Digitalisation in science and technology policy: engagement, alignment, and misalignment between the European Union and South African data protection and privacy frameworks

Abstract

Science policy and technology policy have historically been characterised by international collaboration. In the era of digitalisation, policies that regulate the use of data, and the innovation systems that underpin the generation and uptake of new digital technologies, have become critical instruments of national and international politics. In this chapter, we explore the ways in which a developing country, South Africa (SA), has engaged with a major bloc of developed countries, the European Union (EU), in its pursuit of strengthened local capabilities, and alignment with international changes in the regulation of data and digital technologies. In this context, we investigate and juxtapose the emergence of data privacy and data protection regulation in both jurisdictions. In contrast to the co-ordinated and collaborative framework for SA-EU science and technology partnerships, disjunctures in the development and direction of data privacy and protection regulation in the two jurisdictions present potential problems for South Africa's digital economy, as well as avenues for further research.