Malawi seeks to change outdated digital rights laws

The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) has acknowledged that the country is making slow progress in safeguarding digital rights, citing outdated legal frameworks as a key challenge. Malawi24 reports that Macra’s director-general, Daud Suleman, responding to questions about the lack of progress in prosecuting internet-related offences, pointed out that Malawi’s current data protection law, enacted in 2016, has significant gaps that fail to address emerging threats. This, he said, leaves citizens vulnerable to cyber threats, online fraud and data privacy breaches. ‘Our digital laws are archaic and do not address emerging threats, which means citizens are not fully protected in the digital space,’ he stated. Suleman explained that the absence of modern legal provisions makes it difficult for regulators to collect and preserve evidence for court proceedings, as digital data is easily manipulated. However, he said steps have been taken to review the existing laws. The consultation process with stakeholders has been completed, and the proposed amendments are now awaiting presentation in Parliament. ‘We have passed the consultation stage with stakeholders, and the document has been sent to the Ministry of Justice. Hopefully, the Members of Parliament elected in the 16 September 2025 elections will table the Bills to become law,’ he said.

Full Malawi24 report