In Zambia, President Hakainde Hichilema's Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Acts of 2025 have been enacted, aiming to improve national security and combat digital crimes. Supporters believe the laws are progressive, while rights groups argue they restrict freedom of expression. The laws facilitate widespread surveillance of electronic communications and impose severe penalties for violations. The Zambia Cyber Security Agency has been repositioned under the Office of the President, raising concerns about oversight. Government officials assert the laws are intended to protect citizens, not invade personal privacy.
"This conception that the cyber laws are perhaps meant to intrude, to go into your personal details in a willy-nilly fashion is not correct," said Mulambo Haimbe, Zambia's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. He articulated that the legislation aims to protect citizens online, countering claims that the government's objective is to compromise personal privacy.
Oliver Shalala Sepiso, a media consultant for the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND), defended the new cyber laws, claiming they are essential for digital or data protection rather than a mechanism for surveillance.
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