Gone are the days when threatening messages, revenge porn or incitement to riot, spread on platforms such as WhatsApp, go unpunished. Well, nearly. President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the muchawaited Cybercrimes Bill into law in June this year, and in so doing has outlawed these activities, as well as creating a number of other offences. However, it will only come into force once the operational details have been worked out and a date for its commencement has been gazetted.

So what’s the significance of the new act?