#Introduction
Current trends in Zimbabwe show that there is high likelihood that internet freedoms and rights could become subordinate to pervasive surveillance regimes as theGovernmentis being faced with a host of new and complex issues that will challenge all aspects of their decision-making. The world over, governments face challenges of cybercrimes which have increasingly been rising in the wake of technological advancements. At the same rime, Governments will need to promote internet freedoms if they are to be perceived as democratic.
#Cybercrimes
Zimbabweis not sparedon cybercrimes. In August 2017, the country was rated as the most hackable country by an American software company called Rapid7LLC. Out of 183 other countries, Zimbabwe was found to have the most outdated Internet protocols. This seems to be validated by a number of hacking cases that have been recorded. In may 2017, the government confirmed that 2 financial institutions had been affected by the 'wanna cry' virus. Two higher learning institutions, the Harare Institute of Technology and the National University of Science and Technology had their websites hacked. Hackers demanded a ransom of US$6 Billion from the later school while 1000 bitcoins were demanded from the former. At that time, 1 bitcoin had a market prize of US$2667.The Parliament of Zimbabwe website was also hacked by a hacker calling themselves “Anonplus Anonymous” in February 2016.According to the Zimbabwe Republic Police, the most common type of cybercrime in Zimbabwe is phishing. Phishing is the theft of information through email, credit card fraud, through cloning (duplicating) of cards, identity theft, unauthorized access and hacking. Cybercrimes and hacking reports have been promoting and giving government justification to tighten it’s grip on the internet.
#DigitalActivism
The government has also been at loggerheads with social media users who it accused of abusing the internet.In October 2015, an opposition partycouncillor in rural Bubi, was arrested for allegedly demeaning President Mugabe in a WhatsApp message to a private chat group with other regional councillors. In April 2016, a government employee in Nyanga, was also arrested for audio and graphicWhatsApp messages, that allegedly depicted the President as too old and a burden to the people in a private chat group called .On April 7, 2016 a Media Centre Director was detained for 8 hours andquestioned over an online storypublished by a news website run by the Centre that reported on a plot to bomb President Robert Mugabe’s dairy farm and factory. In June, 2014, a University of Zimbabwe law student was arrested and charged of running a faceless Facebook page that was whistleblowing government secrets during the 2013 elections. He was alsocharged with “attempting acts of insurgency, banditry, and sabotage.
Of late,theZimbabwe government was feeling threatened by so called social media activists who had successfully organized a national strike under the hashtag#ShutdownZimbabwe where workers, including government civil servants did not report for work. These protests were largely attributed to worsening social and economic conditions in the country. Social media had suddenly become a key voice for citizens to express their discontent and frustration as state media had for years been monopolized by the government.
Social media campaigns in Zimbabwe became popular starting with a #ThisFlag campaign in mid 2016, started by a young cleric called Pastor Evan Mawarire. He posted a captivating video on YouTube in which he vented out his frustrations, and accused the government of their shortcomings. This triggered a viral response from many social media users who replicated with their own videos notable as they usually donned a Zimbabwe flag. These video posts inspired a series of anti-government protests. Other campaigns followed by #Tajamuka and #MyZimbabwe tags. The government responded with hostility, with the president verbally attacking Evan Mawarire and threatening him with unspecified action.Fearing for his life, the pastor had to flee to USA for some months. Upon returning, he was arrested at the Harare International Airport. In the same year,another journalist, Jealous Mawarire, was arrested for posting on Tweeter accusing a government official of corruption.
Following the protests, government was accused by opposition parties and civic organizations of jamming and disabling WhatsApp as many people had challenges accessing this app due to unusual slow network. The government blamed mobile network providers instead government’s role was in policy making not network provision.Disabling of WhatsApp cannot be ruled out considering that POTRAZ, the network and telecoms regulator released some statistics that show that WhatsApp accounts for 44% of all the mobile internet traffic in Zimbabwe.The Media Institute of Zimbabwe (MISA), a media watchdog, issued a statement that condemned the deliberate disabling of WhatsApp. However, independentobservers have noted that private ownership of the majority of the country’s international gateways makes it difficult for the government to shutdown the entire internet.
In October 2017, the government was again at loggerheads with social media users, with the Finance minister, blaming panic buying, prize increases and purported shortage of commodities to social media abuse. The minister claimed the social media users were fuelling speculation by spreading falsehoods on the economy. He went as far as labelling social media as a security issue as it has being used as a tool for a political agenda of refine change. On 22 October 2017, the World Health Organization was forced to rescind it’s earlier appointment of Robert Mugabe as it’s Goodwill Ambassador after public condemnation, protest and outcry largely by Zimbabweans on social media.
#TheFutureofInternet
The government has increased efforts to exert greater control over the country’s ICT market and internet infrastructure, threats to shutdown social media, and increasing arrests for online activities. The president recently in October 2017, reshuffled the cabinet, with the Finance minister being reassigned to a newly established Ministry of Cybercrime. The government has introduced a new legal instrument, which is currently a bill awaiting review, public consultationand enactment. The “Computer crimes and cybercrimes” bill awaiting enactment, will give government more grip on cybercrime. Critics claim the law is politically targeted at social media activists and government critics in the wake of deteriorating economic conditions.The new law will provide for the establishment of a cyber security centre. It also empowers government to prosecute crimes that include inciting violence, revenge porn, racist/xenophobic material, communicating falsehoods and degrading other people. It also gives government power to extradite foreign-based Zimbabwe expats for trial if accused of violating the law. Those tried could face up to 10 years in jail.
Internet freedom stakeholders fear the law will impose a Chinese-style “great firewall” on the internet while government maintains that the law is for protecting people. The determination to control the internet has even led the president toannounce that his government would engage the Chinese to help filter the internet and block social media. The law will likely see the country drop low on internet freedom. Previously, Zimbabwe has been rated 'not free' in a 2016 Freedom on Net report by the Freedom house.
Bibliography
Current trends in Zimbabwe show that there is high likelihood that internet freedoms and rights could become subordinate to pervasive surveillance regimes as theGovernmentis being faced with a host of new and complex issues that will challenge all aspects of their decision-making. The world over, governments face challenges of cybercrimes which have increasingly been rising in the wake of technological advancements. At the same rime, Governments will need to promote internet freedoms if they are to be perceived as democratic.
#Cybercrimes
Zimbabweis not sparedon cybercrimes. In August 2017, the country was rated as the most hackable country by an American software company called Rapid7LLC. Out of 183 other countries, Zimbabwe was found to have the most outdated Internet protocols. This seems to be validated by a number of hacking cases that have been recorded. In may 2017, the government confirmed that 2 financial institutions had been affected by the 'wanna cry' virus. Two higher learning institutions, the Harare Institute of Technology and the National University of Science and Technology had their websites hacked. Hackers demanded a ransom of US$6 Billion from the later school while 1000 bitcoins were demanded from the former. At that time, 1 bitcoin had a market prize of US$2667.The Parliament of Zimbabwe website was also hacked by a hacker calling themselves “Anonplus Anonymous” in February 2016.According to the Zimbabwe Republic Police, the most common type of cybercrime in Zimbabwe is phishing. Phishing is the theft of information through email, credit card fraud, through cloning (duplicating) of cards, identity theft, unauthorized access and hacking. Cybercrimes and hacking reports have been promoting and giving government justification to tighten it’s grip on the internet.
#DigitalActivism
The government has also been at loggerheads with social media users who it accused of abusing the internet.In October 2015, an opposition partycouncillor in rural Bubi, was arrested for allegedly demeaning President Mugabe in a WhatsApp message to a private chat group with other regional councillors. In April 2016, a government employee in Nyanga, was also arrested for audio and graphicWhatsApp messages, that allegedly depicted the President as too old and a burden to the people in a private chat group called .On April 7, 2016 a Media Centre Director was detained for 8 hours andquestioned over an online storypublished by a news website run by the Centre that reported on a plot to bomb President Robert Mugabe’s dairy farm and factory. In June, 2014, a University of Zimbabwe law student was arrested and charged of running a faceless Facebook page that was whistleblowing government secrets during the 2013 elections. He was alsocharged with “attempting acts of insurgency, banditry, and sabotage.
Of late,theZimbabwe government was feeling threatened by so called social media activists who had successfully organized a national strike under the hashtag#ShutdownZimbabwe where workers, including government civil servants did not report for work. These protests were largely attributed to worsening social and economic conditions in the country. Social media had suddenly become a key voice for citizens to express their discontent and frustration as state media had for years been monopolized by the government.
Social media campaigns in Zimbabwe became popular starting with a #ThisFlag campaign in mid 2016, started by a young cleric called Pastor Evan Mawarire. He posted a captivating video on YouTube in which he vented out his frustrations, and accused the government of their shortcomings. This triggered a viral response from many social media users who replicated with their own videos notable as they usually donned a Zimbabwe flag. These video posts inspired a series of anti-government protests. Other campaigns followed by #Tajamuka and #MyZimbabwe tags. The government responded with hostility, with the president verbally attacking Evan Mawarire and threatening him with unspecified action.Fearing for his life, the pastor had to flee to USA for some months. Upon returning, he was arrested at the Harare International Airport. In the same year,another journalist, Jealous Mawarire, was arrested for posting on Tweeter accusing a government official of corruption.
Following the protests, government was accused by opposition parties and civic organizations of jamming and disabling WhatsApp as many people had challenges accessing this app due to unusual slow network. The government blamed mobile network providers instead government’s role was in policy making not network provision.Disabling of WhatsApp cannot be ruled out considering that POTRAZ, the network and telecoms regulator released some statistics that show that WhatsApp accounts for 44% of all the mobile internet traffic in Zimbabwe.The Media Institute of Zimbabwe (MISA), a media watchdog, issued a statement that condemned the deliberate disabling of WhatsApp. However, independentobservers have noted that private ownership of the majority of the country’s international gateways makes it difficult for the government to shutdown the entire internet.
In October 2017, the government was again at loggerheads with social media users, with the Finance minister, blaming panic buying, prize increases and purported shortage of commodities to social media abuse. The minister claimed the social media users were fuelling speculation by spreading falsehoods on the economy. He went as far as labelling social media as a security issue as it has being used as a tool for a political agenda of refine change. On 22 October 2017, the World Health Organization was forced to rescind it’s earlier appointment of Robert Mugabe as it’s Goodwill Ambassador after public condemnation, protest and outcry largely by Zimbabweans on social media.
#TheFutureofInternet
The government has increased efforts to exert greater control over the country’s ICT market and internet infrastructure, threats to shutdown social media, and increasing arrests for online activities. The president recently in October 2017, reshuffled the cabinet, with the Finance minister being reassigned to a newly established Ministry of Cybercrime. The government has introduced a new legal instrument, which is currently a bill awaiting review, public consultationand enactment. The “Computer crimes and cybercrimes” bill awaiting enactment, will give government more grip on cybercrime. Critics claim the law is politically targeted at social media activists and government critics in the wake of deteriorating economic conditions.The new law will provide for the establishment of a cyber security centre. It also empowers government to prosecute crimes that include inciting violence, revenge porn, racist/xenophobic material, communicating falsehoods and degrading other people. It also gives government power to extradite foreign-based Zimbabwe expats for trial if accused of violating the law. Those tried could face up to 10 years in jail.
Internet freedom stakeholders fear the law will impose a Chinese-style “great firewall” on the internet while government maintains that the law is for protecting people. The determination to control the internet has even led the president toannounce that his government would engage the Chinese to help filter the internet and block social media. The law will likely see the country drop low on internet freedom. Previously, Zimbabwe has been rated 'not free' in a 2016 Freedom on Net report by the Freedom house.
Bibliography
- https://www.newsday.co.zw/2017/09/govt-threatens-social-media-clampdown/
- https://www.techzim.co.zw/2016/08/zimbabwean-opposition-party-spokesperson-charged-responding-tweet/
- http://www.sundaymail.co.zw/social-media-regulation-is-nigh/
- https://www.dailynews.co.zw/articles/2016/07/07/govt-jams-social-media-as-zim-burns
- https://www.newsday.co.zw/2017/08/zim-hackable-country/
- http://www.chronicle.co.zw/universities-hit-by-cyber-attacks/
- https://www.techzim.co.zw/2017/06/update-harare-institute-technology-cyber-hack/
- https://www.newsday.co.zw/2016/02/hackers-attack-parliament-website/
- http://crm.misa.org/upload/web/Computer%20Crimes%20&%20Cyber%20Crimes_Framework_Zimbabwe.pdf
- http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2017/goodwill-ambassador