Watchdog demands information after data leak exposes ANC and MK Party candidate lists

The Information Regulator announced on Monday that it has served the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) with an information notice request.

This comes after the IEC sent the regulator two notifications following data leaks that exposed the Parliamentary candidate lists of the ANC and Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Party.

“The regulator will attend to the notifications from the IEC in accordance with the requirements of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA),” it stated.

“The Regulator has advised the IEC that the notifications […] do not provide sufficient details about the incidents to make them compliant with POPIA requirements.”

The Information Regulator requested the following details from the IEC:

• Proof that it published the security compromise notice involving the ANC candidates on its website.
• Proof of written notification to the MK Party.
• Confirmation of the number of data subjects impacted by the security compromise related to MKP candidates.
• Provision of sufficient information to allow the data subjects to take protective measures against the potential consequences of the compromise.
• Details as to how the unauthorised person accessed the personal information of data subjects.
• Details on the technical and organisational measures the IEC has implemented to mitigate against the risk of the affected data subjects.

“The requested information will assist the regulator in determining whether the IEC has met its obligations as a responsible party under POPIA,” the Information Regulator said.

Speaking to the media in Ekurhuleni on Saturday, Ramaphosa said the party had been informed about how the list could’ve been leaked.

EWN reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa told media on Saturday that an IEC insider leaked the list.

“Somehow, somebody at the IEC leaked the list, before they could examine it and before they could invoke their own processes to have the lists publicly available,” Ramaphosa was quoted as saying.

“We have been in discussion with [the IEC]. They have informed us that it was just a glitch. It is not representative of the IEC system.”

Ramaphosa expressed confidence in the IEC’s ability to oversee South Africa’s general elections on 29 May 2024 and said his government and the ANC leadership were satisfied with the commission’s explanation.