The passing of the Cybersecurity and Computer Misuse Bill marks a significant step forward in South Sudan's efforts to combat online crime and hate speech.
Following the vote of approval, the specialist committee on Information and Communication Technology and Postal Services has to work to include the proposals made during the legislative session and present them to the Speaker.
This clears the path for President Salva Kiir to sign it into law.
Ateny Wek Ateny, minister of information, communication technology, and postal services, welcomed the development in efforts to tackle abuse suffered by the public, especially hate speech, on social media platforms.
“Artificial intelligence is also being used to discredit and abuse people. With the passing of this bill into law, it will be easier for those who are abusing computers to be prosecuted,” he said after the parliamentary session.
The bill mandates that service providers retain subscriber information and communication data for 180 days.
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