The laws governing electronic communications are not industry-specific, and organisations can manage compliance and mitigate risk by understanding these laws.
This is according to Alison Lee, partner at Christopher Lee Attorneys, who says it is also important to understand where the laws pose the greatest potential risks for organisations, and to put sufficient proactive controls in place to guard against these risks.
Lee is a speaker at the ITWeb Risk, Governance and Compliance conference, scheduled for 21 February 2012. She will discuss the laws organisations need to consider in terms of electronic communications in SA. She will also discuss the risks and advantages associated with electronic media, and will also consider exactly what electronic communication and data messages are.
There is no legislation that is going to revolutionise the deletion of data, Lee says. The current laws aim to ensure that information is retained electronically, instead of keeping hard copies.
The laws that will have the biggest impact on electronic communications are the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECTA), the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communications Related Information Act 70 of 2002 (RICA), as well as King III, she notes.
At the conference, Lee will elaborate on how the Companies Act 71 of 2008 and the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 further enforce the ECTA.
The laws regulate how original data has to be retained and stored, as well as how it should be secured, Lee notes.
For more information about the event, click here.
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