CML4510F CYBERLAW

Final Level, half course, first semester, two lectures per week.

9 NQF credits at NQF level 8

Convener: Associate Professor T Schönwetter 

Course entry requirements: All Preliminary and Intermediate Level courses to have been completed.

Course outline: Given the ubiquitous nature of digital technologies, and the complex legal issues that these technologies raise, it is imperative that the next generation of legal practitioners and scholars is properly prepared for these new realities. This course affects numerous areas of law and addresses the key legal issues related to digital technologies, including: electronic contracting, electronic evidence, cybercrime, data protection, consumer protection online, e-commerce & tax, electronic communications, IP in the digital realm, the liability of internet service providers, and the right to freedom of expression online. While emphasis is on South African law, the multi-jurisdictional dimension of the Internet digital technologies, especially the internet, requires that some attention is paid to other jurisdictions. One important element of this course is to identify and examine issues that are of particular relevance for South Africans, such as mobile technology for accessing the Internet and the use of domestic digital services (such ‘mobile money’); access to information; the digital divide between those who have access to digital technology and those who don’t; and developments in the area of cyberlaw in other African countries. The course includes some computer skills instructions for technology tools that are available to lawyers and legal researchers.

DP requirements: None

Assessment: Coursework 20%, Examination 80%.