Slashdot Mirror
South Africa Passes Secrecy Bill, Makes Whistleblowing a Dangerous Act
New submitter Hermanas writes with the story that South Africa's parliament has passed a Protection of Information Bill which could land whistle blowers and journalists who print classified information in jail for up to 25 years. From the Telegraph: "On the morning of the vote, a joint editorial in the country's largest newspapers heralded [a South African] 'day of reckoning for democracy.' 'The spreading culture of self-enrichment, either corrupt, or merely inappropriate, makes scrutiny fuelled by whistle blowers who have the public interest at heart more essential than ever since 1994,' the front page editorial said. As MPs voted on the bill in Cape Town's parliament, protesters dressed all in black gathered at the gates of the historic building where they were addressed by editors and freedom of information activists."
We'll see a Republican bill, completely written by lobbyists, that makes reporting crime as committed by any business a crime itself.
Don't like it when substandard practices at PG&E cause houses to blow up and kill the inhabitants? Illegal to report it.
Don't like it when companies grease the FDA's palm to get dangerous medicine on the market even though you've seen data that proves it's dangerous and has no real benefit? Illegal to report it.
Don't like it when companies sue random people for downloading files based on weak evidence and you know for a fact the legal team is just suing blindly? Illegal to report it.
South Africa is paving the way for our future. Frankly I'm amazed we didn't pass a bill like that too.