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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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