CYBER RIGHTS AND PRIVACY IN SOUTH AFRICA Thesis

CYBER RIGHTS AND PRIVACY IN SOUTH AFRICA - Thesis Example This is a privacy violation. Another privacy issue is that of electronic surveillance. Because of 9/11, this has become a hot-button issue. How wiretapping occurs, and what procedures are in place to ensure the privacy rights of all involved, are important concerns all over the world. Within the issue of surveillance is that of employer-employee surveillance, and why this is necessary for employers. This paper seeks to understand the privacy issues in South Africa and the United States, and how the laws and statutes in these countries deal with the issue of cyber privacy and electronic surveillance. Another issue that is a concern of this paper are the possible solutions to the data collection problem, concentrating on the United States as it, unlike South Africa, has refused to take substantial proactive steps in curbing the problem. Cyber privacy and electronic surveillance as paramount issues around the world, as the Internet is responsible for great criminal mischief and breaches of privacy. South Africa has an Act that will go a long way towards curbing these abuses. If this Act is successful, other countries might want to emulate it, including the United States. At any rate, nations must be proactive to address these concerns, and this paper will present a multitude of ways that this can happen. The advent of the Internet has brought lots of promise and convenience. It is difficult to imagine living without it. However, it has also brought lots of headaches and problems. The main problems deal with private information, and the fact that companies obtain this information and share it with other companies. (Bergelson, 2003, p. 387) This is a thorny problem, in that the individuals do not even know that this data is being collected, let alone with whom the data is shared. (Schwartz, 2004, p. 2078). This problem also leads to cyber breaches, in which personal information falls into the hands of criminals. (Sprague & Ciocchetti, 2009, p.