INFORMATION technology experts have warned journalists and news organisations to secure their digital data to ensure it was not tampered with by third parties in light of the recent raid on local business news agency, The Source, by Econet Wireless.
By Phyllis Mbanje
This emerged during a roundtable discussion by media and cyber experts who urged media houses to cyber protect their data.
“Media houses and training institutions should look into the issue of protection of data to ensure that sensitive information is neither leaked nor accessed by unauthorized persons,” cyber expert Chris Musodza said.
“Ability to protect your sources and newsgathering materials is often critical to your being able to gather information and inform the public.”
Musodza said the idea was not to hide criminal information but to protect sensitive data from landing in the wrong hands. “News organisations should encourage journalists to take advantage of free digital security pointers which are available on line and learn how to use encryption tools on their phones and computers,” he said.
Musodza said while the court order used by Econet was legal it however had made other information not related to the case vulnerable.
“They obviously searched everything and in the process other documents not related to the case were not protected. It violates the other sources and what of private data like the company’s budgets,” he questioned.
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Speaking at the same forum, Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe executive director Loughty Dube said the unfortunate incident had heightened the crucial issue of media protection as enshrined in the Constitution.
“The media was initially wary of the threat from government but this particular case has revealed another dimension of corporates which should be addressed,” he said.
Calling the raid barbaric, Dube said the request by the order to delete the stories was “out of context” “Ability to protect your sources and newsgathering materials is often critical to your being able to gather information and inform the public, ” Dube said.
Journalist and human rights activist Pedzisai Ruhanya however said that what was missing were effective, binding media regulations.
“Journalists in this country are governed by a weak regulatory framework and their operations will not be coherent,” he said.
