Tag: POPIA

Australia’s decision to ban children under 16 from social media, with Denmark eyeing similar measures for under-15s, has reignited a global debate about children, technology and harm. The political appeal is obvious: draw a clear line, claim protection and move on. But from a South African legal and policy perspective, this approach is both insufficient and misdirected. It treats children as the problem, rather than the digital systems that systematically fail them.

Knowing who the ultimate beneficial owner (UBO) of an entity is before engaging in any type of business deal, is a critical task that is often overlooked. This is particularly true in today’s increasingly stringent regulatory environment, in which organisations are increasingly expected to understand who they are doing business with to help fight fraud.

The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) officially came into force on 25 May, followed by its local cousin, POPIA in the second or third quarter of the year. You may be feeling this already – who hasn’t received a flood of Privacy Policy and Data Protection Policy updates from around the world. Both GDPR and POPIA are set to dramatically change the way South African organisations do business – especially how personal data is handled and stored.

Data compliance is an important facet of any business today. For insurers who rely on customer data for product distribution and innovative development of better solutions, meeting the requirements of this regulation is critical. 

There is a buzz about data protection and privacy. South African companies who have customers in the European Union who have been asked to 'comply' with the European Union General Data Protection Regulations (EU GDPR), will find the legislation is comprehensive (and scary) and is due to be implemented in May 2018.