Information Network Security Agency

The Information Network Security Administration (INSA) was established during the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) era. As part of the War on Terror, Ethiopia emerged as an 'anchor state' for American policy and Western interests in the Horn of Africa. Modelled after the National Security Agency, INSA was created with support from the United States government, particularly in the context of the 2006 invasion of Somalia aimed at toppling an Islamic government. The original purpose of the agency was to intercept and analyze intelligence primarily from Somalia.{{Cite book |last=Gardner |first=Tom |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dVnbEAAAQBAJ |title=The Abiy Project: God, Power and War in the New Ethiopia |date=2024-06-20 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-1-911723-10-3 |pages=52 |language=en}}

The legal basis of creating INSA in 2006 was the Council of Ministers Regulation No.130/2006, with goals including defence of Ethiopian information infrastructure.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} Among the initial activities of INSA was spying on dissidents among the Ethiopian diaspora using "sophisticated intrusion and surveillance software", and to lay legal charges against journalists and opposition activists and politicians of "treason" and "terrorism".

The Council of Ministers Regulation No.250/2011 and Proclamation No.808/2013 updated the initial legal definitions of INSA.{{Cite web |title=duties and responsibilities - en - INSA |url=https://insa.gov.et/web/en/duties-and-responsibilities |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=insa.gov.et}}

In 2021, INSA shifted to new headquarters in a building constructed near Wello Sefer at a cost of {{currency|2.1|ETB}} billion. The new building is shared by the Ministry of Peace, Artificial Intelligence Center, and Financial Intelligence Center.{{Cite web|date=2021-04-19 |title=PM Inaugurates INSA's New Headquarters Building (April 17, 2021) - Embassy of Ethiopia |url=https://ethiopianembassy.org/pm-inaugurates-insas-new-headquarters-building-april-17-2021 |access-date=2024-04-28 |language=en-US}}

On 20 April 2018, Temesgen Tiruneh was appointed Director-General of INSA,{{cite news |title=PM appoints Federal Gov't Officials |url=https://www.waltainfo.com/news/national/detail?cid=38886&locale=en |accessdate=13 October 2019 |work=Walta |date=20 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013150803/https://www.waltainfo.com/news/national/detail?cid=38886&locale=en |archive-date=2019-10-13 |url-status=dead}} who later become director of NISS. As of February 2021, the head of INSA was Shumete Gizaw. In 2024 Tigist Hamid became Director-General of INSA,{{Cite web |title=Two of Ethiopia's Intelligence, Security Institutions Get New Leadership |url=https://ebc.et/english/newsdetails.aspx?newsid=5776 |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240629152443/https://ebc.et/english/newsdetails.aspx?newsid=5776|archive-date=2024-06-29|url-status=live}} replacing Solomon Soka.{{cn|date=May 2024}}

In October 2018, responsibility for INSA was given to the Ministry of Peace. It was reverted back to the office of the prime minister in October 2021.{{cite news |title=News: PM Abiy forms new gov't; adds 20 institutions including NISS, INSA, investment & financial security accountable to his office |url=https://addisstandard.com/news-pm-abiy-forms-new-govt-adds-20-institutions-including-niss-insa-investment-financial-security-accountable-to-his-office/ |accessdate=4 August 2022 |work=Addis Standard |date=6 October 2021 }}

File:Information Network Security Agency Workers.png

INSA stated in 2023 that during nine months, it had limited the damage from 4400 attempted and successful cyberattacks against Ethiopian institutions.{{cite Q|Q126938434|url-status=live}}

INSA plays a role in surveillance and internet censorship in close cooperation with Ethio telecom and other government agencies. {{As of|2014}}, INSA had the technical ability to listen to live mobile phone calls, while Ethio telecom did not. In 2013, INSA employees had access to the email and other passwords of users of Woredanet (funded by the World Bank and the African Development Bank), Schoolnet (funded by the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme), and Agrinet.{{rp|61}}

{{see also|human rights in Ethiopia}}

In 2014, Human Rights Watch found that INSA played a significant role in police and security services' surveillance of Ethiopian citizens' private communications that led to the arbitrary detention of political dissidents.{{cite Q|Q126938305|url-status=live}}{{cite Q|Q126938205|url-status=live}}

In 2019, INSA was the subject of notoriety when a crack revealed that more than half of a sample of 300 agents were using extremely simple passwords.{{cite news |last1=Kay |first1=Felicity |title=Report: Ethiopian INSA Agents Hacked: 142 agents chose the predictable password 'P@$$w0rd' |url=https://www.safetydetectives.com/blog/report-ethiopia-insa-leak/ |accessdate=13 October 2019 |work=Safety Detectives |date=30 May 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210812204144/https://www.safetydetectives.com/blog/report-ethiopia-insa-leak/ |archive-date=2021-08-12|url-status=live}}

In 2021, INSA ran accounts promoting Ethiopian federal government points of view on Facebook. Facebook closed the accounts, describing them as "inauthentic". The Director of INSA described the accounts as covering "the reality in Ethiopia" and stated that INSA would develop an Ethiopian social media network.

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{{cite news | last1= Shaban | first1= Abdur Rahman Alfa | title= Ethiopia's Minister of Peace: the country's most powerful woman? | date= 2018-10-17 |newspaper= Africanews | url= https://www.africanews.com/2018/10/17/muferiat-kamil-ethiopia-s-historic-speaker-now-first-peace-minister/ |access-date=2020-12-24 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20201224002915/https://www.africanews.com/2018/10/17/muferiat-kamil-ethiopia-s-historic-speaker-now-first-peace-minister/ |archive-date= 2020-12-24 |url-status=live }}

{{cite news | title= Norwegian professor's life threatened by Ethiopians | date= 2021-02-11 |newspaper= Bergens Tidende/Tghat | url= https://tghat.com/2021/02/11/norwegian-professors-life-threatened-by-ethiopians/ |access-date=2021-02-13 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20210213014405/https://tghat.com/2021/02/11/norwegian-professors-life-threatened-by-ethiopians/ |archive-date= 2021-02-13 |url-status=live }}

{{cite news | title= Editorial: Ethiopia must end intimidation campaign against academics and activists | date= 2020-12-05 |newspaper= Awash Post | url= https://www.awashpost.com/2020/12/05/editorial-ethiopia-must-end-intimidation-campaign-against-academics-and-activists |access-date=2021-02-24 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20210224025606/https://www.awashpost.com/2020/12/05/editorial-ethiopia-must-end-intimidation-campaign-against-academics-and-activists/ |archive-date= 2021-02-24 |url-status=live}}

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{{National intelligence agencies}}

{{authority control}}

Category:2006 establishments in Ethiopia

Category:Government agencies established in 2006

Category:Government agencies of Ethiopia

Category:Signals intelligence agencies

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