The moment has arrived: last week the Protection of Personal Information Act (PoPIA) came into force. It hasn’t been sprung on us, the process has been ongoing and businesses have been anticipating their compliance obligations for years. PoPIA, much like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU, exists to support the protection of personal information processed by public and private organisations. There are strong penalties for noncompliance. PoPIA is Live Now that the Act is live, there are several ramifications for businesses, but a few – anecdotally at least – have given executives more sleepless nights than others. Companies must allow data subjects to object to their data being processed, as well as have the right to revoke previously given consent at any time. When a c...
Since its implementation in 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has become a global standard in protecting end-users from the unlawful use or dissemination of their personal information. South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), set to commence in July 2021, is modelled on GDPR, and it affects all businesses. While many organisations believe that POPIA compliance will not affect them, or that it is just an IT problem, this is a short-sighted attitude that could see them falling foul of the law. Compliance requires business and IT to work together to manage data effectively, which at the same time provides a number of business benefits. The buck does not stop with IT POPIA is an umbrella data protection law that governs how businesses need to handle data...
Stefan van de Giessen, General Manager: Cybersecurity at Networks Unlimited Africa Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are widely acknowledged as playing a critical role in South Africa’s economy, and yet they are also potentially more at risk in terms of their ongoing survival than larger enterprises. According to a recent McKinsey report, SMEs in South Africa employ between 50 and 60% of the country’s workforce across all sectors. At the same time, SMEs arguably face a number of challenges, which can potentially weigh on them more heavily than on larger enterprises. These particular areas of concern include attracting customers; maintaining profitability; increasing revenue; facing greater uncertainty during economic down-turns, and securing financing for expansion. Now add in the issues a...