Lubinda Takes Fake News Fight outside Zambia

The spectre of online instigated crimes has become a growing concern with Justice Minister Given Lubinda saying cybercrimes will be fought vigorously.

Lubinda said several people had been conned by several online scammers and said that the government would tighten controls.

FULL STATEMENT:

CYBER ATTACKS LEGALLY FLAWED

New Delhi (November 16, 2018)

Zambia will seriously tackle cyberspace security attacks with the same energy applied by those who abuse it, Justice Minister Given Lubinda has said.

Mr. Lubinda said it was unacceptable that fake news items were widely circulated on cyberspace with negative consequences.

“Some people with ulterior motives also create anxiety among citizens by manipulating exit polls during elections by giving a false impression that their candidate is leading,” he said.

Mr. Lubinda said despite government’s intention to enact legislation to enhance cyber security, this should still be balanced with the need to enact access to information legislation.

The Justice Minister was speaking during an Interational Conference on Cyber law, Cyber crimes and Cyber security held in New Delhi, India.

“Incidents of cyberattacks have been reported especially at Automated Transaction Machine (ATM) points where scammers steal secret pin numbers,” Mr. Lubinda said.

Meanwhile, Cyberspace Expert, Supreme Court of India Advocate and Conference Director Pavan Duggal said a named country once suffered a satellite attack for 16 hours resulting from cyberspace security attack, by unidentified perpetrators.

“USD86 Million was wiped out from the banks in Bangladesh through cyber crimes resulting in that country enacting a Digital Security Act of 2018,” a delegate from Bangladesh, echoed by Dr. Duggal also said.

Dr. Duggal said people had become more vulnerable as digital slaves because the majority of the information being shared through social media was public information.

“There is lack of international law on cyber security and that nations should start taking actions on their own as they wait for international law to be established,” he added.

Dr. Duggal praised China, Singapore, Egypt and Vietnam as some of the countries that had  come up with laws to regulate cyberspace.

This was contained in a statement released by First Secretary Press and Tourism at the Zambian Mission in New Delhi, India, Bangwe Naviley.