PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION (POPI) ACT WEBINAR

PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION (POPI) ACT

WEBINAR

Dear employer

The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), Act 4 of 2013, was enacted on 31 July 2020, and every institution and organisation in South Africa must comply with this Act and its regulations by no later than 30 June 2021.

Non-compliance with this Act can lead not only to considerable fines, but also imprisonment. It is therefore paramount for every institution and organisation in South Africa that processes personal information, to ensure its compliance and retain proof thereof.

The “processing” of personal information means any and all activity or operation regarding personal information, whether it is the collection, storage, noting or destruction thereof, which means that every single organisation in South Africa “processes” personal information at one stage or another. “Personal information” is not necessarily only sensitive information such as religious belief, ethnic origin or biometric information, it also includes names, e-mail addresses and telephone numbers or any other personal information.

The action required to ensure compliance with this Act is unique for every organisation and will depend on the size of your institution, the type and amount of personal information you process, which information processing systems you use, your organisation’s security and protection standard, as well as the competency of your employees with regards to the protection of personal information.

In addition to the deadline for full compliance with the Act in June 2021, every single institution and organisation falling within the ambit of the Act must register its Chief Executive Officer, or other competent person bestowed with the same authority in the organisation, as the official Information Officer of the institution with the Information Regulator by no later than 31 March 2021.

In lieu of the above, NEASA urges its members and all other institutions, to initiate the process of becoming compliant with the Act as soon as practicably possible.

NEASA will be hosting another complimentary webinar on the purpose, operation, application and consequences of the POPI Act:

Date: 18 November 2020
Time: 09h00
Medium: Zoom Meetings

Register to attend this webinar, by clicking here.

NEASA offers assistance with becoming fully POPIA compliant to members, as well as non-members.

For further information, please contact your nearest NEASA branch to enquire regarding our services and packages on offer.

NEASA 24/7 NATIONAL HOTLINE: 086 016 3272
legalhotline@neasa.co.za
(please have your membership number at hand)