CyberBRICS

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South Africa

Dynamic Spectrum Sharing: Unlocking Connectivity and Innovation in South Africa’s Telecommunications Landscape

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Article by CyberBRICS Fellow Dr Senka Hadzic South Africa’s telecommunications sector has transitioned from a state-owned monopoly to a more competitive environment over the past 25 years, with mobile communications and broadband access playing a crucial role in the country’s socioeconomic development. While broadband infrastructure has improved over the years, there are still challenges in … Read more

Smart communities make smart cities

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By Senka Hadzic The promotion of smart cities is generally shaped by a technological lens that focuses on digital innovation and data. Yet, technological solutions to complex socio-economic problems do not necessarily foster inclusivity, especially in urban spaces in the Global South. In fact, a report by the OECD released last year argues that poorly planned smart … Read more

Cybersecurity Convergence in the BRICS Countries

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By Luca Belli The thirteenth BRICS Summit took place on 9 September 2021 and cybersecurity featured prominently amongst the priorities identified by BRICS leaders.  The BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – are explicitly advocating for enhanced cooperation on cybersecurity issues, both at the international and intra-BRICS level. The facility with which cooperation … Read more

Legal Intersections between the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and the Cyber Crimes Act 19 of 2020

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By Sizwe Snail The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) describes new ways in which we introduce and use technology into our societies (e.g. the use of cyber systems, artificial intelligence (AI) and nanotechnology). The increased internet activity on social networks, e-governance and commercial services, and the Internet of Things (IOT) has amplified the vulnerability of both … Read more

Innovation entanglement at three South African tech hubs

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By Lucienne Abrahams Abstract This study explores innovation modalities at three South African tech hubs: Bandwidth Barn Khayelitsha and Workshop 17 in Cape Town, and the Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct in Johannesburg. The study finds that tech start-ups’ ability to scale is generally enhanced by their participation in the hubs. Furthermore, it is found that … Read more

Report of the Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution

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Report of the Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Published by The Presidency, Republic of South Africa Foreword We are extremely proud of the tremendous strides South Africa has made over the past twenty-five years in the post-apartheid era. We have overcome many challenges through the enduring and innovative South African spirit. Now, we are facing a global phenomenon known as the Fourth Industrial … Read more

South African use of technology during COVID-19

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By Varsha Sewlal Introduction The scale of the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need to act expediently to contain the spread of the virus. Most governments have resorted to utilising technology driven solutions such as location tools on android and smart phones, cell phone tower signals, global position systems, Wi-Fi signals and Bluetooth technology. Contact … Read more

Innovative spectrum approaches for Internet Openness in South Africa

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By Dr Senka Hadzic, Pablo Aguera e Dr Alison Gillwald South Africa’s failure to release high demand spectrum for over a decade has been cited by operators and analysts not only as a factor contributing to the high cost of mobile data in the country, as operators deploy 4G services in suboptimal bands, but also as a … Read more

4IR in South Africa is too important to remain the domain of the elite

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By Alison Gillwald The digital inequality paradox is arguably the biggest policy challenge for SA, and, as yet, it is not addressed through the discourse of 4IR Since Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) announcement in 2016 of the impending Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in his book of the same title, SA has … Read more

Download the exclusive preview of “CyberBRICS: Mapping Cybersecurity frameworks in the BRICS”

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CyberBRICS: Mapping cybersecurity frameworks in the BRICS Book

CyberBRICS: Mapping Cybersecuity Frameworks in the BRICS This book stems from the CyberBRICS project, which is the first initiative to develop a comparative analysis of the digital policies developed by BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries. BRICS have been chosen as a focus not only because their digital policies are affecting more … Read more

4IR in SA is too important to remain the domain of the elite

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By Alison Gillwald (PhD), Executive Director, Research ICT Africa, CyberBRICS Board Member & Adjunct Professor at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance This opinion piece was first published on on Business Day Live on the 4th of July 2019. Since Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum’s announcement in 2016 of the impending Fourth Industrial … Read more

In South Africa, Privacy and POPI are stress-tested by CCTV and elections

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In South Africa, Privacy and POPI are stress-tested by CCTV and elections

By Sagwadi Mabunda, Frej Thorgren & Jonatan Jakobsson As the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) celebrates its first anniversary, it is fitting to consider some issues concerning data protection and privacy. This post will consider privacy in the context of the South African Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPI) and the issues … Read more

Seminar CyberBRICS: Cybersecurity, data protection and the digital future of the BRICS

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Seminar CyberBRICS

The Rio de Janeiro Law School of Fundação Getulio Vargas (DIREITO RIO) will host the Seminar CyberBRICS: Cybersecurity, data protection and the digital future of the BRICS. The event aims to provide answers to the challenges related to personal data regulation and cybersecurity governance by providing valuable insights into BRICS digital policies that can be … Read more

Information rights in a data age: insights from the International Conference of Information Commissioners #ICIC2019

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By Anri van der Spuy & Alison Gillwald On the plane back from the recent International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC), an inflight magazine proudly presents an advertisement for the African Union’s common, electronic, biometric passport. While the passport is reportedly being developed to ‘facilitate free movement of persons across Africa’,[i] the advert neglects to … Read more