Governance

May212020 by Lynn WandiaNo Comments

Why enterprise 5G needs governments for security-KPMG

Unlike previous technology advancements, the adoption of the fifth generation of mobile network standards – known as 5G – is going to be enterprise not consumer-led. The network capability already exists to provide 5G for factories, arenas and universities, for example. This will suit innovative enterprises with the imagination to take full advantage of this “campus capability” before the full national rollouts of 5G that will be required for the consumer market. I believe 5G will start by enabling manufacturing’s fourth Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0 as it is commonly known, and transform sectors including industrial manufacturing, defense, infrastructure and healthcare. 5G is expected to generate a variety of new applications and business cases for enterprises, many of whi

May212020 by editorNo Comments

Internet Shutdown in India to control protesters

Governance

India shut down the internet in the state of Assam on Thursday, after citizens took to the streets to protest a controversial new citizenship rule. It’s the latest example of a worrying worldwide trend: cutting online access to control the people. The news: On Wednesday, India’s government approved the Citizenship Amendment Bill, which creates a path for citizenship for minorities from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh (but not for the country’s Muslim minority). In the state of Assam, where residents have long been unhappy about immigration from nearby Bangladesh, protesters set fire to train stations. The government sent in troops and shut down the internet, according to CNN. What’s the big deal? In an increasingly connected world, shutdowns are a way to stop protest

Dec132019 by editorNo Comments

Does Kenya have the necessary skills for AI?

Governance, Internet, Technology

Lack of access to free, up-to-date and machine-readable government data stands in the way of Kenya tapping into opportunities brought by artificial intelligence, a Nation Newsplex analysis reveals. The country tops Africa and ranks 52 globally out of 194 countries on the government’s readiness to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) in public services but only manages positions seven in the continent and 78 out of 94 globally in availability of government data, according to two key reports. The Government Artificial Intelligence Readiness Index 2019 report, by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Oxford Insights, factors in 11 inputs grouped into four main categories: governance, infrastructure and data; skills and education; and government and public services. “

Dec112019 by editorNo Comments

Can Technology curb corruption?

Governance, Technology

Technology is changing and challenging governments around the world. With data analytics and artificial intelligence, new technologies present governments with tremendous opportunities to improve public services, get better value-for-money, and curb corruption. Governments need to become fit-for-purpose in the digital era. Faced with the rising expectations of digital natives, they realize that business-as-usual is over. In Chile, for example, the current social malaise reflects frustrated aspirations of the new, yet vulnerable middle-class. Bureaucracies are developing a greater appetite for new ways of thinking and doing. Progressive governments are pushing public agencies to be more tech-savvy and data-thirsty, willing to take risks and learning to adapt faster. In...

Feb182016 by editorNo Comments

Ongoing Elections In Uganda Lead To Blocked Access To Social Media

Governance, Internet, Mobile, social media

Access to social media networks such as WhatsApp and mobile money has been blocked in Uganda over what the government claims to be "national security" concerns. Sources speaking to the Daily Nation however state that the shutdown that was ordered by top officials in the ruling party is meant to curtail the massive amounts of messages that are being shared against President, Yoweri Museveni. The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), director of corporate affairs, Fred Otunnu said that the shutdown was only temporary due to the sensitive nature of the elections period. While this goes on, there are concerns about the poor internet bandwidth but the UCC maintained that that was not related to the ongoing elections. The Ugandan Presidential and Parliamentary elections begun this mornin

Nov162015 by editorNo Comments

Turkish government has blocked access to Reddit

Governance, Internet

The Turkish government has officially blocked access to Reddit. Users first reported last night that they were unable to access the social media site, and as of Saturday the ban still appears to be in effect. It's not clear how long the block will remain in effect. Reports theverge.com An official government site confirms the ban with a generic message that reads, "After technical analysis and legal consideration ... administration measure has been taken for this website." The note is dated November 13th. According to the statement, Reddit was taken down under Turkey's controversial internet censorship law, known as Internet Law No. 5651. Under the law, Turkish Supreme Council for Telecommunications and IT (TIB) can ban websites and block internet content for a handful of reasons, includ...

Oct172015 by editorNo Comments

DCA Trust sends a warning Letter to ICANN Board on GAC consultation over .Africa

Domains, Governance

. Days just before the ICANN Dublin meeting, DCA Trust has sent a warning to ICANN Board, through a letter posted on 14th October 2015. This letter responds to the Chair of ICANN Board, who wrote a letter to Chair of ICANN GAC “to request the GAC to clarify, or refine the earlier GAC Objection Advice that had been previously issued in April 2013 against DCA Trust’s .Africa application.” DCA Trust which has been embroiled in a battle over .africa for nearly 4 years and another 2 years in a legal battle with ICANN, won in an independent review panel decision to its favor on July 12015, has asked ICANN not to shift blame to GAC for its own errors and omissions in making decisions over the .africa gTLD, noting that the IRP was against ICANN’s actions and not against the GAC. “Your lett

Oct62015 by editorNo Comments

KEYNOTE by Sophia Bekele: Business Ethics and Victory over the DCA vs ICANN IRP

Domains, Governance

The CEO and Founder of DCA Trust Sophia Bekele, who has gone through it all in the quest for an Africa domain using the transparent and ethical channels has spoken about the surprises ,intrigues of an uncountable internet governance system in her Key note speech at the Lincoln University in Oakland California. While citing various types of scandals from recent years like the Scott Thomson, FIFA and ICANN's accountability meltdown and U.S. Congressional Intervention, Sophia reckons that “knowing the time to avoid the results of unethical behavior is before it occurs, and not after. In our profession we always say "Prevention is superior to inspection", and in no area is this more important than business ethics.” Speaking about the DCA vs ICANN .Africa IRP, the CEO noted that

Aug182015 by editorNo Comments

U.S. Government further delays IANA Transition timeline with an option of up to three additional years if need be

Domains, Governance, Internet

The Internet global multi-stakeholder community needs time to complete its work, have the plan reviewed by the U.S. government and then put it into action if approved, the U.S. Department of Commerce said Monday. The U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) said in March last year it planned to let its contract with ICANN to operate key domain-name functions expire in September 2015, passing the oversight of the agency to a global governance model, however this is likely to extend as per the latest blog update below The Internet’s global multistakeholder community has made tremendous progress in its work to develop a proposal to transition the historic stewardship role NTIA has played related to Internet’s domain name system (DNS). When we announced our

Aug132015 by editorNo Comments

The McFadden Files: How Geo Panel contractor bungled .Africa evaluation to favour ICANN’s preferred candidate

Domains, Governance, Internet

ICANN’s new gTLD guidebook clearly specified how its contractors were supposed to act with competence, and also independently to assure best quality performance in the evaluation of the 1930 new gTLD applications that were submitted under the new gTLD program. The outcome of an Independent Review Panel however indicates otherwise in one of the most controversial applications under the ICANN new gTLD program. The discovery process of the .Africa IRP which pitted DCA Trust against ICANN showed a wide array of underhand dealings between InterConnnect Communications, the independent firm that was contracted to review geographic names and ICANN staff that were guided to ensure that ICANN’s choice, ZACR got the string and not DCA Trust. Here is an excerpt from the new gTLD Applicant Guideb