ZE UTAMU "TECHNOLOGY"
IS READILY AVAILABLE
Tuesday, June 22, 2009
By Lewis Guy
Washington, D.C.
When the news regarding the arrest of the operators of Ze Utamu Website hit Tanzanian newsstands earlier this week - the report was accompanied with a huge crescendo like atmosphere touting the "TI technology" experience that these guys allegedly possessed. It was a good story for the local media and everywhere on the streets of the capital city of Dar es Salaam one could hear the murmurs of " the villains have been caught..!" While the government's case is still fuzzy at best, many people are wondering what kind of charges will be brought up for a crime that was committed on cyberspace - because, even the charges of defamation may not stick in any court of law.
The government has also orchestrated a media campaign to tell a story that sound like a thriller from a spy novel on how they nabbed an elusive leader of a clandestine group after teaming up with Israel's Mossad, the Scotland Yard and the Interpol. Just wait for a huge expense bill for this operation which will likely be announced in the Bunge later on this year by the Minister for Home Affairs.
TI technology ? The truth of the matter is you do not have to be a rocket scientist to duplicate or construct even a better website than Ze Utamu using tools and "technology" that is readily available in the United States, UK, Europe or Asia. Likewise, any "computer savvy" person who has the time and patience - could have nailed these fellows without leaving his living room. How ? Using a few tools and broadband technology for faster speeds, a PC with multi-task software applications, and a secure server, one can set up a command post anywhere in the world and be able to communicate with multiple persons simultaneously on a split screen, compose, dictate, photoshop, compare notes or edit. One can also set up a live computer based radio or TV station where people can log in and either listen to or watch their favorite TV programs. The tools and this technology is available today - and you do not have to be a rocket scientist to do it.
Reading the still unfolding Utamu story is like reading a story of the guys who wanted to be caught. This group which has been responsible for breaking up marriages, sending politicians into hibernation and making young women afraid to socialize may have been clever - but they were very naive indeed. Their website which was likely operated by at least four different persons located at different places, lacked one major component: a software (that is now available) that literally erases the footprints of their dirty work. This was their downfall, because Ze Utamu website created thousands of cyber foot steps that led to their residences - and eventually Tanzanian security men came knocking at the door.
(c) Lewis Guy
Permission for reprints granted.
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