Background:

The ACEIE grew out of the activities of a number of dedicated scholars working in the field of Information Ethics, first formalized as the African Network for Information Ethics (ANIE) (independent from the Department). The website of the ANIE is archived on this website, available here, and from the link in the menu bar above.

The ACEIE was formally established in 2012, and was funded from 2012 to 2019 by various government departments, NGOs and private companies. The activities of the ACEIE during this period are archived here, and also available from the link in the menu bar above.

History:

The ACEIE was established according to a UP Senate decision on 17 May 2012. Since 2012 the ACEIE coordinated various activities, research projects and communication for ANIE. The ACEIE activities were all based on a formal Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between the South African Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services and the University of Pretoria. The ACEIE is based at the Department of Information Science within the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology at the University of Pretoria and is managed according to the policies and procedures of the University of Pretoria.

The ACEIE grew out of the African Network for Information Ethics (ANIE), and for a few years the two entities existed side-by-side. It eventually became evident that it was not feasible to keep two entities with the same purpose and work, and it was decided to terminate the ANIE and focus only on the ACEIE. ANIE was established in 2007 due to the effort and dedication of a group of scholars, government officials and visionaries across Africa. Together with the support of the international Information Ethics community, ANIE has flourished to over 600 participants across 25 countries globally. In February 2017 the 5th international ANIE conference celebrated the ANIEversary - marking 10 years of active Information Ethics projects in Africa.

THE ACEIE was funded for a number of years by various departments of the South African government, and many projects were completed very successfully. However, due to funding constraints, this support unfortunately came to an end, and no new funding could be secured. The staff associated with the ACEIE therefore could not be reappointed. Project reports for this period are archived on this website under the heading Annual Reports,

ACEIE's activities will continue at an adjusted scale and annual reports continue to be issued.