User rights are infringed by social network operators - Minette Likeng

During the opening of a conference on social networks recently organised in the Cameroonian capital, the Minister of Posts and Telecoms, Minette Libom Li Likeng, reminded that “there are many advantages and benefits brought by social networks, as many as the challenges to overcome to benefit from the various and enormous potential” inherent to those tools.

Minette Libom Li Likeng, who is thus taking the opposite viewpoint to the demonization of social networks carried out by some local public authorities, however lamented the fact that social network operators barely respect user rights. “The economic model of the main players in social networking, based on collecting information with a commercial purpose, promotes a manipulation of user data in breach with their property rights or with no respect to their private life”, she pointed out.

Therefore, this Cameroonian government member highlighted the importance today of reinforcing the legal framework ruling the telecoms and ICT sector in Cameroon, to protect the rights of the Cameroonians in the face of the flood of social networks.

To achieve this, we learned, a general review of the different legal texts governing electronic communications, e-commerce, cybercriminality and intellectual property, should be carried out as part of the digital economy development plan being finalised in the country.