National
Cyberbullies could face jail time─── 06:58 Sun, 22 Jan 2017
Cape Town - New messaging rules could see you facing a hefty amount of jail time and/or a fine – even if your message is private.
BusinessTech reports that The Cyber Crime and Cyber Security Bill, which will be entered into parliamentary discussion in the coming weeks, was introduced to bring South Africa in line with other countries’ cyber laws.
While the majority of the Bill focuses on criminalising the theft and interference of data, it has also introduced new laws surrounding any ‘malicious’ electronic communication.
A message could result in jail time of up to three years and/or a fine if:
- It incites the causing of any damage to any property belonging to, or violence against, a person or a group of persons;
- It intimidates, encourages or harasses a person to harm himself or herself or any other person;
- It is inherently false in nature and it is aimed at causing mental, psychological, physical or economic harm to a specific person or a group of persons;
- It is intimate in nature (aka nudity), and is distributed without the consent of the person involved.
- BusinessTech
