Abuse Of Social Media A National Security Threat - Muswere

The Government said it is imperative to redefine national security which is no longer limited to sovereignty and territorial integrity but now encompasses cyberspace.

Presenting a public lecture on the evolution of information systems in the context of media and national security at the Zimbabwe National Defence University on Wednesday, 28 February, the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Jenfan Muswere said laws should be enacted to enhance the proper use of information and technology. He said (via The Herald):

We need to redefine our national security which is well connected with sovereignty and territorial integrity in the context of ensuring security in our geographical space.

National security can no longer be defined in terms of territorial integrity or sovereignty in terms of physical space, but it is also defined in terms of the cyber security framework that we currently have in terms of international telecommunications.

Of importance, the media play equally an important role, especially broadband data…

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My advice to the security sector is to try and ensure that we work together to develop a sustainable cybersecurity framework to complement the Cyber Data Protection Act that we currently have which seeks to ensure that we have safety and security in the use of information technology.

The fact that every citizen can broadcast whatever they want to broadcast, either negative or positive, means we need to refine our laws and ensure that we come up with sustainable ICT, publicity and broadcasting that serves as a legal framework to protect our citizens.

Last week, Presidential spokesperson George Charamba said authorities must craft laws targeting Zimbabweans abusing social media.

Charamba was referring to fake statements purported to be emanating from State organs such as the army circulated on social media platforms.

Muswere said abuse of social media platforms may influence how some economic players make decisions which may result in price hikes, hoarding of products and hyperinflation. He said:

Economic instability can be caused by negative online media platforms. Hyperinflation and hoarding of foodstuffs can be caused by misleading information that is being channelled via online, print and social media platforms.

In 2021, the Parliament and the President of Zimbabwe enacted the Cyber and Data Protection Act to increase cyber security to build confidence and trust in the secure use of information and communication technologies by data controllers, their representatives and data subjects.

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