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When questioned if Skype and other VoIP use through proper national telecom services will be punishable, the Minister said that is far from the truth.
“The law does not prohibit these activities. Internet use between two computers, from PC to phone and phone to phone, as long as it is based on Telecom internet is not prohibited. So you should not worry you will be held accountable,” the Minister said.
“It is true that the government recently has issued a draft proclamation aiming to regulate cyber related crimes particularly telecom related frauds. The objective is to discourage and prevent illicit and criminal activities by passing the domestic telecom service and then facilitating international calls unlawfully. In the past we found out that there are groups who establish their own satellite and operational system outside the national operational system and earn a huge amount of money,’’ Ato Shemeles said.
Accordingly, the draft proclamation focuses on a number of telecom related offences such as tampering, and duplicating sim and credit cards for gaining unlawful revenue. The main objective is to reduce the possibilities of defrauding the governments lawful earning through taxation. Government has been complaining that the so-called call back services bypass the national telecom system and result a substantial financial damage on the national telecommunication service.
In the past, the government was unable to avoid substantial financial damage and prosecute offenders properly because there was no appropriate legislation to that effect. The draft law provides specific provisions punishing such activities, according to Ato Shemeles.
Government claims 80% of expected revenue from telephone services was lost because of such fraudulent acts. Ato Shemeles said recently data suggest the nation lost illicitly around $50 million because of criminal activities like long distance calls on the internet.
For the last few weeks, several media outlets have been claiming Ethiopia is preparing a law that will punish any use of VoIP including Skype and Google Talk. The news shocked many who frequently use these services. Since the regular telephone in Ethiopia is painfully expensive for international calls (for national calls as well), nowadays, many people choose Skype and other internet voice over services to communicate to their loved once abroad.
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