ETHIOPIA’S
DRAFT
COMPUTER
CRIME
PROCLAMATION
Proclamation No. ……/2016
A PROCLAMATION TO PROVIDE FOR THE COMPUTER CRIME
WHEREAS information and communication technology plays a vital role in the
economic, social and political development of the country;
WHEREAS unless appropriate protection and security measures are taken, the
utilization of information communication technology is vulnerable to various
computer crimes and other security threats that can impede the overall development
of the country and endanger individual rights;
WHEREAS the existing laws are not adequately tuned with the technological changes
and are not sufficient to prevent, control, investigate and prosecute the suspects of
computer crimes;
WHEREAS it has become necessary to incorporate new legal mechanisms and
procedures in order to prevent, control, investigate and prosecute computer crimes
and facilitate the collection of electronic evidences;
NOW, THEREFORE,
in
accordance
with Article
55(1)
of
the
Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, it is hereby
proclaimed as follows:
PART ONE – GENERAL
1. Short Title
This Proclamation may be cited as the “Computer Crime Proclamation No. —/2016”.
2. Definitions
In this Proclamation unless the context otherwise requires:
1/ “data processing service” means the service of reception, storage, processing,
emission, routing or transmission of data by means of computer system and includes
networking services;
2/ “computer or computer system” means any software and the microchips technology
based data processing, storage, analysis, dissemination and communication device or
any device that is capable of performing logical, arithmetic or routing function and
includes accessories of that device;
3/ “computer data” means any content data, traffic data, computer program, or any
other subscriber information in a form suitable for processing by means of a computer
system;