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Media operators urged to take control of data in emerging new threat

Media operators urged to take control of data in emerging new threat
Journalists’ cameras. PHOTO/ethicaljournalismnetwork

Journalists were yesterday asked to take control of their own data in the wake of increased cyber security crimes including data breaches which poses a threat to journalism.

At the Data Privacy Immersion Session hosted by the Kenya Editor’s Guild, it emerged that the media industry is exposed to several threats associated with data sharing especially in the editorial environment.

Renowned cybersecurity expert and digital forensics expert, Dr Bright Gameli, said failure to take control of one’s data in addition to sharing information without caution exposes journalists to attackers who have advanced techniques in accessing vast information on companies and individuals.

“We need to be wise and take charge of our information before we share it to the public. With advanced technology that hackers use nowadays, they can pick up on anything based on the information you share. So, we also need to be wary of what we share and safeguard private information,” warned Gameli, noting that being in the public makes the media a major target.

Data leaks

He further noted that while data leaks have always been the biggest nightmare for journalists, it is not just data leaks, there are other major current risks including ransomware, insider threats, and DDoS.

DDoS which is becoming more common in the media landscape is a cybercrime in which attackers flood a targeted server with internet traffic to prevent users from accessing connected online services and sites.

Even as calls for data control in the media landscape intensify, it also emerged that information sources, who are also vulnerable to these threats could limit media’s control.

“For media practitioners in general, one of the key challenges is protecting confidential sources, yet, confidentiality of sources is more critical,” noted Dr Mugambi Laibuta, a licensed legal practitioner and advocate of the High Court.

According to Laibuta, border control data is also a big issue especially for media houses that work outside Kenya. He expressed concerns about sharing data from one country to the other also exposes the industry to harm.

To ensure data protection in the media space, Laibuta emphasized that the Data protection Act, 2019 compliance Strategy recommends that all media organizations should ensure they get data protection training, create a data inventory, and develop institutional data protection policy and privacy notices.

More notably, organizations should also appoint and designate data protection officers, as per the privacy laws.

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