The Computer Misuse (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was approved by the Ugandan Parliament on September 8, 2022, with changes. (The Computer Misuse (Amendment) Bill 2022 is adopted by Parliament )
Hon. Muhammad Nsereko, a representative for Kampala Central in the House of Representatives, introduced the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Bill earlier this year.
The Bill’s goals included, among others, outlawing the transmission of any information pertaining to a child without consent from a parent or legal guardian, banning the transmission of any information that encourages hate speech, and outlawing the transmission of any false, malicious, or unsolicited information.
The Bill’s clause 2 intended to make publishing information gained via hacking into another person’s electronic device and section 12 of the Computer Misuse Act illegal.
Clause 2 states that it is unlawful for anybody to (a) access or intercept any program or another person’s data or information, (b) record another person’s voice or video, or (c) disseminate any information about or relating to another person without that person’s consent.
The Computer Misuse (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was discussed and approved by the House with changes on Thursday during the Plenary Ug session.
The penalty’s seventh clause has been removed. This is due to the fact that additional penalties imposed on public servants and leaders on top of the criminal penalties established by the Computer Misuse Act are disproportionate and biased.
“Once assented to by the President, the new law will among others enhance the protection of children and prohibit the sending or sharing of information that promotes hatred,” reads a tweet from the Uganda Parliament.
Several MPs have already criticized the bill, claiming that it infringes on press freedoms.
Hon. In her minority report, the opposition minister for technology, Gorreth Namugga, argued that the bill should be dropped because it duplicates existing legislation and restricts journalistic freedom. (The Computer Misuse (Amendment) Bill 2022 is adopted by Parliament – Breaking News in Uganda)
