Closing The Loop

- Karl Blom and Daniel Vale

Not long ago, an estimated 60 million South Africans' personal information became publicly available. The gravity of this leak cannot be overestimated. It exposed numerous people to threats of identity fraud and related crimes.

Reports indicate that the leak emanated from realty agencies that used the database to derive information about prospective buyers and sellers. From the leak's exposé, two things are clear:

South Africans are vulnerable to non-consensual processing of their personal information.

Personal information is not kept securely and can be easily accessed.

When someone's personal information has been leaked, what legal redress is available? Under SA’s current laws, people are often left without a practical way to enforce their rights. However, once the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPI) comes into force, locals will finally have a practical tool at their disposal to protect their personal information.

The current position