Introduction South Africa has witnessed numerous, significant data breaches.[1] A notable instance was when the servers of one of South Africa’s best known real estate companies was breached and the personal data of 31.6 million persons, including that of the President and the Finance Minister, was put at risk.[2] The information included ID numbers, age,Read more
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Context Democracies across the world are grappling with the twin problems of hate speech and disinformation. The internet, as a common platform for communication, has been weaponised to spread a concoction of untruths, abuse and biases with far-ranging consequences. The European Union is of the view that these phenomena, if left unchecked, have the potentialRead more
Digital identity programs in jurisdictions with weak privacy regulations face the risk of commodification, breach and misuse. This risk is exacerbated when governments link digital identity with citizenship, voting rights, public services, and employment. This piece discusses Kenya’s digital identity program, Huduma Namba. Huduma Namba Kenya’s Huduma Namba, meaning service number in Swahili, is aRead more
Cryptocurrencies, or digital currencies secured using encryption techniques, have seized the imagination of a motley crew of anti-capitalists, financial experts and computer scientists. At the same time, cryptocurrencies operate outside the purview of central banks and have created a regulatory conundrum for governments. Regulation of this digital currency in Africa has been varied, with someRead more