Cyber-Security awareness and its contribution towards sustainable human development: insights from the Zimbabwean context

Abstract

Focusing on citizens’ awareness of cyber-security, this paper contributes to debates on ICTs and their contribution towards human development. The paper philosophically argues for the importance of cyber-security and cybercrime awareness in fostering sustainable human development through the responsible and meaningful use of ICT. Using the overarching values of the human development framework (empowerment, participation and sustainability), the paper assesses government ICT policy documents and subsequent initiatives such as the establishment of community information centres and integration of ICT in the education sector. This was done to establish the extent to which citizens have been provided with prerequisite knowledge and skills to deal with cyber-crime. It emerged from the study that regardless of the effort by the Government of Zimbabwe (GoZ) to enforce a law which encourage a cyber-security culture, awareness about cyber-security remains far below what can be expected in a cyber-world. As a result, if citizens’ lack cyber knowledge their freedom to be and do what they reasonably value on the Internet is continually threatened. The paper, thus, suggests the introduction of rigorous citizens’ awareness campaigns on cyber-crime and security to enable them to deal with unfounded fears and experiences that potentially limit their ability to deliberate, transact or act to be and freely do what they reasonably value.