POPIA puts your privacy back into your hands. How does this law protect you?

The long-awaited Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) came into effect in mid-2021. This is great news for all South African consumers who are tired of receiving marketing emails, messages, robocalls and facing the unwanted bombardment of electronic advertising that they never agreed to receive. Any company that violates this law can face fines up to R10 million or time in jail.

Now, for companies to market their products and services to anyone in any digital or electronic channel, they have to first get explicit permission to do so. They have to be able to prove exactly where, when and how they received this permission.

So if you receive a message that you never gave permission for the marketer to send, you can mark it as spam, or report it to The Information Regulator (South Africa). They are, among others, empowered to monitor and enforce compliance by public and private bodies with the provisions of the POPIA Act.

You can also send complaints in writing: via the ICASA website emailed to consumer@icasa.org.za or faxed to 012 568 3444.