The ASSAf POPIA Consultation Forum serves as a platform for engaging researchers, ethics committees, and stakeholders in discussions about data privacy and compliance in the research sector, as per South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). As of November 2024, ASSAf released a POPIA Compliance Framework for Research for public consultation. Both a Steering Committee and a Drafting Committee were set up to assist with the work of the POPIA Consultation Forum.
The forum’s primary goal is to create a framework that ensures lawful, secure, and transparent processing of personal information in research, aligning with POPIA’s principles. Key activities include:
Stakeholder engagement: Bringing together scientists, researchers, and ethics committees to discuss the implications of POPIA on research practices.
Development of a Rramework: Collaboratively drafting guidelines that provide both legal and practical interpretations of POPIA for the research community
Public consultations: Hosting events to gather feedback and ensure the Framework reflects the needs and concerns of various stakeholders.
The draft POPIA Compliance Framework for Research for public consultation was released by ASSAf during November 2024. This Framework, developed over four years, aims to apply across different industries, including health, where identifiable personal information is processed for research purposes. It has received endorsements from the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Universities South Africa (USAf), and the National Health Research Ethics Council (NHREC). While membership is voluntary, non-compliance may raise concerns among these bodies.
The framework emphasises the importance of local adequacy assessments for cross-border data transfers, moving away from reliance on foreign jurisdictions like the EU. ASSAf plans to establish a committee to develop criteria for these assessments, ensuring that data protection standards meet South Africa’s specific research context.
Read more about the work done by the ASSAf POPIA Consultation Forum.
POPIA Consultation Forum Enquiries
Mmaphuthi Rametse
Senior Project Officer: Scholarly Publishing Programme, ASSAf
Email: mmaphuthi@assaf.org.za