POPI Act (Protection of Private Information Act) was promulgated by government in 2013, approved on 22 June 2020 and came into effect on 1 July 2021 with the exception of sections 110 and 114(4).

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE POPI ACT?

The purpose of the POPI Act is to protect the consumer against the theft of your money and/or identity by preventing your personal information from landing in the wrong hands.Therefore, the responsible person handling the consumers private information must protect the integrity and confidentiality of person information in their possession or under their control by utilising applicable, fairly technical and organizational measures.

WHO DOES THE POPI ACT APPLY TO? 

Everyone who processes any type of records that contain personal information of people. This includes companies who process, collect, receive, record, organise, retrieve or use such information, whether this information is being solicited or given free of charge or at a charge.

 WHAT IS REGARDED AS PERSONAL INFORMATION

The Act perceives data be any information that is used to determine your identity. the includes, however, not limited to gender; race; marital status; sexual orientation; mental health, educational, financial,medical, criminal or occupational history; religion; email addresses; residential are; residential addresses; vehicle registration numbers; banking details; telephone numbers.

HOW DOES POPI LEGISLATION AFFECT YOUR BUSINESS?

 The POPI Act compels all businesses to protect the personal information of both employees and clients.