[kictanet] kenyan techies headed to jail

[Rebecca Wanjiku]

  Kenyan techies headed to jail...
  By Rebecca Wanjiku
   
  If the new Kenya Communications Amendment bill becomes law, all Kenyan techies and computer owners with pay a fine of shs 1 million, or risk a jail term or both.
   
  Why?
  Section 86 of the KCA bill states that...
   
  •         No person shall
  –        Operate an electronic Certification system
  –        Update a repository
  –        Administer a sub-domain in the ccTLD
  To do the above one requires a license, or face the penalties.
   
  Michuki Mwangi, the chief executive officer of KENIC, reckons that there are many Kenyan techies who have been infringing on this rule and will face the full force of the law once its assented.
   
  In interrogating these issues, Michuki asks, what is a repository? He argues that a repository could constitute a computer hard disk, mainly because the bill has not defined what a repository is.
   
  “I have a self signed certificate, I create sub-domains and so many other Kenyans do. The government will have to give 32million potential sub-domain users. That’s a whole load of licenses to issue,” said Michuki.
   
  Section 87 and 88 provides that:
  •         The dot KE registry and the Digital Certificate Registry need a license
   
  Michuki reckons that .KE model is globally recognized and in deed South   Africa wants to follow up but adds that the new law will open room for subdivision of the registry, provided one can pay the license.
   
  For instance in south Africa, the .CO.ZA , .AC.ZA and other domains were operated by different entities and this is the time they are trying to integrate registry operations under one registry.
   
  “It has the right intentions but just needs a bit of tweaking and rewording. The bill could have captured other areas of IT like local content matters were not well addressed,” said Michuki.
   
   
  Ends 
  

Tel. 254 720 318 925

blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/
       
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