Cybercrime - Nowhere to hide

Digital Rights Explored: Local Fights, Global Perspectives

Being online means being at risk. This episode is dedicated to a problem affecting us all, worldwide - cybercrime.

We travel to Kenya where cybercrime is on a steep rise. There has been a 37.3 % jump in cyber criminal activities in Kenya between April to June in 2021 alone. The pandemic played a major role in the rise of cyber crimes like impersonation, online fraude, abuse online etc as the use of the internet grew. We talk with Tevin Mwenda, a lawyer based in Kenya and specialized in Technology Law, Data Protection and Cyber Security.

Tevin introduces us to Rukhsar, who has been a victim of the notorious Sim Swap Scam in Kenya. The cybercrime she had undergone left a deep impact on Rukhsar, both psychologically and financially. We explore with Tevin and Rukhsar what happened, step by step, to understand how someone as highly educated and digitally literate as Rukhsar can become a victim of identity theft and money loss, without the possibility of persecuting the perpetrators. With Tevin we discuss the importance of good data policies in countries, as well as their effective implementation. Also when it comes to accountability, who are the ones to blame?

In the second part of the episode, we talk with Andrijana Gavrilovic, from the Diplo foundation. Diplo, a Swiss-Maltese non-governmental organisation, works on developing capacity on internet governance, cybersecurity, data, artificial intelligence, and other emerging tech issues. Andrijana explains to us parts of the solutions towards combating cybercrime, including some tips and tricks that we as users can implement, whether in our private or work spheres.

Relevant links on cybercrime and international cybercrime cooperation and development, provided by Diplo foundation:

• Cybercrime Ad Hoc Committee
• Cybercrime: Threats and attacks

Useful links for organizations working in international development:

• Threat Modeling Guide: How to identify digital risks in international development projects by Deutsche Welle Akademie

Tips on cybercrime in your country or region.

Try to look up the local advices on cybercrime where you live, for instance through the CSIRT’s (Computer Security Incident Response Teams) in your country.

• Hellenic CSIRT (Greece)

Our expert speakers featured in this episode are:
Tevin Mwenda - Tech and policy lawyer, advocate of the high court of Kenya, Kenya
Rukhsar Munir - Ground Story, lawyer, Kena
Andrijana Gavrilovic - digital policy programmes at DiploFoundation

This episode was created by:
Host and editor: Alexandre Amaral
Producer: Ena Omerović
Co-producer: Tevin Mwenda
Consultant (partner Deutsche Welle Akademie): Hanna Hempel
Researcher: Gaura Naithani

This is a Podcast made by the Media and Information Literacy Expert Network (MILEN) with the support of Deutsche Welle Akademie