Earlier today Zimbabwe’s telecommunications regulator, POTRAZ, issued a warning to all citizens against the abuse of social media.
The statement mentions how anyone who is caught creating or sharing subversive content through telecommunications platforms can be arrested.
POTRAZ’s statement echoes the sentiments shared by the Minister of ICT, Supa Mandiwanzira, who has warned Zimbabweans against social media abuse.
You can read the full statement from POTRAZ below.
The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) together with all the telecommunications service providers in Zimbabwe have noted with concern, the gross irresponsible use of social media and telecommunication services made through our infrastructure and communication platforms over the past few days.
We would like all Zimbabweans to know that we are completely against this behaviour and therefore advise that anyone generating, passing on or sharing such abusive and subversive materials which are tantamount to criminal behaviour, will be disconnected and the law will take its course.
All sim cards in Zimbabwe are registered in the name of the user. Perpetrators can easily be identified.
We are therefore warning members of the public that from the date of this notice, any person caught in possession of, generating, sharing or passing on abusive, threatening, subversive or offensive telecommunication messages, including whatsapp or any other social media messages that may be deemed to cause despondency, incite violence, threaten citizens and cause unrest, will be arrested and dealt with accordingly in the national interest.
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This is too much, we are now a police state, they want to arrest people over whatsapp messages, so basically they will have spies in whatsapp groups to report those sharing messages deemed anti government
Yes that would be the only way to do it if we all have encryption on. They can’t do mass surveillance that way so they will be forced to target a few groups only.
If the police walk or patrol the residential areas throwing teargas and beating anyone on sight in a country where there is no curfew where do they want people to go? If these police continue to beat people they should be visited at night one by one CIO included , and be given an opportunity to explain themselves.All we are doing we have them at heart also. So why beat people? I repeat may they be visited by night.
kkkkkkk bet u live in Norton, saturday was riwly bad, my csta was passing by and she was involved in d cross fire, teargasses n wat not and she collapsed had to be taken to the hospital….bekunzima bt wel we thank God uphephile
won’t tht constitute violation of subscriber rights to privacy? is tht even constitutional?
What matters most is holding onto power. Who cares about the law right now? What law gives them the power to block websites as was done today or the jamming of the cellphone networks that was done starting the day after the March 2008 elections?
#End to end encryption works!
Only if BOTH parties have the latest WhatsApp.
If the other party doesn’t have it, even if you have the latest WhatsApp, your communication can be intercepted and you are as exposed as the other person.
So if you do not know about the other person’s WhatsApp version, end-to-end encryption is not something to stand on.
Whtsapp notifies you whether its end to end encrypted or not.
Unless someone actually reports you to the police for sending particular Whatsapp messages the government cannot see what types of messages you are sending. People in Zimbabwe need to get the latest version of Whatsapp with end-to-end encryption or download more secure messaging apps such as Signal that are virtually untraceable. Zimbabweans should not bend to this tyranny. If you want to send messages criticising the government so be it!
Whatsapp is encrypted no one can see or read your messages even the FBI which as in house tech experts and large data farms
So by national interest you just mean the ZRP interest?
Haikona kutyisa vanhu. munoona chiiko. kana computer dzacho vanodiziva here…haasi magidi kaaya vana comrade. i software iyi…hapana chavanoona pawhatsapp…musatyiswa
Whatsapp has end to end encryption. Don’t be intimidated.
That’s too much’ try to be like normal people ther in Zimbabwe
Cookile I would like to see you act like a normal person when you have no water, electricity or food. There is food in the shops but there is no money to buy it with. They printed their own money so many times that the Z$100,000,000,000,000 note that I have would not have bought you much more than a loaf of bread. Do a little research before making inane comments.
they cant scare us; messages in your WhatsApp are stored only in WhatsApp server end and your internet provider doesn`t have any access on that.
they just wanna lie to us:
the messages we are sending are secured with end to end encryption, so don scare us. makazvigonera kupi? infact makaita basa makatidzidzisa IT moda kutinyepera isu taakuziva kkkkkkkkkkkk. get lost
We are not their children whom they impose twumutemo twavo asvotwa ngaarutse, takambotaura vamwe muchatiza WhatsApp gore rino. Makarwa nemagidi isu torwa ne morden technology, even if you take us to jail you go to hell.
We don’t give a damn about being known. In fact we want the message to be relayed and have several cases of people’s messages being relayed and known to the Government. The era of hiding behind faceless characters is OVER.
Kupiko ivo baba jukwa vakavatadza over a platform which was not encrypted
KANA the so-called baba jukwa vakatadza kubatwa ringava tickect here rokuti tishandise these platforms for things that infringe the rights and freedom of others??
Lets not be carried away by the monsoon winds which do not affect our Continent, otherwise we will remain the messengers of those who do not even want us to be. ZIM FOR U AND ME SO NO TO ABUSE…..
gadzirisa mari dzakabiwa kunetone kwete zvewhatsapp hamurume blaz supper
This is stupuid warning from the state organisation .we don’t feel you ,we don’t even like you so if you are curious of investigating and arresting .do it to zanu of company .and again your insulation is getting into our nerves we are no longer the bonded ones .you failed to get rid of people who have damaged our economy upto to a disgusting state .asi takarasima nemasocial networks .unonyadzisa imi. What you are doing is being seen by the whole world .shame on your useless intelligence.