Protection of Personal Information at SMS Messenger (Pty) Ltd
Introduction
The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) is intended to promote the right to privacy in the Constitution, while at the same time protecting the flow of information and advancing the right of access to and protection of information. POPIA establishes the rights and duties that are designed to safeguard personal data. In terms of POPIA, the legitimate needs of organisations to collect and use personal data for business and other purposes are balanced against the right of individuals to have their right of privacy, in the form of their personal details, respected.
This guide outlines SMSMessenger’s interventions to ensure compliance with the act with respect to all data processed by SMS Messenger relating to its clients, suppliers and employees.
Definition of personal information
Your personal information is defined by the Protection of Personal Information Act (the Act) as: “information relating to an identifiable, living, natural person, and where it is applicable, an identifiable, existing juristic person, including, but not limited to
(a) information relating to the race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, national, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental health, well-being, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth of the person;
(b) information relating to the education or the medical, financial, criminal or employment history of the person;
(c) any identifying number, symbol, e-mail address, physical address, telephone number, location information, online identifier or other particular assignment to the person;
(d) the biometric information of the person;
(e) the personal opinions, views or preferences of the person;
(f) correspondence sent by the person that is implicitly or explicitly of a private or confidential nature or further correspondence that would reveal the contents of the original correspondence;
(g) the views or opinions of another individual about the person; and
(h) the name of the person if it appears with other personal information relating to the person or if the disclosure of the name itself would reveal information about the person”.
POPIA compliance at SMS Messenger
What we collect: We would like to assure you that we only collect and retain information received from you, and that this information is necessary to provide the service you have purchased from us. We do not share personal information other than where we are required to do so in order to provide our service or are required to do so by law.
How we secure your personal information: We follow the strictest and best practices in terms of security to ensure we protect the personal information you have provided.
How we ensure information accuracy: You have control over your personal information and can update your information by logging into your account at https://sms1.smsmessenger.co.za/app/login You can also send an email to sms@smsmessenger.co.za to request any changes required.
When we destroy information: Should you no longer wish for your personal information to be stored by us, you are entitled to request for your information to be disposed of. We will also destroy any information when we no longer require the information to provide a service to you and when we are not required by law to keep the information.
Contacting us
Should you have any questions or concerns with regards to the collection, sharing or destruction of personal data please email us at sms@smsmessenger.co.za