STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA She noted that cyber bullying was becoming common in Zambia hence the need to regulate the use of internet. “The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) has proposed to sponsor three Bills in parliament that will repeal and replace the Electronic Communications and Transactions (ECT) Act No.21 of 2009…. Nowhere in the bill is government intending to close social media platforms in Zambia, but emphasises responsible use of electronic platforms. Some of the notable effects of the enactment of the bills include; the creation of a Zambia Cyber Security Agency which will ensure and guarantee safety and defence from cyber-attacks and minimize vulnerability; the protection of Zambia‟s critical infrastructure from numerous threats will ensure continuous economic development of the country; improved responsibility use of the available electronic platforms by the business community and the general citizenry; and increased cyber security posture.” Another issue that stirred debate on media freedom in the second quarter (April – June) is that of regulation of WhatsApp. ZICTA Director of Support Services Chisala Mofya on 30th May while featuring on ZNBC‟s Open Line program announced that WhatsApp administrators would soon be required to register their groups7. He said:“We are coming up with a law where now every administrator must be registered so that he can put ethics or codes of conduct for anyone who is going to be on that blog because at the end of the day, we are going to arrest that person who created the WhatsApp group or the editor or coordinator of the blog and that should not be the end game,” said Chisala. Although the ZICTA Director General, Patrick Mutimushi refuted the threats to regulate WhatsApp, the prospects of regulating WhatsApp chats irate the public. 7 The Mast Newspaper - Govt wants to protect its „nonsense‟ using social media regulation, says Laura Miti – 3rd June, 2018 11