INTRODUCTION T he rapid growth of information communication technologies (ICTs) in Africa has led to a massive digitalisation of information, which has, in turn, opened up various social and economic opportunities. The democratising nature of information – especially Internet-powered information – has resulted in most governments feeling uncomfortable (some would say insecure) about their own positions. In light of 9/11 (the New York terror attack) and the so-called Arab Spring, which saw the dismantling of dictatorships in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, governments south of the Sahara have been paying particular attention to how communication platforms in their countries are being used by citizens. This has led to systematic introduction or amendment of laws that enable mass surveillance and – with little or no judicial oversight – the interception and monitoring of communications. Content filtering, while not a very common tactic by governments, is an ever-present option. Pending legislation in Malawi, for example, alludes to content filtering and puts this burden on Internet Service Providers (ISPs), whose failure to comply may result in revocation of operating licences and/or other legal action. The implications of these actions on freedom of expression and media freedom are enormous. Advances in computer and mobile technology, the expansion of the Internet and the development of social networks and digital tools have removed many geographic, social and political barriers to the exchange of news and information. At the same time, these developments have created new areas of vulnerability for media professionals and bloggers who often are not fully aware of how these new technologies can threaten their privacy and security. This is particularly true in countries where citizens face major security challenges such as government surveillance and intimidation especially of the political kind. Hence, as the Internet gets entrenched as a human right, how can human rights defenders in southern Africa be empowered to harness its power in order to promote democracy and good governance? Also, against the backdrop of increasing restrictions on freedom of expression and increasing State paranoia in relation to new communication 4 technologies, how can the privacy of human rights defenders be safeguarded and their surveillance be circumvented? These are the questions that prompted MISA to devise the Freedom of Expression in Cyberspace project to address the relationship between human rights and privacy laws and regulations, while raising awareness on issues of data protection. The project is designed to challenge existing and future communications surveillance programmes targeted at citizen and mainstream journalists in southern Africa. Over the past 20 years, MISA has positioned itself as the primary advocate for media freedom and freedom of expression in southern Africa. With programmes that have a global outreach, especially through the media violations monitoring programme, the organisation’s agenda has been taken up by many civic organisations in the region, creating consciousness of the linkages between media freedom, freedom of expression and broader human rights and democratic campaigns.