The US embassy in Zambia has warned its citizens to be wary of a new “intrusive” cyber-security law introduced in the southern African country.
The embassy issued an alert telling Americans “in or planning to visit Zambia of a new law that requires the interception and surveillance of all electronic communications in the country”.
This includes calls, emails, texts and streamed content “in-country to assess if they include any transmission of ‘critical information,’ a term the law defines so broadly that it could apply to almost any activity”, the embassy says.
Zambia’s government said the law was needed to tackle online fraud and child pornography, as well as the spread of disinformation.
Following the alert from the US embassy, Zambia’s foreign ministry released a statement saying that the new Cyber Security Act was “not intended to invade any person’s privacy” – whether Zambians or foreigners.
“The Law does not authorize mass or random surveillance. Any interception or data request requires a court-issued warrant,” it said.
The statement added that the “classification of ‘critical information'” referred to national security, “and any assessments or actions taken are carried out by authorized institutions, in line with due process”.
There are fears that the law could be use against anyone who criticises the government, especially with elections due next year.
Some Zambians have expressed concern that a new cyber-security unit is being set up in the president’s office.
Joan Chirwa, founder of the Free Press Initiative Zambia campaign group, told the BBC “it was a sad day for Zambia”.
She said the law wouldn’t “just affect journalists, or civil society organisations. It will affect everyone in Zambia”.
