On media freedom and African cybercrime laws
also ft Arrests on child pornography in South Africa
CybAfriqué is a space for news and analysis on cyber, data, and information security on the African continent.
This weekend, I have been bombarded by calls from my mum, whose WhatsApp was recently hacked after—as she explained—she dropped her phone number for a government social scheme and got a call asking her to send an invitation "code,” which was actually the login OTP for her WhatsApp. The rest, as they say, is history.
No, we will not be talking about that in this issue, but please enjoy!
— Olatunji
HIGHLIGHTS
On media freedom and African cybercrime laws
Across African countries, journalists are being victimised and prosecuted under vague cyber laws, as highlighted by reports from the Media Monitoring Unit of the International Press Institute. One of the most recent cases includes four cases across Nigeria where journalists were arrested under the newly amended Cybercrime law, as reported by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The CPJ, while speaking with VOA News, also noted that this is part of a broader trend where authorities are using regulations, such as a Cybercrime laws, to go after journalists and political dissidents. While the authoritarian regimes weaponize laws against journalists, using national security, anti-terror, and cybercrime legislation to justify crackdowns. This act of Injustice is not confined to Africa, but we’ve seen a rise in cases of arrests under cybercrime regulations—and increased enactments of cybercrime laws across countries.
This builds on our past editions, where we’ve talked about digital governance as a tool for political power play in Africa.
ICYMI: France goes after French-Algerian influencers
Africa countries such as Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Kenya are among countries who have recently enacted cybercrime laws. Ghana, which limited the access of journalists to coalition centres during the 2024 election, is also working on a cybercrime law.
In Egypt, the cybercrime regulation has been used to tighten access to the internet. The law gives authorities power to block websites or platforms that pose a threat to national security or economy. Administrators and visitors to these sites may face fines and jail times for doing so. The law was passed by Parliament in June 2018.
The problem with these regulations is that cybercrime regulations are essential to sane digital spaces. They provide a framework against attacks, online harassment, and digital safety. However, arbitrary use by governments to stifle freedom of the press has tainted the perspective of this regulation across the region.
The undermining of media sectors, such as this one, contributes highly to the abuse of information integrity, which is especially crucial as information manipulation is spiking across the continent.
Arrests on child pornography in South Africa
Earlier this week, South Africa Police Service nabbed two suspects, a 35-year-old man and his 25-year-old girlfriend, involved in child pornography. Darren Wilken, the 35-year-old South African, was arrested in Midrand on Friday and charged to Randburg Magistrate Court on Monday for accessing, downloading, distributing, and possessing child pornography. Police estimate he possessed over 10 million child pornography images and videos, which he hosted and distributed globally.
Sexual offences like this have been rampant and a source of concern in South Africa recently, as police have arrested 21 offenders in the last two years. Many of these arrests have also been in collaboration with international enforcement agencies like the FBI and US Department of Homeland Security.
Child pornography is a criminal offence according to many national laws, including South Africa’s, where it is punishable by a fine or imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years or both a fine and such imprisonment. According to recent findings of ChildFund Africa, 19% of kids aged 9–17 in South Africa and 21% aged 15–17 in Uganda received unwanted online requests to talk about sex or sexual acts. One-third of those kids in South Africa went on to a face-to-face meeting after an online contact.
The increasing internet penetration in Africa, where there are few to no guards to protect minors online, and the access to cheap surveillance technology by bad actors who are exploiting the lax environment have made cyber-enabled sexual crimes easy for perpetrators.
In 2021, the Nigeria Police Force also arrested seven suspects for multiple abductions and child pornography. They were accused of taking advantage of underage girls whom they sexually abused, made video recordings of their acts, and shared on an international social media WhatsApp group chat known as Pervertidos.
ICYMI: What does Meta's end of moderation mean for Africa?
The rise and rise of Ransomware
The highest monthly volume of global ransomware attacks ever occurred in November 2024, according to NCC Group’s latest Threat Pulse report. The security firm detected 574 ransomware attacks during the month, which they said is the highest number of notable ransomware activity since 2021.
Interpol data and many other organisations indicate South Africa has the highest number of overall threat detections in Africa, with a large portion related to email threats and ransomware. With no doubt many other African countries, such as Nigeria, have quite a surge in Ransomware also putting Nigeria in 13th place most vulnerable country to cyber attacks in seven months. Between May and December 2024, Nigeria moved from the 35th to the 13th position on the Global Threat Index, signalling a surge in cyberattacks in the country. The country's risk index rose sharply from 46.5% to 62.3% during the reference period.
FEATURES
Education institutions, especially of higher learning, are increasingly becoming prime targets of cyber attacks globally due to the sensitivity and volume of information they hold. This article examines the main cyber security strengths, vulnerabilities, opportunities, and threats (SVOT) specific to Higher education institutions and highlights the urgent need for adaptive, strategic approaches to mitigate cyber security risks.
The Deimos’ Cybersecurity Predictions for Africa in 2025 foresee an increase in data processing and control regulations as concerns for privacy and data localisation increase. AI ability to redefine social engineering and the proliferation of cybercrime-as-a-service (CAAS) will empower more bad actors.
HEADLINES
Kenya Drafts Policy for Virtual Assets Including Cryptocurrency - Techlabari
Kenya wants social media companies to set up physical offices - TechCabal
Uganda Starts Roll Out of Digital License Plates - Techlabari
Mali to Launch National Cybersecurity Strategy This Year- WeAreTech Africa
Starlink Launches in Liberia - Tech in Africa
Competition in the clouds: AWS will now accept naira payments, shaking up local cloud players - Tech Cabal
Senegal and Mauritania Sign MoU to Deepen Digital Cooperation - Egypt Today - WeAreTech Africa
Rwanda has officially become the 78th nation to accede to the Convention on Cybercrime - Igihe.com
Vodacom, Orange Partner to Boost Rural Connectivity in the DRC - Techlabari
ACROSS THE WORLD
OPPORTUNITIES!
Messe Wien Exhibition Congress Center - Vienna Date: February 4, 2025
Veeam Data Resilience For Africa Webinar Date: February 5, 2025
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