Metro

Navigating Zambia’s online censorship, balancing freedom, responsibility in the digital age

Published

4 months ago

September 3, 2024

Online censorship refers to the legal control or suppression of what can be accessed, published, or viewed on the internet.

In Zambia, this role can be undertaken by the Zambia Information Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA).

While Zambia’s online space is generally considered free, the most notable instance of censorship occurred in August 2021 during the general elections, when internet access was severely restricted.

As Zambians struggled to connect, tech-savvy citizens turned to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to access the internet and social media, allowing them to view unverified election results from various polling stations across the country.

VPNs enable users to connect through servers in other parts of the world, bypassing local restrictions.

Censorship can also occur at the individual or organizational level, often referred to as self-censorship.

This type aims to avoid offending others morally, religiously, or in other ways, conforming to societal norms.

While freedom of expression is essential in a democracy like Zambia, it comes with the responsibility to respect others, including those with different political, religious, or ethnic backgrounds.

However, there is a fine line between exercising freedom of expression and violating cyber laws through defamatory speech.

Misuse of this freedom on Zambian social media often leads to harmful personal attacks that go beyond issue-based discourse, causing emotional harm.

The proliferation of fake accounts and misleading information has exacerbated this problem.

Comment sections on popular Zambian online news platforms frequently contain offensive remarks, and impersonation and slander have become common.

Despite the introduction of the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act in 2021, these offenses persist.

In February 2024, the Zambia Police Service arrested and charged four individuals for cybercrimes, including hate speech, use of insulting language, and identity theft.

More recently, 20 Chinese nationals and one Cameroonian were convicted of computer-related misrepresentation, identity-related crimes, and operating an unlicensed network, highlighting the broad application of the law.

The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) Internet Rights Charter emphasizes that the ability to share information freely on the internet is crucial for human rights, as outlined in key international agreements.

However, unchecked freedom on digital platforms has led to the rise of “keyboard warriors” engaging in harmful behavior.

While digital rights are essential, they must not come at the expense of national peace, coexistence, and unity.

Striking a balance between protecting these rights and maintaining social harmony remains a complex challenge for Zambia.

This story is sponsored by Project Aliyense.

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Metro

Zambia: FOX report highlights persistent media harassment, calls for reforms

Published

2 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Isaac Dachen

A new Freedom of Expression (FOX) report by the Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia, has raised concerns over what it describes as the continued harassment of media professionals in the country despite collective efforts to safeguard freedom of expression.

The FOX Report serves as a call to action for all stakeholders to create a safer and more enabling environment for the media to operate without fear or intimidation.

Chairperson of the MISA-Zambia Board, Lorraine Mwanza, who raised the concerns while launching the report on Tuesday at the Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka, highlighted that journalists and media practitioners in the country still faced intimidation, censorship, and violence for fulfilling their role of informing the public.

“The harassment of media professionals is a stark reminder of the threats posed to democratic values and the fundamental rights to seek, receive, and impart information without fear or hindrance,” Mwanza said.

She expressed solidarity with those who are targets of attack, and reaffirmed MISA’s commitment to defending journalists’ rights and protecting the integrity of the profession.

Mwanza further called on the government to address barriers preventing journalists from accessing public officials, emphasizing that public officials were custodians of critical information necessary for informed decision-making.

“When citizens have access to government data, they can better understand policies, monitor public spending, and advocate for change in their communities,” Mwanza noted.

She also appealed for the review and repeal of laws that undermine democracy, stressing the importance of enacting legislation that guarantees media freedom, freedom of expression, and digital rights, and commended the government for responding to calls from civil society organizations to withdraw the controversial Cyber Bills from Parliament.

Ministry of Information and Media Permanent Secretary, Thabo Kawana, in a speech read by Ministry Director Mordern Mayembe, reaffirmed government’s commitment to upholding media freedom and freedom of expression in Zambia.

Metro

Nigeria: 614,937 killed, 2.2m abducted in 1 year— Report

Published

11 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Isaac Dachen

A new report released on Tuesday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that over 614,937 Nigerians were killed and 2,235,954 others kidnapped across the country in one year between May 2023 and April 2024.

The NBS report, titled, “The Crime Experienced and Security Perception Survey (CESPS) 2024”, says based on the surveys conducted between May 2023 and April 2024, the 2.2 million Nigerians who were kidnapped across the country paid a whopping N2.2 trillion as ransom, with an average amount of N2.7 million per incident.

The report also disclosed that murder rate was highest in rural areas with 335,827 incidents and 279,110 in urban areas.

A zone-by-zone analysis of the report showed that the North-West had the highest murder cases of 206,030, followed by the North-East which stood at 188,992, while the least was recorded in the South-West at 15,693.

The report also revealed about seven in 10 households reported murder cases to the police nationwide with 33 per cent of households responding that the killer was an unknown person, and 23.4 per cent confirmed that the murderer was a member of the household; while 1.0 per cent reported that the murderer was either a spouse or a lover.

The report said 1,668,104 persons were kidnapped in rural areas and 567,850 in urban areas with the North-West having the highest cases of kidnapping with 1,420,307 abducted, followed by the North-Central with 317,837 and the South-East at 110,432.

“Of the estimated amount of N2.2 trillion payments to free victims, the North-West reported the highest ransom paid with N1.2 trillion; while the South-East was the least with N85.4 billion.

“Disaggregated by zones, the North-Central reported the highest proportion of payment of ransom at 83.4 per cent, followed by North-East at 78.6 per cent.

“Households in urban areas paid an average of N3.7 million compared to N2.3 million in rural areas,” the report stated.

It added that about 91 per cent of kidnapping incidents were done for ransom in the form of money, goods or other benefits.

“While 2.4 per cent of cases were attributed to political, criminal, or terrorist objectives; 2.1 per cent were linked to personal or family disputes. Custody disputes accounted for 0.5 per cent of cases,” the report said.