adminBianca Leboho Herald Reporter
GOVERNMENT will not ban or excessively censor social media, but will regulate its usage, an official has said. Principal director in the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology and Courier Services Mr Cosmas Chigwamba told journalists at a Zimbabwe Union of Journalists workshop in Harare last week that it was important for human rights defenders to fight for balanced digital policies.
“The Internet is being used for harmful activities which include fraud, child abuse, harassment and of late, incitement.
“As human rights defenders we cannot ignore these problems, but efforts to deal with them may take the form of censorship, surveillance and closure.
“Human rights defenders should fight for digital policies that are proportional, balanced, evidence based and grounded on human rights principles.
“As a ministry and a regulator we intend to carry out a publicity campaign to educate the public on the proper use of social media.
Mr Chigwamba said the goal was not to restrain people, but to ensure that they use social media responsibly. He said drafting of the Computer Crime and Cyber-Crime Bill had started.
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