INTERNET LAW - Mauritius Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act 2003

Kelly O'Connell, IBLS Editorial Department
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Mauritius is an island located in the Atlantic, near Southern Africa, in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar. It was first explored by Portuguese sailors early in the 16th century. Later it was controlled by the Dutch, French, and British until independence was achieved in 1968. Given its inherent limitations of history, location, and natural resources, the country has developed into an unmitigated success, by anyone's standard.

The Government carefully assembled the infrastructure for a large, state-of-the-art cyber complex in the early 2000's which should prove attractive to any company wishing for access to the Asian continent within a business-friendly and highly modernized infrastructure. This law is an attempt to protect any foreign or local businesses setting up shops there.

To better understand the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act 2003; Act No. 22 of 2003; Offense, found in Part II, these questions will be answered: What is Unauthorized Access to Computer Data? What is Access with Intent to Commit Offences, or Unauthorized Password Disclosure? What is Unauthorized Access to and Interception of Computer Service? What is Unauthorized Modification of Computer Material, or Damaging or Denying Access to Computer System? What is Unlawful Possession of Devices and Data or Electronic Fraud?


Mauritius island state has staged an impressive economic evolution, based upon its stable democracy, featuring a British system of regular free elections and a positive human rights record, as the markets transition from agriculture to building the industrial, financial, and tourist sectors. The country has attracted considerable foreign direct investments, earning one of Africa's highest average incomes, per annum. The population is about one and a quarter million within a land mass about ten times the size of Washington, DC. A serious approach to property laws, in general, and Intellectual Property laws specifically, is a major reason this well-ordered economy thrives.

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Kelly O'Connell, IBLS Editorial Department

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