By ABIUD OCHIENG
Telecoms operator Safaricom has confirmed its rejection of a device the telecommunications sector regulator, the CA, wants mobile phone companies to install arguing third parties could use it to listen to calls, read messages and view its customers’ financial transactions.
Safaricom argues in suit papers filed in court that the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has failed to address the concerns despite months of engagement on the matter.
Safaricom, which is Kenya’s biggest mobile phone operator, insists that installation of the Device Management System (DMS) could hurt the telecoms sector and reduce use of mobile phone telecommunication over the threat of surveillance.
“The effect is that our subscribers shall desist or reduce using their devices, in effect reversing the progress we have made in making communication easier for our subscribers,” Safaricom says.
The CA, however, insists that the DMS is not a spying device, but a tool it needs to fight the use of counterfeit phones in Kenya…
PRIVACY & SURVEILLANCE IN AFRICA 