Latest news with #EmmaSadleir
IOL News
20 hours ago
- Business
- IOL News
Landmark agreement with Meta to combat child exploitation in South Africa
Emma Sadleir and the legal team outside the Johannesburg High Court after protecting the rights of children who are being exploited on social media. Image: Facebook In a groundbreaking legal victory, the Digital Law Co (DLC) has secured an order in which Meta agreed to cooperate in the fight against child porn on its sites. Over the past two weeks, Emma Sadleir and her team fought a fierce legal battle against Meta, the parent company of Instagram and WhatsApp, in a bid to have disturbing posts of children removed from public sites. In the latest turn of events, DLC has secured a consent order, issued in the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, in which Meta has agreed to work closely with DLC. This case arose in response to the widespread circulation of sexually exploitative material involving South African schoolchildren on Meta-owned platforms. Meta had agreed to permanently remove, as far as is technically feasible, all Instagram accounts and WhatsApp Channels reported by DLC to them on behalf of victims, thereby cutting off public access to this deeply harmful material. The digital giant also agreed to disclose subscriber information for over 60 offending accounts across both platforms, enabling victims and their families to pursue justice through appropriate legal avenues. It will further establish a direct two-year hotline between The Digital Law Co and Meta to fast-track urgent child protection matters and ensure that future reports do not fall through the cracks. Sadleir responded that this is a powerful affirmation of what can be achieved when the law is used not only as a shield, but as a sword in defence of the most vulnerable. 'We believe this is the first time in South African legal history that a global tech giant has agreed, in writing and court, to these kinds of terms. We hope it signals a turning point in how platforms respond to harm within our jurisdiction,' Sadleir said. 'The work is not done. Technology evolves. Harms migrate. But we have taken a stand - and we believe South Africa is safer for it,' Sadleir said. Rorke Wilson of DLC, meanwhile, said part of the earlier court order has been complied with, as Meta has sent some details of the offending accounts, and more are expected to be sent on Wednesday. The hotline has also been very responsive, as some accounts have been taken down quickly. Rorke said from what they have seen, the person or persons who are behind these offending posts seem to have the wind taken out of their sails as these accounts are now cut before they're able to grow too big. Cape Times
IOL News
2 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
Digital Law Co secures landmark agreement with Meta to combat child exploitation in South Africa
Emma Sadleir and the legal team outside the Johannesburg High Court after protecting the rights of children who are being exploited on social media. Image: Facebook The Digital Law Co (DLC) has achieved a landmark moment in the fight to protect South African children from digital harm by securing an order in which the technical giant agreed to cooperate in the fight against child porn on its sites. Over the past two weeks, Emma Sadleir and her team fought a fierce legal battle against Meta, the parent company of Instagram and WhatsApp, in a bid to have disturbing posts of children removed from public sites. In the latest turn of events, DLC has secured a consent order, issued in the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, in which Meta has agreed to work closely with DLC. This case arose in response to the widespread circulation of sexually exploitative material involving South African schoolchildren on Meta-owned platforms. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Meta had agreed to permanently remove, as far as is technically feasible, all Instagram accounts and WhatsApp Channels reported by DLC to them on behalf of victims, thereby cutting off public access to this deeply harmful material. The digital giant also agreed to disclose subscriber information for over 60 offending accounts across both platforms, enabling victims and their families to pursue justice through appropriate legal avenues. It will further establish a direct two-year hotline between The Digital Law Co and Meta to fast-track urgent child protection matters and ensure that future reports do not fall through the cracks. Sadleir responded that this is a powerful affirmation of what can be achieved when the law is used not only as a shield, but as a sword in defence of the most vulnerable among us. 'We believe this is the first time in South African legal history that a global tech giant has agreed, in writing and court, to these kinds of terms. We hope it signals a turning point in how platforms respond to harm within our jurisdiction,' Sadleir said. 'The work is not done. Technology evolves. Harms migrate. But we have taken a stand — and we believe South Africa is safer for it,' Sadleir said. Rorke Wilson of DLC, meanwhile, said part of the earlier court order has been complied with, as Meta has sent some details of the offending accounts, and more are expected to be sent on Wednesday. The hotline has also been very responsive, as some accounts have been taken down quickly. Rorke said from what they have seen, the person or persons who are behind these offending posts seem to have the wind taken out of their sails as these accounts are now cut before they're able to grow too big.
Business Insider
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Meta faces legal battle in South Africa over illicit content involving minors
The decision comes as South Africa grapples with rising cybercrime, including WhatsApp scams and the spread of illegal content. This development follows a high-profile legal case initiated by social media law expert Emma Sadleir, who took action against the tech giant after discovering over 30 Instagram accounts and at least six WhatsApp channels distributing illicit content and personal information of South African schoolchildren. Court documents revealed that new accounts were being created "every few minutes" to distribute the material, indicating an organized and persistent campaign that has sparked nationwide concern and urgent legal action. Sadleir, representing The Digital Law Company, emphasized the importance of protecting vulnerable children. She said, " This is about protecting vulnerable children. Full compliance with the court order is critical to identifying the perpetrators.' In support of the lawsuit, the Pretoria High Court ordered Meta to discontinue the identified accounts and provide subscriber information, including names, email addresses, phone numbers, and IP addresses used at account creation and last login. Despite the urgency, Meta's initial refusal to comply prompted the legal team to file a contempt of court application. The tech giant however argued that the filing had misidentified legal entities, thereby delaying the process. Critics claimed that Meta was avoiding accountability despite having the technical means to respond. Amid growing public and legal pressure, Meta agreed to a settlement on July 18, specifically due to the threat of imprisonment for Meta's Southern Africa representative, Thabiso Makenete. The company has since deactivated over 60 accounts and promised to provide the requested data within three business days under strict confidentiality. Emma Sadleir, founder of The Digital Law Company, described the agreement as unprecedented, she said, " This may be the first time in South Africa that a global tech company has formally agreed in writing to provide such data in compliance with a local court order." Regulatory compliance mars Meta, SA relations Notably, this is not the first time both entities have conflicted. South Africa's Information Regulator has previously had disputes with Meta over compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). In 2024, WhatsApp was criticized for vague privacy terms and unauthorized data-sharing with Meta and third parties. This case adds another layer on recent security concerns, testing Meta's willingness to balance privacy obligations with public safety demands. While child protection advocates have welcomed the ruling as a major step toward digital accountability, digital rights organizations have warned about the broader implications. "We must ensure that data disclosures do not set a precedent for unchecked surveillance," a spokesperson for the South African Digital Rights Forum noted.
Eyewitness News
5 days ago
- Business
- Eyewitness News
After court order, Meta agrees to several steps to shut down child porn distribution on WhatsApp, Instagram in SA
CAPE TOWN - The Digital Law Company is celebrating a landmark judgement in the fight to protect South African children from digital harm. In its urgent application this week, the Johannesburg High Court has ordered US tech firm, Meta, to shut down a number of anonymous Instagram accounts and WhatsApp channels, distributing child pornography and sexually exploitative material involving South African school children. The company said that Meta had shut down the channels and accounts, but did not immediately comply with an order to disclose all identifying information of the account owners. ALSO READ: Social media law expert sounds alarm on child porn distribution on WhatsApp, Instagram in SA The Digital Law Company's Emma Sadleir said that Meta had now agreed, through a court-sanctioned joint consent order, to take several decisive steps. The company will permanently remove, as far as is technically feasible, all Instagram accounts and WhatsApp channels reported by the company, on behalf of the victims. It will also disclose subscriber information for more than 60 offending accounts across both platforms, enabling victims and their families to pursue justice through appropriate legal avenues. A direct two-year hotline between the Digital Law Company and Meta will also be established to fast-track urgent child protection matters. "I can tell you that we at the Digital Law Company are absolutely elated at the judgment handed down by the Johannesburg High Court today. We welcome this victory, we will be celebrating." Sadleir said it was exciting to see the court being brave enough to hand down a judgment against a multi-national tech giant. In response to a media enquiry by EWN earlier this week, Meta said it had zero tolerance for child sexual exploitation and was committed to ensuring the safety of all users on their platforms. Meta confirmed that the accounts it was able to identify had been shut down and they had submitted reports to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in line with applicable laws. The company further stated that it would continue to engage with law enforcement and respond to valid legal requests.
The Herald
6 days ago
- The Herald
Meta and WhatsApp to hand over information of those behind child porn accounts
After a week of urgent litigation, the Johannesburg high court has ordered Meta, owner of Instagram and WhatsApp, to hand over — 'to the extent available' — the names, addresses, phone numbers and IP addresses of the people behind the profiles and WhatsApp channels posting graphic child pornography. The court also ordered Meta and WhatsApp to remove 12 WhatsApp channels and 58 Instagram accounts, insofar as it was technically feasible, and for two years, whenever similar content is reported to them, they must take action within 48 hours. The profiles and channels were posting 'graphic child pornography, devastating personal information, allegations of children being HIV positive — all the while identifying individuals and schools', said the Digital Law Company's (DLC) Emma Sadleir in court papers. An annexure to the court papers attached some of the content that had been uploaded on these profiles. It included: a video of what was claimed to be schoolchildren having sex in the toilets; posts of children's names and their schools, claiming they had STIs; and pornographic photos and videos of young girls.
