Online sites allowing hate speech and cyberbullying will be put out of reach, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) has promised as it will soon lead an uncompromising fight against serious perpetrators of these menaces.
Director general of Potraz Dr Gift Machengete told participants recently at the launch of findings of a Child Online Safety Survey carried out by Potraz, in collaboration with Research Council of Zimbabwe and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, that peddling hate speech and cyberbullying now warranted special attention as it was now rife.
“Cyberbullying and hate speech is quite rampant these days on X (formerly Twitter). Cyberbullying on X is now unbearable. It cannot be allowed to continue.
“At the regulatory level, as Potraz, we are doing something about this. We are worried about the safety of our children online. We will make sure that these illicit sites are out of reach. We are supposed to use the internet productively,” he said.
“The sites are going to be out of reach so that we control the content. We will be taking action under the Data Protection Act. We now have the technology to hunt for those who use pseudo names peddling sexual content, cyber bullying and hate speech. We want to put a stop on hate speech and cyber bullying.”
In 2021, Zimbabwe enacted a cyber and data protection law to protect citizens” privacy and curb internet abuse.
Potraz is mandated to set up and enforcing the rules for data collection, protection, storage and presentation.
The Cyber and Data Protection Act ensures that individuals have better control over their personal information and that this information is processed for a legitimate purpose and in a lawful, fair and transparent manner.
Potraz now has a telecommunications traffic monitoring system to track mobile phone traffic in real-time to monitor the revenue operators generate.
Technology experts say cyberbullying has become a prevalent issue within Zimbabwe and the African digital space with many users being bullied because of their opinions, facial looks and associations.
They say cyberbullying leads to depression, infringement on freedom of expression and association, loss of self-esteem and death on some occasions.
One in three young people in 30 countries said they have been a victim of online bullying, with one in five reporting having skipped school due to cyberbullying and violence, according to a 2019 Unicef poll.
The growing use of digital technologies has led to the rise of cyberbullying, the deluge of racist posts on X and the pervasive atmosphere of social hatred.
Experts say the effects of hate speech are wide-ranging – direct assaults, such as threats or harassment, can harm a person’s psychological well-being and emotional stability, while indirect assaults can undermine their reputation and dignity.
Source: https://www.herald.co.zw/potraz-moves-to-combat-cyberbullying-hate-speech/