ARTICLE · 19 FEBRUARY 2020

Protection Of Personal Information Act News Flash

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Reports have been circulating that the Protection of Personal Information Act, Act No 4 of 2013 ("POPIA") is to be implemented on 1 April 2020.

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Reports have been circulating that the Protection of Personal Information Act, Act No 4 of 2013 ("POPIA") is to be implemented on 1 April 2020. Although POPIA became law on 19 November 2013, the parts of POPIA pertaining to the legal requirements for processing of personal information are not yet in effect.

The Information Regulator recently announced that it has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa requesting that POPIA be made effective from 1 April 2020. However, the commencement date must be promulgated by the President in the Government Gazette in order for it to be effective.

Once implemented, POPIA affords all parties processing personal information one year to ensure that they are POPIA compliant. This means that, if the President acts on the Information Regulator's request, the compliance deadline will be 1 April 2021.

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