Kenya IGF Online Discussions Day 2: Strengthening Data Security in the Context of Emerging Trends

Listers,
Thank you to all who contributed to yesterday\’s topic. The thread is still
open for those who may have further thoughts on content regulation.
Welcome to Day 2 of online pre KIGF debates where out topic today is
Strengthening
Data Security in the Context of Emerging Trends. We shall look at
cybersecurity in the context of data.

Barely a few weeks ago, social media was awash with memes of Wazir Boniface
Chacha, the young man alleged to have conned MPs after getting access to
their phone data. Later when this was used as a justification in debates
for the Cybercrime Act, some wondered whether the political process had
used the Chacha saga to justify the quick passage of a law creating
offences.

But beyond \”small data\” in our personal possession, many SMEs ,
corporations, institutions, societies and other bodies are holding
significant amounts of data.
In this community, the wider issue of cyber security has been a recurring
theme in KIGF. It is generally agreed that the best approach is a
multi-pronged one that includes the law, good practices, effective
mitigation and response to incidences at multiple levels, creation of
awareness and technical solutions among others. Having gotten a new law in
the form of the Cybercrimes Act, are we assured of data security?
Are our existing mechanisms for mitigation and response to incidences
adequate for emerging threats?
Do we have positive cases or good practices to imitate?
What challenges that remain and how can we address them?

Welcome to the discussion.