Zimbabwe moving to tighten social media regulation

The Zimbabwean government has announced plans to bolster the Data Protection Act as part of efforts to curb the rapid spread of false and harmful content circulating on social media platforms and online spaces, a Cabinet Minister said this week.

In recent months, Zimbabwe has faced a surge in misinformation ranging from fake death announcements to explicit videos and other toxic material, prompting legislators to demand urgent measures to tackle the growing problem.

The Cyber and Data Protection Act, enacted in 2021, was designed to safeguard individuals' privacy and secure data within Zimbabwe's digital environment. However, the government acknowledges that the existing legislation needs strengthening to address new challenges posed by the misuse of online platforms.

Speaking in the National Assembly, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said the government intends to tighten the legal framework regulating online content and digital communication.

"The problem which we have right now is that social media is now full of people who are not journalists, who are not guided by operational procedures, they are not trained as journalists. We now need to educate people on the dangers of going on social media publishing something which you do not have enough evidence with, especially things that denigrate other people's behaviour, among other things," Minister Ziyambi said.

The Minister added that consultations would be held with the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services to reinforce and possibly update the existing laws to better combat online abuse.

"We are going to discuss with the Minister of Information with a proper law or to strengthen the existing laws to curb this issue. It is very bad to talk bad about someone, so we are going to sit down and strengthen our laws to curb this scourge in the country, but it needs our combined efforts as citizens," he said.

Minister Ziyambi also appealed to the public to avoid spreading hate speech and false information, stressing that current laws already prohibit such behaviour.

"There are those who are speaking ill of others. In a bid to build our laws in the country, especially when we made the Data Protection Bill, we tried to touch on the issue of restraining people from publishing lies. Even our laws do not allow people to use hate speech," he noted.

The government's move to tighten the Data Protection Act comes amid growing concerns over the social and political consequences of unchecked misinformation and online abuse, which can fuel division and unrest.

As Zimbabwe increasingly relies on digital platforms for communication, authorities say stronger legal safeguards and public awareness are critical to fostering a safer and more responsible online environment.