[kictanet] US Tech Giants to Profit from Kenya Trade Deal

Wed Oct 6 11:20:17 EAT 2021

Adrian

Please see my responses in-line below.

Regards

*Ali Hussein*

Fintech | Digital Transformation

Tel: +254 713 601113

Twitter: @AliHKassim

Skype: abu-jomo

LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
<http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim>

Any information of a personal nature expressed in this email are purely
mine and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the
organizations that I work with.

On Wed, Oct 6, 2021 at 10:10 AM Adrian Teri <adriateri at gmail.com> wrote:

> @ Ali Hussein
>
> We have a new/young authority that has the mandate to oversee Data
> Protection at the ODPC's office. In the last paragraphs of BD's article
> there is mention of clauses that ban data localisation.
>
*Ali response - With you on this. At KICTANet we fully support the ODPC's
Office.*

We need to empower and give teeth to this authority such that they can
> impose fines and if it comes to it, "black hole" these companies' services
> at the Internet Exchange Point (KIXP). Also making these companies set up
> local offices would be highly desirable as they aren't too far from reach.
>
*Ali response - Let's be careful with some of the solutions you are
suggesting. This could lead to further Balkanization of the Internet.
Something that China, Russia, and the GCC countries have perfected. No one
wants this except totalitarian regimes. *

> I see you are from the Fintech industry but I don't know your inclination
> on regulation. *It is unquestionably clear that there is nothing like
> self regulation*. If the home countries of these companies can not muster
> and see through regulation for them, then the onus is on us and every other
> sovereign country in the world to do so.
>
*Ali response - I'll be careful to not think regulation is the cure of all
evil. What we forget is that regulators are human too, with all our
positives and negatives. Having said that I'm all for Enlightened
Regulation. Here I mean that regulators need not only swing the big stick
but also do something towards enhancing and advancing the industries they
regulate. One such regulator in my humble opinion is the Communications
Authority of Kenya. *

>
> The beauty of the internet is not like regular products e.g cars which can
> comply to various regulations per region/country with the emission's laws.
> On the Internet you can't have 10 different versions of Instagram or
> WhatsApp. Evidence? The persistent and obnoxious Cookie notices you receive
> all the time thanks to The EU's GDPR even if you are not a resident of an
> EU member state.
>
 *Ali response - Agreed. However, nature abhors a vacuum. So the EU (for
better or worse) is doing what other countries should do. Instead of
blaming them let us look at ourselves... :-)*

Yours Kindly,
> Adrian
>
> On Mon, 4 Oct 2021 at 15:43, Ali Hussein <ali at hussein.me.ke> wrote:
>
>> My humble opinion?
>>
>> Too much hullabaloo for nothing. What is it that the American companies
>> are doing now that will be accelerated by this trade agreement?
>>
>> Methinks this is just sensational reporting without much meat in it...
>>
>> Regards
>>
>> *Ali Hussein*
>>
>> Fintech | Digital Transformation
>>
>>
>> Tel: +254 713 601113
>>
>> Twitter: @AliHKassim
>>
>> Skype: abu-jomo
>>
>> LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
>> <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Any information of a personal nature expressed in this email are purely
>> mine and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the
>> organizations that I work with.
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Oct 4, 2021 at 1:52 PM Adrian Teri via KICTANet <
>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>
>>> Good afternoon listers,
>>>
>>> On Today's (Oct 4th 2021) Business Daily  ()What//how does is say/impact
>>> about digital taxes (mostly on foreign internet services) and Data
>>> Protection Act?
>>>
>>> The irony of free trade agreements is like putting a heavyweight
>>> champion against a featherweight. It’s not competition, it’s ugly and
>>> brutal.
>>>
>>>
>>> https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/economy/us-tech-giants-profit-from-kenya-data-in-trade-deal-3571698
>>>
>>> Yours Kindly,
>>> Adrian
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>>
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