Introduction to POPI Compliance: Understanding the Basics
POPI, which stands for the Protection of Personal Information Act, is a comprehensive data protection and privacy legislation enacted in South Africa. The primary purpose of POPI is to safeguard the privacy and personal information of individuals by regulating the processing of such information. Key Principles of POPI: 1. Lawful Processing: Personal information must be processed lawfully and reasonably. Data subjects must be informed about the purpose of processing and any potential consequences. 2. Purpose Specification: Data may only be processed for specific, explicitly defined purposes. Any further processing should be compatible with the original purpose. 3. Minimality: The processing of personal information should be adequate, relevant, and not excessive about the purpose. 4. Accuracy: Measures must be in place to ensure the accuracy of personal information. Steps should be taken to update or correct inaccurate information. 5. Storage Limitation: Personal information should n...