Zimbabwe appoints minister for cyber security
- Zimbabwe has appointed a minister to control internet use in the country
- The minister is reported appointed to clamp down on indiscriminate use of social media apps like Facebook and Whatsapp
- The appointment has raised a lot of controversy over the president's attempt to clamp down on freedom of speech
Zimbabwe’s president, Robert Mugabe, has announced that a new ministry for cyber security has been created as a trap to catch “rats” misusing the internet in the country.
Former Zimbabwe finance minister, Patrick Chinamasa, has been named as the minister who will head this new Cyber Security, Threat Detection, and Mitigation ministry.
The controversial appointment has been criticised by many who believed it is a way for the president to clamp down on freedom of speech and expression in the country.
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The ministers has since been renamed as “minister of WhatsApp and Facebook” by the locals.
Zimbabwe has in fact, issue new rules on the us of Whatsapp in the country.
Before a Whatsapp group could be formed in the country, the rules required the group to be registered and for the administrator of the group to have government level clearance.
While Mugabe and the government describe the new ministry as “protective” i.e. acting in a defensive role, there are worries it is really aimed at attacking, like controlling social media use locally. This all comes as Zimbabwe finalizes a Computer and Cyber Crimes Bill that has already attracted criticism from human rights and freedom of expression campaign groups, Quartz reports.
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Mugabe attacked Donald Trump of the United States calling the latter the biblical Goliath at the 72nd General Assembly of the United Nations.
He also said Africa was suffering a system perpetrated by “historic injustice, one that can never be justified today.”
Mugabe wondered why Trump was interfering in the issues of other countries.
He also warned that countries, especially Africa, would fight every monster that comes in any way just like the continent successfully fought imperialism.
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Source: Legit.ng
