The case of the so-called 'troll farm'. The President of the Office for the Protection of Personal Data: Investigation into abuse of power by officials still ongoing
Date:
In the "Ministry of Justice troll farm case", which concerned an organised practice of denigrating judges unfavourable to the government's judicial reform through social media, the Commissioner stressed that the case was not only of a moral nature - it bore the hallmarks of serious violations of the law.
The CHR referred questions to the President of the Office for the Protection of Personal Data (PUODO) to clarify whether there had been a breach of data protection laws at the Ministry of Justice and the National Council for the Judiciary. The PUODO reported that investigations into the matter were ongoing and that he had received information from the Ministry of Justice and the National Council for the Judiciary.
In response, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry's data protection officer stated that there was no evidence of a breach of data protection laws at the Ministry of Justice. It was pointed out that Judge Łukasz Piebiak, the Undersecretary of State in the Ministry, was authorised to process the personal data of judges, but that an investigation into the matter had been launched by the Public Prosecutor's Office.
The National Council of the Judiciary also claimed that no breach of personal data protection had been found and that the data had been stored securely. However, the PUODO continued to request further information from the Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the processing of personal data in this case.
From 2019 the PUODO successively requests the Public Prosecutor's Office to inform it of the status of the investigation into the matter currently being handled by the District Public Prosecutor's Office in Świdnica and, if it has been concluded, to send the decision issued and information on the processing of personal data of judges, their family members and persons close to them. The PUODO's further actions therefore depend on the outcome of the aforementioned criminal proceedings.
