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Regulated online contracts would create exports to fill R50bn hole
South Africans create and export content and data. But there is no accountability, disclosure or transparency about the trade and profits of this work to any local authority, copyright owner or app user. When SA citizens use an internet service provider (ISP) or an app, they transfer their world rights to other countries — for iTunes to the Middle East, Facebook and Google to Ireland, Skype to Luxembourg, and Spotify to New York. Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Google and Amazon have a market share of $3.5-trillion. They use algorithms to understand their users, collect data on their consumer habits and find better ways to sell their services and products. The data is also sold to advertising companies, data miners and other willing buyers. It is regarded by some as "the new gold". SA’s copyright law contains no regulations on data. The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 as amended favours businesses that monetise data rather than people who create it. In online c...
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