Do South African employers check social media?
By Loomis · Updated
South African employers do check candidates' public social media, and POPIA does not stop them from viewing what you have made public yourself. POPIA still governs what an organisation does with that information afterwards, which is why an old post that surfaces in a search still carries real weight going into an interview.
Does POPIA stop an employer from looking at my public social media?
POPIA lets an employer, or anyone else, view information you have deliberately made public yourself, including a public Instagram account or a LinkedIn post. What happens to that information afterwards still falls under POPIA: an organisation that collects or keeps it has to handle it lawfully, securely and only for a stated purpose.
When did POPIA come into effect, and who enforces it?
POPIA, the Protection of Personal Information Act, came into full effect on 1 July 2020, following a one-year compliance grace period for organisations already handling personal information. South Africa's Information Regulator enforces it, and it applies to any organisation processing personal information in South Africa, employers included.
What does the research on employers and social media actually show?
The clearest data on employers researching candidates on social media is American: a December 2022 survey of 1,002 US hiring decision-makers found 70% use social media to research candidates, and 51% of hiring managers said they had never found anything that stopped them hiring someone. No study has yet measured South African employers specifically, but nothing stops an employer here doing the same quick search.
How do you see what a South African employer would see?
A free Loomis Footprint check searches for the public accounts likely to be yours the way an employer's own quick search would, and shows you what's public on them today, in one place, ahead of your interview.
See what's public about you today with a free Loomis Footprint check.
Check your own footprint