The less-talked-about information bill – the Protection of Personal Information Bill – is not another attack on mainstream media, ANC and opposition MPs have assured, but will instead crack down on direct marketing companies.

On Tuesday, the portfolio committee on justice and constitutional development discussed the bill, which had been before Parliament the longest out of those yet to be finalised.

Its main intention is to reinforce Section 14 of the constitution, which grants everyone the right to privacy. Now in its seventh draft, the bill is expected to be made into law before the end of this year. It aims to “promote the protection of personal information processed by public and private – bodies” and to introduce information protection and establish minimum requirements for the processing of personal information. The bill also makes provision for a regulator to provide for the issuing of codes of conduct to cover the handling of personal information.

ANC MP John Jefferies and his DA counterpart, Dene Smuts, defended the bill following concerns that journalism would be a victim of the legislation, because it also dealt with the gathering and dissemination of individuals’ information without their consent.

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