Public comments have closed for the Films and Publications Amendment Bill, also referred to as the Internet Censorship Bill.
While exemptions are created for media who are members of the Press Council of South Africa or an advertiser who is a member of the Advertising Standards Authority, the law as written tries to give the Film and Publications Board jurisdiction over everyone else.
President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the bill into law on 4 October 2019, but it has not come into effect yet.
The amended Films and Publications Act makes it a criminal offence to distribute a film as defined by it without first registering with the board and getting your sequence of visual images classified with an age restriction.
Experts say Given the broad definition of ‘film’, it will apply to anyone who uploads a TikTok, YouTube film, or any other video.