Editing Telecommunications in Zambia (section)

===Internet censorship and surveillance===

Internet access is not restricted and individuals and groups freely express their views via the Internet, however the government frequently threatens to deregister critical [[Online newspaper|online publications]] and [[blogs]]. In October 2012 the government attempted to deregister the blog [[Zambian Watchdog]], but was unsuccessful because the blog was hosted abroad and therefore outside government control.<ref name=USDOS-CRHRP-Zambia-2012>[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2012&dlid=204181 "Zambia"], ''Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012'', Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 22 March 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2014.</ref>

The constitution and law provide for [[freedom of speech]] and [[freedom of the press|press]], however the government uses provisions contained in the law to restrict these freedoms. The government is sensitive to opposition and other criticism and has been quick to prosecute critics using the legal pretext that they had incited [[public disorder]]. [[Libel]] laws are used to suppress free speech and the press.<ref name=USDOS-CRHRP-Zambia-2012/>

The constitution and law prohibit arbitrary interference with privacy, family, home, or correspondence, but the government frequently does not respect these prohibitions. The law requires a [[search warrant|search or arrest warrant]] before police may enter a home, except during a [[state of emergency]] or when police suspect a person has committed an offense such as [[treason]], [[sedition]], [[defamation]] of the president, or [[unlawful assembly]]. Police routinely enter homes without a warrant. The law grants the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), the Zambia Security Intelligence Service (ZSIS), and police authority to monitor communications using wiretaps with a warrant issued on the basis of probable cause, and authorities generally respect this requirement.<ref name=USDOS-CRHRP-Zambia-2012/>