Sunday, March 25, 2012

KENYA BOASTS OF BEING THE "BIG BROTHER" OF THE EAST AFRICA COMMUNITY BUT THIS IS NOT IMPORTANT AT ALL.

Below is a comment from Mr. Kimanga on a post titled "Kenyan Forensic Science Association" dated Friday, May 16, 2008.

This post generated numerous comments and I thank you all who commented.

Mr. Kimanga I do concur, as far as Forensic capacity is concerned the big brother is still snoozing away. If Uganda can develop this referral capacity in the region we shall all benefit. We support you.

Mr. Kimanga's Comment is as below.

Kenya boasts of being the "big brother" of the East Africa Community but this is not important at all. When the big brother is still sleeping in a comfort zone, the little one is out and about making it big. Check out this............(see below article)

Kenya needs to wake up to the plain reality, just a word.



Courtesy of Sunday Nation 25/03/02

UGANDA BIDS TO HOST REGIONAL FORENSIC CENTRE

By AL-MAHDI SSENKABIRWA Sunday Nation Correspondent in Kampala (assenkabirwa@ug.nationmedia.com)
Posted Saturday, March 24 2012 at 19:27

Uganda has begun lobbying forensic experts from East African member states to support its bid to host the bloc’s referral forensic centre.

Addressing regional forensic experts in Kampala on March 21, Uganda’s Criminal Investigations Director, Ms Grace Akullo, said the police force has a modern forensic laboratory that can handle all criminal investigation challenges in the region.

“I am strongly convinced that our forensic department is better than others in the region and we are better placed to host the referral forensic centre,” she said.

“The political will is there to improve it further so that it matches international standards.”

As part of effort to strengthen forensic research, Ms Akullo said the police plans to acquire a fingerprint machine and integrate ICT in investigating cyber crimes.

Plans are also underway to elevate the department to a directorate to attract more funding.

The forensic experts, led by the officer in charge of peace and security at the EAC Secretariat, Mr Didacus B Kaguta, are in Uganda to assess the country’s readiness to host the Regional Referral Forensic Centre.

The team includes one forensic expert from each EAC member state and two from Britain and Germany.

Uganda and Rwanda are seen as the frontrunners to host the regional facility given the existence of modern forensic centres in both countries.

The RRFC is a brainchild of the Council of East African Police Chiefs which, among other duties, addresses challenges in investigations, and strengthens forensic services and criminal justice departments.

It also aims to ensure that EAC member states have harmonised forensic centres.

The team has since visited the police forensic department in Naguru, a Kampala suburb, and will compile a report to be presented at the next Sectoral Council on Inter-State Security meeting for a final decision.

Currently, regional governments spend huge amounts of money on forensic tests that are carried out abroad, mostly in South Africa and the UK.

Furthermore, several criminal cases have been thrown out of court due to poor gathering of forensic evidence. Trained forensic personnel are also few and far between.

For example, Uganda has only 70 scene-of-crime officers (Socos) who investigate the at least 99,676 criminal cases reported at police stations annually.

Mr Kaguta said when the regional forensic centre is established, it will train forensic practitioners as well as disseminate information to all national forensic labs.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

CONSUMER DATA PROTECTION IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY

Many Kenyan organizations are collecting and storing significant amounts of consumers’ personal data. Sectors such as banking, retail (supermarkets), hotels, utilities, hospitals and many others keep depositories of your personal data. Consumer data is extremely valuable to these organizations. Researchers, law enforcement agencies, credit reference bureaus, marketers and business competitors also value consumer data.

The digital footprint you leave in various companies can be stolen and used for financial gain. As a consumer you would want to know when your data is being collected, what is stored and by whom, and how your data is being used.

What you might not have known is that the global consumer data market is huge. In the United States alone, organizations spend more than $2 billion per year purchasing consumer data from data sellers.

Buyers of consumer data are mainly marketers who use this data to better understand and predict consumer needs. Their main objectives are to improve their marketing effectiveness and to increase consumer loyalty to certain brands.

Kenyan consumers are unfortunately not aware that their data is a valuable inventory. Consumer data protection and regulation on the other hand is non-existent. Consumer advocacy groups are lobbying but with minimal progress. It is therefore left to you, the consumer, to protect your data.

There are five fundamentals you should ask any data collector you interact with. The first is Economy. You should request the data collector to justify the value they gain if they share your data. The second fundamental is Portability. You should demand that the company provides you with a copy of your data held by the organization.

The third is Transparency. You should demand that the data collector tells you what consumer data they have about you and what they will do with it. The fourth fundamental is Security. It is your responsibility to ascertain whether your data is protected by technology and adequate governance policies. The fifth and final fundamental is Privacy which requires the data collector to respect your personal data and justify why you should trust them.

These fundamentals transfer data security from IT professionals to you. It is no longer enough just to check the “agree” button so that you can get on with your bank account opening or property purchase.

As electronic commerce and internet connectivity gains ground in Kenya, the market for data will become more lucrative. This will definitely be the new cybercrime frontier.

DATA ANALYTICS CAN HELP KENYA POLICE COMBAT CRIME

Crime is dynamic. The hooligans of yesteryears used techniques that would be anathema to the hooligan of today. This dynamism is also reflected in the crime detection and investigation methods that are used by the police. This means that police forces are recognizing that use of modern techniques in combating crime is important and technology is at the top of the list.

Analyzing data to enhance security goes a long way in preventing crime. Police forces all over the world are appreciating that analysis of stored data, together with real-time data gathered from the field, can greatly reduce incidences of crime. The Kenya Police should not be an exception.

Data analysis combines various techniques such as data mining, predictive analytics, business intelligence and trend analysis.

One area in which data analytics can be used is in pinpointing crime. By using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in combination with software that can analyze criminal behavioral patterns, it is possible to determine when and where crime is most likely to take place.

The police are subsequently able to make informed decisions on where to deploy resources such as plainclothes police personnel. This type of smart deployment means that more efficient usage of limited resources is possible.

Another area data analytics can be effectively used is in accident prevention. Web-based CCTV data can help determine accident black spots. For instance when an accident occurs this data is stored in a server. The analytic software will then be able to collate the current accident data with historical data.

If historical data indicates a trend of accidents in the same spot then these areas can be marked as certain black spots. Most black spots are rarely permanent. Identifying these constantly shifting black spots is possible with analytical software.

Improved control is another area the police can apply data analytics. Large gatherings of people in various events such as national days, football matches or musical concerts require smart crowd control management.

By using live CCTV imagery/data and comparing it with past event data, the police are better positioned to deploy appropriate resources to ensure the public is monitored and kept safe. An absence of this analysis results in an unprepared response to crowd unrest as witnessed in the recent football crowd tragedy in Port Said, Egypt.

The use of data-analytics by the Police brings about clear benefits such as preventive crime control and better allocation of resources.

BEWARE OF SOCIAL MEDIA CYBER-STALKERS

Social media sites such as Facebook, Tweeter and Google+ have captivated many Kenyans. If you are not in updating your page or tweeting then you are not in touch with current trends. Social media gives you a ubiquitous presence. This means that your friends can converse with you at anytime and from any anywhere.

The flip side of this is that you cannot totally shut out people you don’t want to interact with. When you ‘unfriend’ someone in acrimonious circumstances, the likelihood of that former friend becoming a cyberstalker is high.

Cyberstalking is the use of electronic means to harass an individual or group of people. A cyberstalker harasses a victim through emails, phone calls, sms messages, Facebook posts and tweets. These messages are sent to the victim whether they are at home, school or work.

Cyberstalkers intrude into a victim’s life in frightening or intimidating ways making the victim feel there is no escape.

The effects of cyberstalking should never be under-rated. The psychological effect can be damaging and can result in psychological trauma regardless of whether the victim ever actually meets the stalker.

It has been observed that the fears that result from cyberstalking depend on the individuals affected. However in male victims the most paramount fear is damage to their reputations. Female victims on the other hand are more likely to fear physical harm from cyberstalkers.

Cyberstalking is not addressed as a specific crime in The Kenya Communications (Amendment) Act. Legislative change should therefore be initiated that allows police to compel Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to implement processes that deter harassers. This legislation should also force ISPs to surrender internet logs to authorities.

Apart from legislation we need to appreciate that the police and ISPs are primary centers of responsibility in any cyberstalking crime. Police are supposed to provide an active response to stop the harassment and conduct investigations in case the crime is reported. ISPs are supposed to implement security technologies that prevent such harassment.

Other stakeholders such as the CCK based Kenya Computer Incident Response Team (KE-CIRT) can contribute positively in cyberstalking investigations.

As more and more Kenyans embrace social media and develop online relationships, cyberstalking becomes another online menace we have to contend with.

Cyber stalking victims in Kenya should not be allowed to suffer in silence. By putting in place effective response and investigative structures, we can safeguard the online experience of many Kenyans.