Cybersecurity policy adoption in South Africa: Does public trust matter?

TL;DR

This paper investigates the limited role of public trust in South Africa's cybersecurity policy adoption despite high cybercrime, proposing a trust-centric framework to enhance policy effectiveness.

Contribution

It introduces a novel trust-centric policymaking framework tailored for South Africa's cybersecurity governance, emphasizing public perception integration.

Findings

Trust influences cybersecurity policy globally but has minimal impact in South Africa.

A systematic review identified key themes: cybersecurity, governance, trust, privacy, cybercrime, public opinion.

Proposes a framework to incorporate public trust proactively into cybersecurity policymaking.

Abstract

This study examines how public perception influences the implementation and adoption of cybersecurity frameworks in South Africa. Using the PRISMA methodology, a systematic literature review was conducted across reputable scholarly databases, yielding 34 relevant sources aligned with predefined inclusion criteria. Cybersecurity, governance, trust, privacy, cybercrime, and public opinion emerged as dominant thematic clusters. Bibliometric and thematic analyses, supported by network visualisations, revealed that while trust and public sentiment affect cybersecurity policy adoption globally, these factors have minimal influence within the South African policy landscape, despite the country's high cybercrime prevalence. In response, the study proposes a trust-centric policymaking framework designed to integrate public perception as a proactive dimension of cybersecurity governance. This framework seeks to prevent trust deficits from obstructing policy effectiveness and provides guidance for restoring trust where it has eroded.