Technology Category
Census 2019: Do you know your rights?
Posted on December 17, 2018 1 Comment
Sigi Mwanzia contributed to this post. This article was originally published at page 20 of the Star Newspaper of December 17, 2018 Kenya plans to roll out a national census at midnight August 24, 2019, at a cost of Sh18.5 billion. The census seeks to collect various data, including marital status, ethnicity, disability, number of […]
Banks should protect the data of customers and their next of kin
Posted on December 11, 2018 Leave a Comment
Hibo Hussein contributed to this post. This article was originally published at page 11 of Business Daily Africa Newspaper of December 11, 2018 This week, banks have approached the High Court to declare unconstitutional some clauses in the Finance Act 2018 that requires them to record details of customers’ next of kin and to keep […]
Seven steps to reform the CA
Posted on October 1, 2018 Leave a Comment
This article was originally published at page 21 of the Star Newspaper of October 1, 2018 The past month has been eventful for the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), with the election of John Omo as the secretary general of the African Telecommunications Union. He will represent the CA and the government at the union. […]
Data Breaches Imperil Privacy
Posted on September 22, 2018 Leave a Comment
This article was originally published at page 21 of the Star Newspaper of September 20, 2018 We have recently witnessed data breaches that have led to the publication of private facts about many Kenyans. These private facts have been obtained from telephone conversation records , intrusion into individual digital photo libraries, and breach of public […]
South Africa draft cybersecurity and cybercrime bill misses the mark
Posted on December 3, 2015 Leave a Comment
Drew Mitnick contributed to this post. The South African government has closed a period of consultation on a draft cybersecurity and cybercrime bill that, as written, undermines the rights to privacy, lacks transparency, and chills cybersecurity research and online expression. Access Now provided written recommendations to the South African Department of Justice and Constitutional Development […]
How are the African nations of Mauritania and Rwanda doing when it comes to human rights online?
Posted on November 4, 2015 Leave a Comment
Right now the United Nations Human Rights Council is holding its 23rd Universal Periodic Review (UPR) working group session (November 2nd-13th, 2015). The Universal Periodic Review is the cooperative process by which the Human Rights Council reviews the human rights records of all 193 U.N. member states. Here’s a look at the digital rights landscape […]
U.S. eases sanctions on tech exports to Sudan
Posted on February 19, 2015 Leave a Comment
This week the U.S. government issued a General License to provide internet users in Sudan with easier access to the web and a wide range of software, hardware, and services “incident to personal communications.” U.S. sanctions against Sudan have been in place since 1997, and previously made it illegal for U.S. companies or individuals to […]
Emerging threats in cybersecurity and data protection legislation in African Union countries
Posted on February 13, 2015 1 Comment
In January 2015, heads of state met at the 24th African Union Summit to discuss the “African Union Agenda 2063” with the goal of enabling “a continent on equal footing with the rest of the world as an information society.” The summit, which is attended by 54 African governments, occurred at a critical time for […]
Legal battle in Kenya set to determine country’s surveillance future
Posted on January 7, 2015 Leave a Comment
Access Now Policy Team and Drew Mitnick contributed to this post. The High Court of Kenya has temporarily suspended the implementation of eight clauses of the Security Laws (Amendment) Act of 2014, which restricts the exercise of human rights in Kenya. In a challenge brought by Coalition for Reforms and Democracy and the Kenya National […]
Ignoring Protests, Kenya Parliament Approves Dangerous National Security Law
Posted on December 19, 2014 Leave a Comment
The parliament in Kenya approved a dangerous new national security law yesterday. The vote was first interrupted by protests outside the venue, and the debate became so contentious that parliament had to be stalled for 30 minutes after elected representatives tore up drafts of the bill and engaged in a physical fight. Rights groups including […]
Kenya, the next surveillance state?
Posted on December 17, 2014 Leave a Comment
Drew Mitnick contributed to this post. Legislators in Kenya will shortly make a decision with significant ramifications for the privacy and free expression rights of Kenyans. On International Human Rights Day (December 10), the Kenyan Parliament cynically introduced the Security Laws (Amendment) Bill (2014), which contains several sweeping and deeply worrying changes to the country’s […]
Obama ignores user rights with African investment plan
Posted on August 7, 2014 Leave a Comment
Peter Micek contributed to this post. The White House hosted a summit this week with nearly 50 African heads of state to strengthen trade and investment ties. The Summit highlighted a multibillion dollar new investment program, and put President Obama on stage to answer questions from young entrepreneurs. From its inception, however, the Summit has […]
Ephraim Percy Kenyanito 