A sensitization campaign on the cybercrime bill is taking place across the country under the auspices of the Ministry of Information and Communication following recommendations by the parliament. When communications minister Mohamed Rahman Swaray introduced the bill in parliament, both sides of the house urged the Minister and his team to spend the next two weeks discussing the details of the bill throughout the country for the ordinary people to understand what it intends to achieve.
Minister Swaray told Politico that the enactment of the bill represents “a historic opportunity for our country to protect our citizens online, control online child pornography, revenge porn and prepare Sierra Leoneans for responsible participation in the global digital revolution in line with president Bio’s commitment to leave behind a competitive digital Sierra Leone…and I believe MPs should treat this bill as a progressive, non-partisan legislation”.
Divided into seven parts, the bill creates a National Cyber Security Incidence Coordinating Center to deal with “cyber security incidence and enforcement including the establishment of a National Cyber Security Advisory Council and a Cyber Security Fund”.
The bill also intends to “make provision for the prevention of the abusive use of computer systems; to provide for the timely and effective collection of electronic evidence for the investigation and prosecution of such crimes’ to provide for the facilitation of international cooperation in dealing with cybercrime and for related matters”.
With part one as the interpretation section, part two “provides for the designation by order of the president of certain computer systems as critical national information infrastructure”. Part three covers the scope, powers and procedures, including “search and seizure of stored computer data, record of and access to seized data, confidentiality and limitation of liability and territorial jurisdiction”.
The bill also creates room for international cooperation in tackling cybercrime with the office of the Attorney General at the center of such cooperation. It also creates cybercrimes offences including “unauthorized access, misuse of device, computer-related forgery and fraud, cyber-stalking and cyber-bullying…and on-line child sexual abuse”.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online (22/03/21)
