Re: [FreeDNS] fw: Govt, Namespace find compromise on .za

[Matthew Ogden <freedns@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

FROM NEWS24:
Interesting last few lines that may worry some.
BUMPY RIDE SEEN FOR NEW NET LAWS 
05/06/2002 

Parliament will vote this week on a bill intended mainly to
recognise internet business transactions, including
controversial provisions on the security of private data. 
DA spokesman on communications, Dene Smuts, said she
expected the bill to be challenged in the Constitutional
Court on the grounds that it violates constitutional
guarantees of privacy and free trade.  The Electronic
Communications and Transactions Bill seeks to establish what
it calls a "national e-strategy" to promote public
confidence in electronic transactions and to ensure legal
recognition of electronic signatures, contracts and trades. 
Nkenke Kekana, chairman of the parliamentary committee on
communications, said the bill would go to the National
Assembly on Friday and should be through all legislative
processes by the end of June.  Kekana said the most
controversial chapter, governing the future administration
of South African domain names, had been replaced at a
meeting of his committee on Monday to take account of
criticisms from opposition parties and industry specialists.
 Smuts said that despite the last-minute improvements on
Monday, parts of the bill remained unacceptably bad.  She
said provisions allowing the government to require the
registration of databases deemed critical under regulations
yet to be framed and to set standards for access to these
databases were in violation of the constitution.  "A
government has no business with a database in the private
sector - full stop. It is complete nonsense," she said.
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