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Many Zimbabweans have been victims of cybercrime and some are not even aware of it. The online terrain is difficult to navigate and it is a phenomenon that is evolving and growing so fast that it has many legal grey areas and laws simply cannot keep up with it.
The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) notes that citizens have a number of rights online. These entail the right to consent to the processing of their data, the right to be informed that their data is being processed and for what use their data will be used for, the right to withdraw their consent to the processing of their data and the right to have their data corrected if the data held is incorrect or inaccurate.
The other rights include the right to access their data which is held by a data controller, the right to have their data deleted and the right to complain against the illegal processing of their data as well as providing a general framework for the control of personal information.
Cybercrime comes in many forms and includes:
• phishing: using fake email messages to get personal information from internet users;
• misusing personal information (identity theft);
• hacking: shutting down or misusing websites or computer networks;
• spreading falsehoods, hate and inciting terrorism online
• distributing child pornography;
• Grooming: making sexual advances to minors,
• Bullying others online
• Conning people into contributing money into fake online schemes
Zimbabwe enacted the Cyber and Data Protection Act in 2021. The Act seeks to protect personal data by empowering citizens to take control of their personal information.
Cybercrime and awareness is relatively new in Zimbabwe and data regarding prevalence is still sketchy. There have been a few cases of cybercrime that have been recorded, however, the National Risk Assessment (NRA) Report of 2020 notes that cyber risks, mainly through digital financial channels, contributed to an estimated US$900 million of illicit proceeds generated from criminal activity in the country.
Cybersecurity starts at individual level and there are steps that can be taken to avoid being victims of cybercrime.
Individuals are mainly targets of cybercrime in communities. WhatsApp groups, Facebook and other social media platforms are hunting grounds for ruthless criminals looking for unsuspecting internet users. They may target our children, friends or families.
Children by their very nature are trusting. Paedophiles may pretend to be their age mates, befriend them and trick them into sending nudes that they distribute around the world for equally sick audiences. Some may even trick children into meeting up with them and they molest the little ones.
As parents it is important to monitor what our children do online and installing apps like Google Family Link, available on Google Playstore, which allows parents to track what children do online, decide how much time they spend online, vet sites that they can visit or games that they can download. It is the duty of parents to monitor and guide their children online and educate them about the perils of the cyber jungle.
Older people are not spared. Generally, people should avoid clicking on strange links shared online. As a rule of thumb, a link with an address that start with http without an “s” at the end as may contain spyware and other viruses that can steal users’ information or lead to the hacking of private files on devices, which can be used to blackmail victims. Links that start with https are generally safer.
This digital age disease of posting everything we do online is another way to invite cyber criminals to your door. Some people post everything they do, family members, holiday trips, personal relations on sites like Facebook and Instagram. It may look cute but predators like false prophets can access that information and amaze you by telling you about your life, leaving you vulnerable to manipulation.
Online Reporter