helps; also, it impacts negatively on the democracy; people are afraid to speak out. Majority of the submissions from journalists indicated that the Act has instilled fear in journalists whenever they conduct work online. It is this chilling effect that could have led to many of the respondents affirming that the CCA has instilled fear and self-censorship as the media practitioners feel they are under constant surveillance, given that much of their daily work involves the use of an “information system”, “computer system” and “critical information infrastructure” through offenses identified in the Act may be committed. Sections of the CCA posing possible challenges to freedom of expression (and the media) are itemised as follows: SECTION SPIRIT/SUMMARY 3 Subject to the Constitution, Generally, this could water down where there inconsistency DANGER is an safeguards in other progressive laws between the such as the Public Interest Disclosure provisions of this Act and the Act; any law must be “reasonably provisions of any other justifiable” in a democracy (especially written law relating to the in relation to freedom of expression) regulation of cyber security, and this is the underlying principle cybercrimes and digital forensics, the provisions of this Act shall prevail to the extent of the inconsistency. 9, 11 Grants a cyber inspector While obtaining a warrant is included power to inspect and search as a safeguard, the generality of a “computer system” or “computer or information system” will information system, facilities included even simple media systems or even persons on such qualify as computer systems which premises as well as make input, output, process and store data such necessary copies of any and information. This could make relevant data certain media houses/individuals targets of unnecessary searches given 23