Thursday, March 28, 2024

It is an offence to issue false and alarming information through social media-Katongo

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Esther Katongo
Esther Katongo
Zambia Police Spokesperson Esther Mwaata Katongo says the police command is privy to the fact that some people with criminal minds are deliberately misleading the public by issuing false and alarming information through social media.

Mrs. Katongo said in a statement that the people with criminal minds are misleading the nation through false and alarming information with a view of causing panic.

Mrs. Katongo said this week deceiving information was peddled on social media asserting that a named Bank in Choma was on fire while another alleged that a building on Lusaka’s Kafue Road belonging to a named company had collapsed.

The Police Service mouthpiece has since reminded Zambians that it is an offence to publish whether orally or in writing any statement, rumour or report known to be false which has potential to cause alarm to the public or that which has a likelihood of disturbing the public peace.

“The police command is privy to the fact that some people with criminal minds are deliberately misleading the public by issuing false and alarming information through social media” Katongo said

22 COMMENTS

  1. what about sunday chanda alarming statement that the thief caught last month along freedom way was sent by upnd and wanted to bomb the entire is not an offence? #selectiveJusticeIndeed

    • @ Esther Mwaata Katongo

      Freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of movement & access to information are enshrined in the constitution.

      They are God-given rights NOT PF-given, lungu-given rights or cadre-given rights. Your quest to deny
      zambians access to these rights will come to haunt you for the rest of you life.

    • Please try to be positive sometimes not always looking where to blame. Comment her statement constructively and not counter attacking. Counter attacking will lead you nowhere as you might have realized by now. In short, just grow up mate

  2. Most of those reports are generated by disgruntled, ‘I was born abroad,’ citizens. It seems the only way for fame is to establish themselves as anti- government Agents abroad supporting Zambian Opposition into power. Really desperate for fame which alludes them in their homes abroad. Zambia is for Zambians who appreciate the country.

    As for the list of offences, it amounts to nothing if they know they will not be pursued for the social media crimes.

    • Correct – The Police need to pursue, catch and ensure that the law takes it’s course on just one alarmist — then the rest will behave.

  3. if you can start by arresting mr kapeso ( southern province commending officer) people will stop. kapeso has just mislead the nation about the munali accident

  4. Oh please get a life. Only a small minded person would take what they see on social media to be the truth. Ever heard of reliable sources or are you so thick to have gotten that position due to bootlixking. A person in your position should know that the onus is o the reader to ensure they read reliable sources. You cannot arrest some one based on them exercising freedom of speech. For example if I say that i have been having dreams and strong feelings that lungu will die on 23rd November. What are you going to do kikiki chimbwi

    • @nez or whatever they call you in dundumwezi. freedom of speech and false news belong to different families. i know its difficult for you to understand unless it’s coming from under 5.

  5. @4.Nez
    All the rights you are talking about come with responsibility,you can’t blame the reactions from the police for taking your away your rights for your actions, this is the biggest problem like you have who like to condemn the reaction before punishing the actions

    • @ Non Partisan

      Can you please enlighten us about Constitutional provisions which give discretionary “right” (LOL) to the police to curtail our Constitutional Rights and Freedoms without due process of law?
      In so far, over the past sic years there had been thousands of illegal and sometime criminal abuses of the rights and freedoms perpetuated by police with total impunity.
      To be “non partisan” means addressing with equal “vigor” wrong doings of the both side of divide and not be covertly partisan in justifying any wrong doing by any side.

  6. Where are the 11 people arrested for market fires? It is perjury to lie to Zambians when you are the Chief Constable of the Zambian Police.

  7. Social media will always be there. Why worry about social media when you can disseminate credible Information through reliable media houses. Social media is gossip. Stop worrying about it. No one takes it seriously. ZP should awake to mordernity. The problem with ZP is that they are stuck with UNIP mentality. You’re now in computer age, wake up! Operate in the present. Don’t be hung up with 1964 mentality. Life has changed. Change with it.

  8. It’s tough to want to be a dictator in the digital era. Social media is not only used by Zambians but citizens of the world. That is why it is called www! Even Superpowers can’t police the www! In this digital era, all the police can do is confirm or refute whatever is on the net. There is nothing much you can do about it without infringing on people’s rights to freely express themselves. It’s a goose chase!

  9. No one is interested in falsehood.
    Better such characters are caged to detor more of malefactors in future.
    I would support to clean such craps from either from social media print or any form.

  10. It is an offence to issue false and alarming information through social media-
    Oh I see. If I issue false and alarming information hrough other media its not an offence. Like if I use deadNBC eh?

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