Parliamentary committee pores over snooping Bill

Parliamentary committee pores over snooping Bill

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• Zim promises law on cyber crime

• New law will allow phone, e-mail spying

• Mugabe wants US to shed internet control

• Mugabe speech: internet governance not a US preserve

• Hackers break into government website

• Mugabe's spies monitoring your calls, mail

• MDC claims government intercepting e-mails

• Alcatel deploys in Zimbabwe

• What Mugabe can and cannot do with your e-mails

• MWeb 'will obey' e-mail snooping laws

• Mugabe plays Big Brother on the internet

• Supreme Court bans e-mail snooping

• Mugabe wants to read your e-mails

By Lebo Nkatazo

ZIMBABWE'S Parliamentary Legal Committee is set to give an opinion on the constitutionality of proposed spying legislation, the Interception of Communications Bill, which was referred to it Wednesday.

Opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) secretary general Welshman Ncube chairs the committee.

The Bill sets up a monitoring centre manned by spies authorised to intercept communications including phone conversations and e-mail messages.

The heads of the Central Intelligence Organisation, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, the chief of Defence Intelligence and the Police Commissioner would be authorised to make applications for intercepting information.

Persons aggrieved by a warrant or interception order by the Postal and Telecommunications Authority may appeal to the Minister of Communications and from there can take their cases to the Administrative Court.

Telecommunications providers are required to install hardware and devices to enable government?s spying on information.

Rights groups say the bill is part of a government crackdown, which has included tough policing and political intimidation, to stifle criticism over a severe economic crisis many blame on President Robert Mugabe's policies.

Mugabe's government announced its intention to draw up the legislation earlier this year, saying it is similar to laws in other countries to fight international crime and terrorism.

But its critics say although there is a right in the bill to challenge a "monitoring warrant" in court, the government's plans are driven by political vindictiveness.

"There is no doubt that the spirit behind this is political, and that in practice the proposed law will be used to pursue and to harass government critics and the opposition," said Lovemore Madhuku, a lawyer and chairman of political pressure group the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA).
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