While Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionising technology and innovating ways of making things easier, it poses a risk to your privacy.
AI allows different dimensions of privacy breaches, including AI-generated images, cyber stalking, hacking, fake social media handles for impersonation, and misuse in mining operations, all putting your data privacy at risk.
Speaking to Citizen TV, the Director of Cyber Security in the Communications Authority (CA) Vincent Ndungi,, and Amos Chacha, Director of Cyber Security at Jiscof Solutions, revealed that AI is being maliciously used to mine data illegally, posing a threat to the users.
To protect your phones and laptops from these devious methods, Kenyans have been advised to reduce the amount of data the AI applications can access.
"Go to the settings, choose an application, go over the settings, and ensure that the application can access just a certain set of permissions, and remove the ones you don't want it to have access to," Chacha explained.
"Some of these permissions given to these applications would lead to data mining and compromise of privacy," he continued.
Chacha advises that Kenyans should also not be sharing their Wi-Fi frequently. He advises that one should have a completely different Wi-Fi for guests to protect one's privacy.
"The same applies to the work environment, if you are running within a particular domain and you have people coming into your work and they want to browse, you should have a segregated network," Chacha continued.
Kenyans have also been advised to be extremely careful with the images they post on social media, avoiding posting images that have details of their addresses.
Those on Facebook have been advised not to accept random friend requests from random people. Authorities warn that although AI technology continues to advance, the risk to personal security and privacy continues to escalate.
However, there is hope, as the government is committed to ensuring it protects Kenyans from AI-enabled cyberbullying.
"Most of these social platforms are domiciled outside the local jurisdiction, but we have partnerships and collaborations with these bodies to ensure we have a link between local concerns and collaborations. We work with the DCI, military, and judiciary," Ndungi revealed.
These concerns come days after Chief Justice Martha Koome revealed that she was a victim of cyberbullying orchestrated to kick her out of office.
