Combatting cybercrime is a matter of public interest and Government will leave no stone unturned to address this problem through a wide array of measures, including the consolidation of the legislative framework.
The Acting Prime Minister, Mr Louis Steven Obeegadoo, made this statement today, in reply to a Parliamentary Question, in the National Assembly, in Port-Louis.
The Acting PM emphasised that the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA) is mandated to take steps to regulate or curtail the harmful and legal content of the internet and other information and communications services.
In this context, he said, in April 2021, it launched a public consultation on proposed amendments to the ICT Act for regulating the use of and addressing the abuse of , and misuse of social media in Mauritius with a view of protecting vulnerable citizens from such abuse.
Mr Obeegadoo informed that as the response received was mostly not in favour of the proposals contained in the consultation paper, the proposed amendments to the ICT Act were not followed through, thus in effect limiting the scope of the ICTA to effectively regulate and curtail harmful and illegal content on the internet.
He added that the ICTA initiated a direct engagement with Facebook and since September 2020, the ICTA contacted the policy arm of Facebook for Sub-Saharan Africa to discuss the issue of problematic posts on the platform. They had a number of online meetings notably on 21 May 2021, 02 June 2021 and 07 July 2021, he pointed out.
The Acting PM further indicated that the engagement was initiated and sustained by ICTA with the objective of exerting a collaborative control over problematic posts. These, he added, were flagged to the Facebook team but the procedures that Facebook seem to adopt remain somewhat obstruse, that is insensitive as they were according to its own standards, which do not always necessarily suit the interests of our population. He observed that the posts would remain on the platform for weeks while Fakebook deliberate on whether they should be removed and in the majority of the cases, the requests to have them removed were turned down.
Furthermore, he stated that on all occasions, ICTA underlined the real risks to the delicate social fabric of Mauritius and even proposed for a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding specifying areas of collaboration but was not accepted by Facebook.
Mr Obeegadoo underlined that Facebook announced its plan to recruit moderators so that problematic content in Mauritian Creole could be addressed, but no recruitment has been affected so far.
Moreover, he said that a meeting was held with the Director of Facebook public policy for Africa in July 2021 focusing on greater collaboration and that on 06 August 2021, Government announced its decision to designate the Computer Emergency Response Team of Mauritius as the sole agency reporting to Facebook.
The Acting PM also recalled that the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act 2003 is being repealed and a new bill that considers new forms of cybercrimes that have emerged, and includes a number of provisions, will be debated today.
The Police Cybercrime Unit and the Police IT Unit, he stressed, have investigated offences relating to cybercrimes . These two units are now working on a Police Strategic Transformation Plan 2021-2025 that will encompass new measures to combat cybercrime more effectively, including cyber bullying, he announced.
The Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Bill to shield the population against cybercriminals, affirms Minister Balgobin
The Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Bill is of utmost importance for the future of our people, of our economy and of our Republic. It is aligned with Government’s vision to transform Mauritius into a high income, inclusive and green economy, including a safe and secure cyberspace in our jurisdiction.
The Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation, Mr. Darsanand Balgobin, made this statement this evening, during his intervention pertaining to the introduction of the new Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Bill, in the National Assembly.
Minister Balgobin stated that in response to the unprecedented threats from rogue hackers and all sorts of cybercriminals, Government is unveiling and proposing a new piece of legislation to take urgent actions, to have the required tools to combat cyber threats and to protect each and every citizen of our country.
Speaking about the rising number of victims to cybercrimes, he pointed out that the number has increased by five times than in 2018 according to the Mauritian Cybercrime Online Reporting System. Since January 2021 to date, some 2320 cases have been reported as compared to 426 cases in 2018, he indicated.
The Minister recalled that Mauritius has maintained its 1st position in Africa for the last seven years in the International Telecommunication Union’s Global Cybersecurity Index and is currently placed 17th globally.
On that note, he underscored Government’s aim to position Mauritius among the top secure nations by introducing a forward-looking and pro-active legislation, capable of addressing issues arising from evolving threats.
As for the New Bill, the Minister of Technology asserted that it will provide a new and comprehensive legal instrument for the country’s cyber future, one that is secure, resilient, collaborative and adaptable.
The Bill, he emphasised, highlights three fundamental priorities namely, better fight cybercrime, strengthen our cyber-resilience and strengthen international cooperation.
He further informed that the new Bill has been drafted taking into consideration the commitments taken by the country as a party to international conventions: the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime signed in November 2013 and ratified in March 2014 and the African Union – Malabo Convention on Cybersecurity and Personal Data Protection ratified in March 2018.
In addition, to ensure that this law is benchmarked with the highest of international standards in the sector and that every clause in this Bill is in line with the principles of preservation of fundamental liberties, the Council of Europe was consulted at various stages of the drafting and finalisation of this Bill, added Mr.Balgobin.
The Bill, he underlined, aims at developing a more robust framework for the protection of the Mauritian cyberspace by providing new criminal offences related to cybersecurity and cybercrime and by having reinforced provisions for protection of critical information infrastructure and implementation of a policy in that regard.
It also aims at improved investigation techniques and international cooperation as well as mutual legal assistance in cybercrime matters and setting up of a National Cybersecurity Committee, he said.
In his concluding remarks, Minister Balgobin reaffirmed the seriousness of Government to combat cybercrime in all its forms and stressed that the whole intent and purpose of the legislation is to shield the population against cybercriminals.
