NATIONAL NEWS - If the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) had been fully enacted‚ those responsible for leaking the data of millions of South Africans could have been fined up to R10-million or imprisoned for up to 10 years.
The legislation was partially enacted on April 11 2014 to establish the Information Regulator.
Advocate Pansy Tlakula‚ chairperson of the Information Regulator‚ said it is "still a free-for-all situation"‚ because POPIA has only been partially promulgated.
She said the regulator is investigating the leak that includes ID numbers‚ occupations‚ estimated incomes‚ addresses and cellphone numbers.
POPIA aims to introduce minimum requirements for the processing of your personal information on a mandatory basis.
Cyber law expert Dr. Annamart Nieman said POPIA would affect public and private parties that collect‚ store‚ process and/or disseminate personal information as part of their business.
Data leak: Legal delays create a 'free for all'
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