The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications (MinTic) announced a new project that set off alarm bells in some sectors and political parties. This is the creation of the Digital Security and Spatial Affairs Agency, a technical entity whose objective, according to the official, would be to plan, articulate and manage digital security risks in the country.
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The controversy began when the representative of the Democratic Center José Jaime Uscátegui denounced an alleged ‘monkey’ in the project.
According to the congressman, one of the articles of the proposal stipulates the power that the National Government would have to “close cyberspace in the event of an attack that affects national sovereignty, the digital ecosystem or the economy“, that is, the power to control social networks and the internet.
However, Minister Mauricio Lizcano defended the creation of the project and assured that it has been distorted.
Through his X account he stated: “The National Government does not want nor is it thinking about having the power to interfere or close the social networks or private communication of Colombians (…) The article in question only seeks to have digital defense mechanisms in extreme cases: when they happen at the same time 3 conditions (…) This power would not be the president’s or mine, it would be that of an emergency committee where many people attend“.
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The three necessary conditions (mentioned by the minister) would be:
1. National sovereignty is affected.
2. The digital ecosystem is affected.
3. The economy is seriously affected.
New clarifications
Mauricio Lizcano, Minister of Information and Communications Technologies of Colombia.
Courtesy
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In an interview with W Radio, the minister clarified several doubts about the project and assured that the opposition wanted to “degenerate the political debate in Colombia” from “false claims”.
“What they said is really crazy. In the country, in the world, we are a digital world. As a digital world, we need to have digital security. Just as there are problems on the street of physical insecurity, we are in a digital world and there is digital insecurity (…) Last year we received 20,000 million cyber attacks“said Minister Lizcano on the station.
PORTFOLIO
