RSSZimbabwe Legislation May Filter Internet
By Ed Oswald | Published June 13, 2007, 4:38 PM
While much ire in the fight against net censorship and free speech restrictions falls squarely at the feet of the Chinese government, a new law in Zimbabwe should raise some eyebrows.
The lower house of the country's parliament passed the so-called "Interception of Communications" act on Wednesday, clearing the way for the government to begin monitoring of phone calls, mail and Internet for "national security" purposes.
However, opponents of President Robert Mugabe -- widely considered a dictator by most scholars -- say it opens the door for his administration to further curtail freedom of speech and privacy than it already has.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change is voicing its opposition to the bill, calling it a "fascist piece of legislation," however it will likely do little, as Mugabe's party controls the legislature.
Government officials say the legislation is necessary to fight terrorism, and point to similar laws in other countries including the United States. However, it appears the bill may have little in the way of checks and balances to prevent its abuse.
Last week, Amnesty International issued a warning saying that the curtailing of Internet freedoms was an increasing problem. A study by the Open Net Initiative said that while Zimbabwe had a highly oppressive regime, no evidence of internet filtering could be found.
"Limited Internet access and e-mail-focused usage have centered the country's efforts to control the Internet toward regulating email," it said in the report.
This is precisely why big democracy like the US or most european countries should NEVER have passed such useless laws (No terrorist was caught and will nether be caugth by such means, nobody is a terrorist BEFORE he pulls its coups and then most dies)
These laws are made AGAINST citizens and that was fully understood by dictatorship around the world.
There is no difference in the end beetween a bad law passed for (would be) good reasons and a bad law passed for dictatorial reasons ...
A bad law is a bad law and corrupting your own principles, nearly adopting the ways of your ennemies to combat them has always proved ineffective. And is is the recognition they are right to reject democracy. I DO think they are Wrong and shall be fighted on that very ground first and foremost. Weapons are the mean NOT the end.
We have made our best efforts to make ALL dictatorial or terrorist accusations become truth : War on Irak, moreover based on a lie from our own governement, Corruption at the head of international institutions, lies about our help to countries we promised to help (afganistan for a start), destruction of our own democracy and values, unlawfull and inhuman treatment of maybe innoncent people, usage of torture, collaboration with dictatorship (china, pakistan ...) ... we left nothing untouched to behave like they do ...
Terrorist and "rogue nations" truly won, the day we suppressed our principles and freedom and values. And it was 6 years ago.
Since then the world is just going down the toiled unravelling the consequences of these criminal choices we made or let be made in our name.
Feel so sad
Score: 0
|