Information regulator issues guidance note for election campaigning
Democratic Alliance and Action SA election posters hung on a pole in Auckland Park, Johannesburg.
Image Credits : Lebo Tshangela

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The Information Regulator has launched a guidance note to direct how political parties and independent candidates use the personal information of voters for campaigning purposes in the run-up to the elections.

The new guidance note is an update to the one issued by the regulator ahead of the local government elections in 2019.

In a statement, the independent body says the update follows recent changes in the electoral law that allow independent candidates to stand and campaign for elections, the increasing instances of security compromise to personal information and increasing risks to the voting process due to misinformation and disinformation.

The regulator says it seeks to ensure that both political parties, independent candidates and the public are fully informed and enabled to take the necessary action to protect their personal information of voters during elections, and to minimise the risks to the free flow of accurate information that is crucial for informed participation in the electoral process.

The note amongst other guidelines prohibits the supply of personal information that has been collected for campaigning purposes to third parties without the consent of a voter.

Below is the statement from the Information Regulator:

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