Piracy threatens jobs and cybersecurity, warn experts at Digital Safety Workshop
Delegates agreed that piracy has become more than a copyright issue; it is now a national security concern that requires urgent legislative reform and coordinated action.
The Anti-Piracy Coalition (APC) gathered industry and government leaders in Illovo on September 23 for a workshop that linked online piracy not only to lost revenue for South Africa’s creative industries but also to rising cyber threats that affect the broader economy.
The Digital Safety Workshop, hosted at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, stressed that pirate websites were no longer just hubs for illegal music and film downloads.
Increasingly, they were being used to spread malware, steal personal data, and compromise networks used by businesses and public institutions.
Read more: Anti-Piracy Coalition workshop tackles cyber threats at Illovo
Lerato Mpila of the APC said, “Digital piracy is not a victimless crime. It undermines South African artists, costs local jobs, and exposes ordinary people to identity theft and malware. Securing our creative economy also means securing the country’s digital future.”
Speakers argued that tackling piracy could relieve pressure on internet infrastructure, improve online safety for users, and create space for South Africa’s creative industries to grow.
Legal expert Stephen Hollis added a regional perspective, pointing to reforms in Nigeria and Kenya that introduced site-blocking measures to limit access to pirate websites.
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“Nigeria, for example, has a massive creative industry but faces constant losses to piracy. Their recent copyright reforms show how governments can empower rights holders by compelling internet service providers to act. South Africa now has to think seriously about evolving its laws if it wants to protect its economy and compete globally.”
Hollis cautioned that South Africa’s existing laws, including the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, provide some tools for taking down infringing content but fall short of addressing the scale of online piracy.
Without updated legislation, he said, pirate operators based outside the country would continue targeting South African consumers with little risk of enforcement.
The event closed with calls for closer cooperation between government, regulators, internet service providers, and rights holders.
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