The Voivodeship Administrative Court dismissed the appeal against the decision of the President of the Personal Data Protection Office regarding the fine imposed on Radio Szczecin
In its judgment of March 18, 2026, in case no. II SA Wa 807/25, the Voivodeship Administrative Court in Warsaw dismissed the complaint filed by Polish Radio – Regional Station in Szczecin against the decision of the President of the Personal Data Protection Office. The court thus upheld the validity of the fine imposed by the President of the Personal Data Protection Office for the lack of procedures protecting the rights of the subjects of the publication.
The Voivodeship Administrative Court dismissed the appeal against the decision, noting that the inspection report, which documented the facts established during the inspection, had been signed without reservation by the authorised persons. The court also noted that the fine imposed on the controller by the supervisory authority was proportionate and properly justified. The President of the Personal Data Protection Office, Mirosław Wróblewski, imposed an administrative fine of PLN 56,824 on Polskie Radio Szczecin for failing to implement procedures to protect the rights of the subjects of the publication.
The President of the Personal Data Protection Office conducted an inspection at Polish Radio Szczecin, which revealed a number of failures in the processing of personal data in connection with editorial activities. The controller failed to conduct a risk assessment, did not comply with its own personal data protection policy, and did not implement data security measures to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, accessibility and resilience of systems and services.
The controller failed to fulfill its obligations to ensure that the risk of a breach of the rights or freedoms of natural persons and the security of data processing was mitigated with regard to pseudonymisation and encryption.
Serious data processing failures by Polish Radio Szczecin in 2022 led to the disclosure of information about a young person who was the victim of a crime. Unfortunately, the personal data included in the news report made it possible to identify this person. The teenager subsequently took their own life.
According to the President of the Personal Data Protection Office, it is essential in journalistic activities to adequately protect the personal data of individuals and respect their right to privacy. We highlighted these obligations during the conference “Personal Data on the Air,” held at the Office—a report is available on the Office’s website: https://uodo.gov.pl/pl/531/3973
The President of the Personal Data Protection Office also took systemic measures to ensure effective protection of personal data, issuing a statement on the matter in 2025—following the imposition of a fine on Radio Szczecin—to the heads of all public radio companies: https://uodo.gov.pl/pl/138/3794
DKN.5112.10.2024
II SA/Wa 807/25