POPIA Compliance Guide for South African Websites in 2025

What is POPIA?

The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) came into full effect on July 1, 2021. It regulates how South African businesses collect, store, and use personal information. Non-compliance can result in fines up to R10 million or 10 years imprisonment.

What Qualifies as Personal Information?

• Names and surnames
• Email addresses and phone numbers
• Physical addresses
• ID numbers
• Financial information
• IP addresses and cookies
• Any information that can identify a person

If your website collects ANY of this information, POPIA applies to you.

POPIA Requirements for Websites

1. Privacy Policy

You must have a comprehensive privacy policy that explains:

• What personal information you collect
• How you use this information
• Who has access to it
• How long you store it
• How users can request deletion
• Your contact details

2. Consent Mechanisms

You must obtain explicit consent before collecting personal information. This means:

• Cookie consent banners
• Checkbox on forms (not pre-checked)
• Clear opt-in language
• Option to withdraw consent

3. Data Security

You must implement reasonable security measures:

• SSL certificates (HTTPS)
• Encrypted databases
• Secure hosting
• Regular security updates
• Access controls

4. Data Subject Rights

Users have the right to:

• Access their personal information
• Request corrections
• Request deletion
• Object to processing
• Withdraw consent

You must have processes to handle these requests within 30 days.

POPIA Compliance Checklist

• ✓ Privacy policy published and accessible
• ✓ Cookie consent banner implemented
• ✓ Contact forms require explicit consent
• ✓ SSL certificate installed (HTTPS)
• ✓ Data stored on secure servers
• ✓ Newsletter signup is opt-in only
• ✓ User data deletion process documented
• ✓ Information Officer appointed (if required)
• ✓ Data breach response plan in place
• ✓ Regular security audits scheduled

Common POPIA Violations on Websites

These mistakes can result in fines:

• No privacy policy
• Pre-checked consent boxes
• Storing data without purpose
• No SSL certificate
• Sharing data with third parties without consent
• No process for data deletion requests
• Keeping data longer than necessary

How We Build POPIA-Compliant Websites

All our Next.js websites include POPIA compliance by default:

• Compliant privacy policy templates
• Cookie consent banners
• Secure data handling
• South African hosting options
• Data deletion mechanisms
• Encrypted communications

Get a Free POPIA Compliance Audit

We offer free POPIA compliance audits for South African businesses. We'll review your website and provide a detailed report on compliance gaps and how to fix them.