Although there is still no indication as to when the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) will come into force, there have been some recent developments related to POPIA.
The Information Regulator published draft Guidelines to develop Codes of Conduct under the Protection of Personal Information Act. The draft Guidelines set out the structure and type of content which the Codes of Conduct must follow, for example the drafting style to be used when developing such Codes.
The proposed Guidelines are applicable to relevant bodies that are considering developing a code for approval, stakeholders who are considering a proposed code developed by a relevant body, as well as stakeholders and relevant bodies in considering a proposed code developed on the Regulator’s own initiative.
The draft Guidelines inter alia, promote openness and transparency as bodies both public and private must document their policies on how personal information is managed. For example, this includes how a person may complain about a violation of the conditions for the lawful processing of personal information and how the relevant body will deal with the complaint.
The period to submit commentary on the draft Guidelines closed on 17 January 2020.
Planning for POPI Compliance is key. Read more about how Masthead can assist your business to become POPI Compliant.