MISA Regional Annual Report 2023 Before that, the authority also cautioned the radio station against allowing guests to use unpalatable language on air after the guest made some disparaging remarks against the government. MISA Zambia fears that such actions are tantamount to censorship. NAPSA lost four months’ worth of data after hackers compromised their system. It said the hackers had introduced malware onto the NAPSA website, stealing a substantial amount of data and causing disruptions in the organisation’s work. On the digital rights front, the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA), asked the High Court not to entertain a lawsuit regarding capturing facial images when registering SIM cards. Chapter One Foundation and Bloggers of Zambia applied to the court to stop taking facial images during SIM card registration. The article in News Diggers said the Bank of Zambia (BoZ) ‘s social media platforms, WhatsApp and Facebook, were hacked. It added that the BoZ Facebook cover page was replaced with a lewd photograph. ZICTA had directed that all mobile network operators must ensure that all new SIM card registrations and replacements conducted from September 1, 2019, should include facial images and identification of the applicant. Furthermore, the directive was that all SIM card registrations completed on or before August 30, 2019, including historical SIM card registrations, be updated with such facial photographs by December 31, 2022, as a precondition for the registration of SIM cards. ZICTA said the directives were meant to enhance the protection of consumers from fraudulent activities that were taking place because of inadequacies in identification or clarity of identities of persons that obtained SIM cards. The matter is still before the courts. There was also increased concern about the number of cyber-attacks, especially among financial service entities such as the Bank of Zambia (BoZ) and the National Pensions Scheme Authority (NAPSA). According to an opinion piece by News Diggers on July 27, 2023, a month earlier, Country Reports Snapshots The newspaper article questioned ZICTA’s silence on the matter because it is mandated to ensure citizens’ online data is protected, including their right to access a secure cyberspace. These attacks have a bearing on MISA Zambia’s quest to promote digital rights because such cases can encourage policymakers to enact tougher cyber laws that could further impact freedom of expression online. On a positive note, and in a move that could help end impunity for crimes against journalists, police in Lusaka formally arrested and charged Chiengi Independent Member of Parliament Given Katuta in late August 2023 with threatening violence. Katuta allegedly spat on a photojournalist shortly after she was suspended and ordered to leave the National Assembly by Speaker Nelly Mutti. On her way out, a journalist began to take photographs of her. This irritated her and she started screaming at the journalist, spat in his face and manhandled him with the help of another Member of Parliament. She also forced him to delete the pictures he had taken of her. IBA granted a radio broadcasting licence to the Catholic Diocese of Mpika. This development brought the total number of Catholic-owned radio stations in Zambia 41