You’ve probably heard about the POPI Act by now, but what is it, how will it affect your business and what should you do to comply? We answer that below and provide an easy yet necessary solution too.
What Is The POPI Act?
It stands for ‘Protection of Personal Information’ and is a law that will affect how you capture, manage and store personal information. This act tasks organisations to implement new strategies to guarantee the safety and privacy of all personal data it may have. In today’s world where everything is becoming digital and information is spread instantly, there is a high risk of personal information getting into the wrong hands. Therefore, this act was created to protect individuals and their details against being exposed and illegally shared.
Particulars such as individual’s name, address, ID number, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, medical history and financial history are just a few of the things that the act intends on protecting. As a result, receiving emails from businesses you haven’t ever engaged with, getting newsletters you never subscribed to and also getting calls from people you’ve never contacted before will become a thing of the past if the act is adopted by all businesses.
How It Will Affect You?
If you’re dealing with an individual’s personal details in any way, it is your responsibility to put a system in place to ensure their privacy is protected. The act will hit businesses in the banking, marketing and retail industries the most, however any enterprise that deals with customer’s personal information, have to comply with it. This means you’ll have to get leads organically and not share the data that you already own. Plus, the act states that only if consent is given, will you able to send direct marketing or sell private information to other businesses.
Furthermore, if the information is leaked or a website hacked, the POPI act won’t target the guilty party in this scenario but rather the business that had not ensured a secure system for the data was in place. Considering how common cyber-attacks have become, the best way to protect your precious information is with anti-malware and data loss prevention technology. With the right cybersecurity, you won’t have to worry about being on the wrong of the POPI Act, which comes with hefty fines, and you can rest assured that the private information you own is safe.
Want to ensure your business and your customers are protected? Contact F1 Connect now to discuss your cybersecurity options.