SENSITISATION VITAL

SENSITISATION VITAL

ALTHOUGH ignorance is not an excuse when one breaks the law, it is imperative that measures are taken to help people understand what the law entails.
It is most likely that most people active on social media could find themselves on the wrong side of the law not because they are criminally-inclined, but out of ignorance.
We find the suggestion by Mr Richard Mulonga, the Bloggers of Zambia Chief Executive Officer to be fair as he has urged Government to embark on digital literacy training for young people as most of them seemed ignorant of the usage of internet.
Mr Mulonga said in an interview yesterday that the law alone was not enough to stop Zambians, especially young people from speaking out on what they thought was rightfully their right.
“Young Zambians, and indeed everyone should be educated on the use of the internet and in this case social media. It is a great tool but many people have not understood it. In fact, as we speak, very few people even understand what AI (Artificial Intelligence) can presently do,” he said.
There is currently a lively debate on the use of social media in relation to cyber crime, with even President Hakainde Hichilema chipping in.
Mr Mulonga said one of the things Government ought to do was to educate people about the balance between freedoms and national security as well as defamatory creations.
He said citizens’ engagement by Government was critical and that it was unstoppable that authorities could gag young people expressing themselves on platforms such as Tiktok, Facebook, Instagram and many others.
“It is difficult to clamp down on what young people are saying. We know what freedom of expression is and its limitations. We know what Article 20 of the Constitution of Zambia says. What we need is digital literacy by Government,” Mr Mulonga said.
We do not think the government wants to curtail citizens’ participation in national affairs, more especially the young people who spend every moment of social media.
What is important is for stakeholders like the Bloggers of Zambia and the (Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) to engage social media users on its use in relation to the law.
As Mr Mulonga pointed out, using the law to curtail debate on governance issues by young people was not the solution but sensitisation was.
Already, Government has announced that it has commenced the process of repealing and replacing the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Act, with the aim of establishing a new regulatory framework for the social media space.
Information and Media Minister Cornelius Mweetwa, the says the new framework would not only regulate the social media platforms but also create opportunities for content creators and social media influencers to monetise their work.
Mr Mweetwa has revealed that the new regulatory framework would also include measures to combat hate speech, misinformation and cyberbullying, while also promoting transparency and accountability in the moderation of content.
We agree with Mr Mweetwa that with the rapid growth of social media, the country needed to ensure that regulatory framework was fit for purpose which would not only protect citizens from harmful content, but also enabling new forms of creativity and entrepreneurship.
But while doing so, it should ensure that citizens are fully aware of what the law entails, that the revised law is meant to curtail their rights – freedom of expression in particular.