The Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia) may not be in force yet, but it will affect the way marketers package information fundamentally, said lawyer Elizabeth de Stadler at the recent IAB Digital Summit. Popia will regulate all direct marketing, including digital direct marketing, in terms of how personal information is collected, used secured and disposed of. “At present direct marketing in SA involves largely unsolicited e-mails or SMSs,” said De Stadler, adding that it’s essentially an opt-out world. That, however, will all change once Popia comes into play. The new regulation requires list users to obtain consent even from existing names on lists – unless individuals were specifically told they would be marketed to and that there is an unsubscribe option. “It’s going to be much harder to buy lists,” said De Stadler. “Businesses who market by using lists will need to know where personal information came from: did customers give permission for the company to contact the...
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