Public awareness and concerns relating to the Protection of Personal Information Act

Abstract

Information privacy is becoming a cornerstone issue of the 21st century, mainly because of the explosion of information technology. The main purpose of the current study is to investigate South Africans’ awareness of the new Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 and also to explore the levels of information privacy concerns that individuals have, as they relate to the principles outlined in the Act. In addition, the study investigates several group differences across the information privacy concern dimensions by means of MANOVA testing. The findings from a convenience sample of adults suggest that data collection, control and unauthorised secondary use are some of the main information privacy concern dimensions. The results could help government and businesses to understand how individuals’ concerns relate to the PoPI Act, highlighting the importance of compliance with the new Act.