Legal interception of communications sanctioned

Parliament has approved plans to put together legislation through which information and communications will be monitored by way of interception in the interest of national security. On Monday, Prof. Romain Murenzi, the minister in the President’s office in charge of information technology, notified the lower chamber of deputies that advances in technology had made it possible for criminals to easily communicate in a more sophisticated and complex manner yet the country lacked legal instruments for regulation. “We need to have lawful interception of communication for national security reasons,” he told The New Times on phone Thursday. Murenzi said this too had much to do with protecting both national integrity and the nation’s communication network. “If someone illegally went to the network of MTN or Rwandatel and changed parameters, they could block out the whole country’s communication system,” he said, “if such a thing happened and there was evidence, they could be punished if the law was in place.” The bill, a copy of which The New Times has seen, points out that the law will offer guidance on the process to be followed before interception can take place. Accordingly, it will also be useful to communication service providers to acquaint themselves with these procedures and what is expected of them in terms of cooperation on their part. “A service provider shall ensure that systems are technically capable of supporting lawful interceptions at all times as provided by the regulatory laws,” adds article nine. “Such a law should have been in place several years ago,” Murenzi acknowledged and stressed that many other countries have such legislation. Ends