Zimbabwe Military Threatens To 'Deal With' Social Media-Powered Protesters (reuters.com) 56
Things are not looking good in Zimbabwe. Amid tensions between the citizens and longtime president Robert Mugabe, the country's army commander said today that his soldiers will "deal with threats" from activists using social media to mobilize anti-government protests, the first time the military has commented on the demonstrations. Reuters reports: Lieutenant-General Valerio Sibanda, the Zimbabwe National Army Commander, said in an interview with state-owned The Herald newspaper that social media activism was cyber warfare that the army would deal with. Neither the army, which has anchored President Robert Mugabe's 36-year rule, nor the police force have been paid on time since June. Zimbabwe has seen several protests in recent months with unemployment above 80 percent, dollar shortages worsening as commodity prices slumped and as the region suffers its worst drought for 25 years. The largest anti-government protest in Zimbabwe in the last decade was organized on social media last month, when a strike by #ThisFlag movement shut down businesses. "As an army, at our institutions of training, we are already training our officers to be able to deal with this new threat we call cyber warfare where weapons -- not necessarily guns but basically information and communication technology -- are being used to mobilize people to do the wrong things," Sibanda said.
Re: (Score:1)
the problem is Africa, not whites or blacks, its harsh and doesn't have enough value to merit the investment in infrastructure, Africa should just be turned into 1 giant wildlife preserve with and Abandoned by humans.
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So why is it that Indians learned about legal systems and railroad building from their colonial masters, while the Zimbabweans learned how to be thugs?
Scary times (Score:5, Insightful)
this new threat we call cyber warfare where weapons -- not necessarily guns but basically information and communication technology
Information and communication being classified as a weapon is not a good sign.
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perhaps it is a good thing when stuff like nuclear codes and deployment information are treated as weapons
"now"? since when have governments considered it okay to transmit their secrets? they have ALWAYS treated information as a weapon
Are those the kinds of information that are being transmitted in Zimbabwe?
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if the dissidents are communicating with each other, then yes, they are exchanging "weapons"
So people who disagree with the government should not be allowed to communicate with each other? And the mere act of communicating with each other to organize a protest is classified as a weapon in your mind? Do you seriously classify communications used to organize a protest on the same level as nuclear launch codes? While I can see how a ruler whose ideals run contrary to the populous could see it that way, I also believe that in such a case they are no longer fit for such a position.
If Donald Trump or Hi
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Information and communication being classified as a weapon is not a good sign.
I get what you're saying, but what about things like counterintelligence, false flags, incitement to violence, etc.?
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I get what you're saying, but what about things like counterintelligence, false flags, incitement to violence, etc.?
Those types of things are already covered by laws in most countries. I believe TFS stated they've been ruled by the same person for 36 years. Do you believe this move is to protect the citizenry? Or the president?
Soros/Astroturf sponsored? (Score:2)
When it comes to most of these protests, i'm doubtful of the authenticity of their complaints. Most of the protests you see around the west are astroturfed by well-funded NGOs as the personal playthings of the monied billionaires of the world. Zimbabwe might be different though given that fact that I have a billion dollar note sitting on my desk from them.
The real question that should be asked, who did Mugabe annoy in the West that is now organizing these protests?
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As a South African who has to deal with half of Zim lying around jobless on our street corners I can assure you the protests are real.
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I have a billion dollar note sitting on my desk from them.
You are but a mere peasant I have on of the 100 trillion dollar bills [wikimedia.org]. Although I still need to find one of these [wikipedia.org] as 100,000,000,000,000 just doesn't compare to 100,000,000,000,000,000,000 even if there aren't that many 0s on the pengo note.
Off topic (Score:2)
Social media, the dark side (Score:5, Insightful)
Now we are starting to see the dark side of Social Media.
The possibility to find and neutralize people who disagrees with those in power is unprecedented. This is in Zimbabwe, but think of the resources for other countries with more... uhm.. direct link.. to these companies.
Information Warfare (Score:5, Interesting)
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Just getting rid of Robert Mugabe would help Zimbabwe about as much as getting rid of Kim Jong Il helped North Korea...he's at the center of the problem but is far from the entirety of it.
"Things are not looking good in Zimbabwe." (Score:2, Insightful)
This statement is true pretty much every year after Mugabe took over the presidency...
Excellent way to DDOS Mugabe supporters (Score:1)
When they put down their cell, post stuff on social media using their apps, and have their own people "remove" them from existence.
Including when they sleep.
Social media is ineffective there anyway (Score:2)
Because in Zimbabwe, your monthly broadband payment is a wheelbarrow load of those hundred-trillion-dollar bills.
https://www.google.com/search?... [google.com]