Divisive war on cybercrimes

The digital revolution has given rise to cybercrimes. How can Malawi deal with this problem? Writes EPHRAIM NYONDO.

When the police arrested him, Mzuzu City resident Azimenye Sikwese, 30, could not accept that creating a Facebook page using someone’s name is a crime.

Sikwese was detained for using the Facebook page that impersonated Triephornia Mpinganjira to scam people and grow his social media influence.

“I was wrong, but couldn’t believe it was also wrong to create a Facebook page using someone’s name,” he said after being charged with cyber spamming under Section 91 of the Electronic Transaction and Cyber Security Act of 2016.

Recently, veteran politician Kamlepo Kalua and activist Bon Kalindo were arrested on allegations of releasing voice notes said to contain criminal content, contrary to the cyber law.

One side hailed the arrests as an attempt to instil social media discipline, but others condemned it as a way of silencing the government’s critics.

However, as more Malawians become digitally active, cybercrimes are becoming rampant.

Gladson Kubwalo, head of the Digital Forensics and Cyber-Crimes Unit at the National Police Headquarters, said the police service is overwhelmed with increased cybercrime.

According to the 2023 National Survey on ICT access and use by the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra), cyber cases in the country are rising.

However, the findings indicate that 21.1 percent of people in the country feel that they are well informed about the risks of cybercrime, down from 39 percent in 2019.

About 40 percent said they were not well-informed, up from  30 percent.

According to the nationwide survey, the most common cyber security issues were fraudulent calls or SMS asking for money or personal banking details.

A staggering 85 percent of the respondents admitted receiving these demands while 33 percent experienced identity theft and 18 percent get sham emails asking for money or banking details.

Ironically, Macra reports that 85 percent of individuals do not report their cyber security threats. A meagre 7.2 percent reported these cyber security threats to mobile network operators and only 1.5 percent complained to the police.

Macra director general Daud Suleman says it is crucial to protect the cyber security and privacy of all Malawians in the digital age.

He says the State regulatory body is implementing several initiatives, including policy reforms, training, public awareness and collaboration with stakeholders.

He states: “Malawi has a National Cyber Security Strategy to address the issue, in-cluding the protection of critical infrastructure, the establishment of legal frame-works and the promotion of cyber security awareness.

“We are also implementing and updating cyber security laws, including laws related to data protection, electronic transactions, cyber security and cybercrime.”

Suleman also cited training programmes and workshops to build the capacity of law enforcers, government officials and other stakeholders.

“We have also scaled up efforts to raise public awareness about cyber security. This includes campaigns to educate citizens about safe online practices and how to protect themselves from cyber threats,” said Suleman.

Macra has established the Cyber Security Emergency Response Team as the hub for receiving, detecting and tracking both local and international cybersecurity threats.

“In responding to cyber incidents, the team collaborates with different stakeholders in the private and public sector, including national security agencies. It also coordinates with regional and international agencies for an efficient approach to responding to cyber threats.

Currently, Malawi is collaborating with international partners to strengthen its cyber security capabilities.

The partners include the African Union, the International Telecommunication Union and other countries that provide both financial and technical support through Macra.

The cyber security monitoring team collaborates with international partners to mitigate attacks impacting the nation.

“International partners provide mutual assistance during significant cyber incidents, leveraging shared resources and expertise for effective management.

The cyber security response team is a member of the Forum of Incidence Response and Security Team, Southern African Development Community Cert Task Force, Africacert, and Global Forum for Cyber Expert.

It also works closely with other bodies like Interpol.