Zimbabwe parliament passes "snoop" bill

The lower house of Zimbabwe's parliament passed a Bill on Wednesday, 13 June 2007, allowing the government to monitor phones, mail and the Internet to protect national security. While conceding the country needed to protect itself against terrorism, opposition members said they feared the bill would pave the way for President Robert Mugabe's government to curtail freedom of speech and breach privacy. The Interception of Communications Bill sailed through the lower house without amendments and will now be sent to the upper house, where it is expected to face little opposition. Transport and Communications Minister Chris Mushohwe said the Bill was necessary to combat criminal activities that could threaten national security. Read the full article on New Zimbabwe.com