Bill takes aim at porn and cyberbullying
The justice ministry publishes the Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity Bill aiming to criminalise cyber-facilitated offences
The government is clamping down on the online distribution of malicious content without the consent of the person involved. Technological advances have seen a rise in online activities with experts warning that this will further trigger cybercrime. On Thursday, the justice ministry published the Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity Bill, which aims to criminalise cyber-facilitated offences such as unlawful access of information, interception of protected data, malware-related offences, distribution of pornographic material and cyberbullying. Anyone found to have sent malicious messages including nude pictures, and those that among other things incite violence, are inherently false and aimed at causing mental, psychological, physical or economic harm could face criminal charges. This will put the sharing of information through digital platforms such as chat services and social media under the spotlight. Senior state law adviser Sarel Robertse said the bill was not meant to prevent people fr...
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