Author: bmwasaru

Human.

Categories
TILs

kill a process using port_number

I was working on putting together a web server then I realised I couldn’t use port 8888 because of some reason. To solve this I had to find what was using the port

$ lsof -i:8888

COMMAND  PID USER   FD   TYPE             DEVICE SIZE/OFF NODE NAME
Python  6556 zero    7u  IPv4  0x8593e686724202a      0t0  TCP localhost:ddi-tcp-1 (LISTEN)
Python  6556 zero   10u  IPv6 0x8d6c72b61b67f0b6      0t0  TCP localhost:ddi-tcp-1 (LISTEN)

lsof will (list of open files) with the process that opened them with this syntax:

lsof -i:[port_number]

Now that I know the process id (PID) I can kill it using the syntax

kill [PID]

In this case its:

$ kill 6556
Categories
technology

Digital Resilience

In our digital age, the right to access information is not just a convenience—it’s a pillar of democracy and socioeconomic development. Yet, this right is increasingly under attack through censorship and internet shutdowns. While digital platforms like WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, and Twitter have improved how we communicate, sharing information across the globe with minimal barriers, they also face significant threats. Censorship and internet shutdowns can limit our access, silencing voices and stifling free exchange.

Reflecting on the broadcast era, our media landscape was confined to a few television and radio channels, with content curated by a select group of media houses. In contrast, the internet promised openness; anyone could broadcast their thoughts to the world. However, this digital freedom comes with new gatekeepers—algorithms programmed by powerful tech companies that decide what we see and what remains hidden. This concentration of control makes it simpler than ever to surveil and manipulate information access.

To fight this, we need tools dedicated not to profit, but to the fundamental right of information access. These tools should empower us to share and receive information freely, without data harvesting, surveillance, or compliance with censorship demands. By using platforms that prioritize encrypted communication and privacy, we can protect our digital rights and maintain open channels of information, even in restrictive environments.

A striking instance of such censorship was recently observed in Kenya during the national examinations. The government blocked access to communication apps like Telegram to prevent exam fraud. Below is a screenshot from the OONI app, which tests for internet censorship. On November 20th, 2023, both Telegram and Signal were inaccessible, showing how digital access can be curtailed.

As we use digital tools, the role of secure, non-profit driven communication tools becomes increasingly vital. These platforms are our means to access information and a safeguard against censorship.

Examples of Privacy Tools:

  • Tor Browser: This tool enables anonymous web browsing by routing internet traffic through multiple servers, masking users’ identities and location, crucial for circumventing censorship and surveillance.
  • Snowflake: As a pluggable transport for Tor, Snowflake allows users in censored regions to access the internet by turning regular users’ connections into bridges. It’s particularly useful during internet shutdowns or heavy censorship periods.
  • Signal Messaging App: Signal provides end-to-end encryption, ensuring that communications (texts, calls, and media) are secure from interception. This app is vital for maintaining private communication, especially in scenarios where surveillance and data interception are heightened.
  • Orbot: VPN for smartphones

As users and advocates for digital rights, supporting and promoting the use of these tools is not just beneficial—it’s essential for the preservation of our digital freedoms.

Categories
data readings

Living in Data by Jer Thorp

Living in Data by Jer Thorp

Jer Thorp, an artist and technologist goes through a number of stories and personal experiences on the complexities of how data influences and shapes our society.

He examines the ways in which data collection, interpretation, and usage affect individual privacy, public policy, and global systems. We are challenged to reconsider our relationship with data, advocating for a more informed and active participation in data governance. There is need for a future where we use data ethically and equitably.

The use of his technical and storytelling skills and analysis makes the book worth a read.

Categories
data

Learning how to visualize data

Here is a first looking at Kenya’s debt over time. Data is from there https://www.centralbank.go.ke/public-debt/

Categories
community thoughts

Small Networks: Intentional Communities of Shared Interests

In a previous blog post, I delved into the complexities of decentralization, particularly in the context of setting up and maintaining decentralized social networks.

The passage of time has brought new thoughts to the forefront, igniting a fresh perspective that I’m eager to explore.

I’ve been pondering the concept of smaller, more specialized social networks catering to distinct shared interests. The substantial amount of time invested in crafting content for today’s dominant social platforms comes at a cost – our data is meticulously observed and utilized for targeted advertising, spawning a myriad of issues. This prevailing business model has led tech giants to conduct experiments that manipulate user emotions, as detailed in this article: Link to Forbes article on Facebook’s emotional manipulation.

It’s disconcerting that we’ve become mere data points ripe for experimentation and sale to advertisers. The fundamental flaw lies within the business model of these tech giants, wherein driving ad views reigns supreme, prompting them to resort to various tactics to maximize engagement.

I find myself drawn to the notion of small, interest-centric networks supported by community funding, fostering a deliberate selection process for members and cultivating a culture of responsible conduct. When the focus isn’t fixated on amassing sheer numbers, there’s no incentive for exploitative ‘growth hacking’ strategies or the relentless pursuit of revenue.

This vision evokes the spirit of ‘chamas,’ where like-minded individuals converge to support each other financially, forming tight-knit groups with shared goals and values.

Looking at trying this out soon for a number of small communities.

Categories
quote

“In societies where modern conditions of production prevail, all of life presents itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has moved away into a representation.”

Guy Debord (1967)
Categories
quote

anarchism

“The essence of anarchism [is] the conviction that the burden of proof has to be placed on authority and that it should be dismantled if that burden cannot be met.”

Noam Chomsky
Categories
thoughts

Necessary Illusions

“Rationality belongs to the cool observer but because of the stupidity of the average man, he follows not reason but faith. This naive faith requires necessary illusion and emotionally potent over-simplifications, which are provided by the myth maker to keep the ordinary person on course. It’s not the case as the naive might think that indoctrination is inconsistent with democracy. Rather, as this whole line of thinkers observers, it’s the essence of democracy.”

Categories
startups technology thoughts

AI & other technologies: Are we on the Receiving End?

In the book Prosperity Paradox, Clayton M. Christensen, Efosa Oromo & Karen Dillion bring up an interesting concept of “how to identify high-potential pockets of nonconsumption” with regard to solutions that you might be providing. They state there are four things to look out for: skill, wealth, access and time. This got me thinking about examples where this might have been used.

Facebook is a good example. They realised that a large number of people are not using their platforms because of a number of issues.

  • Lack of internet access – so they came up with platforms like internet.org to get more people connected and accessing their platform with the goal of getting more eyeballs seeing ads, their revenue model
  • Low end devices – sitting in San Francisco, you might not understand the low internet speed or low end devices that your customers are using. Facebook realised that access to Facebook is slow and devices had less storage, memory capacity in emerging markets. To solve the affordability challenge, they launched Facebook Lite. They even acquired a startup that worked on this, story here https://tech.facebook.com/engineering/2020/8/facebook-lite-made-in-tel-aviv/

Google is also an interesting example. At the core of Google’s model is selling ads. To address the lack of ad buyers in new markets they focused on the lack of digital marketing skills. They went on to launch the a campaign to train 1 million people on the African continent. Story here https://blog.google/around-the-globe/google-africa/one-million-trained-task-getting-africa-digital-just-beginning/ This is very similar when you look at the Android ecosystem. Google has invested a lot in getting more people skilled to develop apps on the Adroid platform. Developer communities have been a success to drive more apps developed on the Android ecosystem.

There is an interesting discussion around emerging technologies on the African continent. It was blockchain technology a few months ago and now the hype train is on artificial intelligence. The question again is what’s our position around these technologies. There are those who are worried that the technology will be built outside and consumed on the continent. There are a number of challenges that can be looked at in the lens of what the book ‘Prosperity Paradox’ states as the reason for nonconsumption.

  1. Skill – do we have the skills to build using these emerging technologies. To solve this should we focus on building skills to build solutions using the emerging technologies? Will the skill remain or leave for better opportunities away from home?
  2. Wealth – do we have the capital to afford the expensive compute need to build artificial intelligence models? The compute needed is not cheap. Solution could be invest in the startups working on this. We need to remember startup success rates is low, are we willing to burn that money. Should academia focus our research efforts towards this? Is the government going to provide grants to academia to pursue this?
  3. Access – do we have access to data the raw material for artificial intelligence? For voice technology, languages like English have enormous digital ready data for training. Is the solution to build our own datasets? Should we make this datasets open for all of us to use? Will big tech take the data and use their readily available infrastructure to build tools for us to consume?

These are thoughts that have lingered in my head for a while and through my experience through my fellowship with the Mozilla Foundation building voice datasets for the Kiswahili language.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section 🙂

Categories
poetry

To

“To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, not power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never, to forget.” – Arundhati Roy