The Information Regulator (South Africa), responsible for regulating both the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), is making steady progress towards starting its operations.
PPM Attorneys attended the Information Regulator’s most recent briefing. Here are some of the most important points that the Information Regulator’s members raised:
- It hopes to start operations towards the end of 2017, but possibly early 2018.
- It would prefer that the abbreviation of the Act be POPIA and not POPI. This is in keeping with PAIA.
- It has a new logo and tag line. The tag line is “Ensuring protection of your personal information and effective access to information.” The logo conveys the fact that the Information Regulator will not only protect the right to privacy but also ensure the right to access to information.
- Advocate Pansy Tlakula is its Chairperson. The other two full time members: Advocates. Lebogang Stroom-Nzama and Collen Weapond will, respectively, be responsible for PAIA and POPIA. Its part time members Mr Sizwe Snail ka Mtuze and Professor Tana Pistorius are responsible for both POPIA and PAIA.
- It has produced a zero draft of the Regulations envisaged in section 112(2) of POPIA. These regulations will deal with the actual implementation of POPIA.
- Its members will undertake several benchmarking visits to a few countries globally, starting with the United Kingdom and Germany. They will also identify countries on the African continent and countries in the developing world, such as Mexico, from which they can learn.
Click here for a copy of the Information Regulator’s stakeholder update. Contact us if you would like to discuss any aspect of the update or to discuss your #POPIA compliance and implementation plans.
