For many, POPIA's arrival signalled nothing but the coming of massive headaches. It was like they were about to receive pets they never wanted to be stuck with, or, even worse, annoying new neighbours who constantly peer over their fences [...]
Biometric data is information collected from body measurements and calculations related to human characteristics using technologies such as facial recognition or fingerprint scanners. The purpose of this collection is surveillance. As biometrics have fast become more popular, countries like the [...]
What if I told you that the Information Regulator is fond of health checks? Would you envision something as scary (to many) as a tooth extraction or blood test, or would you envision what it actually is: a POPIA Compliance [...]
South Africa has taken significant strides in promoting accountability in the public sector for information security compliance. The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) continue to be a major focus for the [...]
Information is the currency of our modern age, and guarding this currency is the quintessential role of information officers in South African organisations. The evolving landscape of data protection laws in South Africa, with the enactment of the Promotion of [...]
In Safi v Gascoigne, Safi sued Gascoigne Randon and Associates, a conveyancing firm, for a loss of R889,308.50 from a business email compromise (BEC). Who should care about this judgment and why? The public because they need to be aware [...]
In Hawarden v Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs (ENS), Hawarden succeeded in suing ENS for the loss of R5.5 million because of a Business Email Compromise (BEC). Hawarden was ENS' client. The court said that ENS owed a general duty of care [...]
The directive on public service information security is the South African Department of Public Service and Administration's (DPSA) latest effort to address the government's vulnerability to cyberattacks. This development comes four months after the Minister issued the directive on [...]
The information regulator released the Information Regulator Strategic Plan for 2022/3 to 2026/7. The plan outlines the steps that the regulator will take to implement its vision for 2027. The regulator's key focus is to fulfil its dual mandate as [...]
The South African Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) has gazetted a directive on cloud computing in the public service. In essence, the directive instructs government departments on adopting, using, managing, scaling, and terminating cloud services. I’ve written [...]
The information regulator will serve an infringement notice to a responsible party that the regulator believes has breached a provision of POPIA. No responsible party wants to receive an infringement notice or enforcement notice. It is even more intimidating than [...]
If you have less than 50 employees and your processing of personal information does not pose a significant risk to people, here is what you should and shouldn't do. Most importantly, don't panic. No one is going to jail. There [...]
