Be prepared to combat cyber crime, Africa told

Ms Wilma van Dijk, the Nethelands’ deputy national coordinator for cybersecurity and counterterrorism.

The Netherlands has warned against threats posed by cyber space technology and wants the developing countries in particular to build capacity for their technical staff and law enforcers to avert the likely damage.

“In order to face vulnerabilities in ICT, we need to be ready to avoid those vulnerabilities before they become cybersecurity incidents,” said Ms Wilma van Dijk, the deputy national coordinator for cybersecurity and counterterrorism.

She said although the technology offered “an enormous range of user possibilities,” its increased dependency and ICT in general increases the potential impact of their vulnerabilities.

“As cyber threats increased, the need for cyber resilience also increased,” the government official told journalists from developing countries who have been visiting various institutions here since Monday ahead of today’s (Thursday) Global Conference on Cyber Space.

According to her, both public and private sectors -nationally and internationally - have a role to play in addressing the ever growing threat landscape adequately and effectively through strengthening their alliances.

Ms van Dijk said much as the Netherlands wants to be one of the world leaders in the development of the cyber space technology, the European country was keen to building international coalitions “necessary to effectively create a secure, free and profitable digital domain.”

The cybersecurity conference aims to bring together people and perspectives from all over the world and to connect technical insights, innovative concepts and policymakers. It could not be immediately established if Tanzania would be represented. Earlier, during a visit to the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs, which oversees development aid to poor countries, the journalists were told that cybercrime has manifested in hacking of Internet communication and privacy of its users, among others.

Ms Wouter Jurgens, the Head of International Cyber Policy in the ministry urged the developing countries to ensure that cybercrime issues should not be left at the hands of technical people as is generally the case in many states, but should involve policy makers as well. She suggested the creation of cyber policy departments and integrated policy approach with line ministries. There should also be adequate legislations which should safeguard users of cyber space technologies from ‘ínterference’ in their privacy.

She challenged the scientific experts and Internet providers to support the initiative, insisting that economic gains from the technology should go hand in hand with ensuring that the system protected privacy and did not compromise freedom of expression.

Theft of money through the banks, hacking of information belonging to individuals and companies and fears that the government agencies can access private information emerged as among the challenges posed by cybercrime in Africa.

The conference in The Hague is taking place only weeks after the National Assembly passed a legislation on cybercrime but which has been criticized by some stakeholders as is the Tanzania Data Protection and Privacy Bill, 2014 yet to be tabled.

In July last year, the government admitted a string of challenges in tackling the rising cases of cybercrime which, it said, included low capacity of the law enforcing agencies, especially the police force.