"VP "Joyce banda" condemns spy machine" VP condemns ‘spy machine’, court stopsrollout
By Andrew Nyaya, Nyasa Times October 16, 2011 · 3 Comments
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Malawi’s Vice President Joyce Banda says government recent acquisition of a spy machine is unconstitutional and a violation of people’s right to privacy.
Banda, speaking during People’s Party (PP) regional launch held at Katoto Freedom Park in Mzuzu on Saturday, said there are high chances of the machine being abused because there is no real freedom in Malawi.
“I know such machines exist elsewhere in the world. But in those countries these machines work very well because there is freedom there unlike here. Manypeople will be arrested on trumped up charges because of that spy machine,” Banda said.
High Court has meanwhile stopped government from using the Call Detail Record (CDRs) from telecom operators to roll-out the US$6.8 phone hacking project.
Joyce Banda: Phone hacking is unconstitutional
CDRs provide detailed information including who called which number; details of calls received; time and duration of calls; location where call was made or received; SMS sent and received; type of handset used and other detailed subscriber information.
Lawyer Ralph Kasambara confirmed that Justice Healy Potani granted the injunction to stop Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) from rolling out the machine.
The Vice President said she doesnot fear anybody except God adding that she is ready to be arrested or die “because I sworeto serve Malawians without fearor favour.”
The Veep then outlined her party’s social development programme that will be unveiled before the end of October dubbed ‘Better homes for Malawians’.
She said many people in villages are living in houses with plastic sheets because it is becoming increasingly difficult even to find grass for thatching their houses.
“We want people to have iron sheets on their houses and it is possible and together we shall to it,” Banda challenged.
She said PP’s symbol – a Lock and Key – is bold attempt to unlock Malawi’s potential in every sector so that people could be prosperous.
“Zambia next door has a higher per capita of US$3,500 and Malawi is still doddering around US$1,800 or there about. There is wealth in this country,” Bandasaid.
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Tags: Joyce Banda , Macra , spy machine
3 Responses to “VP condemns ‘spy machine’, court stops rollout”
3
jamani Says: October 17th, 2011 at 12:23 am
Get court order now to stop useof the spy machine. When them diphiphi hoodlums are out of power, get a court to squarely use it on them! I wish they had the sense to realise that the bad laws they are passing now will just come back to haunt them later.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike: 8 1 Reply
2
Chimbenene Says: October 17th, 2011 at 12:05 am
JB, please ask your advisers to develop a projet for converting squallers and squatters like Kauma in Lilongwe and Mbayani in BT into designated low cost housing areas which as a result will start accessing social amenities like water and eletricity as well as planning approvals. Malawi per capita must be less than US$300 at the moment. VP condemns ‘spy machine’, court stopsrollout
By Andrew Nyaya, Nyasa Times October 16, 2011 · 3 Comments
Email This Post
Send to Facebook_like
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Malawi’s Vice President Joyce Banda says government recent acquisition of a spy machine is unconstitutional and a violation of people’s right to privacy.
Banda, speaking during People’s Party (PP) regional launch held at Katoto Freedom Park in Mzuzu on Saturday, said there are high chances of the machine being abused because there is no real freedom in Malawi.
“I know such machines exist elsewhere in the world. But in those countries these machines work very well because there is freedom there unlike here. Manypeople will be arrested on trumped up charges because of that spy machine,” Banda said.
High Court has meanwhile stopped government from using the Call Detail Record (CDRs) from telecom operators to roll-out the US$6.8 phone hacking project.
Joyce Banda: Phone hacking is unconstitutional
CDRs provide detailed information including who called which number; details of calls received; time and duration of calls; location where call was made or received; SMS sent and received; type of handset used and other detailed subscriber information.
Lawyer Ralph Kasambara confirmed that Justice Healy Potani granted the injunction to stop Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) from rolling out the machine.
The Vice President said she doesnot fear anybody except God adding that she is ready to be arrested or die “because I sworeto serve Malawians without fearor favour.”
The Veep then outlined her party’s social development programme that will be unveiled before the end of October dubbed ‘Better homes for Malawians’.
She said many people in villages are living in houses with plastic sheets because it is becoming increasingly difficult even to find grass for thatching their houses.
“We want people to have iron sheets on their houses and it is possible and together we shall to it,” Banda challenged.
She said PP’s symbol – a Lock and Key – is bold attempt to unlock Malawi’s potential in every sector so that people could be prosperous.
“Zambia next door has a higher per capita of US$3,500 and Malawi is still doddering around US$1,800 or there about. There is wealth in this country,” Bandasaid.
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Tags: Joyce Banda , Macra , spy machine
3 Responses to “VP condemns ‘spy machine’, court stops rollout”
3
jamani Says: October 17th, 2011 at 12:23 am
Get court order now to stop useof the spy machine. When them diphiphi hoodlums are out of power, get a court to squarely use it on them! I wish they had the sense to realise that the bad laws they are passing now will just come back to haunt them later.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike: 8 1 Reply
2
Chimbenene Says: October 17th, 2011 at 12:05 am
JB, please ask your advisers to develop a projet for converting squallers and squatters like Kauma in Lilongwe and Mbayani in BT into designated low cost housing areas which as a result will start accessing social amenities like water and eletricity as well as planning approvals. Malawi per capita must be less than US$300 at the moment. Government will now be able to listen into people’s private telephone conversations, check SMS and monitor internet activityin real time after forcing telephone operators to surrenderCall Detail Records (CDRs) to facilitate the use of the new eavesdropping equipment bought early this year.
CDRs provide detailed information including who called which number;details of calls received; time and duration of calls; location where call was made or received; SMS sent and received; type of handset used and other detailed subscriber information.
Currently, the operators provide summarized data from the CDRs and Macra is not able to access detailed subscriber information but the latest decision will equip Malawi Regulatory Authority (Macra) who will now be able to eavesdrop on conversations of anyone in the country.
The development has riled the Consumer Association of Malawi (Cama), a consumer protection group, who have vowed to stop the process because it is a violation of the right to privacy.
Macra’s decision will likely worsen President Bingu wa Mutharika’s human rights record after the major aid donor Britain on Thursday asked his administrationto improve on human rights following the recent killing of a student activist and governmentforces killed 20 protesters in July and
Macra has spent US$250,000 in much needed foreign exchange aspart payment to buy the equipment from a US firm – Agilis International justifying that the equipment will help improve the quality of services, fraud management, revenue assurance and spectrum allocation.
But the operators namely; Airtel Malawi, TNM, ACL and MTL, have been meeting to charter and agreed to admit that they will no longer be able to protect the privacy of their customers.
“The operators will no longer be in a position to safeguard the privacy and confidentiality of customers’s communication activities as we understand it to be our obligation under our respective operating licences, theCommunications Act (1998) and the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi,” MTL’s CEO Charles Chuka, Airtel’s MD Saulos Chilima, TNM’s CEO Willem Swart and Faizal Okhai, MD for Access Limited, said in a joint statement
The operators also said that the requested details differ fundamentally from what they currently provide to Macra for the purpose of monitoring quality of service.
“Customers are advised that the system can monitor and analyze telecommunications services including SMS and Internet in real time from the information contained within the CDRs. It is our understanding that the system has additional monitoring capabilities,” the operators warn in the statement.
Cama- a consumer protection group- on Wednesday came out strongly against government’s decision saying that they are going to make sure that the process does not begin at all
“This is a bad policy for a countrywhich is already bad on human rights at the moment,” Cama chairman John Kapito said accusing Macra and government of going ahead with a policy that directly affects the consumers without consulting them.
“We have noted how this government keeps on making decisions on policy issues without engaging the public and it’s because of this that we are worried because very few countries in Africa are using such equipment to manage information in a draconian way,” he said.
But minister of information Patricia Kaliati dismissed as lies that the machine and the CDRs will be used by Macra to spy on the masses. She said that equipment will only be used to improve the quality of services being offered by the operators and manage traffic. More malawian news updates click here!!
