There is light at the end of the tunnel for many South Africans who fall victim to identity theft.
Many people have fallen victim to the unscrupulous practice of identity theft, ending up being taken to court by various companies in instances where their personal information has been used to open accounts with various retailers or being cloned for illegal use by certain individuals.
The Information Regulator has been working hard on the draft Protection of Personal Information (PoPI) Act regulations which will soon be tabled in Parliament. The PoPI Act stipulates how companies may collect, handle, store and discard information, with heavy penalties for those that fail to comply.
The act will only commence when the Information Regulator is operational. Once the commencement date of the Act is announced, organisations will have one year to comply with the act.
Xperien chief executive officer, Wale Arewa welcomed the news about the PoPI Act and said this would come as a relief for many South Africans who fall victim to identity theft and abuse of their personal information.
The commencement date of the act could be before the end of the year, although a definite date is not confirmed. Arewa said the regulator certainly seems to be hard at work conceptualising and thinking through the type of organisation they seek to establish.
The Information Regulator has indicated that it would be gauging data protection laws in other countries. The team also stressed that they wanted to be transparent and accessible and welcomed engagement with industry sectors and other stakeholders.
Furthermore, the Deputy Minister of Justice, John Jeffries has already warned that as the PoPI Act commencement date looms, both public and private bodies should prepare to comply and that there was no reason to delay compliance efforts.
Arewa said the act will ensure that personal information is protected and that the free flow of information is promoted. “Their mission is to ensure that both the constitutionally guaranteed right of access to information and the right to privacy are equally protected and enjoyed,” he concluded.
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