Intrusive Measures Employed by the SA Intelligence Service are Violating the Right to Privacy

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) argues that South African intelligence services are violating the right to privacy through the use of unlegislated intrusive measures. It criticizes the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill (GILAB) for failing to address these violations or incorporate recommendations from the Ministerial Review Commission on Intelligence.

• South African intelligence services employ intrusive measures that are not legislated and are therefore considered unconstitutional. These measures include electronic and physical surveillance, the recruitment of informants, the infiltration of organisations, and the interception of communication, including 'incidental information'. These capabilities allow services to monitor telephonic conversations, e-mails, Skype calls, and Facebook, both locally and abroad.
• The General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill (GILAB), introduced in November 2011 by the Minister of State Security, aims to consolidate and amalgamate state security agency structures but fails to adequately balance national security with the right to privacy. The Bill is noted for ignoring the recommendations of the Ministerial Review Commission on Intelligence, which had previously highlighted the use of unlegislated intrusive measures.
• The use of intrusive intelligence methods poses a risk to democratic civil liberties beyond the right to privacy, potentially violating freedom of expression, association, political participation, and dignity. The briefing notes that modern technology allows for the routine digital capture of daily activities and transactions, often without the individual's knowledge, and that databases are increasingly used to search for patterns of wrongdoing among law-abiding citizens.

APA

Mukadam, S., & Meyer, T. (n.d.). Intrusive Measures Employed by the SA Intelligence Service are Violating the Right to Privacy. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/intrusive-measures-employed-by-the-sa-intelligence-service-are-violating-the-right-to-privacy

Chicago

Mukadam, Shireen, and Tamlynne Meyer. Intrusive Measures Employed by the SA Intelligence Service are Violating the Right to Privacy. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/intrusive-measures-employed-by-the-sa-intelligence-service-are-violating-the-right-to-privacy.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mukadam |first1=Shireen |last2=Meyer |first2=Tamlynne |title=Intrusive Measures Employed by the SA Intelligence Service are Violating the Right to Privacy |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/intrusive-measures-employed-by-the-sa-intelligence-service-are-violating-the-right-to-privacy |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mukadamndintrusive, author = {Mukadam, Shireen and Meyer, Tamlynne}, title = {{Intrusive Measures Employed by the SA Intelligence Service are Violating the Right to Privacy}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/intrusive-measures-employed-by-the-sa-intelligence-service-are-violating-the-right-to-privacy}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }