Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Sheilla Ribeiro
Published on 2024-03-30 13:54:00
After unauthorized access and computer falsehood, revenge pornography and the dissemination of illicit images and videos represent the highest number of complaints and legal proceedings regarding crimes in a virtual context in Cape Verde.
This information was provided on Tuesday, the 26th, by the Minister of Justice, Joana Rosa, during the conference “Protection of Personal Data and Digital Gender Violence” held by the National Data Protection Commission (CNPD) and the Cabo Verdean Institute for Gender Equality and Equity (ICIEG).
“In Cape Verde, the numbers show that, after unauthorized access and computer falsehood, the so-called revenge pornography and the dissemination of illicit images and videos represent the highest number of complaints and legal proceedings regarding crimes in a virtual context,” stated the minister during her intervention.
The minister emphasized the rapid evolution of information and communication technologies, mentioning that the advent of Artificial Intelligence is proof of that. Joana Rosa underscored the need for States and citizens to position themselves and adapt to take advantage of the benefits of these technologies while minimizing threats.
“At the legislative level, Cape Verde approved a specific law on cybercrime in 2017, establishing penal and procedural provisions, as well as regulating international cooperation in this domain,” added Joana Rosa, highlighting the need to strengthen investigative and technical capabilities in investigative bodies and courts.
The Minister of Justice also mentioned the creation of the Cybercrime Central Investigation Brigade in the Judiciary Police in 2019 as a positive example of the public policies adopted to address cybercrime and achieve encouraging results in criminal investigation and deterrence of criminal activity.
According to Joana Rosa, the proposal to amend the Organic Law of the Public Prosecutor’s Office includes the establishment of the Cybercrime Office in the Attorney General’s Office.
“58 cases of digital violence reported since 2021”
The president of ICIEG, on the other hand, revealed on Tuesday that, since 2021, 31 cases of privacy violations, 8 cases of blackmail, 3 cases of illicit recordings, photographs, and films, and 16 cases of revenge pornography have been reported, totaling 58 cases of digital violence.
“From 2021 until now, through the Judiciary Police, 31 cases of privacy violations, 8 cases of blackmail, 3 cases of illicit recordings, photographs, and films, and 16 cases of revenge pornography have been reported. A total of 58 cases of digital violence that particularly affect women and more and more at a younger age.”
“The various requests that ICIEG has received from secondary and primary schools in the country show us a reality that is increasingly present among young people, affecting them in a specific way and often hiding behind a cowardly virtual anonymity,” she said.
The president of ICIEG lamented the real consequences of these virtual crimes, such as self-mutilation, severe depressions in youths aged 12 to 13, and cases of attempted and consummated suicide in the islands, within schools and classes attended by children and teenagers.
This year, she continued, being an electoral year, an increase in virtual attacks against women, especially those seeking public office, is expected.
“This year, an electoral year, we already know that virtual attacks against men will increase, but specifically against women, especially those who wish to hold public office,” she said.
“CNPD seeks partnerships with digital platforms to mitigate unauthorized intimate content”
The president of the CNPD, Faustino Monteiro, stressed that the competences of the CNPD in the case of crimes on social networks include the application of fines, temporary or permanent prohibition of data processing, the requirement to delete or correct illegal or incorrect data.
Regarding the monitoring of these, Monteiro mentioned that the CNPD opens inquiries based on complaints or proactively.
“If, for example, a complaint is filed that there has been a violation of personal data, the CNPD can act ex officio, it can also act at the request of the victim. There are situations in which people currently very often resort to the creation of fake profiles to commit crimes, in the case of harassment and other crimes. The Commission investigates these cases and, if necessary, refers them to the Public Prosecutor’s Office,” he highlighted.
Regarding cooperation with digital platforms such as Facebook, Monteiro expressed interest in establishing a more direct and efficient relationship to deal with illegal or harmful content, inspired by the example of the Spanish Data Protection Agency, which has an agreement with Facebook to quickly remove intimate content disclosed without authorization.
*Originally published in the print edition of Expresso das Ilhas No. 1165 of March 27, 2024.
Read the original article(Portuguese) on Expresso das Ilhas
