Misa Zimbabwe Programmes Officer - Broadcasting and ICT’s makes a presentation during the conference the right legal processes, this can be interpreted to prevent the use of data obtained by whistle-blowers and investigative journalists. according to their own terms and conditions. Censorship maybe codified at law or the result of informal codes of conduct – e.g. website blocking or website filtering through the use of key words and network shutdowns. For some groups e.g. LGBT withdrawal of access to information about sexuality becomes part of a broader picture of oppression. 2. State security laws - National security discourse can be abused to directly threaten internet freedom through ICT regulation. There have been attempts in some African countries to introduce vague state security laws in response to real or perceived threats. Where a legal framework has been created, it has frequently been geared towards legalising and abetting surveillance under the guise of national security protection, and tended to disregard the effect of such surveillance on the security of citizens particularly the right to privacy. 2. Surveillance– The technological and political capabilities of governments are combining to create techno-legal frameworks with the potential to fatally undermine the right to privacy as well as the rights to free expression, freedom of association and other rights. In South Africa, for example, the emphasis on national security led to the introduction of the Protection of State Information Bill – legislation that would severely threaten access to information by the public and the media through the broad classification of records, with stiff criminal repercussions. 3. Digital divide - The social, political and economic potential of the internet can only be realised by people who have access to it. A digital divide exists between different populations rich vs poor, young vs. old, men vs women. The lack of physical infrastructure is the primary barrier faced by governments. Governments have tended to rely heavily on private sector investment. Other challenges include: affordability, quality and speed, literacy and ICT skills. Internet access should be moved beyond simple provision of access to the web. 3. Criminalising legitimate free speech–In 2011, the Zimbabwean police made their first facebook arrest after a Bulawayo man, Vikazi Mavhudzi, was charged with “subverting a constitutional government” over a post he made on the social networking site on the wall of then Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai. Some trends: • Authoritarian leaders are able to limit the empowering effects of technology by cracking down on civil space. • Democratic empowerment enabled by technology is happening at a local and individual level and it may be difficult to measure. • Technology is not delivering increasing democracy because governance is shaped by many different factors that may be non-technologicalincluding human factors. ICTs are definitely empowering, but do not only empower individuals to do democratic things. For instance, they may also be used to advance hate speech or discrimination based on race, sexual orientation, gender e.tc. • Dictators have also upped their game significantly to monitor, or even silencing dissenting voices. • It is Important for internet governance stakeholders not to lose sight of the fact that there are still large numbers of people who still do not have access to the internet. 4. Internet Intermediary Liability -Intermediaries are key in the development of the internet. They host, locate and search for content and facilitate its distribution. Because of their technical capabilities, internet intermediaries are under increasing pressure from governments and interest groups to police online content. 5. Lack of adequate legal protection for whistle-blowers in many African countries. The internet presents opportunities both for anonymous disclosures and for tracking those who make them, as well as making it difficult to ascertain the authenticity of information and its sources. In 2015, activists launched Afrileaks (www.afrileaks.org), an African-specific portal to facilitate anonymous disclosures between journalists and sources. Emerging issues 1. Privatisation of Censorship- Those acting to censor content online are usually private companies doing it on behalf of the government (s) or INTERNET GOVERNANCE MULTISTAKEHOLDER CONFERENCE REPORT 2015 027 www.misazim.com @misazimbabwe MISA Zimbabwe