Namibia Mulls Social Media Regulation

The Government of Namibia is considering moves to regulate social media amid concerns that basic values are coming under threat in the country. 

Swapo chief whip Evelyne !Nawases-Taeyele raised the matter in parliament, commenting that while social media has brought many benefits to society it has also been used to "badmouth, slander, offend and insult others". In particular she expressed concern regarding the effect this was having on the country’s youth, encouraging the National Assembly to consider adopting regulations for social media. 

Responding to !Nawases-Taeyele’s calls information minister Stanley Simataa stated that while he supported the idea of regulating the area government is unable to enact a law to teach people good moral values or how to behave when using social media.

"The lingering question is, can we effectively legislate for good moral values? Certainly not, for moral values are birthed and shaped in our homes. The problem lies in the abuse thereof in the same manner some of us abuse alcohol and end up committing despicable crimes. [...] However, there is no need for heavy-handedness that will invariably curtail the rights and privileges of decent social media users," Simataa stated before the National Assembly.

Simataa also pointed to other factors that could be playing a much bigger role in the perceived decline in moral values, such as widening inequality and increased ethnic divisions.