- KICTANet - KICTANet

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.

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(no subject)
by DANIEL MECHA 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Ttyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyytr

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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

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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

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[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]

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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.

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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

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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

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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] >

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[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

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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. 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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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Re: [kictanet] Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore Passes on
by Barrack Otieno 01 Jul '19

01 Jul '19

Dear Listers, We have learnt with deep sorrow the passing on of Bob Collymore the Safaricom Chief Executive Officer in the morning of 1st July 2019. As stakeholders and members of the Kenyan ICT fraternity we have lost a great Champion. As the Kenya ICT Action Network, we condole with Bob's family as well as our friends and colleagues from Safaricom PLC, a key partner and member of the network. May Bobs soul rest in Peace. We will miss him. Best regards Barrack Otieno

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Save the date: www.dnsforum.africa July 22-24, Gaborone, Botswana
by Barrack Otieno 01 Jul '19

01 Jul '19

Listers, Please note that the Africa DNS Forum 2019 will take place from July 22-24, 2019 in Gaborone (Botswana) . For more information , kindly visit www.dnsforum.africa. If you require a VISA kindly ensure that you register online on or before 10th July 2019. Best Regards -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Financial transactions should be private by default
by Alice Munyua 01 Jul '19

01 Jul '19

> > > > > > > > Hey, > > 🍕🥓🍩 = 💸 > > What if all your guilty pleasures were on display for the whole world to see? If you use Venmo, a popular app that lets people send and collect money, there's a good chance they already are. > > Venmo's settings are public by default, so millions of transactions are available for anyone on the web to find. > > Everyone knowing who you shared pizza with last week might seem innocuous enough, but with millions of transactions publicly available there is a huge risk that this data could be used for nefarious purposes. Venmo has transformed the way Americans settle personal debts, and with as many as an estimated 10 million monthly users, how it handles privacy could be the standard for other financial apps.1 > > Sign our petition to tell Venmo that financial transactions should be private. > > Last year, researcher and Mozilla Fellow Hang Do Thi Duc exposed the serious implications of Venmo's settings by uncovering how countless Venmo users' drug habits, junk food vices, personal finances, and fights with significant others are available for all to see.2 > > Under pressure from the slew of news covering Do Thi Duc's work and a Mozilla campaign calling for the company to change its public by default setting, Venmo made a few small changes and restricted the rate at which information could be pulled from its public database of transactions (called an API).3 This change means that sensitive data about your transactions can still be extracted exactly the same way, it will just take a bit longer.4 > > This is not a fix. The privacy of Venmo users remains at risk. Last week, news surfaced that one researcher was able to collect data on 7 MILLION new transactions.5 With this renewed focus again exposing Venmo's terrible privacy practices, we have the opportunity to push the company to finally fix the problem and make privacy its default setting. > > Will you join 25,000 privacy advocates who have already signed our petition telling Venmo to make financial transactions private? Click here to add your name. > > Thank you for helping hold Venmo accountable, > The Mozilla Team > > References: > > Kaya Yurieff, "A researcher studied a year of public Venmo transactions. Here's what she learned," CNN Money, July 17, 2018. > Olivia Solon, "Venmo: how the payment app exposes our private lives," The Guardian, July 17, 2018. > Sarah Perez, "Mozilla pushes PayPal to make Venmo transactions private by default," TechCrunch > Dell Cameron, "Millions of Transactions Scraped in Latest Demonstration of Venmo's Absurd Privacy Policy," Gizmodo, June 17, 2019. > Ibid. > > > > > > Connect with us > > > > 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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