Zambia has no cyber security laws in place, Justice Minister Given Lubinda has said.
“Government is concerned over emerging cyber crimes in the Country, Mr. Lubinda said, adding that questions keep emerging on whether Government will gag freedom of expression and speech.”
He said that cyberspace was meant to improve the lives of the people but that more people were using it to harm others.
The Cabinet Minister was speaking at the Inter- Ministerial Conference on Cyber law, Cyber Crimes and Cyber Security in New Delhi, India, attended by Justice Permanent Secretary responsible for Legislative drafting, Andrew Nkunika and Chief Parliamentary Counsel Mwenya Kaela Bwalya.
“The international conference, he said, will be important to learn and share experiences and create networks specifically on Cyber law, Cyber Crimes and Cyber Security, especially that Zambia is in the process of developing a legal framwework for cyber security and cyber crime.”
He said the conference was important as Zambia emphasised the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the Seventh National Development Plan (SNDP).
Meanwhile, President of Cyberlaws.Net and Supreme Court of India Advocate Pavan Duggal said artificial intelligence was anticipated to match human intelligence by the year 2062, calling for a legal framework among countries ahead of schedule.
“The conference is necessary, Dr. Duggal said, because cyber crime is a global phenomenon which will be gobbling USD 6 Trillion globally per year.”
He said cyber crimes had resulted in massive increase in fake news and that there was need for building blocks to harmonize cyber law across the world.
“India has a slow conviction rate of cyber criminals, Dr. Duggal also said, which is allowing more criminals to cause more harm.”
He also saif India as the biggest democracy in the world needed to update it’s legal framework on cyber law to protect it’s 1.3 billion people.
And Justice Dipak Misra, an Indian judge who served as the 45th Chief Justice of India from 28 August 2017 till 2 October 2018, said the third world war would be fought through cyberspace calling on experts to debate further.
“Cyber crimes, Justice Mishra added, should be fought with vigour using human intelligence.”
The conference, with 186 speakers, had drawn participants and senior officials from different parts of the world, including the Minister of interior for Malta as well as members of the diplomatic corps.
This was contained in a statement made available by First Secretary Press and Tourism at the Zambian Mission in New Delhi, India, Bangwe Naviley.