On June 14, Liberty Holdings was targeted by cybercriminals, who breached the group’s IT systems. The hackers claimed to have stolen 40 terabytes of data.
On July 11, Facebook was fined 500 000 pounds (about R9-million) in connection with the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The social media giant failed to protect its users’ information, according to Britain’s data watchdog.
In an increasingly digital environment, cybercrime is an evolving threat. Across the world, governments, economic associations and political groups have implemented legal structures to regulate the information-powered international ecosystem.
If you’re a South African business owner, then you need to understand the directives of SA’s Protection of Personal Information Act as well as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation.
The POPI Act (also known as POPIA) was signed into law by President Jacob Zuma on November 19, 2013, and published in the Government Gazette a week later on November 26, 2013.
The legislation is designed to ensure that private, public and governmental organisations behave responsibly when managing the personal information of both “natural persons” (individuals) and “legally recognised entities” (like companies).
The key purposes of the POPI Act (as decreed) are:
Certain sections of the POPI Act became effective on April 11, 2014, and address the appointment of South Africa’s Information Regulator.
The government has yet to announce the commencement date for the remaining provisions of the law, but is expected to do so later in 2018.
There will be a grace period of 12 months from the date of commencement for organisations to comply with the POPI Act.
You can find the full text of the Protection of Personal Information Act on the Justice Department’s website.
You can also download our infographic – 10 Things To Know About South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act – to print and keep, absolutely free.
All organisations that collect, process, store or share personal information must abide by the rules and regulations of the Act.
Comprehensive data privacy and data security initiatives will need to be implemented so that the technology, systems and processes used for information-gathering and information management comply with the law.
Broadly speaking, the POPI Act sets certain conditions for the acquisition, storage and management of personal details so that individuals (and legally recognised entities) know what is being done with their data. The law also defines the obligations and responsibilities related to information management, including quality control and security.
Accountability and transparency are core elements of the POPI Act. When the law comes into full force, organisations will have a brief window of opportunity to sort out their affairs. After that, non-compliance is likely to result in a financial penalty and/or imprisonment.
Conducting an in-depth evaluation of your business processes will help you to identify potential problem areas:
South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act is expected to have a dramatic impact on the local business landscape, much like the General Data Protection Regulation has done in the European Union.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR, or EU Regulation 2016/679) is a sweeping data-protection law that was approved by the European Union in April 2016.
The legislation addresses the privacy rights of internet users and imposes limitations on the processing of their online data, including email addresses and social media posts.
The GDPR is already in effect.
Full enforcement began on May 25, 2018.
Did you receive a flood of “Privacy Policy” notices in your inbox around that time? You weren’t the only one. As the two-year GDPR grace period drew to an end, there was a flurry of compliance activity across the world.
Although it was implemented by the EU, and is primarily concerned with data regulation in European countries, the GDPR has global implications.
Because the internet has revolutionised the way the world does business, it’s possible for a South African company to have customers living in France or Italy. It’s also possible for a South African company to have European customers residing within SA’s borders. In both cases, the GDPR applies, because EU citizens are involved.
If you provide products or services to EU citizens, and process their data in order to do so, then you need to adhere to the GDPR – no matter where you are based.
From official reprimands to financial penalties, the consequences of non-compliance are severe. Potential administrative fines can reach 20 million euros. The effects of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation are already being felt. The full impact of South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act has yet to be seen. Preparation is your best course of action.
Palo Alto Networks are bursting with excitement with the latest NSS Labs testing results and recommendation for Advanced Endpoint Protection. They are in the top right hand corner, with “100% Exploits and Evasions Blocked and Zero False Positives”. Lowest TCO of all AV vendors tested…
A few highlights include
The test validates the power of Traps and the efficacy of its prevention-first approach.
Read the full report for details.
BUI and Living Tech are taking the next step in our integration. The journey started in March 2014 and over the years we have integrated back office operations, finance and relocated to a single, larger BUI office in the Cape Town foreshore.
Our next step is to broaden the services we deliver to our customers and put the BUI identity at the forefront of our engagement with customers. This enables us to reposition the Living Tech branding to specific managed services offering while delivering new services to the managed services customer base. During this transition the familiar Living Tech branding will be replaced by BUI branding while continuing to deliver on the commitment of being “the Perfect IT Partner for your Business”.
Below are some FAQ’s relating to this journey.
During the final phase of the integration with BUI we are making branding changes to our website, email, telephone and social media:
Good news! The teams are staying the same. Our focus is on branding during this final phase of integration. All staff have already been transitioned to BUI during the past 24 months. We are continuing to deliver the same services to customers – with a focus on new, and improved services to come.
No – we repeat – no changes have been made to our bank account details and we are not communicating any changes to banking information. We are aware of the certain scams to trick customers into paying into fraudulent bank accounts. Should you receive communication that appears to be from BUI / Living Tech requesting changes to payment information please disregard this and contact us telephonically to follow up.
No – company registration details have been in place for the past 12+ months. The correct information is reflected on your tax invoice and statement.
You can ask questions anytime! You can email us on support@ or call us on 021 551 6441.
Support email address.
The support@livingtech.co.za address will still work, but your reply’s will come from Helpdesk@BUI.co.za which will be the new support email address.