The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) requires, among other things, the appointment of an information officer. This requirement is universally applicable to all types of organisations and has a far-reaching effect from a practical and compliance perspective.

This eight-hour course is designed to serve as a guide on the essential requirements and duties under POPIA with regards to appointing an information officer, as well as the practical implications of being appointed as such. This course ultimately aims to provide clarity on the role of an information officer in a public and private body.

When and where?

This course is not currently scheduled.

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Course outline

The topics to be covered will include:

  1. A brief introduction to the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), the information regulator and its guidance note on information officers
    The topics that this section will cover include:What is POPIA?
    • What is personal information and why should it be protected?
    • Other relevant definitions.
    • What are the penalties for non-compliance with POPIA?
    • What does the information regulator do and what does it not do (e.g. provision of training)?
    • The nature of the information regulator’s Guidance Note on Information Officers.
  2. A general overview of information officers
    The topics that this section will cover include:
    • What is an information officer? - exploring the history of information officers in South Africa.
    • How are information officers under POPIA different to those under PAIA? What has changed since the passing of POPIA?
    • Automatic designations of information officers in private and public bodies.
    • Who may be appointed as the information officer in a private body?
    • Who may be appointed as the information officer in a public body?
  3. Appointing information officers and deputy information officers
    The topics that this section will cover include:
    • How are information officers appointed internally within an organisation?
    • An overview of the standard job-specification for an information officer and the key qualifications and skills required.
    • How are information officers appointed externally with the information regulator?
    • What formalities, procedures and requirements are there for the appointment of deputy information officers?
    • Do deputy information officers need to be registered with the information regulator?
    • How often do you need to update your information officer’s records with the information regulator?
    • What complexities may arise when disciplining an information officer?
  4. The essential roles and duties of information officers and deputy information officers
    The topics that this section will cover include:
    • Understanding the role of an Information officer in an organisation:
    • Understanding the duties of an Information officer
    • Day to day duties within an organisation: - Risk assessment and policies - Staff training - Compliance Framework (Regulation 4(a)) - Coordination within multinational groups to ensure compliance and mitigation of risk across different jurisdictions.
    • Information Officers Association and other training/exams for information officers
    • Duties under Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA)
    • How do duties of an information officer differ between those of SMME’s and those of larger corporations?
    • Understanding the duties of a deputy information officer .
    • Delegation of duties and deputy information officers (PAIA Section 17 and POPIA Section 56);
    • Deputy information officers : knowledge on business operations and training on POPIA and PAIA.
  5. Liability and information officers
    The topics that this section will cover include:
    • Liabilities of information officers under POPIA.
    • Liability for conduct of a deputy information officer.
    • Liabilities of executives for the conduct of an information officer under POPIA.
    • Liabilities of information officers under PAIA.
  6. Miscellaneous aspects of information officers
    The topics that this section will cover include:
    • How must multinational companies appoint information officers and who do information officers in multinational companies report to in the event of a data breach?
    • How must groups of companies appoint information officers in their structures?
    • How are information officers different from data protection officers under the GDPR?
    • Can information officers and data protection officers be the same person in a multinational company?
    • Information Officers Association and other training/exams for Information officers .
    • Practical considerations for Information officers in smaller organisations.;

Who will benefit from this course?

The following stakeholders will benefit from this course: in-house legal counsel; directors/heads of corporations; management of large, medium and small corporations; legal project managers.

Presenters

This course is presented in conjunction with Endcode. EndCode is a tech law advisory that specialises in assisting startups in navigating the legal frameworks that impact their businesses. We are proud legal mentors for tech startups at the Innovation Hub in Pretoria and the pan-African Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST).

How much?

R2,200 per person

Certificate

A certificate of attendance from UCT will be awarded to students who attend the full course.

How to sign up

Complete and submit the registration form. You will then be given the payment information. Please note that registrations will not be accepted until payment has been made.

One or two days before the course, we will send you the Zoom link. You will need to register and use a password to enter the virtual classroom.

Registrations close three days before the course starts.

Download the brochure.

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