It adds the legislation will revolutionise how companies collect, store and dispose of the information their customers give them. Under Popi, businesses will also have to make sure that personal information is used only for the purpose for which it was collected. For example, if companies are collecting information for a competition, this data may be used only for that competition and must then be destroyed, said Phukubje Pierce Masithela Attorneys' Lucien Pierce. According to the report, the law also makes it illegal for businesses to resell such data. Though it has taken about eight years for the law to come into force, Pierce said its comprehensiveness is well worth the wait. 'This is a great piece of legislation,' he is reported to have said. Full Financial Mail report Protection of Personal Information (PDF file)