Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      World Bank set to back South Africa’s big energy grid roll-out

      20 June 2025

      The algorithm will sing now: why musicians should be worried about AI

      20 June 2025

      Sita hits back at critics, promises faster, automated procurement

      20 June 2025

      The transatlantic race to create the first television

      20 June 2025

      Listed: All the MVNOs in South Africa – 2025 edition

      19 June 2025
    • World

      Watch | Starship rocket explodes in setback to Musk’s Mars mission

      19 June 2025

      Trump Mobile dials into politics, profit and patriarchy

      17 June 2025

      Samsung plots health data hub to link users and doctors in real time

      17 June 2025

      Beijing’s chip champions blacklisted by Taiwan

      16 June 2025

      China is behind in AI chips – but for how much longer?

      13 June 2025
    • In-depth

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025

      MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

      12 June 2025

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025

      Digital fortress: We go inside JB5, Teraco’s giant new AI-ready data centre

      30 May 2025

      Sam Altman and Jony Ive’s big bet to out-Apple Apple

      22 May 2025
    • TCS

      TCS+ | AfriGIS’s Helen Hulett on how tech can help resolve South Africa’s water crisis

      18 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E2: South Africa’s digital battlefield

      16 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E1: Starlink, BEE and a new leader at Vodacom

      8 June 2025

      TCS+ | The future of mobile money, with MTN’s Kagiso Mothibi

      6 June 2025

      TCS+ | AI is more than hype: Workday execs unpack real human impact

      4 June 2025
    • Opinion

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025

      Beyond the box: why IT distribution depends on real partnerships

      2 June 2025

      South Africa’s next crisis? Being offline in an AI-driven world

      2 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » News » Online ‘censorship bill’ unconstitutional: DA

    Online ‘censorship bill’ unconstitutional: DA

    By Agency Staff19 September 2016
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp

    censored-640

    If the Films and Publications Amendment Bill is passed in its current form, South Africans may no longer upload videos to online channels such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram unless they register as a distributor and pay a registration fee, the Democratic Alliance said at a media briefing on Monday.

    The amendment, dubbed the “Internet Censorship Bill”, will be deliberated in parliament on Tuesday and it is, according to the DA, “simply bad news”.

    DA spokeswoman communication, Phumzile Van Damme, claimed that government is increasingly overplaying its hand with regard to freedom of speech.

    “There seems to be a firm hand in a broader project of censorship that is very worrying,” said Van Damme.

    “The ‘Internet Censorship Bill’ in its current form gives government sweeping powers to censor content on the Internet,” she added.

    The party cited problematic provisions in the bill that broadly fall into three categories: it’s unconstitutional, it uses broad and vague terminology and it gives the minister of communications extensive powers to impose penalties on transgressors.

    Van Damme said the bill interferes with the powers of a chapter 9 institution — the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa — in that the body would not be allowed to issue or renew broadcasting licences unless the broadcaster is registered with the Film and Publication Board.

    “The board cannot instruct Icasa when it may or may not issue or renew a broadcasting licence,” Van Damme said. “The board would overstep its mandate and infringe on the powers of a chapter 9 institution.”.

    In addition, the bill seeks to curtail the distribution of digital films in that such content needs to be “pre-classified” by the Film and Publication Board. The terminology used in this provision is broad enough to include all digital videos and films — also user-generated video material — that are uploaded on social media platforms.

    “This is clearly unworkable,” Van Damme said.

    Phumzile Van Damme
    Phumzile Van Damme

    In addition, the bill also infringes on individuals’ right to privacy, according to the DA.

    A section in the bill states that any person who distributes a film or game classified as “X18” must keep a register when access to the content is granted to a user. The user’s name, address and age will be captured in the register and the CEO of the Film and Publication Board will have access to this register.

    “This is an unjustifiable breach of the right to privacy, which includes the right to not have your private communications infringed,” Van Damme said.

    Although two specific amendments of the bill are to be welcomed — namely, the tightening of the definition of what constitutes child pornography and the outlawing of so-called revenge porn — the rest of the bill must be “thrown out”, Van Damme said.

    “The legislation currently being pushed through parliament is unacceptable. The DA will do everything possible to ensure the bill does not pass in its current form,” she concluded.

    Fin24



    Film and Publication Board FPB Icasa Phumzile van Damme
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous Article27 December 2016 declared a holiday
    Next Article Why Icasa must stop the spectrum auction

    Related Posts

    Up to Icasa whether Starlink gets a licence: Malatsi

    11 June 2025

    Karoo collision: Starlink vs science in South African skies

    9 June 2025

    TechCentral Nexus S0E1: Starlink, BEE and a new leader at Vodacom

    8 June 2025
    Company News

    Making IT happen: how Trade Link gears up to enable SA retail strategies

    20 June 2025

    Why parents choose CambriLearn for online education

    19 June 2025

    Disrupt first, ask questions later – the uncomfortable truth about incident response

    18 June 2025
    Opinion

    South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

    17 June 2025

    AI and the future of ICT distribution

    16 June 2025

    Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

    13 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.