The dangers of cybersecurity jargon: Malawi case

This time we invited Chimwemwe Queen Mtegha, who is a researcher at the Cybersecurity Capacity Centre for Southern Africa, who has analysed cybersecurity discourse in the Malawian media. Her findings highlight the importance of the language chosen to communicate cybersecurity issues to the general public. Firstly, it is the level of cybersecurity jargon that is used, which makes the messages complicated. Secondly, it is the choice of language itself – although the official language in Malawi is English, the country has around 16 local languages, of which Chichewa is the most common, and the word ‘cybersecurity’ does not exist in this language.

1. What were the key insights from your study on cybersecurity media coverage Malawi?

The study on critical discourse analysis of cybersecurity in Malawi media was done to unpack how journalists are reporting cybersecurity news in the country. We focused on the articles for the past ten years (2013 to 2023). The articles were collected from registered online local media websites between May 2023 and September 2023. The following were the key findings:

All the 29 sampled articles were written in English, yet there was no presentation of Chichewa which is our local language.
Most of the articles used cybersecurity jargons. Out of the 29 articles, only one article defined cybersecurity, yet this is a new phenomenon as far as most developing countries are concerned. Most of the general public are not aware and it could make it easier for the readers to understand if the terms could be explained or defined.
Stakeholders that participated in the cybersecurity discourse included politicians, government officials, communication regulators, and law experts. Surprisingly out of the 29 articles, only one article cited an ordinary citizen. Further, civil society representation was lacking and only one was cited in the corpus commenting on the Electronic Transaction and Cybersecurity Act.

2. What role, do you think, traditional media plays along other types of communication (e.g. social media, WoM, etc.) in Malawi? Does it differ from other countries?

Traditional media, especially radio, is used to disseminate news in rural parts of Malawi, especially in those areas where they cannot afford electronic gadgets e.g. smartphones and television. In many parts of rural Malawi, the network is a challenge and radio stations are the most convenient and sufficient means of communication. With technological advancement, many people can use other social media platforms, for instance, WhatsApp is the most common platform. However, the challenge has been on fake news, especially during the pandemic. The regulator would send SMS and broadcast on television and radio stations to warn Malawians about issues surrounding fake news during the COVID pandemic. Usually, the regulator communicates to Malawians through traditional media to ensure that the population get the message and to ensure legitimacy.

When it comes to the difference between Malawi and other countries, I should think the approach is the same.

3. What are the key challenges for ensuring that cybersecurity capacity building initiatives are communicated, understood, and implemented among ordinary people, especially in rural areas?

According to my PhD findings, traditional media, specifically radio, is used to disseminate cybersecurity news, especially with the rampant mobile money fraud in the country. The regulator channels the messages to local radio stations to reach the local people in rural areas in their local languages to warn them about mobile money fraud. Malawi has about 16 local languages, Chichewa being the most common language.

However, the challenge is that the Malawi regulator has not put in place mechanisms to measure the effectiveness of the cybersecurity awareness being sent through the radio or television stations.