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Digital Thread
Digital Thread

Ideas, updates and practical advice

Real questions from real Botswana businesses, answered in plain English. New articles on data protection, privacy, compliance and building online, published regularly.

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Latest articleIndustry news

Is Botswana's Information and Data Protection Commission Operational Yet?

As of the most recent public reporting, the Information and Data Protection Commission is legally established under the Act but was still building out its basic operational capacity, including having no dedicated public website.

Maverick Kabelo11 August 20263 min read
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Business compliance

Sending Personal Data Outside Botswana: The Practical Rules

Yes, a Botswana business can send personal data outside the country. Most businesses already do without realising it, but the Act sets specific conditions.

Maverick Kabelo · 28 July 20263 min read
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Privacy and websites

5 Data Protection Mistakes on Botswana Business Websites

Most Botswana business websites make the same handful of avoidable mistakes, none of which require a lawyer to fix, just attention.

Maverick Kabelo · 14 July 20263 min read
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Privacy and websites

Cookies, Google Analytics and Botswana's Data Protection Act

Cookies and tools like Google Analytics that identify or track visitors involve processing personal data, so the Act's ordinary rules apply, including needing a lawful basis and telling people what is happening.

Maverick Kabelo · 23 June 20263 min read
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Business compliance

How Long Can a Business Keep Personal Data in Botswana?

The Act does not set a fixed retention period in years or months for any category of data. If someone tells you the law requires deleting data after a specific number of years, they are either thinking of a different law or simply wrong.

Maverick Kabelo · 9 June 20263 min read
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Business compliance

Can an Employer Collect Employee Personal Data in Botswana?

Yes, an employer can and generally needs to collect a fair amount of employee data to run payroll, benefits and basic HR, but the Act still applies fully to that data. There is no workplace exemption.

Maverick Kabelo · 26 May 20264 min read
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Data protection basics

Your Rights as a Data Subject Under Botswana's Data Protection Act

As a person whose personal data a business holds, you have eight distinct rights under the Act, and most people have never used any of them.

Maverick Kabelo · 12 May 20264 min read
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Business compliance

What Are the Penalties for Breaching Botswana's Data Protection Act?

Administrative fines up to P50,000,000 or 4% of worldwide annual turnover for the most serious contraventions, and criminal penalties of up to P500,000 or 9 years in prison for individuals.

Maverick Kabelo · 28 April 20263 min read
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Business compliance

Does My Business Need a Data Protection Officer in Botswana?

Only in three specific situations, and most small and medium Botswana businesses don't fall into any of them, though some common business types do without realising it.

Maverick Kabelo · 14 April 20263 min read
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Business compliance

What Happens After a Data Breach in Botswana?

You have 72 hours to tell the Commission, and possibly to tell affected customers too, depending on the risk level.

Maverick Kabelo · 24 March 20263 min read
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Marketing and consent

Can You Send Marketing Messages Without Consent in Botswana?

Yes, consent isn't the only lawful basis available. But once anyone objects to marketing specifically, you have to stop immediately, with no exceptions.

Maverick Kabelo · 10 March 20263 min read
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Privacy and websites

What Should a Privacy Policy Contain in Botswana?

At minimum, what the Act itself requires you to disclose under sections 39 to 41, not a generic template copied from an overseas site.

Maverick Kabelo · 19 February 20263 min read
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Data protection basics

Data Controller vs Data Processor: What's the Difference in Botswana?

A controller decides why and how personal data is processed. A processor just processes it on the controller's instructions, without deciding either.

Maverick Kabelo · 5 February 20263 min read
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Data protection basics

What Counts as Personal Data in Botswana?

Personal data is broader than most people assume: it is any information that can be linked to an identifiable person, not just names and ID numbers.

Maverick Kabelo · 22 January 20263 min read
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Business compliance

Does the Data Protection Act Apply to Small Businesses in Botswana?

Yes, in almost every respect. The Act sets one exemption tied to business size, and it is narrower than most owners assume.

Maverick Kabelo · 15 January 20263 min read

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The Data Protection Guide

Looking for how the law actually works?

This blog covers situations and practical questions. Our structured guide covers what the Data Protection Act, 2024 says, section by section, topic by topic.

Open the guide