President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Cybercrimes Act into law on Tuesday, introducing new laws that criminalise the sending of certain types of harmful messages on social media in South Africa.
Penalties for sending such messages include imprisonment for up to three years and/or a fine.
The Cybercrimes Act defines three types of harmful messages that have been criminalised in South Africa. They are messages which:
* Incite damage to property or violence.
* Threaten people with damage to property or violence.
* Unlawfully contain an intimate image.
The news headline is incorrect as it does not only apply to WhatsApp but to any social media. Actually it is not restricted to only social networks, but refers to any electronic communication network. The actual transgressions are not really new as the first two types are anyway transgressing the Constitution, and the third one is just more specifically classifying this Constitutional violation for easier prosecution.
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Three types of WhatsApp messages can now land you in jail in South Africa#
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socialmediaPresident Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Cybercrimes Act into law on Tuesday, which has made it a criminal offence to circulate certain types of harmful messages on social media.
