Cabinet yesterday approved the Cyber Crime, Security and
Data Protection Bill which seeks to combat cyber crimes and enhance security in
the wake of rampant abuse of the platform.
The Bill, which provides for an array of issues such as
code of conduct and ethics, data protection authority and penalties for
violations, will be gazetted soon. It will be tabled in Parliament for debate
thereafter.
This was said by Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso
Ndlovu while briefing journalists about the 35th Cabinet decision matrix in
Harare yesterday.
Minister Ndlovu was standing in for Information, Publicity
and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa.
“Cabinet considered and approved the Cyber Crime, Cyber
Security and Data Protection Bill, which was presented by the Minister of
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs (Cde Ziyambi Ziyambi.) The Bill seeks
to combat cyber crime and increase cyber security in order to build confidence
and trust in the secure use of information communication technologies,” said
Minister Ndlovu.
He said the Bill will also address issues to do with codes
of conduct and ethics.
“More specifically, the Bill provides for the following:
provision and approval of codes of conduct and ethics to be observed by all
categories of data controllers, data protection with due regard to
constitutional rights and public interest under (the) Postal, Telecommunication
and Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe,” said Minister Ndlovu.
“It will also seek to establish a data security centre and
a Data Protection Authority, investigation and collection of evidence relating
to Cyber Crime and unauthorised Data Collection and breaches thereof.”
He said the Bill will also seek to spell out the
admissibility of electronic evidence for such offences and penalties for
offences committed under the Act.
“The Bill will also provide penalties for the transmission
of data messages inciting violence and damage to property, protection of
citizens against cyber bullying and harassment, measures to address the
production and dissemination of racist and xenophobic material using language
that tends to lower the reputation or feelings of persons for the reason that
they belong to a group of persons distinguished on the grounds set out in
section 56 subsection 3 of the Constitution,” said Minister Ndlovu.
He said the Bill will provide for penalties for persons who
generate, distribute or broadcast data concerning an identifiable person
knowing it to be false and intending to cause psychological or economic harm;
and curbing the transmission of pornographic material.
“In essence, the Bill advocates the use of ICTs for more
constructive purpose,” said Minister Ndlovu.
There have been growing calls among citizens for Government
to come up with mechanisms that control the abuse of the internet insofar as it
has been used to tarnish the images of other people and used to propagate lies
and hurtful messages. Herald
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