scholarly journals Network analysis of Dark Web traffic through the Geo-Location of South African Internet protocol address space

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Gokhale Craig
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Internet Protocol ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Web Traffic ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Electronic Communications ◽  
Specific Content ◽  
Tor Network ◽  
Dark Web

This research was supported financially by the BankSeta, the Council on Scientific and Industrial Research and the National Research Foundation with the aim to log The Onion Router (TOR) traffic usage in South Africa. The recent public disclosure of mass surveillance of electronic communications, involving senior government authorities, has drawn the public attention to issues regarding Internet security privacy. For almost a decade, there has been several research efforts towards designing and deploying open source, trustworthy and reliable electronic systems that ensure anonymity and privacy of users. These systems operate by concealing the true network identity of the communicating parties against eavesdropping adversaries of which TOR is an example of such a system. Clients that use the TOR network construct circuits (paths) which are utilised to route multiple network streams. A circuit is considered secure if there is one non-malicious router in the circuit. Such systems have served as anti-censorship and anti-surveillance tools. The implementation of TOR allows an individual to access the Dark Web, an area of the Internet that is said to be of a much larger magnitude than the Surface Web. The Dark Web which has earned a reputation as a sort of immense black market, associated with terrorist groups, child pornography, human trafficking, sale of drugs, conspiracies and hacking research, has received significant national and international press coverage. However, to date little or no research has been conducted on the illicit usage of the Dark Web and no research has been conducted in the use or misuse of the Dark Web in South Africa. There has not been any study which characterises the usage of a real deployed anonymity service. Observations obtained are presented by participating in the TOR network and the primary goal of this study is to elicit Dark Web traffic by South Africans. Past researchers undertook Dark Web crawling focusing only on specific web content such as explicitly focusing on child exploitation and terrorist activity. The experiment design of this study further builds on experiments conducted in previous studies. The deanonymisation methodology utilised in this study will allow for the detection of exit routing traffic and the logging of all Dark Web traffics areas omitted from the previous studies. This study does not confine the declassification of onion addresses to specific content types and aims to log all exit routing traffics, undertake a comprehensive declassification of websites visited by clients and obtain the Internet Protocol Addresses (IP) of these clients. The analysis of the sample results reveals that in the South African context, Dark Web traffic is mainly directed to social media websites. There are however causes for concerns as there are illicit activities occurring that include the sale of drugs, visiting of child pornographic websites, and the sale of weapons. Finally, the study presents evidence that exit routing traffic by the TOR node is limited to a large number of different countries some of which have serious Internet censorship laws.

Teacher Use of iPads in the Classroom of a South African Public School

2019 ◽  
pp. 251-276
Author(s):  
Vuyo P. C. Lupondwana ◽  
Emma Coleman
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Technical Support ◽  
Independent Learning ◽  
Specific Content ◽  
Subject Specific ◽  
Multi Media ◽  
Teacher Use ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Developed World

This chapter argues that when implementing technologies such as iPads in developing country educational contexts, there are different factors to consider than when implementing in the developed world. It is important to consider these to reap benefits that improve the inclusivity of education for all. The chapter examines teacher use of iPads in the classroom of a township school in South Africa and the benefits and challenges experienced by teachers in using the devices. Qualitative data were collected through interviews with teachers. The findings of the study indicated that overall the effect of iPad use by the teachers was positive. The use of iPads resulted in the teachers having access to quality multi-media and educational apps to teach their subjects which led to learners' increased class involvement and independent learning. The study revealed that effective use of iPads requires teachers that are adequately trained to use the iPad in relation to subject specific content, a reliable wireless connection, technical support, and mitigation of learners' distractions.

scholarly journals An Analysis of the Regulatory Environment Governing Hearsay Electronic Evidence in South Africa: Suggestions for Reform – Part One

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Lee Swales
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Law Reform ◽  
Regulatory Environment ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Discussion Paper ◽  
Electronic Evidence ◽  
The Law ◽  
Hearsay Rule ◽  
Law Of Evidence

The purpose of this two-part article is to examine the regulatory environment governing hearsay electronic evidence – with a view to providing clear, practical suggestions for regulatory reform in the context of the South African Law Reform Commission's most recent Discussion Paper on electronic evidence. Technology has become an indispensable part of modern life.  In particular, the internet has facilitated new forms of business enterprise, and shifted basic communication norms.  From a legal perspective, technology has presented several novel challenges for courts and practitioners to deal with – one of these key challenges relates to electronic evidence, and in particular, the application of the hearsay rule to the digital environment. The South African Law Reform Commission has identified the application of the hearsay rule as one of the core concerns with regard to electronic evidence and certain academic analysis has revealed inefficiency with the current legal position which may involve multiple sources of law. Moreover, the Law Society of South Africa has stated that there is some confusion amongst members of the profession in relation to hearsay as it applies to electronic evidence. With the pervasive and burgeoning nature of technology and the internet in mind, it is natural to assume that electronic evidence will be relevant in most forms of legal proceedings in the future, and hearsay electronic evidence in particular will play an increasingly important role in years to come. Consequently, this two-part article will seek to summarise and comment on the proposed anomaly with regard to the key definition insofar as electronic evidence is concerned – data messages – and discuss how the proposed version of the Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity Bill (B6-2017), read together with Electronic Communications and Transactions Act No. 25 of 2002 (ECT Act) will leave South Africa with conflicting definitions of this term.  Further, this article will analyse whether electronic evidence (data messages) can constitute hearsay within the meaning of section 3 of the Law of Evidence Amendment Act 45 of 1988; examine whether section 15 of the ECT Act should liberate electronic evidence from hearsay considerations; consider how real electronic evidence should be treated (as opposed to documentary hearsay evidence); consider the interaction of the statutory exceptions to the hearsay rule in the context of electronic evidence; analyse several analogous foreign jurisdictions – and consider how these jurisdictions treat hearsay electronic evidence; and finally, to conclude with several suggestions for law reform in the context of the SA Law Reform Commission Discussion Paper 131 Review of the Law of Evidence (2014).  

scholarly journals TO REGULATE OR TO OVERREGULATE? INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER LIABILITY: THE INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVE BODY IN TERMS OF THE ECT ACT AND REGULATIONS

Obiter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frans E Marx ◽  
Neil O’Brien
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Code Of Conduct ◽  
Limited Liability ◽  
The Internet ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Electronic Communications ◽  
Internet Service ◽  
Industry Representative

The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 provides for the limitation of liability of Internet service providers against actions based on unlawful content placed on their websites. The legislature’s approach is to emphasize self-regulation of the Internet by providing in section 72 of the Act that only those service providers which belong to an Industry Representative Body (IRB), recognized by the Minister of Communications, will qualify for the protection accorded by the ECT Act. Such an IRB must then, through its Code of Conduct, regulate service providers belonging to it. This article evaluates the prerequisite of an IRB and investigates theguidelines for recognition of IRBs by the minister. The South African position is then compared with that in the European Union. The need for the existence of IRBs is questioned and the guidelines are criticized. It is argued that both the threshold requirements and IRB recognition requirements are unnecessary in the context of limited liability. It is submitted that these barriers to limited liability are needless and can possibly hamper the industry as a whole.

The Internet as a Fundraising Tool for Marginal Communities in South Africa

2006 ◽  
pp. 258-277
Author(s):  
Fazila Farouk ◽  
David Barnard
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
South African ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
The Internet ◽  
The South ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Online Platform ◽  
Ict Policy

This chapter discusses the challenges facing social justice organisations working in the South African non-profit sector in their attempts to harness new technologies to promote their causes as well as their sustainability. The chapter uses online fundraising as a medium to elaborate on the difficulties that social justice organisations face engaging with an online audience that is racially skewed and not close to its issues. It goes into length discussing the limitations of a sector that is further hamstrung by a lack of appreciation for the online platform and which is not being driven into adopting ICT solutions due to the sluggish transformation of the ICT policy landscape.

Examining the Extent of Internet Access in Public Libraries in South Africa

Mousaion ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesiba Stephen Ledwaba ◽  
Tinashe Mugwisi ◽  
Glenrose V. Jiyane
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Service Provider ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Information Access ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Internet Service Provider ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Internet Service

The provision of free internet access to users, anchors public libraries as the beacon to be heavily relied on for information access. This article reports on a study undertaken to determine the extent of internet access in South African public libraries. The paper was guided by research questions on the level of internet connectivity in South African public libraries and the challenges experienced in providing internet access to public libraries in South Africa. The study employed a survey design in which a questionnaire was used to collect data from 322 respondents, while interviews were used to collect data from nine participants. The study used the non-probability purposive sampling technique to select heads of provincial public libraries (directors) and further used stratified, probability proportional to size, and systematic techniques to select heads of public libraries. No sampling was done on the nine heads (directors) of provincial public libraries, as the nature of this population did not warrant further dissection due to its small size. The study achieved a response rate of 63% which was adequate to proceed with the analysis. It emerged that 97% of public libraries were connected to the internet, 80% of them were connected to the internet through fixed lines, and that each of the nine provinces had its own internet service provider. The study recommended, among others, that fixed lines for internet access be laid to all public libraries in South Africa, and that a government agency be used as a dedicated internet service provider for public libraries across all nine provinces.

ISALLIS: from Termatrex to Internet

2002 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-67
Author(s):  
Marlene Burger
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Information Science ◽  
African Literature ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Joint Research ◽  
Joint Research Project ◽  
South African Literature ◽  
Available Technology

The article discusses the development of the Index to South African Literature on Library and Information Science, which is the result of a joint research project (1974-80) between the Department of Information Science (University of South Africa) and the Unisa Library. Reflecting the evolution of the available technology, the index that began using optical incidence cards (Termatrex) is currently available on a regularly updated CDROM database and will soon be available on the Internet.

Exploring and analyzing the dark Web: A new alchemy

First Monday ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Faizan ◽  
Raees Ahmad Khan
Keyword(s):  
Child Pornography ◽  
Free Expression ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Illegal Drugs ◽  
Large Share ◽  
Custom Made ◽  
Tor Network ◽  
Surface Web ◽  
Dark Web

The Tor network is an encrypted network that allows anonymous access to the Internet for its users. The Tor network also hosts hidden services which constitute the infamous dark Web. These hidden services are used to carry out activities that are otherwise illegal and unethical on the surface Web. These activities include distribution of child pornography, access to illegal drugs, and the sale of weapons. While Tor hidden services provide a platform for uncensored ventures and a free expression of thoughts, they are outnumbered by grey activities taking place. In this paper, we have collected the addresses of about 25,742 hidden services and analyze the data for 6,227 available services with the help of custom-made crawler in Python. We analyzed the dataset and manually classify the data into 31 different categories to identify the nature of content available on the dark Web. The results indicate that a large share of hidden services provide illegal content along with a large number of scam sites. Non-English content was also studied and categorized. Russian was the leading language of the dark Web after English and hidden services having forums and blogs were predominantly present over other content.

scholarly journals An Overview of Statutes Relating to Civil Procedure in South Africa in Light of the Changes in Technology

Obiter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 685-703
Author(s):  
Nombulelo Queen Mabeka ◽  
Rushiella Songca
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Potential Effect ◽  
Prima Facie ◽  
Civil Procedure ◽  
Electronic Communications ◽  
Civil Process ◽  
Prohibitive Cost

E-technology has fast become an acceptable and convenient method of communication and a prerequisite of business transactions globally. South Africa is no exception to the trend. While technological progress has facilitated rapid change in the way humans communicate and transact, South African law has not kept abreast of the swift transformation and growth in this sector. This lacuna is especially evident in the South African law of civil procedure, which regulates the civil process in South African courts. Although subject to regular amendment, it appears prima facie not to embrace advances in e-technology and their effect – or potential effect – on the legal process.Moreover, the existing corpus of legislation governing civil process appears to have disregarded the provisions of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECTA) to the extent that it already provides mechanisms for the use of e-technology. In South Africa, the law of civil procedure is regulated by statutes such as the Rules Board for Courts of Law Act, the Superior Courts Act, the Magistrates’ Courts Act, the Sheriffs Act, the National Credit Act, the Small Claims Court Act, and the Divorce Act, which inter alia regulate court process and ensure the fair administration of justice. The submission made here explores this indicated gap within selected legislation pertinent to civil procedure and postulates the effect of e-technology in the context of the abovementioned legislation.As an example, section 35 of the Superior Courts Act indicates that parties and witnesses must make a physical appearance in the court of issue. This provision, however, does not expressly allow for the use of video conferencing, which would enable witnesses to give evidence via e-technology, and thus allow parties to investigate and re-examine witnesses situated in any geographical location outside of court. Further, section 74Q of the Magistrates’ Courts Act makes it mandatory for garnishee orders to be served personally or by registered mail. This provision is not in line with developments in e-technology. Email, Facebook, or other digital means of service could facilitate the service of garnishee orders issued by magistrates’ courts more effectively and remove delays posed by slow postal delivery, and also inhibit the prohibitive cost of personal service. With this contribution, select statutory provisions are compared to ECTA provisions and specific e-technology laws so as to determine the extent of the gap in the implementation of e-technology within the sphere of civil process. The authors then provide insights into how the current civil law statutes could be amended in line with selected e-technology legislation discussed here.

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