CCK mulls Internet rules to deepen spying on users
Information and communications Permanent Secretary Bitange Ndemo. Photo/FILE
What you need to know:
The government asked the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to issue all gadgets on the network with the unique address commonly referred to as Internet Protocol (IP) by end of this month.
Unique address by the ISPs will identify the users of the gadgets connected to the Internet in what will help curb the growing incidence of cyber-crime and sending of hate speech messages.
ISPs — including mobile telephone operators — are being asked to eliminate anonymity of Kenya’s 18 million Internet users as the country heads toward a general election in March 2013
The communications regulator is working on new licensing conditions that will see all gadgets connected to the Internet like computers, tablets and mobile handsets offered a unique address by the Internet Service Providers (ISP).
The unique address will identify the users of the gadgets in what will help curb the growing incidence of cyber-crime and sending of hate speech messages as Kenya heads to the March 4 General Election.
The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) Tuesday said that current licence conditions does spell out penalties for ISPs who do not allocate addresses to all gadgets connected to their networks.
“We are working on new licensing conditions for ISPs and if need be regulations that will enable us (CCK) to enforce the new standards because as things stand now they are not incorporated in the current conditions,” said Michael Katundu, director Information Technology at CCK.
The government asked the ISPs to issue all gadgets on the network with the unique address commonly referred to as Internet Protocol (IP) by end of this month. But the CCK lacked the powers to enforce the state order, prompting the regulator to review the licensing conditions to include the penalties for breach of the address requirement.
The new requirement will force ISPs to invest more on purchasing the IP addresses from Afrinic - a continental body that provides Internet address numbers.
Currently, the ISPs avoid the cost by connecting multiples to the Internet using one IP address.
Bitange Ndemo, the Information ministry Permanent Secretary, said the Internet providers were exposing themselves to litigation by not issuing the IP address because the government could only trace fraudulent dealings and hate messages to the ISPs.
“Operators are exposing themselves to litigation by ignoring the IP address procedure,” said Dr Ndemo.
“We want them to comply, because this information will be linked to other government databases to improve integrity and combat cybercrime since we are able to trace the users.”
ISPs — including mobile telephone operators — are being asked to eliminate anonymity of Kenya’s 18 million Internet users as the country heads toward a general election in March 2013, with the Internet as the main channel for communication of political messages.
It is estimated that 95 per cent of Kenya’s Internet users access the Web through mobile networks, making them handy tools for purveyors of unlawful or unethical messages. Statistics reveal that cybercrime is growing faster in Africa than in other continents.
Kenya loses Sh3 billion ($36 million) to cybercrime annually, or 0.05 per cent of its economy, compared to South Africa which suffers $573 million, or just 0.01 per cent of its $555.1 billion economy.
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