Government To Hold Social Media Group Admins Liable. New law would make online admins accountable for posts in their groups.

LUSAKA, Zambia – The Zambian government has announced plans to amend laws that will hold administrators of social media groups accountable for malicious and misleading content posted within their platforms.

Speaking on the matter, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Information and Media, Thabo Kawana, warned that under the proposed changes, administrators of pages, WhatsApp groups, and other digital platforms will bear legal responsibility for the posts made by group members.

Currently, the law only addresses the individuals directly responsible for posting such content. However, Kawana revealed that the amended law would extend accountability to group admins as well.

“So, whether you are running a page online, or a WhatsApp group, and people post malicious things or disinformation there, you, as an admin, will be held liable and accountable,” he said.

Kawana urged online administrators to be vigilant about whom they add to their groups and to consider the responsibilities associated with managing such platforms.

He emphasised the importance of monitoring and filtering content shared within these digital spaces.