Which Act is being Violated when you post the Private Information of Someone on Social Media?

In South Africa, when you post the private information of someone on any social media platform, you are violating the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

Looking at posting the private information of someone on social media platforms specifically, the POPIA Act protects South African citizens from:

• the dangers of exposing personal details to the public, such as phone numbers, ID numbers, home addresses, and (even) email addresses.
• being shamed publicly as a result of their private photos, videos, screenshots and conversations, being shared on social media platforms.
• being cuber-bullied as a result of leaked information on social media platforms.
• being the victim of identity theft as a result of posting private information of someone else, on socal media platforms.

Now you know that the Protection of Personal Information Act is violated when you share private information of someone on social media without their permission. It is always advisable to seek permission first, before sharing other people’s private content on any social media platforms.