ARTICLE · 07 JULY 2022

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POPIA: Do Not Allow Yourself To Be The First Example Of The Regulator's Bite

ENS

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Since July 2021, the Regulator has received and concluded preliminary investigations on over 700 complaints from various data subjects.

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The chairperson of the Information Regulator ("Regulator"), established in terms of the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 ("POPIA"), issued a stern warning at a media breakfast briefing address on 29 June 2022.

Since July 2021, the Regulator has received and concluded preliminary investigations on over 700 complaints from various data subjects. Most complaints received relate to direct marketing, indicating that many responsible parties are not complying with the sections of POPIA relating to unsolicited electronic communication and consent, justification, and objection.

The Regulator mentioned that it has received a notification from the National Credit Regulator regarding a report about entities engaging in the sale of personal information of consumers (such as names and surnames; identity numbers; contact numbers; credit scores; and consumer debt review statuses).

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