1. Our Commitment to POPIA
TrafficFines.org is fully committed to complying with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (Act 4 of 2013) ("POPIA"). We recognise that the personal information processed through our platform — including South African ID numbers, vehicle registration numbers, and payment card details — constitutes special and sensitive personal information that requires the highest level of protection.
2. Lawful Basis for Processing
We process personal information on the following lawful grounds as defined in Section 11 of POPIA:
- Consent: Users provide explicit consent when submitting their ID number or vehicle registration to initiate a fine lookup.
- Contractual Necessity: Processing is necessary to fulfil the service of retrieving and facilitating payment of traffic fines.
- Legal Obligation: We are required to retain certain transaction records under the Tax Administration Act and the Financial Intelligence Centre Act.
3. How We Handle ID Numbers
South African ID numbers are classified as special personal information under POPIA Section 26. We implement the following safeguards:
- ID numbers are transmitted over 256-bit SSL/TLS encrypted connections only.
- ID numbers are used solely for traffic-fine lookups through licensed third-party data partners.
- ID numbers are not stored in our database after the lookup session concludes, unless the user explicitly creates an account.
- Access to ID number data is restricted to authorised system processes — no human operator can view or export raw ID numbers.
4. How We Handle Vehicle Registrations
- Vehicle registration numbers and VIN numbers are used exclusively for traffic-fine lookups through licensed third-party data partners.
- Registration data is transmitted securely and is shared only with the partners required to perform the requested lookup.
- Session-based lookups do not persist registration data beyond the active browser session.
5. How We Handle Payment Data
- All payment card details are processed by PCI DSS Level 1-compliant payment gateways. TrafficFines.org does not store, log, or have access to full card numbers.
- Payment tokens and transaction references are retained for reconciliation and audit purposes only.
- 3D Secure (3DS) authentication is enforced for all card transactions to prevent fraud.
6. Data Subject Rights
Under POPIA Sections 23–25, you have the right to:
- Request access to your personal information held by us.
- Request correction or deletion of inaccurate or outdated information.
- Object to the processing of your personal information.
- Request a record of all third parties to whom your information has been disclosed.
- Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa.
7. Information Officer
In accordance with POPIA Section 55, we have appointed a designated Information Officer:
Name: Information Officer, Fintech Payments (Pty) Ltd
Email: popia@trafficfines.org
Phone: 081 607 0813
Registered office: 78 Alcade Road, Lynnwood Glen, Pretoria, Gauteng, 0081, South Africa
8. Data Breach Notification
In the event of a data breach that compromises the personal information of our users, we will notify the Information Regulator and affected data subjects as soon as reasonably possible, in accordance with POPIA Section 22. Our incident response plan includes immediate containment, impact assessment, regulatory notification within 72 hours, and user communication.
9. Cross-Border Data Transfers
TrafficFines.org hosts all data within South African data centres. We do not transfer personal information outside the Republic of South Africa unless required by law or with the explicit consent of the data subject, and only to jurisdictions with adequate data protection laws as recognised by the Information Regulator.