The President of the Personal Data Protection Office addressed personal data disclosure at conferenc

First name, surname, address and personal identification number (PESEL number) - these are the data disclosed by MPs in the Polish Sejm during a press conference to clarify issues relating to the assets of one of the candidates for President of the Republic of Poland. During the conference, MP Przemysław Czarnek showed documents containing personal data to the public. As a result, the President of the Personal Data Office decided to take up the case of a personal data protection violation ex officio.

This is not the first time that personal data have been revealed during a press conference or other media activity of people holding public office. This time, the personal data of two persons who do not hold public office were revealed in photographs of a press conference of MPs. And the scope of these data may cause adverse consequences for these individuals. Hence the decision of the President of the Personal Data Protection Office to take up the case ex officio.

‘I appreciate those media outlets that remained vigilant and did not further disseminate in their publications the personal data visible in the photo and who covered it up,’ - Miroslaw Wroblewski, the President of the Personal Data Protection Office, said. He added that public figures themselves should take care to ensure that the personal data of people who do not hold public office cannot be read.

At the same time, the President of the Personal Data Protection Office reminds that the emotions accompanying the upcoming elections should not overshadow the principles of personal data protection, which should always be respected. Therefore, we remind and recommend you to get familiar with the Personal Data Protection Office's guide entitled ‘Personal data protection in the election campaign’, which discusses, among other things, the principles concerning the processing of personal data in the election process or the obligations of controllers, election administration and election committees in this respect.