The rise of electronic commerce transactions in South Africa: legal issues pertaining to privacy.

Abstract

The internet in South Africa provides significant benefits to users involved in electronic commerce. Manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and consumers enjoy the great convenience of doing business online. While electronic commerce transactions have great benefits, they also come with great risks and ultimately disadvantages. The increase in e-commerce in South Africa is proportional to the increase in privacy concerns, thus the legislature has passed legislation to deal with these informational security issues. Is the legislation addressing privacy concerns in e-commerce sufficient in dealing with these privacy concerns? What are the legal consequences of doing business online in relation to informational privacy?