[kictanet] [Skunkworks] Media Misleading Citizens?-One Man Security?

Thu Mar 22 12:31:41 EAT 2012

@ Harry,

For their sake, I hope so too; because if they have actually gone ahead and unilaterally rolled this out without any legal/constitutional framework, will be tantamount to blatantly abusing the rights of Kenyans and straight-up abusing of their offices! Hon. AG, I hope you are listening and advising your client

Edwin

From: kictanet-bounces+eonchari=lynxbits.com at lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+eonchari=lynxbits.com at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Harry Delano
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 11:56 AM
To: Edwin
Cc: 'KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions'
Subject: Re: [kictanet] [Skunkworks] Media Misleading Citizens?-One Man Security?

@Edwin,

Had a similar “numb” feeling... But perhaps, CCK are putting up their statement together, then they will

address the forum & other stakeholders. Would be really a great start, to take the debate forward since

presently we seem to be groping around in the dark.

@Mblayo – Agreed..

Harry

From: Edwin Onchari [mailto:eonchari at lynxbits.com] 
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 11:41 AM
To: harry at comtelsys.co.ke
Cc: 'KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions'
Subject: RE: [kictanet] [Skunkworks] Media Misleading Citizens?-One Man Security?

Just curious like many in this list are-  how come no one from CCK or our esteemed usually vocal GoK officials on this list not made any comments on this at all? I have this unsettling gut feeling that this has been operational for a while now, which then makes it outright unconstitutional!!

Edwin

From: kictanet-bounces+eonchari=lynxbits.com at lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+eonchari=lynxbits.com at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Harry Delano
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 11:01 AM
To: Edwin
Cc: 'KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions'
Subject: Re: [kictanet] [Skunkworks] Media Misleading Citizens?-One Man Security?

@Wash,

Quite an assessment you got, this..

However, thisà “ I want to believe that whoever is going to be in charge of the gadgets is not going to be able to act unilaterally”, might

not be practically enforceable by oversight bodies, based on one premise:- That they haven’t got any scant idea whatsoever on how  the 

underlying technology will work. You can expect this to also be treated as a national security secret, since hackivists/other rogue elements

can use such info to strike if placed in the public domain.

I suppose, what we might need is to learn what the yet-to-be-delivered  “Great Firewall” can do and not do. For instance, if it’s capabilities

among others comprise ability to shutdown internet, censorship, or other such loopholes as industrial(read business), political espionage,

then we have need to sound out/lobby (law makers perhaps), to toughen up laws against such blatant abuse..

Regards,

Harry

From: kictanet-bounces+harry=comtelsys.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+harry=comtelsys.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Odhiambo Washington
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 10:26 AM
To: harry at comtelsys.co.ke
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
Subject: Re: [kictanet] [Skunkworks] Media Misleading Citizens?-One Man Security?

On Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 18:49, Walubengo J <jwalu at yahoo.com> wrote:

--- On Wed, 3/21/12, Moses Muya <mouzmuyer at gmail.com> wrote
>snip
The only question that comes to mind is whether the Government has the right legal backing to do this.
>snip

[snip]

Lets for a moment imagine that there is legal backing and ALL Operators are compelled to install this gadget.  Would we then claim to be electronically safer? Research shows that over 75% of electronic fraud/crime originates and is executed internally (like within Banks/Organisations) and hence putting gadgets at the Operators level presupposes the most of the bad guys are comming in from the "outside".  Fine you may catch the minotrity thugs (25%) but have not impact on the majority internal thugs (the 75%...)

@Walu,

We'd be electronically safer, yes. We are sniffing "Internet" and "internet" traffic. "Internet" here stands for Kenya<->Worldwide traffic while "internet" stands for Kenya<->Kenya (can be via KIXP of just within the operators network) traffic. For all intents and purposes, I believe the system is not supposed extend beyond those two scenarios, like sniffing traffic within a bank's system. You pushed it beyond the mandate of CCK by introducing traffic within RFC1918 confines. I believe the gadget applies only to those organizations which offer cyberspace based services to the public.

A secondary but equally important point, is what would stop the Director General (my good friend Wangusi) to use the very same equipment to block internet traffic into and out of  the Kenyan space? Especially if Kenyans are trying to do the equivalent of the Arab uprising on Twitter/FB/etc...which is likely considering our politics is not really improving (but I digress)

This is not an issue. Even before the introduction of the gadget, I believe the govt has a way of asking an provider licensed under CCK to shut down their services, in the guise of national security, or be forced shut! You remember KTN case and the "if you rattle a snake"? God forbid we don't have such level of dictatorship in KE.

Am not purely against security gadgets being installed.  Am against a framework that puts one man or woman in charge of these gadgets. Even our new constitution puts the Police and Security Intelligence bosses under Parliament (210 MPs?)

Let ms also go ahead and say that you seem to have made a great assumption on that. It's not possible that only one (wo)man is going to be in charge of these gadgets. The security agencies are mostl likely the ones who are going to be going over the data collected with a toothcomb and magnifying glass, but remember there is a Police Oversight Authority and the Parliamentary Committee on Security who hold sway over the security agencies... I want to believe that whoever is going to be in charge of the gadgets is not going to be able to act unilaterally.

If we are not carefull we may be basically putting Kenya back to the days of one-man-show. Remember one broadcasting station - Voice of Kenya? remember KPT&C - the days of JamboNet? Same thing here on the offing - if we are to believe what has been published in the press (and why not, no one from CCK has protested as  being misquoted) .

Hehe... I think you presented an Academic paper, Walu. We have a new constitution which gives the people a lot more power than Moi ever imagined, lest you forget :-)

-- 
Best regards,
Odhiambo WASHINGTON,
Nairobi,KE
+254733744121/+254722743223
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