Although debates surrounding the Protection of Personal Information Bill (PPIB) have quietened, there are still many questions as to whether South African organisations are ready to comply with it.
To get an indication of how prepared local organisations are for the Bill, ITWeb, in partnership with Deloitte Legal, is conducting an online PPIB survey.
"The Bill has been passed by the National Assembly Parliamentary Committee and is expected to be brought into law by the end of this year," said Dean Chivers, director at Deloitte Legal.
The PPIB will require organisations to adhere to certain rules and regulations regarding how they deal with an individual's personal information. While organisations will have to employ different and/or new business practices, the most important issue is how organisations will go about practically implementing the new rules.
"One of the main objectives of the survey is to gauge how prepared South African organisations are for the PPI Bill, and how they can be assisted in preparing for complying with the Bill," Chivers says.
Chivers believes one of the main factors that will contribute to the success of South African organisations' adaptation to the PPI Bill will be how they invest in sound practical strategies for implementation. "Companies also need to take this opportunity to implement value-creating solutions, which drive more than pure compliance," he says.
"Most countries have well-developed PPI legislation, therefore, there are no reasons why South African organisations will be unable to follow suit, as our legislation is aligned with internationally accepted practice."
It is imperative for organisations to understand how the Bill will affect their business, he says, advising organisations not to wait until the last minute before implementing intelligent commercial changes to adhere to the law.
"The pending Protection of Personal Information legislation can be an opportunity for organisations to streamline business policies and improve their overall data management," he concludes.
Click here to complete the survey and stand a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy S3 16GB.
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