ISO 27701 helps demonstrate privacy compliance beyond POPIA

Ryan Boyes, Senior Security Administrator at Galix.

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By now, most South African organisations are aware of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and have taken steps to address its requirements. However, being aware of the law or having policies in place does not necessarily mean that privacy is being managed effectively. This becomes a challenge when organisations are asked by clients, partners or regulators to show how personal information is being handled. ISO 27701 addresses this gap by extending ISO 27001 to include privacy-specific controls and also provides a structured way to manage personally identifiable information (PII) across its life cycle. This gives organisations a way to demonstrate how privacy is managed, rather than relying on internal policies or self-assessments alone.

Organisations often assume that addressing POPIA requirements is sufficient to demonstrate privacy compliance. However, when privacy processes are not clearly defined, consistently applied or formally governed, gaps can appear and risk can be introduced. One of the reasons for this is that while POPIA sets out clear requirements, it does not define how those requirements should be implemented and managed. It also does not include a formal certification process, which makes it difficult for organisations to show that their privacy controls are in place and being applied consistently.

ISO 27701 addresses this by building on ISO 27001 and extending the existing Information Security Management System (ISMS) to include privacy. This requires organisations to define how personal information is managed, assign responsibility and put controls in place, while also ensuring that these processes are reviewed and maintained on an ongoing basis.

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For businesses with international clients, privacy requirements extend beyond POPIA, adding another layer of complexity. Clients in the European Union (EU), for example, require alignment with regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as part of onboarding or supplier assessments.

ISO 27701 helps address this by providing a single framework that aligns with both POPIA and GDPR. It allows organisations to manage privacy requirements across different jurisdictions without treating each one separately.

This is increasingly relevant for South African businesses that operate internationally or form part of global supply chains, where organisations are required to show that privacy is managed against a recognised standard, rather than relying on local compliance alone.

Meeting local and international privacy requirements is only part of the challenge. Businesses also need to be able to prove that their controls are being effectively applied, which is where the problem often lies. For example, organisations may collect and store personal information securely but may not have clear processes in place for how long it is retained, when it should be deleted or how that deletion is verified.

These gaps create both regulatory and reputational risk. It is not enough to state that data will be protected or deleted. Organisations need to demonstrate how these processes are defined, followed and reviewed over time.

ISO 27701 helps organisations address these gaps directly, since the standard requires exactly this level of detail to demonstrate compliance with data privacy regulations. It focuses on how privacy is managed on an ongoing basis, and whether organisations can provide evidence that their controls are working as intended.

Like ISO 27001, ISO27701 also needs to be maintained. Organisations are expected to monitor, review and update their controls and be able to show that this is happening over time. This is where cyber security and compliance specialists are often needed to support implementation and ensure that privacy practices meet external requirements.

ISO 27701 builds on ISO 27001 by extending existing security frameworks to include privacy. For organisations that already have ISO 27001 in place, this means expanding current processes to address how personal information is handled, rather than starting from scratch.

Aligning with the standard allows organisations to demonstrate to clients, partners and regulators how personal information is managed. It requires clearly defined roles, responsibilities and controls, as well as evidence that these controls are applied consistently. This is increasingly important as clients, partners and regulators look beyond policy documents and expect evidence of how privacy is actively managed.