South African Tech Regulators Team Up To Enhance Digital Regulation

Key South Africa tech regulators have formed a forum to increase collaboration in the sector. These tech regulators are four in number.

The forum is called the Information, Communication Technologies, and Media Regulators Forum and comprises four state bodies.

These are the Information Regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa), the Film and Publications Board (FPB), and the.ZA Domain Name Authority (Zadna).

South African Tech Regulators To Improve Digital Regulations

Its primary aim is to streamline regulation across these sectors by improving cooperation, reducing duplication of efforts, and addressing the challenges posed by the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Icasa CEO Tshiamo Maluleka-Disemelo was appointed as the forum’s chairperson.

While the forum currently only consists of four members, the forum plans to extend invitations to other South African regulators.

Note that the forum launch comes as concerns grow about the fragmented nature of ICT regulation in South Africa, which has long struggled with regulatory overlap and coordination issues.

Icasa’s Dr. Charley Lewis told SABC, “The South African Tech Regulators: bodies and entities must come together, work together, share information, undertake joint research, and ensure alignment between the one another.” 

The forum’s key objectives include fostering synergy between the entities, addressing regulatory redundancies, and ensuring a more efficient, responsive framework for managing ICT and media regulations. 

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All members emphasize the need to stay abreast of changes in the evolving ICT sector to create a streamlined regulatory environment.

“I think the most important issue is to get clarity on where one body begins and where it ends and communicate that to the public,” said Media Monitoring Africa director William Bird.

“South African Tech Regulators will start looking at the major challenges we have. Cybercrime is a huge big, child sexual abuse material and online harms are another. Then there is also the problem of sustainable public broadcasting and spectrum issues.”

Earlier initiatives by the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) had aimed to create a single “super-regulator” to oversee ICT regulation, but these efforts failed to materialize.

However, the launch of this new forum marks a significant step forward in consolidating the regulatory efforts. 

In a joint statement, the participating bodies noted that the forum will help ensure that South Africa remains at the forefront of digital regulation, capable of navigating the complexities of the modern digital age. 

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