We cannot deny the impact information technology products have had in our modern lives. The last decade has seen a resurgence on our dependence on tech products and they have made our lives easier and miserable in almost equal measures.
Regulation of the IT sector has fallen behind the times and governments are catching up. In Tanzania, they have been trying to keep up and this next move is a testament to that.
According to the East African, Tanzania is now looking to establish an Information Technology professionals board.
The Minister for Works, Transport Communications, Isack Kamwelwe said that the government is still in the process of formulating legislation to regulate the work of IT professionals. According to him, thanks to the level of penetration in the country, he said that IT professionals are key players in everyday lives.
This board will register all IT professionals in the country. The purpose of this move is to monitor, control and secure the country’s cyberspace while speeding up the uptake of technology.
The board will also have other functions. Other areas of focus include data access rights, privacy protection, computer fraud and crime, security and privacy of e-transactions, establishment of rules governing e-transactions and delivery of e-opportunities to the wider population.
“The professionals will be required to come up with innovations, otherwise they will lose their licences,” Mr Kamwelwe said.
This is quite the move by the Tanzanian government. You usually find professional boards in every industry which registers professionals in that field. This could be the rationale behind this move by the Tanzanian government.
Tanzania’s regulation of the IT sector has been met with criticism. They wanted to register AirBnB hosts. They wanted limit SIM card ownership. They also signed into law regulations that govern social media use.
