Imraahn Ismail-Mukaddam, national advocacy director of Consumer Fair, has threatened network operators with a boycott if they cooperate with US-style surveillance programme.
A consumer pressure group has fired a warning to telecommunications companies in South Africa that may be under pressure to provide private data to local or foreign governments.
HumanIPO reported yesterday African officials from across the continent had reacted without surprise to the news the United States had been gathering data on its own citizens and those in other countries.
Speaking to HumanIPO today, Imraahn Ismail-Mukaddam, national advocacy director of Consumer Fair, said they would be monitoring the behaviour of government, network operators and internet service providers (ISPs) closely from now on.
Ismail-Mukaddam said: “We want to fire a warning shot to the networks that if they should begin to share information with local or foreign governments we will embark on a massive boycott of their services.”
Asked if he thought a boycott would be feasible in South Africa, when the public reaction in the United States and in the United Kingdom has been mixed concerning the news the respective governments are harvesting their private data, Ismail-Mukaddam added: “I think the United States is quite different in having quite an apathetic consumer community because they buy into the national security argument.
“In South Africa we have a much more progressive activist community because of our history of understanding what surveillance means.”
