SECTOR 1 Mention was also made of a new K2.9 billion machine that the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) is said to be considering purchasing, apparently to ensure that companies offering SMS services are operating as they should. Rumours are abounding that this machine will be able to spy on all electronic communications.1 Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 3.9 (2010 = 4.4; 2008 = n/a; 2006 = n/a) 1.11 Civil society in general and media lobby groups actively advance the cause of media freedom. The Malawian chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (NAMISA) is the most active media lobby group in Malawi on issues of media freedom. NAMISA is often partnered by the Human Rights Consultative Committee - a civil society organisation to lobby on media freedom issues such as the Access to Information Campaign and issuing solidarity statements when journalists are arrested. Panellists felt, however, that these lobby groups have not done enough to involve the public in advancing the cause of media freedom. In August 2012, just two days before the Malawi AMB was held, media owners united to form a new organisation, in the form of a trust, called the Association of Media Owners (AMO). The agenda of AMO is to broadly, “act as a catalyst for change in promoting social transformation for economic growth and democracy in Malawi”. It also intends to ensure the sustainability of the country’s media, and to strengthen and revive the self-regulatory Media Council of Malawi, which promotes media ethics within the industry, in order to prevent the state from setting up a similar, statutory body. 1 22 At the time of going to print, the Malawi government, led by President Banda, had proposed a new electronic communications bill, dubbed the E-Bill, which could pose serious threats to freedom of Expression in cyberspace. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER MALAWI 2012