Page 13 - Dainfern Precinct Living 5 2021

LIFESTYLE

POPI ACT:

IMPLICATIONS

FOR WFH EMPLOYEES

BY AMANDA PILLAI

The exploitation of personal and our personal information is office. But that’s actually an incorrect

information has become a an ongoing battle. This is the assumption. Whether you’re
reason why the POPI (Protection
an employee or an outsourced
multi-billion dollar business of Personal Information) Act was consultant, you’ll need to be
changing the way that you work
promulgated.
that’s like a runaway train. if you don’t already have security
Compliance with the POPI Whilst the POPI Act came protocols in place.
into effect on 1 July 2020,
Act is one way that we can businesses, institutions and other Here are a number of suggestions
try to stop it. organisations (such as Home that I’ve been given concerning
Owners Associations) were given
the various steps that we should
a 12-month grace period, which have in place to protect personal
n addition to the perks of expires on 30 June this year, to privacy. This list is by no means
keeping criminals at bay, living put all the required procedures in comprehensive, but it does give
in a gated community gives us place. Most of these entities should some important points to consider
another advantage, if we choose have, by now, appointed POPI- when setting up for our local POPI-
Ito utilise it – anonymity. That specialised compliance managers compliance.
is, in the physical sense, we are and made all the necessary changes
protected from the invasion of knock to their constitutions, memorandums 1. All devices for work purposes
and drop pamphlet marketers and of incorporation, non-disclosure must be programmed to lock and
paparazzi for as long as we’re in agreements and the like, and must be password-protected –
the secure cocoon of our immediate revised all agreements with service that includes tablets, laptops and
community. providers entrusted with sensitive smartphones.
personal information on their behalf. 2. If you get up from your
But enter the virtual dimension and For those who haven’t quite woken workstation where you’re
that all changes. A lot of our loss up to the implications of the new working on a desktop computer
of anonymity is self-inflicted, as law, it’s important to note that after or laptop, before you step out
we choose to voice our opinions 1 July 2021, any entity that is found of your office, even if it’s just
on Twitter and showcase our lives to be non-compliant with the POPI for a moment, you need to lock
on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Act may be slapped with a hefty fine your device – this means that
YouTube and a host of other social and the responsible parties may anybody, including you, will need
media apps. Over and above that, even face jail time. to enter the correct password to
some of the intrusion into our private unlock it again.
lives is as a result of ignorance (or HOW DOES POPI COMPLIANACE 3. Devices used for work/
negligence). AFFECT WORK-FROM-HOMERS? professional purposes should
You may think that, as you work not be used by family members
The rate of change in the virtual from home most of the time, the or even by you for personal
arena is so rapid that it’s difficult information that you work with is matters. You may be looking for
to keep up. Protecting our privacy secure if it doesn’t leave your home a recipe, or sourcing information
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