[kictanet] When it comes to privacy by default, settings matter!
Francis Monyango
monyango93 at gmail.com
Tue Jun 11 04:58:37 EAT 2019
Morning Listers,
Alice, if you look carefully at the individuals who push the narrative
"Africans don't care about privacy", you will notice they are from entities
that benefit from the use of personal information. So to absolve themselves
from any blame when caught with their hands in the cookie jar, they will
jump on to the statement and use the registration of personal information
at entrances of buildings as an example of how we don't care.
Yet we all do that because the law requires us to do so. 10 years ago, we
never had to write our details or leave our IDs at entrances of buildings.
In any case, now that we are legislating on data protection laws, we should
factor in such unique situations in our society and find ways to ensure
that the data collected at the entrance of buildings is used for the
purpose it is collected for and disposed adequately.
On Tue, 11 Jun 2019, 03:55 Poncelet Ileleji via kictanet, <
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
> Not the case at all Alice,
>
> The real issue we have yet to share our narrative and our stories how we
> are combating it at various levels. These stories are important and we do
> care and need to
> address it at all levels. Yes we have issues like governmental
> confidential papers ending up on the hands of street vendors to wrap snacks
> etc as a case in point. However at various levels things are happening and
> we need collectively to share our stories and experiences.
>
> My 0.0001% contribution
>
> Poncelet
>
> On Tuesday, 11 June 2019, Alice Munyua via kictanet <
> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>
>> Many thanks Patrick for your response and great insights.
>> I have heard this said in several spaces “Africans don’t care about
>> privacy” “Africans do not care about privacy in the same way Europeans or
>> both Americans do”
>>
>> If this is the case/current reality?
>> Very best regards
>> Alice
>>
>> On 7 Jun 2019, at 02:45, esther kamande via kictanet <
>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>
>> Good insight Patrick,
>>
>> I agree that "....the burden needs to shift from the consumers to the
>> companies whereby the complexity of privacy settings shouldn’t be placed on
>> users to figure out. The product defaults should simply align with consumer
>> expectations."
>>
>> Thanks for sharing Alice.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Esther
>>
>> On Fri, Jun 7, 2019 at 6:48 AM Barrack Otieno via kictanet <
>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>
>>> Good analysis Patrick,
>>>
>>> Provides interesting perspectives.
>>>
>>> Best Regards
>>>
>>> On 6/5/19, Patrick A. M. Maina via kictanet
>>> <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>> > I recently did a side-by-side comparison of several mainstream (and
>>> some
>>> > emerging browsers e.g. Brave) and found Firefox to be the least
>>> intrusive of
>>> > the better browsers.
>>> > Using a network traffic monitor, I peeked under the hood to see what
>>> the
>>> > browsers were secretly doing in the "background" and lo-and-behold,
>>> Chrome
>>> > was so aggressive that it looked like a data-harvesting malware, even
>>> with
>>> > add-ons and extensions disabled. I did some research on it and noted
>>> that
>>> > users who had raised similar issues (several years earlier) had
>>> apparently
>>> > been stonewalled for some reason. This led to a prompt and permanent
>>> > uninstall of Chrome on that device.
>>> > Surreptitious data harvesting is problematic because it enhances online
>>> > risks (e.g. risk of "spear phishing" attacks, as well as theft of
>>> business
>>> > trade secrets - including theft by inference). This should be of
>>> concern to
>>> > emloyees, enterpreneurs and government workers. So why aren't users
>>> > switching in droves to less intrusive browsers?
>>> > I have two hypotheses about this:
>>> > 1. Privacy awareness campaigns don't appear to be strategically
>>> > contextualized and/or targeted. For example, the word "privacy" has a
>>> > personal activity context connotation and may not trigger alarm bells
>>> in
>>> > official contexts. I think words like "spying" or "snooping" or
>>> "stealing"
>>> > need to be used a lot more as they convey, with far greater clarity,
>>> the
>>> > idea of surreptitious activity and/or motives, while instilling a
>>> sense of
>>> > urgent need for action.
>>> > 2. Alternative browsers have to overcome network effects (and build
>>> their
>>> > own). This requires long-game strategies that, on casual inspection,
>>> don't
>>> > appear connected to browser adoption / lock-in. The strategy has to
>>> align
>>> > with (and leverage) anthropological insights as well.
>>> > Let's use Chrome as an example:
>>> > Chrome users are locked-in to Google's strong network effects, which
>>> exist
>>> > at the Android ecosystem level (developers, tech support, advertisers
>>> and
>>> > end-users).
>>> > Google works hard to grow/maintain its dev community by offering a vast
>>> > array of tools as well as monetization opportunities. Google's secret
>>> value
>>> > proposition across all their products is... wait for it... "success".
>>> > Once onboarded, cool, proprietary (but apparently inconsequential)
>>> features
>>> > tempt devs to tailor their webapps towards Chrome as the "main"
>>> browser and,
>>> > slowly but surely, dev lock-in creeps in. The difference between
>>> Google and
>>> > Microsoft in terms of dev lock-in strategy is that Google's approach
>>> is more
>>> > subtle: it doesn't cause hard breaks in functionality on different
>>> browsers
>>> > (which would be a big no-no for devs - it only degrades it.. quietly
>>> passing
>>> > the UX pain to end users as "punishment" for using the "wrong"
>>> browser).
>>> > This leads to "works best on Chrome" advisories on millions of help
>>> pages /
>>> > documentation, which in turn *heavily* influences end-user (and tech
>>> > support's) preferences and more importantly, perceptions about quality
>>> and
>>> > performance advantage. It's like a massively viral reverse ad campaign
>>> where
>>> > the advertisers pay you to advertise *your* product.
>>> > Humans are creatures of habit and consistency. So the browser you use
>>> more
>>> > frequently (or at work) is likely the one you'll want to use on your
>>> > personal devices. Soon the user starts "advising" others on which
>>> browser is
>>> > "best" (more free marketing). This reinforces the user's own
>>> perception of
>>> > preferences, boosting perceived loyalty and making it even harder to
>>> switch
>>> > even when the browser has issues the user doesn't like (cognitive
>>> > dissonance).
>>> > I noticed this effect on myself when switching from IE (after almost
>>> two
>>> > decades) to Chrome, and a few years later, from Chrome to Firefox.
>>> Switching
>>> > is hard.
>>> > To get users to change their browser habits, it makes sense to target
>>> the
>>> > dev & support ecosystem agressively with a different value proposition
>>> (i.e.
>>> > "success"). This could mean being more flexible and pragmatic on
>>> certain
>>> > core philosophies like FOSS, which pushes poor/hungry/enterpreneurial
>>> > developers into the arms of monetized platforms. Food is no longer FOSS
>>> > (unfortunately)... people need money to eat, and bills have to be
>>> paid. FOSS
>>> > values are noble and important, but they become elitist when
>>> implemented as
>>> > universal dogma without regard to economic context (e.g. for devs in
>>> low
>>> > income countries).
>>> > Legal and policy tools have to be leveraged as well. Google rode on
>>> > antitrust regulations, for example, to penetrate Microsoft's IE moat
>>> and
>>> > give chrome a chance on the PC (they then cheekily went on to do what
>>> > Microsoft had been penalized for doing, with their inbuilt OS
>>> integrated
>>> > apps).
>>> > Slightly off-topic, but might be of interest to some.
>>> > Good day & brgds,
>>> > Patrick.
>>> > Patrick A. M. Maina[Cross-domain Innovator | Public Policy Analyst -
>>> > Indigenous Innovations]
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > On Wednesday, June 5, 2019, 5:40:42 AM GMT+3, Alice Munyua via
>>> kictanet
>>> > <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2019/06/04/when-it-comes-to-privacy-default-settings-matter/
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > What if I told you that on nearly every single website you visit, data
>>> about
>>> > you was transmitted to dozens or even hundreds of companies, all so
>>> that the
>>> > website could earn an additional $0.00008 per ad! This is a key
>>> finding from
>>> > a new study on behaviorally targeted advertisements from Carnegie
>>> Mellon
>>> > University and it should be a wake-up call to all of us. The status
>>> quo of
>>> > pervasive data collection in service of ad targeting is untenable.
>>> That is
>>> > why we’re announcing some key changes to Firefox.
>>> >
>>> > Today marks an important milestone in the history of Firefox and the
>>> web. As
>>> > of today, for new users who download and install Firefox for the first
>>> time,
>>> > Enhanced Tracking Protection will automatically be set on by default,
>>> > protecting our users from the pervasive tracking and collection of
>>> personal
>>> > data by ad networks and tech companies.
>>> >
>>> > It seems that each week a new tech company decides to decree that
>>> privacy is
>>> > a human right. They tout how their products provide people with
>>> “choices” to
>>> > change the settings if they wish to opt into a greater level of privacy
>>> > protection to exemplify how they are putting privacy first. That begs
>>> the
>>> > question — do people really want more complex settings to understand
>>> and
>>> > fiddle with or do they simply want products that respect their privacy
>>> and
>>> > align with their expectations to begin with?
>>> >
>>> > Privacy shouldn’t be relegated to optional settings
>>> >
>>> > When thinking about consumer privacy online, I’m reminded of the
>>> behavioral
>>> > economics studies which led to 401K plans (US retirement savings plans)
>>> > moving from voluntary enrollment to auto-enrollment. Not too long ago
>>> most
>>> > defined contribution retirement savings plans in the US required
>>> employees
>>> > to sign-up and volunteer to start participating. Participation rates
>>> were
>>> > very low. Why was that? Was it because people didn’t care about saving
>>> for
>>> > retirement? Not at all! There were simply too many barriers to
>>> aligning with
>>> > people’s expectations and desires and the benefits of saving for
>>> retirement
>>> > aren’t felt immediately.
>>> >
>>> > We are in a similar position with respect to software privacy settings.
>>> > Pervasive tracking is too opaque and potential privacy harms are never
>>> felt
>>> > immediately. The general argument from tech companies is that
>>> consumers can
>>> > always decide to dive into their browser settings and modify the
>>> defaults.
>>> > The reality is that most people will never do that. Yet, we know that
>>> people
>>> > are broadly opposed to the status quo of pervasive cross-site tracking
>>> and
>>> > data collection, particularly when they learn the details on how
>>> tracking
>>> > actually works.
>>> >
>>> > We also know that traditional privacy features such as Chrome’s
>>> Incognito
>>> > mode are failing to live up to consumer expectations. The feature
>>> might keep
>>> > your spouse from knowing what you’re thinking about getting them for
>>> your
>>> > anniversary by erasing your history, but it does not prevent
>>> third-party
>>> > tracking. Our research shows that Firefox users are seeking out privacy
>>> > protection, particularly through the use of Firefox’s Private Browsing
>>> mode.
>>> > In fact, nearly 25% of web page loads in Firefox take place in a
>>> Private
>>> > Browsing window. The good news for these users is that Firefox’s
>>> Private
>>> > Browsing mode has long put users first by blocking tracking. The bad
>>> news is
>>> > that this generally isn’t true for many popular browsers, which allow
>>> > tracking even in private browsing/incognito mode. A recent study found
>>> that
>>> > users don’t understand this and think their data is being protected,
>>> when it
>>> > is actually not.
>>> >
>>> > As was the case with retirement savings plans, what this shows us is
>>> that
>>> > the burden needs to shift from the consumers to the companies whereby
>>> the
>>> > complexity of privacy settings shouldn’t be placed on users to figure
>>> out.
>>> > The product defaults should simply align with consumer expectations.
>>> That is
>>> > the approach we are taking in Firefox.
>>> >
>>> > Enhanced Tracking Protection by Default
>>> >
>>> > As stated above, new Firefox users will have strong privacy protection
>>> from
>>> > the moment they install. We also expect to deliver the same
>>> functionality to
>>> > existing users over the coming months. Because we are modifying the
>>> > fundamental way in which cookies and browser storage operate, we’ve
>>> been
>>> > very rigorous in our testing and roll-out plans to ensure our users
>>> are not
>>> > experiencing unforeseen usability issues. If you’re already using
>>> Firefox
>>> > and can’t wait, you can turn this feature on by clicking on the menu
>>> icon
>>> > marked by three horizontal lines at the top right of your browser, then
>>> > Content Blocking. Go to your privacy preferences and click on the
>>> Custom
>>> > option on the right side. Mark the Cookies checkbox and make sure that
>>> > “Third-party trackers” is selected. To learn more about our privacy and
>>> > security settings and get more detail on what each section — Standard,
>>> > Strict, and Custom — includes, visit here.
>>> >
>>> > For existing users, go to your privacy preferences and click on the
>>> Custom
>>> > option, ark the Cookies checkbox
>>> >
>>> > If you are new to Firefox, we’d love for you to give it a try.
>>> Download the
>>> > latest version here.
>>> >
>>> > When it comes to privacy, default settings matter! We hope that the
>>> actions
>>> > we are taking can ultimately compel change in the industry. Afterall,
>>> > consumers deserve better.
>>> >
>>> > _______________________________________________
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>>> >
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>>> >
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Barrack O. Otieno
>>> +254721325277
>>> +254733206359
>>> Skype: barrack.otieno
>>> PGP ID: 0x2611D86A
>>>
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>>> 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.
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>>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
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>> 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.
>>
>>
>
> --
> Poncelet O. Ileleji MBCS
> Coordinator
> The Gambia YMCAs Computer Training Centre & Digital Studio
> MDI Road Kanifing South
> P. O. Box 421 Banjul
> The Gambia, West Africa
> Tel: (220) 4370240
> Fax:(220) 4390793
> Cell:(220) 9912508
> Skype: pons_utd
>
>
>
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>
>
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> 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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