State of Internet Freedom in Zimbabwe 2016

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State of Internet Freedom in Zimbabwe 2016 10 001 0 10 001 010 01 010 100 1 001000100000 0010 0100 01000100 0101001 100 0100 1001 010001 010 010010 00010 1000100000001 01 100 1000000100010000100010010 100010001000000100 01001 0010100 01000 10001 00001 00100101 0101010 0101 0101 01000 1000 10001 01001010001001001 0000100 0 0010 01010 01001 001 0001010 State of000 0Internet 0 0 0 10 101 01 1001 01 001 010 Freedom 10010 10001 01 0100 1001 0100 10010 1001 0100 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 00 0 1 1 0 100 1000 100 100 1001 010 100 0 00 1 0 10 010 00 100 1001 0 in Zimbabwe 0 1 01 01 0 10 2016 01 10 01 00 10 1000 0 0 0 1 001 01 01 010 10 0 0 0 1 0 10 01 00 10 0 0 00 10 0 10 10 100 10 000 000 10 10 01 0 0 01 0 10 01 000 1 0 01 01 01 0 0 000000 00 0001 000 1000 100 010 01 001 00 0 0 0 0 0 10Charting 01 001 1 1 1 00 Patterns1 00 1 01 000 10 in the Strategies African 0 010 0 00 01 000 100 1 00 00 0 01 000 0 01 000 10 01 00 100 010 00 10 00 10 1 0 010 0100111 1 1 0 0 0 Governments 1 0 0 1 000 10 Use 01 00 to Stifle 0 Citizens’ 0 Digital Rights 0 10 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 00 00 1000 01 0000 100 01 000 01 0001 0 0 00 00 001 0 0 000 01 01 000 1 000 1 00 1 000 1 0 10 01 001 01 001 0001 0001 00 0 10 10 01 001 001 0001 00 010 0001 0001 000 100 010 0 10 10 0 11 01 10 1 01 111 0 1 0 10 01 0 10 01 December 2016 00 000 10 0 10 10 01 00 1 00 100 01 0 0 10 0 01 00 100 01 00 00 10 00 1 0 00 0 00 1 0 11 00 0 00 0 00 o 00 00 00 000 0 00 00 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 000 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 00 0 0 0 0 01 00 00 00 00 10 0 11 0 01 01 10 10 01 1 1 0 100 1010 0 1000 100 100 1 0 00 00000 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 000 00 0 0 0 0 0000 0 0 000 0000 000 00 000 00 0000 0 0 00 00 000 0000 000000 0 000 00 0 1 10 10 10 0 10 0 0 0 0 000 00 0 10 00 10 0 0 001 0001 000 0 0 0 01 010 000 0 0 000 000 00 0 00 000 0 0 0 0 000 00 00 000 00 0 0 00 000 0 000 0 0 0 0 00 0000 000 0000 00 11 0 1000 1 0 000 0 0 00 00 0 0 0 00 00 00 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000 0 0 101 0 10 01 0 00 000 00000 01 0 0 000 0 0 0 0 00 000 0 0 000 0000 00 1 001 000 10 00 0 0 0 001 010 01 001 0001 001 001 0 10 10 10 0 000 000 1 010 001 00 0 00 0 00 0 0 00 00 0 000 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 000 00 00 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 01 00 10 01 0001 001 00100 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 00 0 0 000 00 0 OpenNet 0 0 00 0 0 0000 0 0 0 00 0 0 Africa 0 0 00 00 00 00 00CIP E00S A 0 State of Internet Freedom in Zimbabwe | 2016 Charting Patterns in the Strategies African Governments Use to Stifle Citizens’ Digital Rights Credits This research was carried out by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) as part of the OpenNet Africa initiative (www.opennetafrica.org), which monitors and promotes Internet freedom in Africa. The report presents the findings of a study on what the government in Zimbabwe is doing to inhibit citizens’ access to ICT, for example content blocks, censorship, filtering, infrastructure control, law- making, court cases; using ICT activity and data to monitor citizens; and how government bodies and functionaries are using propaganda, impersonation, threats, cloning, and other tactics to shape online content in their favour. Other country reports for Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia as well as a regional State of Internet Freedom in Africa 2016 report, are also available. CIPESA recognises Natasha (Stash) Msonza of the Digital Society of Zimbabwe as the main contributor, and acknowledges the contributions of Otto Saki, Arthur Gwagwa and Kuda Hove. The research was conducted with support from Facebook and Google. Editors Ashnah Kalemera, Lillian Nalwoga, Juliet Nanfuka, Wairagala Wakabi (PhD) Design Ish Designs [email protected] State of Internet Freedom in Zimbabwe 2016: Charting Patterns in the Strategies African Governments Use to Stifle Citizens’ Digital Rights Published by CIPESA | www.cipesa.org December 2016 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence ‹creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0› Some rights reserved Reports in the State of Internet Freedom in Africa Series State of Internet Freedom in State of Internet Freedom in State of Internet Freedom in East Africa 2014 East Africa 2015 Africa 2016 Country reports are also available on the CIPESA Resources page Follow #InternetFreedomAfrica to see what others are saying and to share your thoughts. 2 Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 4 2. Research Methodology ........................................................................................................... 5 3. Country Context ...................................................................................................................... 6 3.1 Access ............................................................................................................................... 6 3.2 Laws and Policies Affecting Internet in Zimbabwe .......................................................... 7 4. Findings ................................................................................................................................. 11 4.1 Using and Abusing Courts of Law to Stifle Internet Freedom ....................................... 11 4.1.1 Prosecutions and Detentions Related to Online Activities…………………………………..12 4..2 Blockages of Access to Social Media and Mobile Phone Networks ............................... 14 4.3 Website Blockages and Content Removals .................................................................... 16 4.4 Pushing Government’s Propaganda Online ................................................................... 18 4.5 Digital Activism ............................................................................................................... 19 5. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 21 6. Recommendations ................................................................................................................ 22 6.1 Government ................................................................................................................... 22 6.2 Civil Society .................................................................................................................... 22 6.3 Media ............................................................................................................................. 22 3 1. Introduction As the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) continues to grow in Zimbabwe, freedom of expression has increasingly come under attack. The government actively criminalises legitimate expression online, regularly arraigning individuals for committing often-unspecified infractions or ‘abuses’ online.1 Overall, there has been what activists describe as a “disproportionate response” to national security concerns, mainly aimed at protecting political interests. 2 Exaggerated terms like “cyber-warfare”, “social media terrorists” and declarations such as the one that classifies social media as a serious “national security threat”3 have been regularly thrown around by security agents to describe digital activism and online mobilisation campaigns such as those witnessed during 2016. It is also believed that compromised regulatory agencies have compounded this problem, leading to the securitisation of the Internet in the country.4 Over the last decade, Zimbabwe’s political and economic environment has been on a downward spiral. With a government that has presided over an economic collapse, massive formal job losses, company closures and unclear economic policies, citizens are openly critical of government oppression.5 As the physical space for exercising freedom of expression shrinks, Zimbabweans have increasingly expressed their displeasure using avenues of expression such as the internet, the only frontier largely un-regulated by the state. Various pieces of legislation like the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) and the excesses of law enforcement agencies put stringent restrictions on public gatherings, making it hard for people to engage in traditional forms of protesting. POSA specifically has provisions that grant police the power to prevent and break up public gatherings deemed to endanger public order. Traditional media platforms, notably television and radio, are more easily accessible and cheaper to ordinary Zimbabweans, though they are largely monopolised by the state through the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC).6 This unrivalled access to the most powerful communication tools has often been abused for propaganda purposes. The subsequent restricted media environment in Zimbabwe therefore greatly inhibits citizens from accessing balanced, fair and independent information. To an extent, exiled and community radio stations have attempted to break this monopoly, but with limited success.7 The Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ), which is responsible for issuing broadcasting licences, has been accused of bias and issuing licences only to state-linked companies over the last decade.8 Community radio stations are often considered a threat to the government, and in the election year of 2013, there were reports that police and youth 1 The Herald, We had No Part in Yesterday’s Whatsapp Jam, http://www.herald.co.zw/we-had-no-part-in- yesterdays-whatsapp-jam-minister 2 Interview with Digital Security Trainer, Tawanda Mugari conducted 8th July 2016 3 Recording of the speech of the National Army Commander General Constantino Chiwenga on radio at the occasion of the 36th Zimbabwe Defence Forces Day commemorations. 4 Interview with Arthur Gwagwa, Strathmore University, conducted 1th July 2016 5 See these reports: http://www.refworld.org/pdfid/54b691994.pdf and http://ccs.ukzn.ac.za/files/Bond%20ManyanyaZimbabwesPlunge2ndEdn.pdf 6 There are at least seven radio stations in Zimbabwe, which are either state owned or privately owned by individuals closely linked to the ruling party.
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