Tag: personal information

This article discusses the impact of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) on artificial intelligence or machine learning systems used in the context of the workplace.

The rise of e-commerce in the country over the past year may have been driven by the pandemic, but it was long overdue. It is worth noting that South Africa was arguably too slow in initially adopting e-commerce, chiefly because it appeared focused on the niche upper end of the market. Thus, many retailers did not view it as a necessity.

2020 witnessed a dramatic cyber threat landscape from beginning to end. Although the pandemic played a central role, as the year progressed cyber adversaries evolved attacks with increasingly disruptive outcomes. They maximised the expanded digital attack surface beyond the core network, to target remote work or learning, and the digital supply chain.

Mobile-internet developments have made smart devices the most popular way to go online. These devices store a wealth of user data with an increasing number of apps installed from uncontrolled sources, but also raise security risks.

In mid-August 2020, approximately 23.4 million South Africans' personal information was compromised. The data breach was announced by Experian South Africa on 19 August 2020. Correctly, Experian issued a notification to the Information Regulator, but is this enough? Experian stated that 'no consumer credit or consumer financial information was obtained', but what information was then the subject of the breach?

Experian - a consumer, business and credit information services agency – has experienced a breach of data which has exposed some personal information of as many as 24 million South Africans and 793,749 business entities to a suspected fraudster.

On 22 June 2020, the effective commencement of the Protection of Personal Information Act 2013 (POPI) was gazetted as 1 July 2020.

Alongside with the International Advertising Association (IAA), we have released the two-volume set, Privacy Law: A Global Legal Perspective on Data Protection Relating to Advertising & Marketing. It is the first-ever guide to how privacy laws affect marketing and advertising around the world.

Cyber security and privacy risks should be the top priority for any business at present, especially whilst trying to accommodate all staff in their new remote working environments. In the rush to get everybody working from home, security probably wasn’t top of mind and this presents a major threat for many businesses and people working from home for the first time.

Consumer concerns related to COVID-19 including fears of being infected by the coronavirus while attending to their banking matters and stress related to debt issues have come to our attention. In response to President Ramaphosa’s address on the measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus, we urge consumers to remain calm and to follow the stringent measures in place to protect both themselves and their families.