There has been an outburst by Kenyans on the role and purpose of Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) wanting to install some systems in the phones to try control the fake/counterfeit devices in the market. The (CA) has however refuted those claims by Kenyans that it intends to spy on their private communications.
Dr. Wangusi, Director General Communications Authority of Kenya
CA Director General Dr. Francis Wangusi in his statement to the Media yesterday 17th Feb 2017 stated that the CA does not have the capacity to spy Kenyans private communications through the installation of the systems. My quiz is, must this device be used to track this counterfeit devices? Anyway, allow me to give a few pointers to show you why the CA ain’t a threat in as much as they are to our constitutional rights.
NEWS FLASH!!! THERE IS NOTHING SECURE OR PRIVATE
Whether we like it or not, the CA surely does have the capacity to do the spying if it wants to do so in as much as they claim they don’t.
However, allow me to outline a few things that we need to stop doing for our safety online and offline before we even get worried with what the CA is intending to do. The CA here isn’t the threat as Safaricom/Airtel wants to tell the ignorant and innocent Kenyans.
This is why you no longer have any kind of privacy as you want to claim CA wants to infringe it as constituted in Article 31(d) of the Kenyan Constitution:
- Free Applications
Ever asked yourself what do you really approve when you agree to the terms and conditions of an application as you install in into into your phone?
Have you ever asked yourself questions like why does even installing a Calculator App or any other app requires you to allow it to access and determine the phone number? Or in some instances a gaming application requires a phone number or even to access your contacts information?
Worst is even when apps like a Bible App requires me to allow it to access my device location. I mean why would a Calculator require my phone number? Why would a Bible App require my device location? So before you claim CA wants to spy on your details, you are not any better without CA Spying on your private information or not coz someone else is doing so behind you back.
- Open Wi-Fi
How often do you feel happy when you are sitted in that mall waiting for a friend and then Bingo, Thanks to Nakummat/Tusky’s/TRM free Wifi access, at least you wun’t be bored for the next 30 minutes as you wait for your date as well as save on your data. But do you really know what really happens in the background? Someone is/will/may hack your phone if they want to and send you links that will force you to give your details as you sign up for something. They can even go to the extend of reading your personal smses that you claim to be private and leak them to the idle bloggers for free, however, if you are not newsworthy/celeb, then thank God they’ll snoop around and leave coz you are just useless to them.
- Clicking on unknown links
Have you ever clicked this links on WhatsApp groups that tells you can use WhatsApp for free without Internet?
Those are scams and when you click on them makes you vulnerable to hackers who are snooping around. What can they do you may ask. Hackers can access you personal data saved on your phone, passwords, etc and use them to do crazy things like even help you clear you r bank accounts.
So kindly when you see any kind link on WhatsApp telling you something is for free, don’t click, nothing is for free. Delete those links immediately unless you trust the sources and and the websites attached to the free things per se.
- Taking Pictures with Data and GPS on
I know, yes, taking pictures with your Data on or connected to a wi-fi network. Generally what we know not about taking pics is that there are metadata attached to any picture you take embedded in the Exchangeable Image File Format (EXIF) tags about 64 kb in any JPEG.
The EXIF carries very crucial information about any pic taken, This are; Date, Time, Location, weather, etc, I can’t elaborate more on this, just know you are not as private online as you think with your phone. The only way to delete this metadata is by use of metadata removal tool before posting them to facebook or anywhere online. How often do you do that before sharing them?
- Owning a Smart Phone
What does owning a smart phone has to do with this? Ever asked yourself why do MPesa Agent use those Nokia Phones? If not start asking yourself starting today.
So for you to be safe online, own a Kabambe, Don’t use FB, Twitter, Instagram, etc. What the online does is that it creates a Digital Footprint of who you are based on what you post and well it can summarize it up and give you an ID like a Paedophile, Sex Pest, Christian, Muslim, Journalists, etc
Privacy issues Solution
- Avoid charging strangers phones in your computer
Hackers have mastered an art of phishing information and passwords in places they want something. Examples are Finance offices where hackers are interested with passwords and all that they can use to steal money. Normal offices too aren’t any safer since the hackers are only interested in doing harm than good. By charging their phone that can watch you via their phone Camera or even your computer camera (if it has one), they can listen to everything you are saying in the office by just having their phone on your desk in the name of charging or helping a stranger.
- Trust no strangers online
In this small village necessitated by the internet, everyone can create a fake account that they can use to fake information to create their accounts and hence making you believe they are who they are not. By allowing or befriending them, they get access to the details that are not visible to the public and hence can use them to harm you if so wish.
- Avoid strangers flashdisks
The flash disks may have malwares and this make you vulnerable to hacking. Many people say they have Antivirus but with today world, there are ways of bypassing that, so the point is no one is safe. If you don’t know someone who wants to plug in a flash disk into your computer, don’t allow them for you safety sake.
- Stay Offline
This is the last resort in thinking. As long as you stay offline, you are better off than someone who is fully online with all their details and Online Digital Footprint… This saves you a lot from Geotagging and all those things done online that necessitates cyber bullying.
My Take and Conclusion
I know am not an IT specialist to elaborate more on this matter and give more places where our privacy is compromised. However, the best solution to keep your information private is by staying offline, this limits your details and information about you being accessible at any given time.
The current generation has really put their energy on putting their Social Media habits which are offline to online, though many claim their online lives are different from their offline lives, I know they mean otherwise.
A larger percentage (according to me), use the social media to give their offline private lives which in most cases is none of our business, as Ciku Muiruri of The Trend normally puts it and when commenting of Eunice Njeri saga that happened a few weeks ago.
Communication Authority of Kenya isn’t the Threat here and the Constitution of Kenya is there to protect you, if it can’t protect you, what makes you think your online noisemaking will stop them(CA) from spying on your private communications? What I know is they can do that but should not share it without any written permission from the courts.
MAESTRO's TWO CENTS 