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Obama and Cybersecurity
by alice 10 Feb '09

10 Feb '09

FYI http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/09/AR200902090… best alice

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Capital Mobile Radio Drive Winners
by Patrick Mburu 10 Feb '09

10 Feb '09

Congratulations to the Capital Mobile Morning Drive winners so Far! There's a lot of prizes to be won! Listen in on Capital FM Radio: 98.4 or listen on the web: www.capitalfm.co.ke in between 7am and 9am and participate in a chance to win: - 2 nights for 2 Flying package Holiday in the Mara Intrepid (Courtesy: Heritage Hotel's and Safari Link) - 2 nights for 2 at the Leopard Beach Resort (Courtesy: Leopard Beach Resort & Uzuri Spa and Fitness Forest!) - Free breakfasts and lunches at exclusive restaurants in Nairobi And Much Much More....! www.capitalmobile.co.ke/mobile Want a chance to win.. listen in the morning for a get your prize 98.4 Capital FM

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[Fwd: [IGP Announce] Internet Governance Project Headlines]
by lillian＠cipesa.org 10 Feb '09

10 Feb '09

Apologies for cross posting! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- February 09, 2009 A Field Guide to the ICANN Reforms EU posts online consultation results on "Internet of Things" Cyber-security for people? Or nations? Shareholder groups push ISPs for transparency on DPI use Search Internet Governance Project Headlines ________________________________________________________ * A Field Guide to the ICANN Reforms - http://feedblitz.com/r.asp?l=38133930&f=175425&u=11399282 Important changes are taking place in ICANNâs representational structures. They are the most sweeping changes in ICANN since the so-called âevolution and reformâ process of 2001-2. The new changes will directly affect opportunities for people to participate in ICANN â hopefully in a more positive way. Indeed, there are some (potentially) good things about the planned reforms, such as a more balanced representation of commercial and noncommercial users and more flexible working group structures. But there are also serious problems and dangers in this effort. That is why the Internet Governance Project is initiating a series of blogs explaining and analyzing the structural changes underway in ICANN. If you think reading about this topic is about as appealing as getting a tetanus shot, we sympathize, and promise to make it as lively and interesting as possible. At the very least, we guarantee that reading this unfolding report will be more pleasurable than reading the 23 different ICANN staff reports, 5-6 Board resolutions, months of Council minutes and multiple email lists you would have to monitor to piece it all together for yourself. Email to a friend Article Search - http://www.feedblitz.com/f/f.fbz?Search=175425;9995717;Main Page;A Field Guide to the ICANN Reforms;1047081 * EU posts online consultation results on "Internet of Things" - http://feedblitz.com/r.asp?l=38108085&f=175425&u=11399282 Europe is very interested in the Internet of the future, having ceded to the United States so much of the standards and governance of the Internet of the past. A September 29, 2008 European Union staff working paper, âEarly Challenges to the Internet of Things,â shot some policy concerns across the bow. How should the IoT be regulated? EU seemed especially concerned about the apparent linkage between the Object Naming System (ONS) used by EPC Global (contracting with VeriSign) and the U.S.-controlled DNS root. Comment upon and responses to this staff paper are now posted online. If you are interested in the evolution of thinking about IoT a look through these comments might be rewarding. Email to a friend Article Search - http://www.feedblitz.com/f/f.fbz?Search=175425;9995717;Main Page;EU posts online consultation results on "Internet of Things";1047081 * Cyber-security for people? Or nations? - http://feedblitz.com/r.asp?l=38066197&f=175425&u=11399282 The Internet is organized around âautonomous systemsâ -- independently managed networks most of which are privately owned or, if public, managed at the agency or department level. The current institutional structure for public governance, on the other hand, is organized around nation-states. That disjunction encourages some actors to construct Internet security as a national security issue. Political claims that invoke ânational securityâ can inflate budgets and provide for more effective political mobilization within bureaucracies and the political class. A recent report from a "Commission on Cyberspace Security for the 44th Presidency" assembled by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington DC-based think tank with longstanding roots in Cold War dialogue, exemplifies this problem. Written late in 2008, it urged the incoming President to proclaim that âcyberspace is a vital asset for the nation andâ¦the United States will protect it using all instruments of national power.â This is a fundamentally misguided approach; this post explains why. Email to a friend Article Search - http://www.feedblitz.com/f/f.fbz?Search=175425;9995717;Main Page;Cyber-security for people? Or nations?;1047081 * Shareholder groups push ISPs for transparency on DPI use - http://feedblitz.com/r.asp?l=38031216&f=175425&u=11399282 A coalition of investors have filed shareholder resolutions with 10 major U.S. Internet service providers, urging their corporate boards to report on the impact of the companiesâ use of deep packet inspection for Internet network management on the freedom of expression and privacy of their customers. The effort was organized by the Open Media and Information Companies initiative (OpenMIC). A spokesperson for one of the investor groups, Farnum Brown of Trillium Asset Management, said: "These companies have responded to the challenges of managing the Internet in a patchwork, ad hoc fashion. In so doing they've failed to notice the profound social policy issues they've unwittingly engaged. Americans are concerned about how their use of the Internet is monitored. They're concerned about whether their privacy and freedom of expression are respected by the companies that manage the Internet. We as shareholders believe it is in these companies' best business interests to respond to those concerns." Email to a friend Article Search - http://www.feedblitz.com/f/f.fbz?Search=175425;9995717;Main Page;Shareholder groups push ISPs for transparency on DPI use;1047081 ________________________________________________________ Unsubscribe from all current and future newsletters powered by FeedBlitz - http://www.feedblitz.com/f/f.fbz?EmailRemove=_MTEzOTkyODJ8fGxpbGxpYW5AY2lwZ…

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Re: [kictanet] SPAM-LOW: Re: Hacked password list offers security insights
by Evans Kahuthu 10 Feb '09

10 Feb '09

Washington, I completely agree with you on users not caring about their passwords on community websites. Unfortunately, when it comes to social networking web sites, people tell all -- who they are, what they like to do and what's happening at that exact moment. Consequently, with this weak passwords, hackers "hijack" their profiles and go after internet contacts. This is one of the newest scams to hit the internet. Hackers somehow take over users pages and pose as them online. Case in point, "Facebook user Bryan Rutberg of Seattle, Wash., had his profile hacked into by someone who changed his status to: "Bryan Rutberg NEEDS HELP URGENTLY!" Many friends immediately responded to the status change wanting to know what had happened to him. One friend, Beny Rubenstein, got a direct message from Rutberg saying he had been robbed at gunpoint while in England and was in desperate need of cash in order to get home. Being a good (but dumb) person, he wired his thought-to-be troubled friend $1,143 in two installments, only to find out Rutberg was sitting home safely in Seattle. Rubenstein told CNN that he misses the money he lost, but feels worse about being tricked by someone impersonating his friend on the Web site." Evans Kahuthu ---------------------------------------- From: Odhiambo Washington <odhiambo(a)gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 8:26 AM To: ekahuthu(a)comtechltd.co.ke Subject: SPAM-LOW: Re: [kictanet] Hacked password list offers security insights On Tue, Feb 10, 2009 at 1:27 AM, Evans Kahuthu <ekahuthu(a)comtechltd.co.ke> wrote: Recently a niche programming-oriented website called phpbb.com had its user database hacked into and the passwords for 20,000 members stolen. The hacker who broke in then posted the account info and passwords online for the world to see. And while this is really bad news for those 20,000 unlucky souls, it offers an instructive lesson on password security for the rest of us. InformationWeek analyzed the hacked password list and found a number of interesting trends in the data, primarily revolving around the fact that most people do exactly what they've been told not to do since passwords were first invented. Author/analyst Robert Graham has tons of analysis on offer. I'm ordering my favorite/most enlightening data points from the piece here, starting with the most interesting. On thing to remember: These passwords are from a group of people interested in computer programming, so if anyone should know better, it's these guys. > The most popular password (3.03% of the 20,000) was "123456." It's also generally considered the most common password used today . > 4 percent used some variant of the word "password." Seriously, people, there's no excuse for this one. "password" was the 2nd most popular password used, also in keeping with historical trends. > 16 percent of passwords were a person's first name. No word on if it was their first name, but someone's. Joshua is the most commonly used first-name password, a likely reference to the movie WarGames. > Patterns abound. In addition to "123456," other pattens like "12345, "qwerty," and "abc123" were common, comprising 14 percent of the passwords used. > 35 percent of passwords were six characters long. 0.34 percent were only one character long. > For reasons no one can explain, "dragon," "master," and "killer" all crack the top 20 passwords. (On the top 500 password list linked above, "dragon" is #7.) > One thing Graham doesn't discuss is that phpbb.com is really just a message board, and many users may simply have not cared about the security of their passwords here (unlike, say, with a bank account). In other words, they may very well have intentionally chosen something simplistic here to avoid re-using a password they save for an important login, just in case this site got hacked. Which, it turns out, it did. I could go on, but Graham's post has way more detail than I can digest here and it's easy-reading too. Worth a close look for any citizen of the web. Personally, I believe noone really cares about the strength (or lack of) the passwords they use on community sites. To start with, there is a stage in the registration process into such sites (or Bulletin Boards if you may call them) which warns you NOT TO USE any of your sensitive passwords that you use elsewhere. Given that noone really stores any sensitive material on such sites it's not uncommon to simply use 123456 (because the registration system insists on your password having at least six characters) or something like "letmein". I don't believe it was "really bad news for the 20,000 unlucky souls" at all. Rather, the lesson to be learn here, IMHO, is by those souls deploying systems that are accessible to the hostile Internet to take seriously security considerations for those systems. -- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254733744121/+254722743223 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ "The only time a woman really succeeds in changing a man is when he is a baby." - Natalie Wood

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Hacked password list offers security insights
by Evans Kahuthu 10 Feb '09

10 Feb '09

Recently a niche programming-oriented website called phpbb.com had its user database hacked into and the passwords for 20,000 members stolen. The hacker who broke in then posted the account info and passwords online for the world to see. And while this is really bad news for those 20,000 unlucky souls, it offers an instructive lesson on password security for the rest of us. InformationWeek analyzed the hacked password list and found a number of interesting trends in the data, primarily revolving around the fact that most people do exactly what they've been told not to do since passwords were first invented. Author/analyst Robert Graham has tons of analysis on offer. I'm ordering my favorite/most enlightening data points from the piece here, starting with the most interesting. On thing to remember: These passwords are from a group of people interested in computer programming, so if anyone should know better, it's these guys. > The most popular password (3.03% of the 20,000) was "123456." It's also generally considered the most common password used today . > 4 percent used some variant of the word "password." Seriously, people, there's no excuse for this one. "password" was the 2nd most popular password used, also in keeping with historical trends. > 16 percent of passwords were a person's first name. No word on if it was their first name, but someone's. Joshua is the most commonly used first-name password, a likely reference to the movie WarGames. > Patterns abound. In addition to "123456," other pattens like "12345, "qwerty," and "abc123" were common, comprising 14 percent of the passwords used. > 35 percent of passwords were six characters long. 0.34 percent were only one character long. > For reasons no one can explain, "dragon," "master," and "killer" all crack the top 20 passwords. (On the top 500 password list linked above, "dragon" is #7.) > One thing Graham doesn't discuss is that phpbb.com is really just a message board, and many users may simply have not cared about the security of their passwords here (unlike, say, with a bank account). In other words, they may very well have intentionally chosen something simplistic here to avoid re-using a password they save for an important login, just in case this site got hacked. Which, it turns out, it did. I could go on, but Graham's post has way more detail than I can digest here and it's easy-reading too. Worth a close look for any citizen of the web. Evans Kahuthu

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[Fwd: [APC Forum] APC job vacancy: Assistant to the executive director and grant administrator]
by alice 09 Feb '09

09 Feb '09

Please help us circulate. Thank you! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- APC job vacancy: Assistant to the executive director and grant administrator The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is a global network of civil society organisations whose mission is to empower and support organisations, social movements and individuals in and through the use of information and communication technologies to build strategic communities and initiatives for the purpose of making meaningful contributions to equitable human development, social justice, participatory political processes and environmental sustainability. www.apc.org The APC is looking for an Assistant to the Executive Director/Grants Administrator. Application deadline: 20 February 2009 Start date: Immediately DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Grant administration * Research and track funding opportunities * Coordination submission of proposals and following up subsequent to submission * Prepare and maintain appropriate materials that need to accompany proposals * Coordinate receipt, signing and filing of donor/client agreements * Manage the APC donor reporting calendar and notify relevant staff members of upcoming deadlines and ensure that completed reports are filed in the appropriate online spaces * Liaise with donors in submitting reports, providing updates, etc. * Ensure that donor contact information is kept up to date and is reflected on APC’s online project management space and on APC.org * Provide overall support to the management team in ensuring effective relationships with APC’s donor partners. Assistance to the Executive Director * Assistance with correspondence, scheduling, and travel arrangements, and expense reimbursements * Compile and draft reports, procedures, and other internal documents * Take minutes of board and staff meetings as needed * Provide administrative support to the board of directors’ activities * Assist in the maintenance of internal calendars in collaboration with the Network Development team * Assist with event follow-up (minutes, reports, and other documentation) Coordination of consultants’ contracts * Liaise with staff members and consultants in order to acquire all relevant contract information and finalise consultants’ contracts and distribute to relevant staff and consultants for approval * Distribute approved contracts to consultants and relevant staff members * Receive signed consultant and staff contracts by email, fax, and mail, and file them online and in paper files in the APC office * Notify relevant staff members when consultants have signed their contracts * Ensure that all relevant documents and information are present in the subcontracts database of APC’s online project management space Management of the Executive Director’s office in Johannesburg (if based there) * Answer the telephone, check voice mail, and send and receive faxes, mail, packages and email. * Maintain complete and accurate paper and online filing systems * Order office supplies and arrange payments via the online finance system * Work with APC’s Events and Logistics Coordinator in the planning and coordination of events held in South Africa * Provide other executive and administrative assistance as needed REQUIREMENTS * Higher degree in the social sciences, development studies or a related field (or at least three years professional experience) * Excellent interpersonal and communication skills * Excellent written English * Ability to organise, prioritise and complete tasks in a timely manner without supervision * Experience in information management * Able to work independently and as part of a team * Excellent wordprocessing and internet skills (e.g. online research) * Able to communicate comfortably in written French and/or Spanish ADVANTAGES * Ability to work from executive director’s office in Johannesburg, South Africa * Familiarity with working in networks * Experience working remotely * Experience in working in an international context with ICT-based civil society networks like APC * · Ability to communicate in more than two languages ORGANISATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS The successful applicant will report to the Executive Director and work closely with the Events and Logistics Coordinator, the Network Development Manager, the Finance Manager, the Finance Assistant, and other members of the management team. LOCATION AND WORK CONDITIONS The successful applicant will work in the APC office in Johannesburg, South Africa. However very strong candidates who wish to be considered for the post and work remotely from another country may still apply. Some international travel might be required. APC provides an equipment allowance but requires staff to provide their own laptops. REMUNERATION This is a full time, fixed-term (renewable) contract. Remuneration is based on the APC’s salary scale for the position. Short-listed candidates will receive specific information on the salary range. HOW TO APPLY Send a covering letter and detailed CV (in English), which include the following information: * A description of your interest in working with APC in this position * Your experience related to the job requirements listed above * Experience of working in networks and managing partnerships * People and project management skills * A rating of the languages you speak and write * A description of your computer skills * Work experience in an international context * Online work experience * Other information you think might be of importance to our assessment of your application * Three (3) references: names, relationship and their contact details. Send your application via email, as an attachment, to jobs at apc.org with “Executive Assistant and Grant Administrator” in the subject line. Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Any applications which are incomplete, do not follow the instructions here, received with viruses, or in any language other than English will be automatically disqualified. (END/2009) ======================================= APC Forum is a meeting place for the APC community - people and institutions who are or have been involved in collaboration with APC, and share the APC vision - a world in which all people have easy, equal and affordable access to the creative potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve their lives and create more democratic and egalitarian societies. _______________________________________________ apc.forum mailing list apc.forum(a)lists.apc.org http://lists.apc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/apc.forum

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Blogging; Special Report on Business Daily, Opinion?
by Gakuru Alex 09 Feb '09

09 Feb '09

Dear all, I would be very interested in your views of Business Daily's Special Report on blogging: - 1. Blog post revolution hits corporate Kenya <http://www.bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12756&Ite…> 2. Blogs command attention of corporate world <http://www.bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12755&Ite…> 3. Blogs emerge as avenues for making money< http://www.bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12754&Ite…> 4. Companies use online platform to monitor views from the public <http://www.bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12753&Ite…> 5. Fibre optic cable to pave way for corporate blogging <http://www.bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12752&Ite…> 6. What is likely to compete with the mainstream media? <http://www.bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12751&Ite…> Please,,, be generous with your opinion.... regards, Alex

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Senegalese consumers called to boycott mobile phones to protest 2% tax increase on wide range of services
by alice 07 Feb '09

07 Feb '09

(From Balancing Act) Senegalese consumers called to boycott mobile phones to protest 2% tax increase on wide range of services African politicians see the telecoms and Internet sector as the "golden goose" in terms of being able to tax its operators. In various countries a whole raft of different taxes have turned mobile operators into Government’s most effective tax collector. But this week saw the two main Senegalese consumer organisations organise a boycott of services to protest against a 2% tax called RUTEL that falls directly on consumers. Along with all the other taxes they pay (including TVA/VAT), Senegalese consumers are now being asked to stump up an additional 2% across a wide range of telecommunications and Internet services. The tax is called Redevance d’utilisation des telecommunications (RUTEL) and it came into force on 1 February 2009. Law 2008-46 of 3 September 2008 put the tax on the statute book but its introduction has caused widespread anger. So for example, a prepaid mobile kit costs about FCFA2,120 and with TVA/VAT FCFA2,500. With the RUTEL tax on the base price it now costs FCFA2,160, giving a final price to the consumer of FCFA2,550, an increase of FCFA50. The wide range of services the tax has been slapped on includes fixed and mobile services, IP-TV services, dial-up and ADSL subscriptions, recharge cards, international roaming, leased lines and interconnection charges between operators. The latter will have the effect of charging the tax twice over to consumers, providing a real case of "double-dipping", that bears down directly on consumers. The Ministry of Commerce has pointed out that a range of essentials like food and fuel have actually come down in price but its figures have been contested in the discussions taking place on Senegalese blogs. It seems that the announced reductions in price often turn into price rises later. As with TVA/VAT, the operators have been given the responsibility of collecting the tax and as a concession to the operators they are now freed of any taxes or customs duties on the import of mobile and fixed phones. In reaction to this tax raise, Senegal’s two main consumer associations, l'Association des consommateurs du Sénégal (ASCOSEN) and l'Union nationale des consommateurs du Sénégal (UNCS) have called for a boycott of the use of mobile phones today, Friday 6 February 2009. "The Senegalese state has decided, in a unilateral manner, that is peremptory and without justification to raise by more than 2% the cost of telecommunications," the President of ASCOSEN, Momar Ndao told a press conference on Thursday. He estimated that the Government will be taking FCFA33 million a day from consumers’ pockets. The joint plan of action for a boycott has been organised by sending SMS messages to consumers telling them the boycott will take place and calling on them to stop all bill payment, opening new subscriptions, buying credit from 8am to 3pm and stop using their mobile from 1pm to 3pm. One of Senegal’s ICT sector associations, Le Rassemblement des entreprises du secteur des technologies de l'information et des télécommunications (RESTIC) issued a statement saying that it considered the boycott to be "counter-productive and unacceptable." The statement argued that:"Mobile service is not just a commodity for the majority of consumers but a necessity for most of them. This boycott will be a useless trouble to users and leave operators having to make up lost revenue." According to RESTIC, the operators and employers were not involved in the decision to introduce the new tax and operators were already paying up to 3% on turnover as a contribution to the universal service fund Fond National de Développement de Service Universel (FNDSU). Therefore it invited the Government to rethink all taxes placed on operators. There have been two consumer boycotts of mobile phones in Nigeria, the first in 2003 caused a significant dent in operators’ revenues but the second several years later had much less of an impact. There was talk of a similar boycott in South Africa but it never seemed to get off the ground. The complicated way the boycott has been structured in Senegal (with different hours to boycott different services) may also mean that the impact is not as great as its promoters might hope. A similar all inclusive tax was introduced in Ghana in mid-2008. African Governments in the main do not have a strong record of tax collection and have turned mobile operators into their chief tax collectors. The largest proportion of Government revenues comes both from TVA/VAT collected directly from consumers and also the wide range of other taxes they pay the Government. African politicians of all stripes see the telecoms and Internet sectors as a "golden goose" that produces easy money. The contradiction at the heart of this taxation policy is that there is clear evidence that the more you charge consumers for communications services, the less they will use them and the more it cuts out the marginal user who really struggles to pay for these services. President Wade has been one of Africa’s most vocal politicians in calling for the closing of the digital divide. A tax policy of this kind simply widens the divide. For as one Senegalese blogger, Souleymane Jules Diop, wrote yesterday:"It’s not the phone that’s to blame. It’s (President) Abdoulaye Wade whose to blame." Perhaps this boycott will make African politicians think again before they reach out to stroke "the golden goose" for more money.

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Supplement to Launch National BPO Expo Week
by Joseph Ochola 07 Feb '09

07 Feb '09

Dear Collegue, The Kenya BPO & Contact Centre Society will on 31st March 2009, run a supplement on the Launch of the National BPO Expo Week, in the Daily Nation. We would like to take this opportunity to invite you book your adverts in the supplement. This will be an excellent medium to market your products and services. Deadline for advert submission is 17 March, 2009.Expo website:www.bpoweek.co.ke Kindly contact the undersigned for further details. Kind Regards, Joseph Ochola Executive Officer Kenya BPO & Contact Centre Society. Studio House, along Argwings Kodhek road, 2nd floor E-mail: secretariat(a)kenyabposociety.or.ke Website: www.kenyabposociety.or.ke Tel. No. /020-2391301/ 0722-663176/ 0733-917518 _

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Voices of Africa for Sustainable Development is accepting resume for new board members....
by Crystal Watley 07 Feb '09

07 Feb '09

Salama! So what does it take to be a VOA board member? We need to find someone who knows and loves technology and believes that it can be used to build a better Kenya, and if we meet our organization goals, a better Africa. It is important that this board member not be shy to controversy or afraid to speak their mind. It is critical that our new board member is a believer in grassroots democracy. This is a voluntary position and does not have a pay check attached. The reward is knowing that you are contributing to a freer, more open and informed Kenya. Board members are required to make contributions to the organization as they are able and to help fund raise. Board meetings are held online once a month. We require at least a ten hour per week commitment. If you feel you are "the one" to help lead and guide our organization, please send your resume to: crystal(a)voicesofafrica.org. Asante sana. Many blessings, Crystal -- Crystal "Naliaka" Watley Voices of Africa crystal(a)voicesofafrica.org http://www.voicesofafrica.org/ "You must be the change you wish to see" - Gandhi

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