Government should act to prevent cyber crime

That Kenya has one of the most developed telecommunication networks in Africa south of Sahara is welcome news.

In fact, Kenya has one of most advanced digital infrastructure outside South Africa – especially after the arrival of under-sea fibre optic cables. But every technology comes with its negative side.

As we report elsewhere in this paper, Kenya is now under attack by cyber criminals – people who are taking advantage of our connectivity to peep into our affairs, including sensitive government information.

This development is frightening especially since we do not know what these criminals might do with the information. Not that cybercrime or cyber espionage is a new phenomenon, the more threatening prospect, however, is the fact that we could be unprepared to deal with massive cyber infiltration. Other countries have the capacity to respond to such attacks.

The US Government has invested billions of dollars to establish safety nets, through its intelligence agencies FBI and CIA to safeguard sensitive Government information and its people from cyber terrorism. We have not.

Today, Kenyans are encouraged to apply technology in nearly all aspects of their lives. The card or plastic money is replacing purses and social media has dramatically changed how we communicate. But what about our security? Over the holidays cyber criminals descended on a few financial institutions in Nairobi and cleaned out individuals’ savings through fraudulent ATM withdrawals after they infringed on their bank details.

But this could be a sign of worse things to come as we speed into the digital world. The Government through the Ministry of Information and Communication and Communications Commission of Kenya, while working hard to digitise our lives should also put in place measures to ensure we are not devoured by the same technology.