Futures of Digital Rights in SADC: Towards a Common Approach to Digital Protection and Data Justice

The paper examines the tension between SADC's economic-driven digital agenda and the protection of fundamental human rights. It identifies systemic threats including state-sanctioned internet shutdowns, surveillance, and algorithmic bias, while analyzing the influence of digital geopolitics involving the US, China, and the EU. The authors advocate for the recognition of the 'right to Internet access' and the adoption of 'data justice' frameworks to ensure an inclusive digital future by 2035.

• SADC's digital development agenda is primarily driven by economic goals rather than a human-rights-based approach, leading to violations of privacy, freedom of expression, and access to information.
• Many SADC member states do not legally recognize the right to internet access as a standalone right, despite its role as the 'lifeblood' for exercising other digital and human rights.
• Digital surveillance is a significant threat to privacy in the region, with countries like Angola, Botswana, the DRC, Malawi, and Zambia being strong consumers of surveillance technology, often lacking transparent regulatory frameworks.
• The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the proposed African digital single market (DSM) create new risks for digital rights, particularly for LGBTQIA+ communities and in countries lacking domestic data protection laws.
• Digital geopolitics involves a competition between the US, China, and the EU, each offering different governance frameworks; China focuses on infrastructure via the Digital Silk Road, the US on an open digital ecosystem via the DTA, and the EU on a human-rights-centered approach inspired by the GDPR.
• The emergence of AI in SADC presents risks including algorithmic bias, the potential for deepfake-driven misinformation, and the extraction of African data without adequate protection frameworks.
• The concept of 'data justice' is proposed to ensure that digital data production and use are free from structural inequalities or bias, promoting fairness and inclusion.

APA

MUSONI, M., MZINYATI, L., & CLOETE, D. (2024). Futures of Digital Rights in SADC: Towards a Common Approach to Digital Protection and Data Justice. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SAIIA_OP_358_FutureDigitalRights.pdf

Chicago

MUSONI, MELODY, LITHA MZINYATI, and DEON CLOETE. Futures of Digital Rights in SADC: Towards a Common Approach to Digital Protection and Data Justice. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2024. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SAIIA_OP_358_FutureDigitalRights.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=MUSONI |first1=MELODY |last2=MZINYATI |first2=LITHA |last3=CLOETE |first3=DEON |title=Futures of Digital Rights in SADC: Towards a Common Approach to Digital Protection and Data Justice |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=August 2024 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SAIIA_OP_358_FutureDigitalRights.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{musoni2024futures, author = {MUSONI, MELODY and MZINYATI, LITHA and CLOETE, DEON}, title = {{Futures of Digital Rights in SADC: Towards a Common Approach to Digital Protection and Data Justice}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2024}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SAIIA_OP_358_FutureDigitalRights.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }