GAUTENG. – The DA demands that the Gauteng e-governance department explain why a university student potentially faces criminal action after reporting a security problem with the province's e-Panic Button application to authorities.
According to the DA, Joel Cedras discovered that an unprotected database made sensitive resident information accessible, including names, contact details and GPS location. The application forms part of a R269 million project. Michael Waters, the DA's Gauteng spokesperson for education, says the MEC, Bonginkoski Dhlamini, must explain the reason for the possible criminal charge and confirm whether a case has been registered.
The DA says the department indicated during a joint meeting of the Gauteng legislature's portfolio committees on five October that police had been approached about a possible criminal case. It also calls for an independent investigation to establish how the security problem arose, how long the information was exposed and whether unauthorised persons gained access to it.
Portfolio committees of the Gauteng legislature also insisted on an independent investigation. The department has however previously stated that the security problem was quickly addressed and that no residents' personal information was compromised as a result of the incident. The extent of the possible exposure and whether unauthorised access occurred must still be clarified by an independent investigation.
The e-Panic Button is a safety application of the Gauteng provincial government that residents can use to call for help when they are in danger or experiencing an emergency. The idea is that a user can send a distress signal through the application so that emergency services or the appropriate security response can be deployed.
Sources: DA Gauteng, Gauteng legislature, SAnews
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
