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  HomeCollaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)  /  Congo
18Jun

Le Parlement de la République démocratique du Congo est invité à adopter des lois qui appuient les droits des citoyens en ligne

Author admin Posted on

Statement |
Les acteurs de la société civile dans la ville congolaise de Goma ont exhorté le Gouvernement de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC) à apporter des modifications à ses lois actuelles régissant les technologies de l’information et de la communication (TIC) pour les rendre favorables à la croissance de l’utilisation d’Internet, comme la vie privée en ligne, l’accès à l’information et la liberté d’expression.
Les acteurs de la société civile, y compris des journalistes, des militants des droits numériques et les blogueurs, ont également exhorté le Parlement du pays et le Ministère des TIC à offrir des moyens significatifs aux citoyens de fournir des contributions aux nouvelles lois proposées dans le secteur des télécommunications.
Le gouvernement a récemment envoyé au Parlement le projet de loi sur les télécommunications et les TIC visant à mettre à jour la loi-cadre 013/2002 sur les télécommunications, ainsi que le projet de loi sur les transactions électroniques, et une loi modifiant la loi qui a mis en place le régulateur – l’Autorité de Régulation des Postes et Télécommunications du Congo (ARPTC). Cependant, ni le Parlement ni le Ministère n’ont annoncé de possibilités pour les autres parties prenantes de faire des commentaires ou des observations sur ces projets de loi.
L’importance des consultations des parties prenantes dans les processus décisionnels en RDC a été l’une des questions qui ont émergé lors d’un atelier de formation sur les politiques et le plaidoyer autour des TIC tenu à Goma les 10 et 11 juin 2017 par Rudi International en collaboration avec Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA). Les participants ont noté que l’exclusion des acteurs, comme ceux du secteur privé, de la société civile, etc. du processus législatif pourrait conduire à l’adoption de lois qui nuisent à l’accès et à l’utilisation de l’internet dans le pays d’Afrique centrale.
À l’heure actuelle, l’adoption des TIC en RDC fait face à plusieurs défis, y compris des coûts de données déraisonnablement élevés qui ont largement contribué au faible taux de pénétration de l’Internet de 4,2% en 2016. La loi-cadre 013/2002 sur les Télécommunications et la loi 14/2002 sur le Régulateur sont les lois primaires régissant entre autres, les communications en ligne, mais elles ne prévoient pas suffisamment de garanties au sujet des droits des citoyens à la vie privée, ni ne fournissent un environnement propice aux citoyens pour jouir du droit à la libre expression sur Internet.
En outre, ces lois contiennent des clauses vagues telles que « l’intérêt public », « perturbation de l’ordre public », « vérité ultime » et « sécurité nationale » qui créent la latitude pour des abus des lois, y compris par la censure et la surveillance. Pendant ce temps, les fournisseurs de services d’Internet et de télécommunications n’ont pas de protection contre les interférences indues de l’État, comme en témoigne l’évolution des coupures de l’Internet ces dernières années.
Les nouvelles lois proposées sont les bienvenues parce qu’elles présentent l’opportunité d’expurger des articles rétrogradés des lois existantes et de remédier aux lacunes actuelles. Cependant, les projets de loi ne reflètent pas une protection suffisante pour les droits des citoyens à la vie privée et à la liberté d’expression, et ils ne prennent pas en charge adéquatement la libre circulation de l’information en ligne. Par exemple, le projet de loi sur les Télécommunications et les TIC contient plusieurs clauses problématiques, notamment en accordant au Ministre des pouvoirs excessifs sur l’interception des communications et leur interruption. Le ministre et l’organisme de régulation renforcent également leur pouvoir face aux opérations des prestataires de services. En outre, il existe de faibles dispositions relatives à la protection des données ; le projet de loi étant dépourvu de mécanismes indépendants de surveillance, en particulier en ce qui concerne l’Etat qui fait des demandes d’informations sur les abonnés aux fournisseurs de services.
Le manque de mécanismes indépendants de surveillance pour lutter contre l’abus du pouvoir excessif par le ministre ne garantit pas que les citoyens soient protégés contre l’interception injustifiée de la communication.
Bien que l’article 175 du projet de loi sur les télécommunications et les TIC reconnaisse le droit du citoyen de demander des informations sur ses données personnelles auprès de l’État ou d’une autre entité, il n’existe pas de dispositions claires sur la manière dont ces informations peuvent être demandées ou si les détenteurs de cette information sont obligés de répondre à une demande d’information dans un délai déterminé.
La communication en ligne sécurisée est prioritaire selon les articles 116-117. Cependant, des clauses qui permettent à l’Etat d’intercepter la communication privée avec des garanties limitées sont également incluses. En outre, l’article 119 comprend une disposition pour que le Procureur général désigne un magistrat en chef qui peut demander à un agent qualifié du Ministère des TIC ou d’une entreprise de télécommunications de mettre en place des mécanismes permettant l’interception de la communication en ligne des citoyens.
Au cours de l’atelier de formation, les acteurs de la société civile ont noté que ces clauses contreviennent aux normes internationales en matière de droits de l’homme énoncées dans un certain nombre d’instruments, y compris la Déclaration universelle des droits de l’homme, la Charte africaine des droits de l’homme et des peuples et la Déclaration africaine sur les droits et les libertés de l’Internet.
En tant que tel, ils ont recommandé que:

  • Il devrait y avoir une participation accrue de plus d’acteurs dans le processus de développement de la loi, ainsi que des engagements réguliers multipartites entre le gouvernement, les prestataires de services et la société civile;
  • Le gouvernement, en particulier le Ministère des TIC et le Parlement, devrait diffuser largement les trois projets de loi, sensibiliser à leurs objectifs et inviter des commentaires des diverses parties prenantes;
  • La législature devrait veiller à ce que les terminologies vagues, y compris la « sécurité nationale », les « illicites » et les « interférences a l’ordre public », soient bien définies avant l’adoption de ces lois ;
  • Suite au fait que, dans sa forme actuelle, le projet de loi sur les télécommunications et les TIC crée des marges d’abus en donnant des pouvoirs excessifs au Régulateur et aux Ministres de l’Intérieur, de la Défense et de la Sécurité, le pouvoir judiciaire et le Parlement devraient avoir un mandat de surveillance plus large sur le Régulateur et le Ministre.
  • Une loi spécifique sur la protection des données devrait être promulguée pour garantir la sauvegarde des données personnelles et de la vie privée des citoyens;
  • Le projet de loi sur les Télécommunications et les TIC devrait préciser les procédures pour que les citoyens demandent de l’information de l’État et la publication de ces informations par l’État;
  • Les trois lois examinées par le Parlement devraient inclure des clauses qui protègent le droit à la liberté d’expression et la libre circulation de l’information;
  • Des clauses sur la non-discrimination et l’égalité devraient être introduites dans la loi proposée sur les télécommunications et les TIC, notamment en criminalisant les actions qui favorisent le cyber-harcèlement, la pornographie de vengeance et d’autres actes qui constituent une violence en ligne contre les femmes et d’autres groupes minoritaires et vulnérables.

Ces recommandations font écho à celles faites par le CIPESA dans le rapport sur l’Etat des libertés de l’Internet en RD Congo en 2016, qui a également demandé au Parlement de travailler avec d’autres parties prenantes, y compris la société civile, les internautes, le secteur privé, les universitaires et les médias pour examiner les lois et modifier celles qui limitent et restreignent les droits des citoyens à la vie privée, à la liberté d’association, d’expression et à l’accès à l’information. Le rapport a également déclaré que la rédaction et la modification des lois devraient respecter des normes internationales acceptables en matière de droits de l’homme.

15Jun

DR Congo Parliament Urged to Pass Laws That Support Citizens’ Rights Online

Author admin Posted on

Statement |
Civil society actors in the Congolese town of Goma have urged the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to make amendments to its current laws governing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to make them favourable to the growth of internet usage, as well as online privacy, access to information and freedom of expression.
The civil society actors, including journalists, digital rights activists and bloggers, also urged the country’s Parliament and the Ministry for ICT to offer meaningful avenues for citizens to provide inputs to proposed new laws related to the telecommunications industry.
The Government has recently sent to the Parliament the Telecommunications and ICT Bill which is aimed at updating the Framework Law 013/2002 on Telecommunications, as well as the e-Transactions Bill, and a law amending the Act that set up the regulator – the Authority of the Post and Telecommunications of Congo (ARPTC). However, neither the Parliament, nor the Ministry, have announced opportunities for other stakeholders to make comments or submissions on these draft laws.
The importance of stakeholder consultations in Congo’s policy-making processes was among the issues that emerged during a two-day ICT policy and advocacy training workshop hosted in Goma on June 10- 11, 2017, by Rudi International and the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA). Participants noted that the exclusion of private sector and civil society actors from the law-making process could lead to the passing of laws that are detrimental to internet access and usage in the central African country.
Presently, ICT adoption in DRC faces several challenges including unreasonably high data costs which have largely contributed to the low internet penetration rate of 4.2% as of 2016. The Framework Law 013/2002 on Telecommunications and the Law 14/2002 on the Regulator are the primary laws governing online communication but they do not adequately provide for citizens’ rights to privacy, nor do they provide a conducive environment for citizens to enjoy the right to free expression.
Further, these laws contain vague clauses such as ‘public interest’, ‘disruption of public order’, ‘ultimate truth’, and ‘national security’ which create the latitude for unwarranted abuse of the laws including through censorship and surveillance. Meanwhile, internet and telecommunications services providers lack protection from undue state interference as has been evidenced by the evolution of communications shutdowns in recent years.
The proposed new laws are welcome because they present an opportunity to expunge retrogressive articles from the existing laws and to address the current gaps. However, the current drafts neither reflect sufficient protections for citizens’ rights to privacy and freedom of expression, nor do they adequately support the free flow of information online. For instance, the Telecommunications and ICT Bill contains several problematic clauses, including granting the minister excessive powers over the interception of communications and interruptions to communications. The minister and the regulator also maintain strong over the operations of service providers. Furthermore, there are weak provisions related to data protection, with the bill lacking independent oversight mechanisms particularly with regards to the state making user information requests to service providers.
The lack of independent oversight mechanisms to safeguard against the abuse of the excessive power by the minister fails to ensure that citizens are protected against unwarranted interception of communication.
While article 175 of the proposed ICT and Telecommunications law recognises the right of a citizen to demand for information on their personal data from the state or another entity, there are no clear provisions on how this information can be requested or whether the holders of this information are obliged to respond to an information request within a specified timeframe.
Secure online communication is prioritised in articles 116–117. However, clauses which permit the state to intercept private communication with limited safeguards are also included. Further, article 119 includes a provision for the General Prosecutor to designate a chief magistrate who can instruct any qualified agent from the Ministry of ICT or a telecommunications company to put in place mechanisms that allow for interception of citizens’ online communication.
During the training workshop, the civil society actors noted that these clauses contravene international human rights standards as set out in a number of instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms. As such, they recommended that:

  • There should be increased participation by more stakeholders in the law development process, as well as regular multi-stakeholder engagements between government, service providers and civil society;
  • Government, particularly the Ministry of ICT and Parliament, should widely circulate the three bills, create awareness about their objectives and invite comments on the draft laws from various stakeholders;
  • The legislature should ensure that  vague terminologies in the bills, including “national security”, “illicit” and “public order interference”, are defined before they are passed;
  • Since in its current form the Telecommunications and ICT bill creates room for abuse by giving excessive powers to the regulator and the Ministers of Interior, Defence and Security Affairs, the judiciary and Parliament should be granted wider oversight mandate over the regulator and the minister.
  • A specific law on data protection should be enacted to  ensure that citizens’ personal data and privacy are safeguarded;
  • The ICT and telecommunications bill should specify the procedures for citizens to request for information from the state, and the release of such information by the state;
  • The three laws under consideration by Parliament should include clauses that protect the right to freedom of expression and the free flow of information.
  • Clauses on non-discrimination and equality should be introduced in the proposed law on Telecommunications and ICT specifically through criminalising actions that promote cyber bullying, cyber stalking, revenge pornography, and other acts that constitute online violence against women and other minority and vulnerable groups.

These recommendations echo those made by CIPESA in the State of Internet Freedom in DR Congo 2016 report, which also called for the Parliament to work with more stakeholders including civil society, internet users, private sector, academics and the media to review laws and amend those that limit and restrict citizens’ rights to privacy, assembly, expression and access to information. The report also stated that the drafting and amendment of laws should meet acceptable international human rights standards.

31Mar

The Evolution of Internet Shutdowns in DR Congo

Author admin Posted on

By Arsene Tungali |
In the past seven years, citizens in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have experienced a series of intentional interruptions to online communications, affecting the exercise of rights to freedom of expression and information as well as access to services.
The first shutdown of digital communications reported in DRC was in December 2011. The shutdown affected SMS, and lasted 25 days. At the time, few people appreciated the magnitude of this state-initiated act or knew how to respond to it.
The SMS shutdown came in the aftermath of the general elections but just before the announcement of the election results. One of the reasons cited by the government for blocking communication was to prevent the spread of fake results over the internet before the electoral commission announced official results. This SMS communications shutdown went largely unnoticed by the global community who had been captivated earlier in the year by the January 2011 Egyptian internet shutdown.
Three years later in January 2015, the Congolese government again ordered telecommunications companies to block access not only to SMS but also the internet. This shutdown came on the backdrop of protests against a proposed electoral bill. Whereas banks and government agencies were granted access to the internet four days after the shutdown, the general public did not regain access until after three weeks.
The most recent Internet shutdown in DRC occurred on December 19, 2016 – the day President Joseph Kabila was supposed to step down as head of state. There were a lot of planned protests across the country against the president’s stay in office beyond the two term limit, in response to which the government ordered telecom operators to block to social media sites as an attempt to thwart mobilising by protestors.
Recent statistics show that for a population of over 70 million, only 4% of the inhabitants are connected to the Internet due to limited infrastructure and high access costs. Nonetheless, those with access are exploiting various online tools for communication, discourse on governance and activism. According to the State of Internet Freedom in DRC 2016 report, political parties maintain WhatsApp groups for strategic planning of campaign rallies. Meanwhile, through trending hashtags on social media, activists and ordinary citizens create public awareness on issues such as arbitrary arrests and other human rights concerns.
Government actions such as shutdowns, alongside surveillance and censorship practices as documented in the 2016 report, undermine the development of inclusive internet society in the central African country.

“There should be more effort towards developing infrastructure, progressive legislations, private sector investment, local content in local languages and more trainings in digital rights and digital security.”  State of Internet Freedom in DRC 2016

As internet users have become more conscientious of their online rights, many activists and Internet users have turned to the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPN) to circumvent internet blockages. Many more are interested in taking digital security trainings, which explore topics like encryption, mitigating surveillance and tools for safe online communication.

“We knew nothing about VPNs until Internet was blocked in the DRC.” DRC Journalist

The trend of governments initiating internet shutdowns, not only in DRC, has attracted global condemnation. In many cases, these calls have gone unanswered by government officials and communication regulators, leading many to believe that this trend is likely to continue. In the spirit of the multi-stakeholder model of internet governance, other actors (not only government) should continue to play active roles to counter this practice or to support initiatives aimed at promoting more access and affordability in developing countries.

  1. Continued pressure on governments: Stakeholders should keep on applying pressure to those governments that shut down the internet. They should also increase awareness of the implication of a shutdown including the economic losses suffered at a national and micro level. However, this should be supplemented with more research on the economic impact of Internet shutdowns.
  2. The Autonomy of Service Providers: Telecommunications companies often receive orders from governments to block internet access. Clauses in their license agreements force them to comply when such orders are issued, failure of which could result in termination of licences. Nonetheless, telecom companies and ISPs should more actively release details of government information requests, takedown and shutdown notices in a bid to support the transparency of processes and accountability of oversight bodies.
  3. Civil society organisations and awareness: CSOs are among the most vocal groups condemning internet shutdowns in alliance with end-users, activists, journalists, and even private sector. They should also increase the number of trainings and capacity building programs on digital security and inform more people of their digital rights in order to be in a position to demand these rights.
  4. Development of Progressive Policy: In DRC there is a pressing need for new laws that cover the ICT sector. Apart from the constitution, there are only two legislations (the first on Telecommunications and the other establishing the Regulator) both from 2002. The existing legislative and policy framework need to be updated and reframed to provide more clarity on the role of all players in DR Congo’s ICT arena and to provide for online privacy and freedom of expression.