SJD1501
Assignment 7
PORTFOLIO
Semester 2 2025
Due 10 November 2025
, SJD1501
Assignment 7: PORTFOLIO
Semester 2 2025
Due 10 November 2025
Social Dimensions of Justice
Question 1.1: What is the impact of social media on the constitutional right to
Privacy?
Answer:
The constitutional right to privacy protects individuals against unwarranted intrusion into
personal life. Social media, however, complicates this safeguard by encouraging users
to disclose intimate details voluntarily. Once information is posted online, individuals
lose control over how it is stored, shared, or manipulated. Employers, advertisers, and
state agencies can access such data, raising serious concerns regarding surveillance,
exploitation, and the erosion of consent. In South Africa, the Protection of Personal
Information Act (POPIA) provides a regulatory framework, but digital platforms often
outpace legal safeguards. Social media thus forces courts to reinterpret privacy,
balancing individual autonomy with technological realities. Failure to adapt risks
undermining the legitimacy of privacy as a constitutional right (Roos, 2021).
Assignment 7
PORTFOLIO
Semester 2 2025
Due 10 November 2025
, SJD1501
Assignment 7: PORTFOLIO
Semester 2 2025
Due 10 November 2025
Social Dimensions of Justice
Question 1.1: What is the impact of social media on the constitutional right to
Privacy?
Answer:
The constitutional right to privacy protects individuals against unwarranted intrusion into
personal life. Social media, however, complicates this safeguard by encouraging users
to disclose intimate details voluntarily. Once information is posted online, individuals
lose control over how it is stored, shared, or manipulated. Employers, advertisers, and
state agencies can access such data, raising serious concerns regarding surveillance,
exploitation, and the erosion of consent. In South Africa, the Protection of Personal
Information Act (POPIA) provides a regulatory framework, but digital platforms often
outpace legal safeguards. Social media thus forces courts to reinterpret privacy,
balancing individual autonomy with technological realities. Failure to adapt risks
undermining the legitimacy of privacy as a constitutional right (Roos, 2021).
