Seminar Moderators
Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Pretoria, Professor Robin Crew & Deputy Director-General Mr Themba Phiri
Vodacom Group Chief Officer for the Enterprise Business Unit, Mr Vuyani Jarana
CEO of the Film and Publication Board Ms. Yoliswa Makhasi
The Futurist Tomorrow/Today, Mr Mike Saunders
Distinguished participants and guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Good morning to all of you. It’s wonderful to be here again at the University of Pretoria.
Our collaboration with the University is certainly bearing fruit and I am honoured to be discussing a topic as important as the Future of Privacy with you today. Privacy as we know it has evolved substantially over the last few years. The advent of social media and advancements in mobile technology has redefined what we know to be private and public. When one shares one’s innermost thoughts with five thousand followers on Twitter it’s difficult to draw a line between the public and private spaces. Which is why we are gathered here today.
Earlier this year the Department of Communications (DoC) hosted a National Information Communications and Technology (ICT) Policy Colloquium under the theme, "Defining a new era in ICTs for all South Africans." We did this as part of our comprehensive Policy Review which seeks to 'redefine' the availability, accessibility and affordability of ICTs. Eight months down the line we are gathered here to discuss the implication of the Future of Privacy and the world in 2020. This is consistent with the objectives of our ICT Policy Review Process, which is anchored on existing legislations such as the Electronic and Communications Transactions (ECT) Act of 2002, which deals with the Protection of Personal Information and Cybercrime.
The Department of Justice, also participating in this seminar has also, recently, tabled before Parliament the Protection of Public Information (POPI) Bill which also has significance on our debates today. The Department of Communications is at the nucleus of the ICT developmental agenda in this country. I’d like to express my appreciation that the Industry acknowledges the importance of working with the department in ensuring that the ICT agenda is driven in a cohesive manner.
Ladies and gentlemen, in 2003 and 2005, we committed private and public sector bodies to protecting the right to privacy, during the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) Declarations that were held in Geneva and Tunis. That process led to a declaration on strengthening the trust framework, including information security and network security, authentication, privacy and consumer protection as a prerequisite for the development of the Information Society and for building confidence among users of ICTs.
The Department of Communications has presented the National Cyber Security Framework before Cabinet. We are in the process of establishing a Cyber security Hub which will provide a Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT). We are presently appointing cyber inspectors as mandated by the ECT Act of 2002. The cyber inspectors will monitor and inspect any website or activities on an information system in the public domain. They will report any unlawful activity to law enforcement or other appropriate authorities. The cyber inspectors will act as support to already existing structures in law enforcement in terms of monitoring cyber-crimes. Members of academia The DoC and the University of Pretoria recently hosted a successful conference on Information Ethics and Social Media.
The conference was the culmination of a research agenda driven through this University, working with the other academic institutions locally and across the continent. The proliferation of mobile technologies has led to an exponential use of social networks.
As government we have been assertive in setting up an African Centre of Excellence on Information Ethics (ACEIE), located here at the University of Pretoria. The Centre coordinates programmes on Information Ethics including conducting applied research on Information Ethics. Amongst the questions to be answered through this kind of research intervention is what are the Ethical Dimensions of information sharing and management?
Distinguished guests, within the same context of the ethical usage, sharing and management of information, government upholds the WSIS call to ensure the role of ICTs in the protection of children and in enhancing the development of children. It is our responsibility to protect children from abuse and defend their rights in the use of ICTs. In that context, we re-emphasize that the best interests of the child are a primary consideration.
Dr Hamadoun Toure, Secretary General of the International Telecommunications Union, made the following observations: “As children and teenagers venture into the wide-open world of cyberspace - surfing the net, drinking in the encyclopaedic breadth of content, accessing video libraries, entering chat rooms and building social networks – they are exposed to some of the worst predators and criminals from around the world.” I agree with Dr. Toure, and I am sure we all agree. Now it is thought leaders like yourselves in gatherings of this nature who are to say what can be done to protect them; even as we allow them to develop into innovative, creative and critical thinkers of the next generation!
The Department of Communications has formulated a draft Cybersecurity Awareness Strategy in conjunction with relevant stakeholders. The aim of the Cybersecurity Awareness Strategy is to sensitise and educate the South African population of the dangers that are lurking in cyberspace; these include threats such as identity theft, fraud, stalking, online child pornography and bullying. Fellow participants, I am pleased to know that the Film and Publication Board is also a partner in our initiatives to protect our children. CEO of the Film and Publication Board, I know you have been working with my department, together with the Department of Social Development in programmes such as the Child Online Protection Programme.
The programme facilitates campaigns which focus mainly on the use of mobile technology by children and access to internet via computers as these are the two main platforms where children are exposed to harmful content. Together, let us then ensure that our interventions will catapult the children of South Africa into a citizenry of 'techno-savvys', who uphold good values and morals.
Ladies and gentlemen, Government passed the Regulation of Interception of Communication or RICA Act. I’m sure you all remember having to verify your cellphone numbers as a result of the passing of this legislation. The Act regulates the interception of certain communications, the monitoring of certain signals and radio frequency spectrums and the provision of certain communication-related information; as well as the protecting the public from the interception of communications and the provision of communication-related information under certain circumstances. Although there are no formal reports on the impact of RICA, this bold intervention has redefined the way of doing business and of greater importance it has enabled better crime intelligence and plays a role in fighting crime. With all that policy perspective outlined, I wish to challenge the seminar by throwing in the following questions as you continue with your deliberations:
- Do we have adequate legislation on Privacy?
- What are the key challenges within the personal data ecosystem and how do we address them?
- What are the Cross-regional differences on the matters of privacy of the user information and ethics of using that information?
- Who is in a unique position to implement the new models? Professor Crew, as an academic, I hope these questions will spark some research debate for your students. To Mike the Futurist, maybe you have answers to some of the questions already! My Fellow participants,
Maybe you will be able to tell me why Google seems to know what I’m thinking even before I’ve finished typing it? Or how Facebook is able to display advertisements that match my interests? Or how Apple is able to track my iPhone to my exact location? These questions are just the tip of the privacy iceberg and only address the concerns we know about. I am sure that there are many “unknown unkowns” that we still need to discover and prepare for.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Allow me to take this time to once again acknowledge and appreciate our partners in industry and academia for their good work and collaboration.
This seminar has implications on a number of government priorities mentioned earlier, and will influence the work of a number of Ministries, such as Justice, and the South Africa Police Services. One of the questions I posed is, "who is in a unique position to implement the model?” I want to commend the Vodacom Group for being the thought leader on this subject matter and would like to invite other operators and the entire industry to join hands with us in finding solutions to these questions.
Today’s seminar is one of the many initiatives on which government is collaborating with various role-players in the ICT sector, to overcome the hurdles we face. It bodes well for the industry and the future of South Africa as we prepare to for the world in 2020.
Thank you!
