three years looks like a long time for such an important organization to > operate without formal governance or institutionalized accountability...? > > Who are the current leadership team and for how long have they served? How > are/were they selected? Are they willing to embrace democratic ethos in > multi-stakeholder leadership (e.g. via annual elections and paving way for > new elected leaders)? > > Where do we get the audited (or unaudited) financial accounts for the 3 > years that the organization has been in existence - in the spirit of > transparency and accountability? > > What about the budget and planned programs for this year? I couldn't > locate them online. I remember requesting for this some months ago and I > believe there was an assurance that it would be published? > > 5. The idea of "outsider" vs "insider" perspectives has come up previously > as well. Perhaps it points to the need for more transparency about the > organization. So who are the insiders? How does one become one? What is the > basic knowledge that they should know and where do they get it? Perhaps an > insider on-boarding guide can be published so that all stakeholders get to > be insiders? > > 6. Please kindly share KICTANet's current org structure (does not have to > be a diagram) and who is in what role? How many commitees currently exist > and what are they working on? Who are volunteers and who are paid (stipends > / honorariums etc)? This knowledge can help manage stakeholder > expectations. > > If the team is adequate and diverse, why do we occasionally see complaints > from some members/officials about a growing list of pending items (some > have even been overtaken by events)? Also why does KICTANet seem to have > low influence in policy circles (e.g. members not notified of opportunities > for public participation or notified late as to negate meaningful > participation)? Is there a leadership challenge? > > How is moderator neutrality ensured in the platform? Some messages on the > platform go through but it seems like others don't (and yet others seem to > go to a limited set of individuals)? Can you shed more light on how that > works and what is the basis + oversight for it? > > 7. Do you have tertiary level students represented in senior and top > leadership roles (would be answered by #4 & #6)? Which Universities and > TVETs? > > Thanks again and I appreciate your taking time from your very busy > schedule to give a response. If governance can be ironed out, the > organization will be much more robust, effective and impactful - hence the > value of this discussion. > > Enjoy your evening & be blessed! > > Brgds, > Patrick > > Patrick A. M. Maina > [Cross-domain Innovator | Independent Public Policy Analyst - Indigenous > Innovations] > > *Links / References:* > > 1. Christensen et al; What Is Disruptive Innovation? > https://hbr.org/2015/12/what-is-disruptive-innovation > > > > On Thursday, July 4, 2019, 8:19:34 PM GMT+3, Grace Bomu < > nmutungu(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > Patrick, > 1. You raise high level policy issues which I will share with colleagues > in the global SIGs movement. Why do we use the word school? Why are we > non-conforming to the traditional methods of accreditation for training? I > think this comes from the (disruptive) history of internet policy making. > 2. As regards the sources of funding, I totally get your fears. However, > we live in this community where each of the stakeholders is differently > abled. What we have is an understanding that KICTANet's role is to convene > meetings while the funders is to resource. I can assure you that there is > independence between the funders and content of the meetings. Indeed, the > KeSIG and KIGF strive for inclusive and meaningful views from all > stakeholder groups, including those that do not contribute resources. > Contribution in terms of policy ideas is just as highly regarded. > 3. Our programme is based on Diplo Foundation's taxonomy of internet > governance issues with local adaptation. Please check out An Introduction > to Internet Governance by Jovan Kurbalija. If you read the 2016 KeSIG > report, you will also find the rationale for starting KeSIG- we had a lot > of people interested in internet governance who needed to learn the basics- > what is the internet, its history, Kenya's role in global policy making, > the actors etc. > 4. Yes to all that. KICTANet as a network is about 10 years old but > KICTANet as an organisation is barely 3 years old. The current steering > team is doing great work in setting up the organisational structures with > the assistance of donors. Please check each KICTANet report for the > specific donors. As someone who has worked in this team, I am struck by the > strategy to get local companies to also support policy making work. > Although so far we have only received project based grants, I am sure that > future teams will be able to get more core support from these companies. > After all, this is our country and world to build. > 5. absolutely. Please check KICTANet website for publications. You will > note that they are all enabled by the generosity of our partners. I am also > glad to note that the new kids of KICTANet are adopting video and other > more interesting methods to curate our experiences. PS: The new kids > introduced the idea of video while volunteering in the committees. They are > also very active and more comfortable with discussing policy on social > media as opposed to here. > 6 &6. I am aware that the current team has been planning/looking for > resources for a community summit for the KICTANet community to meet and > discuss among others: organisational structure, succession and > sustainability. Look out for this. I welcome you to think of other models > for financial resource mobilisation. Should KICTANet community membership > be subscription based? What then do we do with members who have other > resources eg critical analysis? We also need policy makers because they > need to hear ideas as they develop even before they are formally presented > to them as policy proposals. Remember the diversity of stakeholders is > what makes KICTANet what it is. > 7. We do have a lot of students at KICTANet, thanks to the many lecturers > who send them our way. Other students find their way from these calls we > make here. But our diversity is not limited to students. We also have > artistes (credit to them for videos), self taught programmers, designers > and other new age professionals. Please please come to KeSIG and see > KICTANet in action. I am sure you will appreciate some of the inner > workings more. > > All the issues you raise are valid. But I also find that you are coming > from a sort of outsider perspective. This is by no means a disadvantage. On > the contrary, it would be great if you could contribute some time towards > the backend and bring your fresh ideas to work. So again, I invite you to > join one of the working groups or committees and share ideas for ongoing > programmes. But I warn you, it takes a lot of hours and dedication to > execute a programme. Infact, this is the reason I could not answer you > sooner. > > I hope this sheds more light on your questions. > > Warmly, > > On Thu, 4 Jul 2019 at 09:02, Patrick A. M. Maina <pmaina2000(a)yahoo.com> > wrote: > > Thank you Grace for the constructive and calm response. > > The idea of offering training on policy is a good one - in principle - > because, if properly implemented, it can help promote broader, > intellectually diverse and meaningful engagement on important policy issues. > > My *good-faith concerns* are with the approach taken by certain > initiatives - perhaps with "SIG" as an example. Let me offer some > constructive suggestions to help build on the underlying idea and improve > it (as well as ideas for broader improvements to KICTANet's governance > framework): > > *1. Using the word "school" to market and EVENT can convey deceptive > intent:* The word "school" has certain connotations (and its use may have > legal implications); it creates certain automatic impressions, assumptions > and expectations in peoples minds. Using the word to lends an aura of *pedagogical > robustness* and *institutional credibility* to what appears to be > essentially a partisan event/forum. This can be interpreted as deceptive > advertising and might also be in conflict with education laws / regulations > (lawyers can advise). > > Is it really necessary to rely on deception to attract participants? Why > go to such lengths? The choice of deceptive branding (coupled with > historical support from scandal ridden corporations) can send legitimate > signals that the intention is to brainwash / indoctrinate participants - > especially in the context of policy agendas. > > Unless I'm missing something... Could you please clarify the historical > rationale for calling it a "school" and whether, in view of the above > considerations, it would make sense to drop the word "school" and just call > it what it really is: a potentially partisan discussion forum? > > Participants should be given a written *conflict of interest advisory* > prior to the event so that they can contextualize the content's point of > view (if there have not been any robust quality controls). This helps > promote transparency. > > *2. The source of funding matters: * > > Examples: > *a.* Consider the debate of whether religious institutions, the supposed > custodians of our "core values", should accept contributions from dubious > sources. Accepting the funds compromises the perceived moral authority of > the institution thus destroying its credibility. It is also a form of moral > laundering. Civil Society / Non-profits also face these challenges. They > rely on donations to survive - but what happens when there is a conflict of > values e.g. in cases where the donor is a known lawbreaker who pursues > profit with disregard for ethics and against public-interest values? > > *b.* There is a saying: "whoever pays the piper calls the tune": It is > fair to question the ethics of civil society / non-profits accepting > funding from companies that are notorious for deceptive and illegal > activities - to the extent that even governments have labelled some as > "digital gangsters". These companies are known for aggressively seeking to > corrupt/influence policy and regulations all over the world to legitimize > their harmful and exploitative practices. The companies are also known for > purposefully applying unethical brainwashing techniques on mass scale to > achieve their selfish ends. What is the perception created (and what are > the risks) when such brands sponsor internet governance training? > > So unless we are saying it is OK for, say, as an illustrative example - > NACADA (National Agency for the Campaign against Drug Abuse) to accept > funding and partnership from Chang'aa dealers and Colombian drug lords to > help deliver training on how to influence policies on illegal drugs... see > what I mean? > > *3. Training Content, Pedagogical Quality and Delivery matters:* A > training course on policy matters should be robustly and professionally > developed (not just random calls for content), put through quality > assurance controls (e.g. peer, industry and public reviews), followed by > accreditation by credible institutions. It should also be delivered by > qualified and credible instructors. > > To maximize its reach (and transparency), the course should delivered (or > posted) online (videos + presentations + reference lists + graphics etc) on > a freely accessible website/platform that allows learners to make public > reviews and/or debates on the content. This user feedback can then feed > into cycles of transparent and professional content improvement. > > This is different from simply publishing a post-event report (perhaps > intended for donors so that more funding can be obtained?). > > *4. Transparency matters: *KICTANet being a multi-stakeholder forum that > advocates for good governance on ICT related issues, should strive to live > its own values. Besides being seen to be open to good-faith criticism, > diversity of thought and freedom of expression, there should be visible > efforts to demonstrate transparency, accountability and democratic ideals > within its governance framework. This includes publishing annual plans, > budgets (anticipated sources of funds and planned expenditure), annual > audited accounts, and annual independent audit of governance structures. > > *5. Accountability matters:* It appears that KICTANet routinely receives > funding from various sources. Where can we find KICTANet's audited transparency > reports? The best practice for Non-profits is to publish audited > Transparency Reports that show the sources and use funds. This helps > identify potential conflicts of interest where there is risk of > compromising values or neutrality. It also helps address corruption risks > (e.g. turning public-interest initiatives into personal cash cows or > officials being bribed to push hidden agendas that corrupt what would > otherwise be good initiatives). > > *6. Conflict of interest matters:* To avoid perceptions that a > multi-stakeholder organization has been hijacked by duplicitous agendas, or > perceptions that officials may be using an organization (or its brand) to > enrich themselves with sponsorship and donor funding, there need to be > conflict of interest audits of the organization, its officials and its > initiatives. No institution (whether public, private or non-profit) is > immune to corruption - hence the need for institutionalized checks and > balances. Also publicity initiatives should be seen to focus more on the > message (or participants) and less on promoting the officials' personal > brands. > > *6. Sustainability matters: *Let us use technology to promote > re-usability and sustainability. Public-interest training courses should be > digitized and published online for anyone to access. > > One major challenge with donor-funded initiatives is that they are always > at risk of being turned into corruption cash cows - to the detriment of > intended objectives. This leads to deceptive exploitation of other people's > misfortunes - which is a cruel way of acquiring wealth. > > Other than lack of transparency and accountability, another sign of > possible corruption in the non-profit sector is failure to implement *fairly > obvious* sustainability measures (or ignoring advice to do so) - because, > obviously, if a problem is solved there will be no more funding. This is > why slums like Kibera / Mukuru etc never go away and why some NGOs are > happy to deliver tablets to mud-walled/tin-structure schools that don't > have desks or chairs or proper toilets or green playgrounds and have > underpaid teachers and malnourished pupils. > > *7. Democracy matters in multi-stakeholder forums:* Sometimes, when > officials serve for too long, they may perceive the organization as an > extension of themselves (or as personal property) and become very sensitive > to legitimate criticism - to the extent that they censor / clamp down on > debate or aggressively muzzle their critics (e.g. via personal attacks or > attempts to discredit the source). > > Usually this occurs there are no democratic governance structures or > continued efforts to promote diversity of interests as well as diversity of > thought within leadership. > > We need to start *honest conversations* about the need for *multi-stakeholder > governance* in KICTANet via democratic ethos where governance, officials > and roles are a fair representation of the *diversity *of > multi-stakeholder settings. New leaders come in with fresh ideas, fresh > strategies and new approaches. > > We also need to discuss the idea of student representation in the KICTANet > leadership/trusteeship (one from TVET and one from University) - as a way > of grooming future leaders - as well as representation from MSMEs that are > not affiliated or dependent on corporations. > > This will help the network grow to new heights and achieve even more. > > Thank you and I look forward to a fruitful, and issues-focused discussion. > Good day! > > Brgds, > Patrick. > > Patrick A. M. Maina > [Cross-domain Innovator | Independent Public Policy Analyst - Indigenous > Innovations] > > > On Wednesday, July 3, 2019, 7:42:23 PM GMT+3, Grace Bomu < > nmutungu(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > In case you missed the link. Here it is. > https://www.kictanet.or.ke/?page_id=40115 > You will find all the previous KeSIG reports. > > A brief background: Schools of internet governance (SIGs) are an offshoot > of Internet Governance Fora (IGF). Internet governance fora are national > and regional events that feed into the global UN hosted IGF. IGF is an > annual soft law making event. It is multi stakeholder in its organisation > and discussions. > > The Kenya School of Internet Governance (KeSIG) is being held prior to the > Kenya IGF. KeSIG runs from 29th -31st July while KIGF will be on 1st > August. Like the global events, KeSIG and KIGF are also multistakeholder, > bringing together the local community. While the event is sponsored by > multiple stakeholders, it is convened by KICTANet.Infact, I am sure you > will feature in the programme, should you have the time as you always bring > a fresh view to our debates here. Please also see previous emails calling > for volunteers to the KeSIG steering > <https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/pipermail/kictanet/2019-June/034691.html>committee > and KIGF > <https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/pipermail/kictanet/2019-June/034680.html>. > There is also a call for KIGF topics > <https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/pipermail/kictanet/2019-July/034717.html>. > > Finally, we are very proud of Mwara, our Tech Policy Associate, whose > journey begun from being a fellow at KeSIG. She is now the administrative > lead in the 4th edition of the school. So KeSIG is also a training ground > for youth. > > Warm regards, > > > On Wed, 3 Jul 2019 at 19:20, Patrick A. M. Maina via kictanet < > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: > > Dear listers, > > When it comes to topics that can influence thought on policy issues, the > line between training and indoctrination or brainwash becomes very thin - > hence the need for vigilance, close scrutiny, transparency and *neutrality > assurance* of (all) policy-related training initiatives. > > Some of the companies known to sponsor such events worldwide are notorious > for aggressive lobbying on policy or governance issues, ostensibly: > > a. to try avoid impending regulation of their harmful/anti-social business > models (or to distort accountability and responsibility narratives); > > b to try gain unfair advantage over government policy (and/or procurement) > by corrupting rules, infiltrating and subverting public sector initiatives, > or by peddling influence; > > c. to institutionalize, launder and/or officially entrench their > socially/economically damaging profit models. > > A number of them have been accused by multiple governments, regulators, > civil society, journalists, intellectuals, internet users (via class action > lawsuits) and even their own former executives of using either unlawful or > dishonest / grossly unethical business practices in ruthless pursuit of > profit. Examples of these dubious practices include purposefully developing > harmful/addiction-forming radicalizing online products targeted at young > people, using deceptive tactics to grow or protect their businesses, > infiltrating and subverting public education systems, subverting economies > by capturing workers and learners attention, brazen disregard for people's > privacy, unethical exploitation of private info, brazenly breaking laws or > aggressively exploiting weak laws, exploiting public ignorance for profit > and using predatory commercial strategies that are harmful to the public. > > The same companies, despite having BILLIONS in revenue, *agressively > avoid* contributing their FAIR SHARE of taxes (sometimes to the extent of > operating illegally, with impunity, in poor countries) - thus unfairly > increasing the burden on governments and taxpayers to fund remediation for > the indirect damage that these rogue companies cause e.g. damage to public > health, subverting education, political instability, extremism and economic > sabotage. These indirect, hidden burdens (negative externalities) can be > socio-economically devastating - especially in developing economies, but > are seldom recognized, highlighted, mitigated or attributed to the > companies that are creating/amplifying them. The same companies then > chicanerously manipulate the civil society (e.g. via training & > sponsorship) to defend their commercial products as a "human right"! > > So depending on the sponsor(s), curriculum and governance framework, a > training initiative could either be seen as legitimate training or a kind > of backdoor indoctrination. > > This is why it is important to have full transparency and independent > vetting of such sensitive initiatives (including sponsors, curriculum, > tutors, accreditation etc). > > Also the use of the word "school" suggests an institution that has > undergone formal vetting and accreditation. Yet when I look at the website, > it ostensibly reads as if the "school" is an event. Questions: > > 1. Is it a school or is it an event? > > 2. Where is the school based? > > 3. Is it registered with relevant training oversight bodies? > > 4. Who are the lecturers and what are their credentials? > > 5. Who developed the coursework & what process was used? This is in view > of high risk of content subversion due to powerful business interests > having high conflicts of interest on policy and governance issues. > > 6. Is the school & coursework accredited? By which bodies? > > 7. Does it issue certificates? > > 8. How is the school/course funded? Does it have transparency reports? > Where can they be found? > > 9. Who are the sponsors of this event/course? > > 10. How is conflict of interest avoided (currently and in the past)? Who > audits & certifies neutrality? > > 11. By now such kinds of (potentially subjective) public-interest courses > should have been put somewhere online for free and open access. This also > allows for independent public scrutiny of the course content. How come this > more transparent (and more pro-internet) approach has not yet been taken > (despite big sponsors)? > > This is not to cast aspersions on this specific initiative but to point > out, in good faith and in public interest, possible areas of risks or > concern, so that they can be addressed or clarified. The issues above > generally apply to any initiative(s) purporting to train stakeholders on > policy and governance. > > Perhaps KICTANet officials can shed more light on the above issues please > or point us to online resources that have the answers for each question > above? > > Many thanks & have a blessed day. > > Patrick. > > Patrick A. M. Maina > [Cross-domain Innovator | Independent Public Policy Analyst - Indigenous > Innovations] > > On Wednesday, July 3, 2019, 12:24:28 PM GMT+3, mwara gichanga via kictanet > <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: > > > Dear Listers > > The internet has become a vital platform for social, economic and > political development in the world, and more increasing so here in Kenya. > These bring about a lot of national interests around internet governance > debates across all sectors . > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is pleased to welcome applications > from those individuals interested in internet Governance for the 4th > Edition of the Kenya School of Internet Governance (KeSIG). KeSIG takes > place prior to the Kenya IGF, with the aim of introducing beginners to > basic concepts in internet policy making. This is with the goal of creating > and increasing the available expertise for participation in local and > global internet governance processes. > > Learn more about KeSIG HERE <https://www.kictanet.or.ke/?page_id=40115> > > Whether you are a policy maker, a researcher, a regulator, an engineer, a > journalist, an entrepreneur or a human rights defender – if you are > interested and want to get involved in internet policy and governance , > KeSIG is designed perfectly for you! > > KeSIG will take place over a 3-day course from the 29th-31st July 2019, > with the deadline for submissions closing on 13th July 2019, and > announcement of selected participants following soon after. > > Kindly access application form HERE <https://forms.gle/vCncJuuGSnowFUhNA> > > 4TH EDITION OF KENYA SCHOOL OF INTERNET GOVERNANCE(KESIG) > > KICTANet welcomes applications for fellows for the 4th Edition of the > Kenya School of Internet Governance (KeSIG... > <https://forms.gle/vCncJuuGSnowFUhNA> > > > For any further information or clarification , kindly email > info(a)kictanet.or.ke or Mwara Gichanga mwaragichanga(a)kictanet.or.ke > > Warmly > > Mwara Gichanga > > Tech Policy Associate > > KICTANet > > > _______________________________________________ > 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/pmaina2000%40yahoo.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. > _______________________________________________ > 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/nmutungu%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. > > > > -- > Grace Mutung'u > Skype: gracebomu > @Bomu > PGP ID : 0x33A3450F > > > > -- > Grace Mutung'u > Skype: gracebomu > @Bomu > PGP ID : 0x33A3450F > > -- Grace Mutung'u Skype: gracebomu @Bomu PGP ID : 0x33A3450F

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Re: [kictanet] [who are the sponsors? Managing indoctrination risks...] CALL TO PARTICIPATE AT THE 4TH EDITION OF KENYA SCHOOL OF INTERNET GOVERNANCE (KESIG)
by Grace Bomu 04 Jul '19

04 Jul '19

Patrick, 1. You raise high level policy issues which I will share with colleagues in the global SIGs movement. Why do we use the word school? Why are we non-conforming to the traditional methods of accreditation for training? I think this comes from the (disruptive) history of internet policy making. 2. As regards the sources of funding, I totally get your fears. However, we live in this community where each of the stakeholders is differently abled. What we have is an understanding that KICTANet's role is to convene meetings while the funders is to resource. I can assure you that there is independence between the funders and content of the meetings. Indeed, the KeSIG and KIGF strive for inclusive and meaningful views from all stakeholder groups, including those that do not contribute resources. Contribution in terms of policy ideas is just as highly regarded. 3. Our programme is based on Diplo Foundation's taxonomy of internet governance issues with local adaptation. Please check out An Introduction to Internet Governance by Jovan Kurbalija. If you read the 2016 KeSIG report, you will also find the rationale for starting KeSIG- we had a lot of people interested in internet governance who needed to learn the basics- what is the internet, its history, Kenya's role in global policy making, the actors etc. 4. Yes to all that. KICTANet as a network is about 10 years old but KICTANet as an organisation is barely 3 years old. The current steering team is doing great work in setting up the organisational structures with the assistance of donors. Please check each KICTANet report for the specific donors. As someone who has worked in this team, I am struck by the strategy to get local companies to also support policy making work. Although so far we have only received project based grants, I am sure that future teams will be able to get more core support from these companies. After all, this is our country and world to build. 5. absolutely. Please check KICTANet website for publications. You will note that they are all enabled by the generosity of our partners. I am also glad to note that the new kids of KICTANet are adopting video and other more interesting methods to curate our experiences. PS: The new kids introduced the idea of video while volunteering in the committees. They are also very active and more comfortable with discussing policy on social media as opposed to here. 6 &6. I am aware that the current team has been planning/looking for resources for a community summit for the KICTANet community to meet and discuss among others: organisational structure, succession and sustainability. Look out for this. I welcome you to think of other models for financial resource mobilisation. Should KICTANet community membership be subscription based? What then do we do with members who have other resources eg critical analysis? We also need policy makers because they need to hear ideas as they develop even before they are formally presented to them as policy proposals. Remember the diversity of stakeholders is what makes KICTANet what it is. 7. We do have a lot of students at KICTANet, thanks to the many lecturers who send them our way. Other students find their way from these calls we make here. But our diversity is not limited to students. We also have artistes (credit to them for videos), self taught programmers, designers and other new age professionals. Please please come to KeSIG and see KICTANet in action. I am sure you will appreciate some of the inner workings more. All the issues you raise are valid. But I also find that you are coming from a sort of outsider perspective. This is by no means a disadvantage. On the contrary, it would be great if you could contribute some time towards the backend and bring your fresh ideas to work. So again, I invite you to join one of the working groups or committees and share ideas for ongoing programmes. But I warn you, it takes a lot of hours and dedication to execute a programme. Infact, this is the reason I could not answer you sooner. I hope this sheds more light on your questions. Warmly, On Thu, 4 Jul 2019 at 09:02, Patrick A. M. Maina <pmaina2000(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > Thank you Grace for the constructive and calm response. > > The idea of offering training on policy is a good one - in principle - > because, if properly implemented, it can help promote broader, > intellectually diverse and meaningful engagement on important policy issues. > > My *good-faith concerns* are with the approach taken by certain > initiatives - perhaps with "SIG" as an example. Let me offer some > constructive suggestions to help build on the underlying idea and improve > it (as well as ideas for broader improvements to KICTANet's governance > framework): > > *1. Using the word "school" to market and EVENT can convey deceptive > intent:* The word "school" has certain connotations (and its use may have > legal implications); it creates certain automatic impressions, assumptions > and expectations in peoples minds. Using the word to lends an aura of *pedagogical > robustness* and *institutional credibility* to what appears to be > essentially a partisan event/forum. This can be interpreted as deceptive > advertising and might also be in conflict with education laws / regulations > (lawyers can advise). > > Is it really necessary to rely on deception to attract participants? Why > go to such lengths? The choice of deceptive branding (coupled with > historical support from scandal ridden corporations) can send legitimate > signals that the intention is to brainwash / indoctrinate participants - > especially in the context of policy agendas. > > Unless I'm missing something... Could you please clarify the historical > rationale for calling it a "school" and whether, in view of the above > considerations, it would make sense to drop the word "school" and just call > it what it really is: a potentially partisan discussion forum? > > Participants should be given a written *conflict of interest advisory* > prior to the event so that they can contextualize the content's point of > view (if there have not been any robust quality controls). This helps > promote transparency. > > *2. The source of funding matters: * > > Examples: > *a.* Consider the debate of whether religious institutions, the supposed > custodians of our "core values", should accept contributions from dubious > sources. Accepting the funds compromises the perceived moral authority of > the institution thus destroying its credibility. It is also a form of moral > laundering. Civil Society / Non-profits also face these challenges. They > rely on donations to survive - but what happens when there is a conflict of > values e.g. in cases where the donor is a known lawbreaker who pursues > profit with disregard for ethics and against public-interest values? > > *b.* There is a saying: "whoever pays the piper calls the tune": It is > fair to question the ethics of civil society / non-profits accepting > funding from companies that are notorious for deceptive and illegal > activities - to the extent that even governments have labelled some as > "digital gangsters". These companies are known for aggressively seeking to > corrupt/influence policy and regulations all over the world to legitimize > their harmful and exploitative practices. The companies are also known for > purposefully applying unethical brainwashing techniques on mass scale to > achieve their selfish ends. What is the perception created (and what are > the risks) when such brands sponsor internet governance training? > > So unless we are saying it is OK for, say, as an illustrative example - > NACADA (National Agency for the Campaign against Drug Abuse) to accept > funding and partnership from Chang'aa dealers and Colombian drug lords to > help deliver training on how to influence policies on illegal drugs... see > what I mean? > > *3. Training Content, Pedagogical Quality and Delivery matters:* A > training course on policy matters should be robustly and professionally > developed (not just random calls for content), put through quality > assurance controls (e.g. peer, industry and public reviews), followed by > accreditation by credible institutions. It should also be delivered by > qualified and credible instructors. > > To maximize its reach (and transparency), the course should delivered (or > posted) online (videos + presentations + reference lists + graphics etc) on > a freely accessible website/platform that allows learners to make public > reviews and/or debates on the content. This user feedback can then feed > into cycles of transparent and professional content improvement. > > This is different from simply publishing a post-event report (perhaps > intended for donors so that more funding can be obtained?). > > *4. Transparency matters: *KICTANet being a multi-stakeholder forum that > advocates for good governance on ICT related issues, should strive to live > its own values. Besides being seen to be open to good-faith criticism, > diversity of thought and freedom of expression, there should be visible > efforts to demonstrate transparency, accountability and democratic ideals > within its governance framework. This includes publishing annual plans, > budgets (anticipated sources of funds and planned expenditure), annual > audited accounts, and annual independent audit of governance structures. > > *5. Accountability matters:* It appears that KICTANet routinely receives > funding from various sources. Where can we find KICTANet's audited transparency > reports? The best practice for Non-profits is to publish audited > Transparency Reports that show the sources and use funds. This helps > identify potential conflicts of interest where there is risk of > compromising values or neutrality. It also helps address corruption risks > (e.g. turning public-interest initiatives into personal cash cows or > officials being bribed to push hidden agendas that corrupt what would > otherwise be good initiatives). > > *6. Conflict of interest matters:* To avoid perceptions that a > multi-stakeholder organization has been hijacked by duplicitous agendas, or > perceptions that officials may be using an organization (or its brand) to > enrich themselves with sponsorship and donor funding, there need to be > conflict of interest audits of the organization, its officials and its > initiatives. No institution (whether public, private or non-profit) is > immune to corruption - hence the need for institutionalized checks and > balances. Also publicity initiatives should be seen to focus more on the > message (or participants) and less on promoting the officials' personal > brands. > > *6. Sustainability matters: *Let us use technology to promote > re-usability and sustainability. Public-interest training courses should be > digitized and published online for anyone to access. > > One major challenge with donor-funded initiatives is that they are always > at risk of being turned into corruption cash cows - to the detriment of > intended objectives. This leads to deceptive exploitation of other people's > misfortunes - which is a cruel way of acquiring wealth. > > Other than lack of transparency and accountability, another sign of > possible corruption in the non-profit sector is failure to implement *fairly > obvious* sustainability measures (or ignoring advice to do so) - because, > obviously, if a problem is solved there will be no more funding. This is > why slums like Kibera / Mukuru etc never go away and why some NGOs are > happy to deliver tablets to mud-walled/tin-structure schools that don't > have desks or chairs or proper toilets or green playgrounds and have > underpaid teachers and malnourished pupils. > > *7. Democracy matters in multi-stakeholder forums:* Sometimes, when > officials serve for too long, they may perceive the organization as an > extension of themselves (or as personal property) and become very sensitive > to legitimate criticism - to the extent that they censor / clamp down on > debate or aggressively muzzle their critics (e.g. via personal attacks or > attempts to discredit the source). > > Usually this occurs there are no democratic governance structures or > continued efforts to promote diversity of interests as well as diversity of > thought within leadership. > > We need to start *honest conversations* about the need for *multi-stakeholder > governance* in KICTANet via democratic ethos where governance, officials > and roles are a fair representation of the *diversity *of > multi-stakeholder settings. New leaders come in with fresh ideas, fresh > strategies and new approaches. > > We also need to discuss the idea of student representation in the KICTANet > leadership/trusteeship (one from TVET and one from University) - as a way > of grooming future leaders - as well as representation from MSMEs that are > not affiliated or dependent on corporations. > > This will help the network grow to new heights and achieve even more. > > Thank you and I look forward to a fruitful, and issues-focused discussion. > Good day! > > Brgds, > Patrick. > > Patrick A. M. Maina > [Cross-domain Innovator | Independent Public Policy Analyst - Indigenous > Innovations] > > > On Wednesday, July 3, 2019, 7:42:23 PM GMT+3, Grace Bomu < > nmutungu(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > In case you missed the link. Here it is. > https://www.kictanet.or.ke/?page_id=40115 > You will find all the previous KeSIG reports. > > A brief background: Schools of internet governance (SIGs) are an offshoot > of Internet Governance Fora (IGF). Internet governance fora are national > and regional events that feed into the global UN hosted IGF. IGF is an > annual soft law making event. It is multi stakeholder in its organisation > and discussions. > > The Kenya School of Internet Governance (KeSIG) is being held prior to the > Kenya IGF. KeSIG runs from 29th -31st July while KIGF will be on 1st > August. Like the global events, KeSIG and KIGF are also multistakeholder, > bringing together the local community. While the event is sponsored by > multiple stakeholders, it is convened by KICTANet.Infact, I am sure you > will feature in the programme, should you have the time as you always bring > a fresh view to our debates here. Please also see previous emails calling > for volunteers to the KeSIG steering > <https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/pipermail/kictanet/2019-June/034691.html>committee > and KIGF > <https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/pipermail/kictanet/2019-June/034680.html>. > There is also a call for KIGF topics > <https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/pipermail/kictanet/2019-July/034717.html>. > > Finally, we are very proud of Mwara, our Tech Policy Associate, whose > journey begun from being a fellow at KeSIG. She is now the administrative > lead in the 4th edition of the school. So KeSIG is also a training ground > for youth. > > Warm regards, > > > On Wed, 3 Jul 2019 at 19:20, Patrick A. M. Maina via kictanet < > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: > > Dear listers, > > When it comes to topics that can influence thought on policy issues, the > line between training and indoctrination or brainwash becomes very thin - > hence the need for vigilance, close scrutiny, transparency and *neutrality > assurance* of (all) policy-related training initiatives. > > Some of the companies known to sponsor such events worldwide are notorious > for aggressive lobbying on policy or governance issues, ostensibly: > > a. to try avoid impending regulation of their harmful/anti-social business > models (or to distort accountability and responsibility narratives); > > b to try gain unfair advantage over government policy (and/or procurement) > by corrupting rules, infiltrating and subverting public sector initiatives, > or by peddling influence; > > c. to institutionalize, launder and/or officially entrench their > socially/economically damaging profit models. > > A number of them have been accused by multiple governments, regulators, > civil society, journalists, intellectuals, internet users (via class action > lawsuits) and even their own former executives of using either unlawful or > dishonest / grossly unethical business practices in ruthless pursuit of > profit. Examples of these dubious practices include purposefully developing > harmful/addiction-forming radicalizing online products targeted at young > people, using deceptive tactics to grow or protect their businesses, > infiltrating and subverting public education systems, subverting economies > by capturing workers and learners attention, brazen disregard for people's > privacy, unethical exploitation of private info, brazenly breaking laws or > aggressively exploiting weak laws, exploiting public ignorance for profit > and using predatory commercial strategies that are harmful to the public. > > The same companies, despite having BILLIONS in revenue, *agressively > avoid* contributing their FAIR SHARE of taxes (sometimes to the extent of > operating illegally, with impunity, in poor countries) - thus unfairly > increasing the burden on governments and taxpayers to fund remediation for > the indirect damage that these rogue companies cause e.g. damage to public > health, subverting education, political instability, extremism and economic > sabotage. These indirect, hidden burdens (negative externalities) can be > socio-economically devastating - especially in developing economies, but > are seldom recognized, highlighted, mitigated or attributed to the > companies that are creating/amplifying them. The same companies then > chicanerously manipulate the civil society (e.g. via training & > sponsorship) to defend their commercial products as a "human right"! > > So depending on the sponsor(s), curriculum and governance framework, a > training initiative could either be seen as legitimate training or a kind > of backdoor indoctrination. > > This is why it is important to have full transparency and independent > vetting of such sensitive initiatives (including sponsors, curriculum, > tutors, accreditation etc). > > Also the use of the word "school" suggests an institution that has > undergone formal vetting and accreditation. Yet when I look at the website, > it ostensibly reads as if the "school" is an event. Questions: > > 1. Is it a school or is it an event? > > 2. Where is the school based? > > 3. Is it registered with relevant training oversight bodies? > > 4. Who are the lecturers and what are their credentials? > > 5. Who developed the coursework & what process was used? This is in view > of high risk of content subversion due to powerful business interests > having high conflicts of interest on policy and governance issues. > > 6. Is the school & coursework accredited? By which bodies? > > 7. Does it issue certificates? > > 8. How is the school/course funded? Does it have transparency reports? > Where can they be found? > > 9. Who are the sponsors of this event/course? > > 10. How is conflict of interest avoided (currently and in the past)? Who > audits & certifies neutrality? > > 11. By now such kinds of (potentially subjective) public-interest courses > should have been put somewhere online for free and open access. This also > allows for independent public scrutiny of the course content. How come this > more transparent (and more pro-internet) approach has not yet been taken > (despite big sponsors)? > > This is not to cast aspersions on this specific initiative but to point > out, in good faith and in public interest, possible areas of risks or > concern, so that they can be addressed or clarified. The issues above > generally apply to any initiative(s) purporting to train stakeholders on > policy and governance. > > Perhaps KICTANet officials can shed more light on the above issues please > or point us to online resources that have the answers for each question > above? > > Many thanks & have a blessed day. > > Patrick. > > Patrick A. M. Maina > [Cross-domain Innovator | Independent Public Policy Analyst - Indigenous > Innovations] > > On Wednesday, July 3, 2019, 12:24:28 PM GMT+3, mwara gichanga via kictanet > <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: > > > Dear Listers > > The internet has become a vital platform for social, economic and > political development in the world, and more increasing so here in Kenya. > These bring about a lot of national interests around internet governance > debates across all sectors . > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is pleased to welcome applications > from those individuals interested in internet Governance for the 4th > Edition of the Kenya School of Internet Governance (KeSIG). KeSIG takes > place prior to the Kenya IGF, with the aim of introducing beginners to > basic concepts in internet policy making. This is with the goal of creating > and increasing the available expertise for participation in local and > global internet governance processes. > > Learn more about KeSIG HERE <https://www.kictanet.or.ke/?page_id=40115> > > Whether you are a policy maker, a researcher, a regulator, an engineer, a > journalist, an entrepreneur or a human rights defender – if you are > interested and want to get involved in internet policy and governance , > KeSIG is designed perfectly for you! > > KeSIG will take place over a 3-day course from the 29th-31st July 2019, > with the deadline for submissions closing on 13th July 2019, and > announcement of selected participants following soon after. > > Kindly access application form HERE <https://forms.gle/vCncJuuGSnowFUhNA> > > 4TH EDITION OF KENYA SCHOOL OF INTERNET GOVERNANCE(KESIG) > > KICTANet welcomes applications for fellows for the 4th Edition of the > Kenya School of Internet Governance (KeSIG... > <https://forms.gle/vCncJuuGSnowFUhNA> > > > For any further information or clarification , kindly email > info(a)kictanet.or.ke or Mwara Gichanga mwaragichanga(a)kictanet.or.ke > > Warmly > > Mwara Gichanga > > Tech Policy Associate > > KICTANet > > > _______________________________________________ > 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/pmaina2000%40yahoo.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. > _______________________________________________ > 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/nmutungu%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. > > > > -- > Grace Mutung'u > Skype: gracebomu > @Bomu > PGP ID : 0x33A3450F > > -- Grace Mutung'u Skype: gracebomu @Bomu PGP ID : 0x33A3450F

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Germany fines Facebook €2 million for violating hate speech law
by Alice Munyua 02 Jul '19

02 Jul '19

Interesting what is happening in Europe. FB has just been fined in Germany for failure to comply with transparency requirements. ————————————- Germany fines Facebook €2 million for violating hate speech law -- By Janosch Delcker 7/2/19, 3:47 PM CET | View in your browser BERLIN — Germany has fined U.S. tech giant Facebook for violating the country’s law to combat hate speech online, officials said today. The Federal Office for Justice (BfJ,) a subdivision of the German justice ministry, announced that it had issued Facebook a fine of €2 million for failing to meet the requirements of Berlin’s Network Enforcement Act, a law against illegal content, in its transparency report for the first half of 2018. The fine is a small amount compared to Facebook’s first-quarter revenues of more than $15 billion. But it has symbolic weight, marking the first time that a European country has sanctioned an American social media giant for failing to be transparent about the way it handles hate speech. “In the penalty charge notice, the BfJ reprimands in particular that in the released report, the number of received complaints about unlawful content is incomplete,” the office said in its announcement, adding that this “is creating a distorted image in the public about the extent of unlawful content [on the platform] and the way the social network is dealing with it.” Facebook can still lodge an appeal to the fine, the BfJ said. Under the law, which is known as NetzDG and took effect on January 1, 2018, companies are required to publish a report twice a year in German regarding complaints they have received. The law is considered the most far-reaching effort by a Western democracy to control what appears on social media, demanding that social media giants promptly remove potentially illegal material or face fines of up to €50 million. “Digital platforms have a clear responsibility for the content that is posted on their sites,” Germany’s new Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht said in a written statement released shortly after the fine was announced. “What has to be clear is that Facebook’s so-called ‘community standards’ are not above German law.” Related stories on these topics: Cybercrime, Illegal content, Platforms (in Data and Digitization), Platforms (in Technology), Regulation (in Data and Digitization), Regulation (in Technology), Social Media, Germany (in Data and Digitization), Germany (in Technology), Facebook (in Data and Digitization), Facebook (in Technology) To update your POLITICO Pro notification preferences, visit www.politico.eu/notification ** Tell us what you think: Was this Pro content helpful? Yes | No ** View the Pro calendar at www.politico.eu/calendar. Submit an event here. This email alert has been sent for your exclusive use as a POLITICO Pro subscriber. Forwarding or reproducing the alert without the express, written permission of POLITICO Pro is a violation of the POLITICO Pro license agreement. This email was sent to obennett(a)mozilla.com Adjust your Pro subscription settings, or unsubscribe from all POLITICO SPRL emails POLITICO SPRL · Rue de la Loi 62 · Brussels1040 · Belgium

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In America’s indictment of Huawei some conversations...
by Ali Hussein 02 Jul '19

02 Jul '19

Listers As an ICT Policy practitioner and avid follower of #GeoPolitics the #HuaweiDebacle has great interest to me. Recently our CS ICT, Joseph Mucheru tasked ATU to probe alleged security risks on Huawei and ZTE Equipment. In America’s indictment of Huawei Technologies some interesting conversations:- 1. The Global Cop routine is sort of wearing thin and portraying it not as a force for good but as a bully. 2. Are Chinese companies so dependent on America that a ban by America can kill them? The case of the almost collapse of ZTE Corporation is instructive.. Only a surprise last minute reprieve from #TheDonald saved it from total collapse. 3. Could Huawei Technologies survive a ban by America? Intel Corporation, Seagate Technology and Qualcomm are major suppliers to Huawei Technologies. How will this affect their ability to deliver cutting edge technology to their customers? This last point brings me to wonder how much of the Chinese Technology renaissance is dependent on America? Read on and follow the conversation on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6496196045268090880 Ali Hussein Principal AHK & Associates +254 0713 601113 Twitter: @AliHKassim Skype: abu-jomo LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." ~ Aristotle Sent from my iPad

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