[JURIST] The Zimbabwean government stated this week that it is in the process of developing new cyber laws to regulate social media. Caecilia Nyamutswa, legal director of the regulatory organization Potraz [official website], communicated to an information and communication technology (ICT) committee that the bills are ready to be brought to the attorney general [official website] for final drafting. After the final draft is complete, the bills will then be brought to the Cabinet and then finally to parliament [official website]. In addition, Alfred Marisa, the acting director of Potraz, communicated to the same committee that cell phone “penetration” in the country has reached 100%, although this does not mean every citizen owns a cell phone. Nyamutswa expressed concern that although the the country could regulate ICT on its own, certain violations may not be violations in other countries, and there must be a global consensus on these regulations before they become completely effective.

Cybersecurity and internet privacy laws have been introduced and amended around the world to adapt to an evolving telecommunications landscape. Last week the German Federal Ministry of the Interior published its revised proposal [JURIST report] for a new IT security law. The draft law seeks to protect the privacy of German citizens and improve the IT security of companies operating in the country by imposing new minimum security requirements on telecommunications providers and operators of critical communications infrastructure, among others. In April the Senate of Brazil passed a bill [JURIST report] that puts limits on the metadata that can be collected from Internet users in the country. In February Turkish President Abdullah Gul approved legislation [JURIST report] to heighten Internet restrictions, granting the country’s telecommunications authority the ability to block websites or remove content without the court’s approval. In October 2013 the EU Parliament approved [JURIST report] broad legislation to provide internet users with greater data protection.