Tunisia-INPDP to take legal action against some municipalities for publishing list of people infected with COVID-19

The National Authority for the Protection of Personal Data “INPDP” announced in an announcement that it will take legal action against the posting in some municipalities of nominal accounts of people infected with the coronavirus, indicating Bennane, Monastir governorate.

The authority considered that the deliberate publication of personal data on the state of health of one or more people (contaminated by the Coronavirus) is a violation of the provisions of Organic Law 2004-63 on the protection of personal data.

Indeed, “this violation is liable to legal proceedings”. This is what the PDP further warned, in a statement released Sunday evening.

The authority also indicates that it has found that some officials in central and local public establishments have deliberately published data on the names of people in connection with their state of health.

“Data published on social networks or in the form of press releases posted on the official pages of these establishments”. This is what the instance adds. And the INPDP specifies that these officials justify these practices by arguing their concern to protect themselves from the effects of Covid-19.

So the INPDP says it will not hesitate to take legal action. And this, if it turns out that it is a personal data breach.

The authority also called on all public and private establishments and persons with access to this data to respect its confidentiality and not to disclose it. And this, except for the parties authorized to take cognizance of it.