The Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 came into effect on 1 July 2021. The Act aims to regulate what companies or individuals can do with the information of a person (“data subject”). It regulates how and when data can be collected, stored, and used. The Act is primarily focused on digital data.
Whenever a company or person collects information, they are required to inform the respondent how that information will be stored, how it will be used and who it will be shared with.
One of the major goals was to stop companies from selling their customer databases to other companies who were looking for information for marketing purposes. In theory, a company may only contact you if they have your permission to do so.
References:
- https://popia.co.za/
- https://www.michalsons.com/focus-areas/privacy-and-data-protection/protection-of-personal-information-act-popia