Domestic
From Cyberbullying to Sextortion
Like the extraordinary session of the National Assembly, the agenda is far from ordinary. From cyberbullying to sextortion, deputies will examine, among other extraordinary matters, a bill on combating cybercrime that was drafted this year. This comes 12 years after the 2014 law which "enabled Madagascar to establish its first modern legal framework against cybercrime but whose several provisions no longer fully address current technological realities," as noted in the bill's preamble, which aims to address "certain emerging offenses." Notably cyberbullying, defined as "repeatedly engaging in electronic communications toward the same person with statements or behaviors intended to or resulting in degradation of their living conditions, manifesting as harm to their physical or mental health." Penalties range from 2 to 5 years imprisonment and 2 million to 20 million Ar. in fines. Sentences are harsher if cyberbullying was committed by multiple persons or against a minor or vulnerable person, or based on sex, orientation, origin, or real or alleged membership in an ethnicity, nation, race, or religion. The bill also punishes "online sexual harassment" with 2 to 3 years imprisonment and 4 million to 20 million Ar. in fines. Sextortion carries similar penalties, defined as "threatening to distribute or make accessible to third parties sexual content depicting a person, with intent to coerce them into providing money or material advantage." One must wonder whether deputies will have sufficient time and capacity to examine this bill, which draws inspiration from other legislations, unless they resort to artificial intelligence, which is the subject of an entire chapter alongside cryptocurrencies.
Source: Midi Madagasikara