Activist Bol Deng Bol is the head of the Bor-based civil society group INTREPID-South Sudan -Photo credit: Bol Deng Bol Facebook profile

A civil society activist has welcomed efforts to tackle cybercrime but warned that the Cybercrime and Computer Misuse Act, 2026, could limit freedom of expression if implemented without proper safeguards ahead of the December 2026 elections.

Bol Deng Bol, the Executive Director of INTREPID South Sudan, made the remarks after the government announced the start of implementing the cybersecurity law.

Bol said regulating harmful online content is necessary as the country works to strengthen democracy.

“One of these challenges is the indecency in its digital space, the apparent indecency in the space. That is a key challenge, and that makes the Cybercrime and Computer Misuse Act 2026 important in regulating and mitigating this particular challenge. However, there are key tenets of democracy that our country is trying to build that we cannot compromise, and one of these is the freedom of expression,” he said.

However, he cautioned that constitutional rights, especially freedom of expression and media freedom, must be protected.

Speaking on behalf of the National Civil Society Coalition, Bol said the coalition supports freedoms guaranteed under the Bill of Rights, including freedom of expression, assembly, association and an independent media.

“It could be expression online, it could be expression physically, it could be through assembly, it could be through association as well, and also independent media. However, this brings us to our worry in the process of implementation of the Cybercrime and Computer Misuse Act, and the worry is that the timing tells us that this is likely to be misused to stifle voices before, during, and after elections And so it is going to be difficult in implementing it, it’s going to be difficult in enforcing it on people who do not even know what this is about,” he said.

Bol also raised concern over limited public awareness about the new law, especially in counties, payams, bomas, the ten states and the three administrative areas.

He said many citizens remain unaware of the law’s provisions, making implementation and enforcement difficult without public education.

Bol said the coalition will monitor the enforcement of the legislation and speak out whenever necessary.

The Cybercrime and Computer Misuse Act, 2026, provides penalties of up to five years’ imprisonment for offences including cyberbullying and cyber harassment.

Government officials say the law is intended to improve online safety, protect critical digital infrastructure and address growing cybercrime threats.