Careful Patrick. The same questions may be asked of you- who are you and what is your interest?<div><br><div><div><br>On Thursday, 13 June 2019, Patrick A. M. Maina via kictanet <<a href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a>> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div><div style="font-family:times new roman,new york,times,serif;font-size:16px"><div></div>
<div><div><div>As I read some worrisome replies here, I'm starting to wonder... have foxes been guarding our hen-house? <br></div><div><br></div><div>Brgds,</div>Patrick.</div><br></div><div><br></div>
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On Thursday, June 13, 2019, 5:58:36 PM GMT+3, McTim <<a href="mailto:dogwallah@gmail.com" target="_blank">dogwallah@gmail.com</a>> wrote:
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<div><div><div><div dir="ltr"><div>Hi, Let me help you.</div><div><br clear="none"></div><br clear="none"><div><div dir="ltr">On Thu, Jun 13, 2019 at 10:38 AM Patrick A. M. Maina via kictanet <<a shape="rect" href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a><wbr>> wrote:<br clear="none"></div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div></div>
<div>Listers, <br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>This model of "<i>don't worry, we'll read the policy/research for you and summarize</i>" (i.e. dumbing down research & policy for negligent/lazy/disorganized policy practitioners) is very dangerous in many ways. It is not a wise solution to "tl;dr" (too long didn't read) and should be actively discouraged. <br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div></div></div></blockquote><div><br clear="none"></div><div>Nonsense, it is extraordinarily useful.</div><div><br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div> </div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div></div><div>Rationale: (and I invite cyber-security and internet safety experts to quip in with their thoughts/perspective please):</div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>1. The idea of <u>unofficial versions of important policy documents</u> that have not been independently vetted or certified - and targeted at "time-poor (sic)" policy practitioners - should trigger alarm bells in this day and age. In the case of <a shape="rect" href="https://digitalcooperation.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://digitalcooperation.<wbr>org/</a> report , what is wrong with their <u>official 4-page Executive Summary which is plainly written, in six UN languages</u>)? If policy practitioners can't understand it, perhaps the question to discuss is whether we have a competence problem?<br clear="none"></div></div></div></blockquote><div><br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>Yes, it is a competence problem. I prefer the Sam Dickinson version....always.</div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>She is a trusted and experienced practioner, knows the politics and policy inside and out.</div><div><br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div> </div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div></div><div><u><br clear="none"></u></div><div>An experienced, high-profile internet policy consultant <u>should know this</u> and <u>avoid doing it </u>because it promotes the entrenchment of high-risk habits that prime policy practitioners for targeted disinformation and malware.</div></div></div></blockquote><div><br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>It is part of her business model.</div><div><br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div> </div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>2. The premise of Nissaba.net is that official policy documents are too complex or too long. </div></div></div></blockquote><div><br clear="none"></div><div>no, not the premise. The premise and biz model is that she goes to Geneva and sits through week long events so I don't have to!</div><div><br clear="none"></div><div> </div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div>So <span><span><span>Nissaba.net</span></span></span> hopes to attract the tl;dr audience (people who don't like reading or are cognitively lazy or presumably are "too busy" to read important things that affect them). Do you see the danger here? </div></div></div></blockquote><div><br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>I only see the upside.</div><div> </div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div>This model gives the site owner(s)<u> immense power</u> as an information gatekeepers and influencers - with a target audience of cognitively lazy (or negligent) individuals. <br clear="none"></div></div></div></blockquote><div><br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>nonsense. </div><div> </div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>This kind of high-profile nannying, if deemed necessary due to realities like nepotism/corruption (which guarantee incompetence) is something that can only be done credibly by transparent multilateral organizations that have independent checks and measures. Policy activists should be combating incompetence - not enabling it.<br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>3. Besides the raised concerns above, there needs to be clarity on: What methodology are they using to summarize. How do they choose what is important and what is not? Do they have a vetting framework? <span>How do they choose what reports/event to summarize and what not to cover? </span>What tools do they use to create & scan the document? Do they have resources to protect themselves from being targeted as unwitting virus dissemination vectors?</div></div></div></blockquote><div><br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>OH FFS. If you are paying, you get to ask these questions. If you aren't a client of her consulting biz, then you don't get to ask these questions!</div><div><br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div> </div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>4. Why is she not running this as a non-profit organization that can be subjected to non-profit rules and scrutiny?</div></div></div></blockquote><div><br clear="none"></div><div>Becasue there is no way to raise funds for an NGO? Why are non-profit rules and scrutiny better?</div><div> </div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div> Her credentials and incredible levels of access (and exposure) don't paint her as a blundering amateur. Is this the result of reckless negligence or an excited rush to implement a half-baked idea?</div></div></div></blockquote><div> </div><div>neither</div><div><br clear="none"></div><div> </div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div>It doesn't make sense. What's going on?<br clear="none"></div></div></div></blockquote><div><br clear="none"></div><div>it makes total sense if you understand that she goes to events and reports on them as part of her consulting biz.</div><div><br clear="none"></div><div> </div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>5. If she got the idea from somewhere, she should have consulted the idea originator for implementation <span>(execution) </span> strategies that would not increase the danger of turning a bad situation into something far much worse. It could be that the idea originator (if not her) protected the idea by not reveling the most critical aspects of its execution.<br clear="none"></div></div></div></blockquote><div><br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>it is not a bad situation.</div><div><br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div> </div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>We cannot claim to be promoting internet health - and then we appear to do things that worsen internet health, just because we are known/trusted in policy circles!</div></div></div></blockquote><div><br clear="none"></div><div>This does zero to worsen Internet "health"...whatever that means! </div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>What am I missing here?<br clear="none"></div></div></div></blockquote><div><br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>the point man, you are missing the entire bloody point! </div><div><div><br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div><div><div><div><br clear="none"></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote></div></div><div>-- <br clear="none"></div><div dir="ltr"><div>Cheers,</div><br clear="none"><br clear="none">McTim<br clear="none">The 'name' of a resource indicates *what* we seek, an 'address' indicates *where* it is, and a 'route' tells us *how to get there*.</div></div></div></div></div>
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</div></div></blockquote></div></div></div><br><br>-- <br><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div>Grace Mutung'u <br>Skype: gracebomu<br>@Bomu<br><span style="font-size:12.8px">PGP ID : 0x33A3450F</span><br></div><div><br></div></div></div></div></div></div><br>