Attorney General Anil Nandlall has announced plans by the Government to update the country’s Cybercrime legislation with a new regulatory framework that will specifically cover social media.

Appearing on his weekly television and social media programme, “Issues in the News”, the Attorney General said he has become tired of seeing citizens being harassed and slandered on social media.

He warned that the Government will not sit idly-by and ignore attacks using social media.

Nandlall said the “abuse” of freedom of speech will not be condoned.

“There is no country whose laws, including the United States whose laws are quite liberal, no where the laws will justify or permit the type of publications that emanate from these social media platforms. So, the time has come in Guyana for us to pay serious attention to regulating cyber space because currently it is completely unregulated and it is the platform for the slaughtering of people’s reputation, character, social lives and the lives of their families,” the Attorney General stated.

In recent weeks, some government officials have been filing and threatening lawsuits against a number of social media personalities while claiming to be victims of slander.

Mr. Nandlall said the attacks have also been extended to private citizens and those attacks have been causing “tremendous harm” to people’s character and reputation.

He said condign penalties will be introduced.

“And the penalties for violation of this regulatory framework must be condign, what we have here is an exceptional situation and an exceptional situation requires an exceptional response. My area of responsibility of the law and the law is one of the main mechanisms to regulate human conduct and human affairs,” the AG noted.

Mr. Nandlall said social media in Guyana has been a free for all, but the time will come when all social media will be regulated by new laws to be introduced by the Government.

“The duty of a state and the responsibility of a Government holding office in that the state is to bring regulation so that which is unregulated and is causing public harm and this onslaught emanating from the social media platforms are causing public and private harm, in this country and it will not continue without a reaction from the government” Mr. Nandlall said.

The Attorney General said that the Cybercrime Act is under review and amendments to that Act will be taken to Parliament when the National Assembly resumes.

While the current Government appears to be now making moves to regulate social media and end its “free for all”, it has been silent over the years on those social media pages that have attacked persons critical of the Government. Many of those pages are linked directly to key figures in the Government, and under a previous PPP Government, there was even the presence of a rapid response unit that would attack critics of the Government on social media.

While the Cybercrime legislation was introduced and passed under the previous APNU+AFC Government, it went into full use under the current administration.

Related posts:

AG Nandlall appeals to citizens to be careful with social media posts on border controversy GDF debunks social media post about security situation at border location; Warns social media commentators Nandlall complains to US Security officials about persons in the US using social media to “threaten peace and stability” in Guyana GTT customers now able to access specific news and social media sites without depletion of data