Kenyans on WiFi will be required to log in using their personal credentials such as passport or ID numbers if regulations by the Ministry of ICT through the communications Authority will go through.
This is according to the Director General of the Communications Authority Eng. Francis Wangusi in a media briefing when he took office officially after his four years appointment.. Wangusi said that reports in some dailies that user will be required to register their devices and thereby seen as curtailing internet freedom were false.
It had been reported that The Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC) would assign Mobile devices with unique public Internet Protocol (IP) for identification of users
“We are considering the idea of ensuring the Public Wi-Fi is not accessed without a log in. The logging in of the public domain will require one’s passport number, ID Number or telephone number,” he said.
“The unique number of a device is identified on the internet but we can’t identify who is owning it, if you don’t use the right identification numbers. That’s why we insist on logging in the Public Wi-Fi with personal credentials. This will help us in securing the cyber space, in case of cybercrimes,” he said.
Tackling cybercrime was one of the roles Mr. Wangusi was tasked with by the Cabinet Secretary for Information Communication Technology (ICT) Dr. Fred Matiangi at the same function.
Matiangi said that in securing the cyberspace there was need for striking a balance between privacy and security.
source: techmoran.com
