Information Regulator to engage Gauteng over e-Panic Button data breach
The Information Regulator plans to engage the Gauteng Department of e-Government regarding a reported data breach affecting the province's e-Panic Button app, after confirming it received no official notification.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) plans to inform the Information Regulator about a breach involving the Gauteng e-Panic Button data. This follows their recent report that the database behind the provincial government's emergency app was left unsecured, exposing sensitive information such as crime reports, personal details and movement histories of those who filed them.
The DA's spokesperson on e-Government, Michael Waters, wants an investigation into whether the breach violated the Protection of Personal Information Act, the response of the Department of e-Government, and whether affected residents were notified. This is the second breach involving sensitive information submitted to the Gauteng Provincial Government.
The total value of the e-Panic Button platform contract is R269-million, with Evolve Value Added Services receiving R131.3-million over the past three financial years. The app's backend was originally powered by Aura, but the company stopped participating over a year ago. The Department of e-Government has not yet informed the Gauteng Legislature's committee about the failure.
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- DA to report e-Panic data breach to Information Regulator groundup.org.za
