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POPIA

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South Africa
vAct 4 of 2013, in force in full 1 July 2020; Regulations 2018 as amended 17 April 2025
5 domains
25 controls

South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013, in force in full since 1 July 2020 and enforced by the Information Regulator: the eight conditions for lawful processing (accountability; processing limitation with six justifications, consent, objection, minimality and direct collection; purpose specification with retention, destruction and restriction; further processing limitation; information quality; openness through the PAIA manual and the collection notice; security safeguards with risk-based measures, operator contracts and confidentiality, and notification of security compromises to the Regulator and data subjects; data subject participation through access and correction); prohibitions with authorisations for special personal information and children's information; a registered information officer with regulation 4 duties; prior authorisation for identifier linking, third-party criminal-record processing, credit reporting and sensitive transfers abroad; consent-or-customer rules for electronic direct marketing, directories, limits on solely automated decisions, and transborder flows on adequacy, consent or contract. Administrative fines up to R10 million, offences with up to ten years' imprisonment, and no-fault civil liability.

Verified

POPIA is a compliance framework from South Africa with 5 domains and 25 controls that map to 121 other frameworks. The largest domains are Chapter 3 Part A: The eight conditions for lawful processing – POPIA (17 controls), Chapters 8 and 9: Rights regarding direct marketing, directories, automated decisions and transborder flows – POPIA (4 controls), Chapter 3 Parts B and C: Special personal information and children – POPIA (2 controls). Every control below carries what it requires and what an assessor expects to see.

Maintained by Gerard BlokdykVerified against the published standard Control text last updated

Framework summaries on this platform are interpretations grounded in the published source, for educational and compliance planning purposes. They do not reproduce or replace the official standards. Refer to the authoritative source for the definitive text. Framework names and trademarks belong to their respective organisations.

Framework Domains (5)

Chapter 3 Part A: The eight conditions for lawful processing – POPIA

17 controls
Controls in the Chapter 3 Part A: The eight conditions for lawful processing – POPIA domain of POPIA: 17 controls
CodeTitle
popia::10Condition 2, processing limitation: minimality
popia::11Condition 2, processing limitation: consent, justification and objection
popia::12Condition 2, processing limitation: collection directly from the data subject
popia::13Condition 3, purpose specification: collection for a specific purpose
popia::14Condition 3, purpose specification: retention, destruction and restriction of records
popia::15Condition 4, further processing limitation
popia::16Condition 5, information quality
popia::17Condition 6, openness: documentation of processing operations
popia::18Condition 6, openness: notification to the data subject when collecting
popia::19Condition 7, security safeguards: integrity and confidentiality
popia::20Condition 7, security safeguards: operators and persons acting under authority
popia::21Condition 7, security safeguards: written operator contracts and operator breach notification
popia::22Condition 7, security safeguards: notification of security compromises
popia::23Condition 8, data subject participation: access to personal information
popia::24Condition 8, data subject participation: correction and deletion
popia::8Condition 1, accountability: responsible party ensures the conditions are met
popia::9Condition 2, processing limitation: lawfulness and reasonableness

Chapter 3 Parts B and C: Special personal information and children – POPIA

2 controls
Controls in the Chapter 3 Parts B and C: Special personal information and children – POPIA domain of POPIA: 2 controls
CodeTitle
popia::26-27Special personal information: prohibition and authorisations
popia::34-35Personal information of children: prohibition and authorisations

Chapters 4 and 5: Exemptions, the Information Regulator and the information officer – POPIA

1 controls
Controls in the Chapters 4 and 5: Exemptions, the Information Regulator and the information officer – POPIA domain of POPIA: 1 controls
CodeTitle
popia::55-56Information officer and deputy information officers

Chapters 6 and 7: Prior authorisation and codes of conduct – POPIA

1 controls
Controls in the Chapters 6 and 7: Prior authorisation and codes of conduct – POPIA domain of POPIA: 1 controls
CodeTitle
popia::57-58Prior authorisation by the Regulator

Chapters 8 and 9: Rights regarding direct marketing, directories, automated decisions and transborder flows – POPIA

4 controls
Controls in the Chapters 8 and 9: Rights regarding direct marketing, directories, automated decisions and transborder flows – POPIA domain of POPIA: 4 controls
CodeTitle
popia::69Direct marketing by unsolicited electronic communications
popia::70Directories of subscribers
popia::71Automated decision making
popia::72Transfers of personal information outside the Republic

Your Compliance Coverage

If you comply with POPIA, you already cover:

Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data (UAE PDPL)

18%

6 controls mapped

Compare →

Vietnam PDPD

18%

6 controls mapped

Compare →

Turkey KVKK

18%

6 controls mapped

Compare →

+ 118 more: Privacy Act 2020 (18%), Privacy Act 1988 (Australia) (18%)

See all 121 mapped frameworks ↓

Maps to 121 other frameworks

33 total controls
Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data (UAE PDPL)
6 source controls mapped|9 target controls covered
18%
Vietnam PDPD
6 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered
18%
Turkey KVKK
6 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered
18%
Privacy Act 2020
6 source controls mapped|6 target controls covered
18%
Privacy Act 1988 (Australia)
6 source controls mapped|7 target controls covered
18%
Bahrain PDPL
6 source controls mapped|13 target controls covered
18%
Switzerland New Federal Act on Data Protection (nFADP/nDSG, 2023)
6 source controls mapped|23 target controls covered
18%
Vietnam Law on Cybersecurity (No. 116/2025/QH15)
5 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered
15%
Regulation on the European Health Data Space (EHDS)
5 source controls mapped|4 target controls covered
15%
Barbados Data Protection Act 2019
5 source controls mapped|7 target controls covered
15%
Singapore Government Instruction Manual on ICT&SS Management (IM8)
5 source controls mapped|9 target controls covered
15%
Albania Law No. 124/2024 on Personal Data Protection
5 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered
15%
Russia Federal Law on Personal Data (152-FZ)
4 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered
12%
South Korea ISMS-P
4 source controls mapped|8 target controls covered
12%
Azerbaijan Law on Personal Data (2010)
4 source controls mapped|4 target controls covered
12%
GDPR
4 source controls mapped|10 target controls covered
12%
ISO/IEC 27400:2022
4 source controls mapped|7 target controls covered
12%
AICPA Privacy Management Framework (PMF)
4 source controls mapped|6 target controls covered
12%
FTC GLBA Safeguards Rule (16 CFR Part 314)
4 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered
12%
ISO/IEC 23894:2023
4 source controls mapped|5 target controls covered
12%
NIST SP 800-190
4 source controls mapped|6 target controls covered
12%
DAMA-DMBOK2 - Data Management Body of Knowledge (2nd Edition)
4 source controls mapped|5 target controls covered
12%
US Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSC) Manufacturer and Importer Duties
4 source controls mapped|4 target controls covered
12%
NIST Privacy Framework
4 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered
12%
USMCA Chapter 19 - Digital Trade (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement)
3 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered
9%
Armenia Law on Protection of Personal Data (2015)
3 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered
9%
Australian Privacy Principles (APPs)
3 source controls mapped|4 target controls covered
9%
Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programmes - Global Standards
3 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered
9%
Vermont Data Privacy and Online Surveillance Act
3 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered
9%
US Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) - Higher Education Safeguards Rule
3 source controls mapped|4 target controls covered
9%
UK Defence Standard 05-138 - Cyber Security for Defence Suppliers
3 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered
9%
TEFCA - Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement
3 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
9%
Austria Data Protection Act (Datenschutzgesetz, DSG, amended 2018)
3 source controls mapped|6 target controls covered
9%
APPI
3 source controls mapped|9 target controls covered
9%
UK Open Banking Standard
3 source controls mapped|5 target controls covered
9%
COSO Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013)
3 source controls mapped|4 target controls covered
9%
Florida Digital Bill of Rights (FDBR)
3 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered
9%
ITU-T X.805 - Security Architecture for End-to-End Communications
3 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered
9%
Singapore AI Governance Framework
3 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
9%
ISO/IEC 27011:2024
3 source controls mapped|6 target controls covered
9%
ISO 27799:2025
3 source controls mapped|9 target controls covered
9%
AWWA Cybersecurity Guidance for the Water Sector (American Water Works Association)
3 source controls mapped|5 target controls covered
9%
ISO/IEC 25012:2008 - Data Quality Model
3 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered
9%
ASD Strategies to Mitigate Cyber Security Incidents
3 source controls mapped|4 target controls covered
9%
CISA Cross-Sector Cybersecurity Performance Goals (CPG) 2.0
3 source controls mapped|5 target controls covered
9%
NIST SP 800-124 Revision 2 - Guidelines for Managing the Security of Mobile Devices
3 source controls mapped|4 target controls covered
9%
South Africa Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA)
2 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
6%
Rhode Island Data Transparency and Privacy Protection Act (RIDTPPA)
2 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
6%
ISO/IEC 27557:2022 - Organisational Privacy Risk Management
2 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered
6%
Connecticut Data Privacy Act (CTDPA)
2 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
6%
Azure Security Benchmark
2 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
6%
ISO/IEC 29100:2024
2 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered
6%
Estonia Personal Data Protection Act (Isikuandmete kaitse seadus, 2019)
2 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
6%
NIST SP 1800-32
2 source controls mapped|7 target controls covered
6%
ISO/IEC 27019:2024
2 source controls mapped|7 target controls covered
6%
ISO/IEC 29134:2023
2 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered
6%
EASA Part-IS - Information Security in Aviation
2 source controls mapped|5 target controls covered
6%
API 1164
2 source controls mapped|7 target controls covered
6%
BSI IT-Grundschutz
2 source controls mapped|10 target controls covered
6%
NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5
2 source controls mapped|12 target controls covered
6%
APRA CPS 230 Operational Risk Management
2 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered
6%
NFPA 1600 - Standard on Continuity, Emergency, and Crisis Management
2 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered
6%
NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0
2 source controls mapped|6 target controls covered
6%
FBI CJIS Security Policy
2 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered
6%
IEC 62443
2 source controls mapped|7 target controls covered
6%
ASIS SPC.1-2009 - Organizational Resilience Standard
2 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered
6%
Nebraska Data Privacy Act
2 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered
6%
SANS Incident Handler's Handbook and PICERL Methodology
2 source controls mapped|4 target controls covered
6%
Annex 11 to EU GMP - Computerised Systems
2 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered
6%
South Korea Korea Internet Self-Governance Organisation (KISO) Code of Ethics
2 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
6%
ISO 22000:2018
2 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered
6%
ISO 26000:2010
2 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
6%
ICAO Annex 17 - Aviation Security (AVSEC)
2 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered
6%
Paraguay Law on Protection of Personal Data (Law No. 6534/2020)
2 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
6%
IAIS Insurance Core Principles (ICPs)
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
UAE Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA) Regulations
1 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered
3%
ISO 22313:2020 - Guidance on Business Continuity Management Systems
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
Kuwait National Cybersecurity Framework
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
ISO/IEC 27031:2011
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
ISO/IEC 27003:2017
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
ISO/IEC 29147:2018
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
SQF Code Edition 9 - Safe Quality Food
1 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered
3%
ISO 26262:2018 - Functional Safety for Road Vehicles
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
French Sapin II Law (Law No. 2016-1691)
1 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered
3%
AML/CTF Act 2006 (Australia)
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPs)
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
US Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) and USCG Cybersecurity Requirements
1 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered
3%
US EPA Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) - Cybersecurity Requirements
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
Singapore Cybersecurity Act 2018
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
Protective Security Policy Framework (PSPF) Release 2026
1 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered
3%
PCI PIN Security
1 source controls mapped|5 target controls covered
3%
FFIEC IT Examination Handbook
1 source controls mapped|5 target controls covered
3%
PCI SSF
1 source controls mapped|5 target controls covered
3%
PCI P2PE
1 source controls mapped|5 target controls covered
3%
FFIEC Cybersecurity Assessment Tool (CAT)
1 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered
3%
ISO 28001:2007 Supply Chain Security Management
1 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered
3%
APRA CPS 234
1 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered
3%
ISO/IEC 30111:2019
1 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered
3%
ISO 22320:2018
1 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered
3%
ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018
1 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered
3%
ITIL 4
1 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered
3%
ISO/IEC 27010:2015
1 source controls mapped|4 target controls covered
3%
Nevada Gaming Control Board Cybersecurity Requirements
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
ISO/SAE 21434
1 source controls mapped|7 target controls covered
3%
Canada ITSG-33 - IT Security Risk Management
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
ISO/IEC 27043:2015
1 source controls mapped|7 target controls covered
3%
IEC 62351 - Power Systems Communication Security
1 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered
3%
IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) Standards Manual
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
ISO/IEC 29115:2013 - Entity Authentication Assurance Framework
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
FedRAMP Rev 5
1 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered
3%
ISO/IEC 23837:2023
1 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered
3%
FIDO2 / WebAuthn
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
NATO STANAG 4774 (Confidentiality Metadata Labels) and STANAG 4778 (Metadata Binding)
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
OWASP SAMM
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
ISO 14001:2015
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
ISO 45001:2018
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
FedRAMP High
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
FedRAMP Moderate
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
Section 508 - ICT Accessibility (Revised)
1 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered
3%
ISO 8000 - Data Quality
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
Latvia Personal Data Processing Law (Fizisko personu datu apstrades likums, 2018)
1 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered
3%
Compare POPIA with Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data (UAE PDPL)

Coverage is not the same as your position

This page shows what POPIA overlaps with in general. Where your organisation actually stands, against the standard you are going for and the certifications you already hold, is a different question. Same graph and the same recorded refutations, scoped to you rather than to a pair.

The Compliance Position Diagnostic, $5,000 fixed, ten business days

What is POPIA and who does it apply to?

POPIA is a compliance framework from South Africa with 5 domains and 25 controls. South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013, in force in full since 1 July 2020 and enforced by the Information Regulator: the eight conditions for lawful processing (accountability; processing limitation with six justifications, consent, objection, minimality and direct collection; purpose specification with retention, destruction and restriction; further processing limitation; information quality; openness through the PAIA manual and the collection notice; security safeguards with risk-based measures, operator contracts and confidentiality, and notification of security compromises to the Regulator and data subjects; data subject participation through access and correction); prohibitions with authorisations for special personal information and children's information; a registered information officer with regulation 4 duties; prior authorisation for identifier linking, third-party criminal-record processing, credit reporting and sensitive transfers abroad; consent-or-customer rules for electronic direct marketing, directories, limits on solely automated decisions, and transborder flows on adequacy, consent or contract. Administrative fines up to R10 million, offences with up to ten years' imprisonment, and no-fault civil liability. It is used by organisations to establish and maintain compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.

What does POPIA actually require?

POPIA has 25 controls organised across 5 domains. The largest domains are Chapter 3 Part A: The eight conditions for lawful processing – POPIA (17 controls), Chapters 8 and 9: Rights regarding direct marketing, directories, automated decisions and transborder flows – POPIA (4 controls), Chapter 3 Parts B and C: Special personal information and children – POPIA (2 controls). Each control defines specific requirements that organisations must implement to achieve compliance.

If I already comply with another framework, how much of POPIA do I already cover?

POPIA maps to 121 other compliance frameworks. The top mapping partners are Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data (UAE PDPL) (18% coverage), Vietnam PDPD (18% coverage), Turkey KVKK (18% coverage). Use our comparison tool to explore control-level mappings between frameworks.

How do I implement POPIA?

Start your POPIA compliance journey by running a self-assessment on our platform to identify your current compliance posture. Our AI advisory can answer specific questions about POPIA requirements, and cross-framework mapping helps you leverage existing controls from other frameworks you may already comply with. Create a free account to access all 25 controls and track your progress.

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