[kictanet] When it comes to privacy by default, settings matter!

Tue Jun 11 12:22:53 EAT 2019

Interesting debate. Let me throw in this video by KICTANet associate Riva
Jalipa that compiles interviews from policy activists, musicians and just
ordinary phone users. I especially like the modern lady in 3:08 who
explains issues that are private to her and the gentleman who translates
the idea of the traditional "cube" ( mini house for older unmarried men) to
privacy in the digital age.
See whole video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GK47va5kLc

On Tue, 11 Jun 2019 at 05:05, Francis Monyango via kictanet <
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:

> 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.
>>>> >
>>>> > _______________________________________________
>>>> > kictanet mailing list
>>>> > kictanet at 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.
>>>> >
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Barrack O. Otieno
>>>> +254721325277
>>>> +254733206359
>>>> Skype: barrack.otieno
>>>> PGP ID: 0x2611D86A
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> kictanet mailing list
>>>> kictanet at 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/enkamande%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 at 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/alice%40munyua.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.
>>>
>>>
>>
>> --
>> 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
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> *www.ymca.gm <http://www.ymca.gm>http://jokkolabs.net/en/
>> <http://jokkolabs.net/en/>www.waigf.org
>> <http://www.waigf.org>www,insistglobal.com <http://www.itag.gm>www.npoc.org
>> <http://www.npoc.org>http://www.wsa-mobile.org/node/753
>> <http://www.wsa-mobile.org/node/753>*www.diplointernetgovernance.org
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> kictanet mailing list
>> kictanet at 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/monyango93%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 at 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
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/pipermail/kictanet/attachments/20190611/0fc9446c/attachment.htm>