(1) In June 2014, the Executive Council of the African Union adopted the Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (“the AU Convention”). The Convention will enter into force upon ratification by at least 15 AU member states. The AU Convention contains provisions pertaining to e-commerce, personal data protection, and cyber security. (2) Article 9(2)(b) relates to intermediary liability in personal data processing: “the Convention shall not be applicable to Temporary copies produced within the context of technical activities for transmission and access to a digital network with a view to automatic, intermediate and temporary storage of data and for the sole purpose of offering other beneficiaries of the service the best possible access to the information so transmitted.” (3) The Convention does not...
Nicolo Zingales (Association for Progressive Communications)
The role of intermediaries in global networked communication is ubiquitous. All producers of content on the internet have to rely on the action of some third party–the so called intermediary–in order to reach their recipients. Such action of intermediation ranges from the mere provision of connectivity, to more advanced services such as a specific type of communication tool or platform. For example, email and blogging space, or the indexing of the content through a search engine, or a human compiled index or directory (also known, collectively, as information location tools). Because of the substantial impact that the products and services offered by companies or organisations can have on the unfolding of internet communications, they find themselves potentially at legal risk for the communication and distribution of...
African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR), http://www.african-court.org/ African Declaration for Internet Rights and Freedoms, http://africaninternetrights.org See Section 9. Intermediary Liability African Union, http://www.au.int/en African Union, Cyberlegislation, http://au.int/en/cyberlegislation
The HIPCAR Project resulted in ‘Regional Model Policies and Regulations’. For most Caribbean States with recent legislation, the Electronic Transactions Act (and hence Intermediary Liability) generally resembles this model legislation. The provisions on Intermediary Liability are contained in PART IV (SS26-28) of the model legislative text on Electronic Transactions. In general, intermediary liability provisions are based on the mere conduit principle.
In 2009, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) funded the HIPCAR Project (Enhancing competitiveness in the Caribbean through the harmonization of ICT Policies, Legislation and Regulatory Procedures). The beneficiary countries were the States of CARICOM (the Caribbean Community). This project included an assessment of each beneficiary country’s ICT legislation, including Electronic Transactions, within which the issue of Intermediary Liability was included. The project also resulted in ‘Regional Model Policies and Regulations’.
Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the roles and responsibilities of internet intermediaries
The recommendation is divided in two items aimed at the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the digital environment. While the first item deals with the "Obligations of States", the second item is focused on the "Responsibilities of Internet Intermediaries". 1) Obligations of States The Obligations of States chapter is focused on the aspects of legality, legal certainty and transparency, the establishment of adequate safeguards for freedom of expression and for privacy and data protection. Each of these points is summarized below. Legality - any request or action should be prescribed by law, exercised within the limits conferred by law and constitute a necessary and proportionate measure in a democratic society. States should not exert any kind of pressure through non-legal means Legal...