The Film and Publication Board (FPB) of South Africa is cracking down on harmful content shared online, with 12 arrests made for the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and harmful material in the 2024/25 financial year.
In a recent briefing to Parliament’s Select Committee on Economic Development, the content regulation watchdog outlined the prevalence of harmful and prohibited content accessible on online platforms and via social media.
FPB acting CEO Ephraim Tlhako explained during the briefing that the board had received 21 cases of online CSAM, which were taken for expert analysis in the 2024/25 FY.
According to Tlhako, 218 582 online images and videos were analysed, and 18 945 were confirmed as harmful cases.
In addition, the FPB received and investigated 34 public complaints. These included CSAM, sextortion (threat of distribution of private sexual videos), online cyber bullying and harassment, impersonation, bestiality and non-consensual sharing of intimate images (also known as revenge porn).
In an e-mail interview with ITWeb,Tlhako said: “Raid operations were conducted with the assistance of the law enforcement agencies, and 12 arrests were made and cases opened against the arrested people, with one warning issued.
“The remaining cases are still undergoing investigations with the South African Police Service. We have a dedicated team of online monitors who actively browse social media platforms and the internet to identify potential non-compliance with the Films and Publications Act.
“This includes monitoring posts, news articles, trends and comments. In addition, the FPB utilises a social media listening system that automatically gathers data on potentially non-compliant content, enabling the FPB to investigate further where necessary.”
Three matters pertaining to the distribution of harmful material were referred to the FPB’s enforcement committee. Two were dismissed and the third was settled out of the enforcement committee, he added.
The Films and Publications Act 65 of 1996 makes the exploitation of children in pornographic material illegal in SA. This includes the creation, possession and distribution of such child sexual abuse material.
Tlhako noted that harmful content is described as that which causes emotional, psychological or normal distress to a person, through any online or offline medium, including through the internet.
Prohibited content is described as that which amounts to propaganda for war, incitement of imminent violence, or advocacy of hatred that is based on identifiable group characteristics.
With the development and expansion of digital technologies, the crime of online child exploitation and abuse has grown exponentially, becoming the most insidious form of global, modern and borderless cyber crime, according to the FPB.
Women have increasingly become victims of these cyber crimes, as demonstrated in the FPB’s annual trends report. Similarly, there is a visible increase in the peer-to-peer sharing of non-consensual intimate images.
To strengthen its global efforts in combating the creation and distribution of online CSAM, the FPB is a member of the International Association of Internet Hotlines, an international network of 55hotlines across 51 countries that collaborate to report such material.
“This initiative highlights our proactive stance in international CSAM reporting and our commitment to working within a global network to protect children from online exploitation. We also collaborate with digital platform owners to swiftly address and remove prohibited content, including CSAM and other harmful materials.”
Discussing the various forms of punishment for transgressors, Tlhako refers to the Films and Publications Act − South African legislation that regulates the classification of films, games and certain publications.
“The forms of punishment to be given to those who are found guilty by the enforcement committee, where appropriate, include imposing a fine in line with the Films and Publications Act, suspension of registration certificate and the referral of a matter to the National Director of Public Prosecutions for prosecution – in such a case, the enforcement committee shall not make a finding.
“Any person who is found guilty of contravening any provisions in the Act shall be liable, upon conviction, to a fine of up to R300 000 and/or imprisonment of up to four years,” concluded Tlhako.
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