Authorities Want To Classify Photos Of Officials' Cottages In Drazdy

Has Yarmoshyna hopped to it?

Today, the "house of representatives" adopted in the first reading the Law "On Personal Data". It will come into force only one year after its official publication. To this end, it will be necessary to adopt the document in the second reading and approve it in the Council of the Republic. It will be published after it is signed by the president. Theoretically, this could happen in the summer of 2019. But it could also take longer, officelife.media writes.

The director of the National Center for Legislation and Legal Research, Vadzim Ipatau, explained to journalists today that in some cases the law may affect the media. For example, he confirmed that the publication of the photo of the cottage of CEC head Lidzia Yarmoshyna with the indication that it is her real estate will be impossible without her consent.

"In this situation, if we proceed from the definition contained in this law ... Either it is data that allows to identify this person, or to identify him or her with sufficient probability. That is, you have to be careful here," - he said.

The law will apply to everyone who deals with personal data of an individual. These can be ordinary schools, online stores and many other organizations and businesses. For example, filling in a discount card application form will also fall under the law. Ipatau, answering the journalists' question, found it difficult to say what costs can be incurred by the company after the law is adopted.

"I don't think that the adoption of the law will lead to these costs. If you want to work today and carry out cross-border data transfer, it is no longer a question of money. The fact is that cross-border data transfer to countries where there is no appropriate legal regulation that meets the requirements in the field of personal data protection... It is actually prohibited. That is, we need to create a basis," - Ipatau said.

It is not clear yet which body will be authorized to regulate this sphere. Earlier, experts believed that this would be the Operational and Analytical Center. Ipatau did not confirm or deny it. But he told us what the body would be like:

"It should be an independent authorized body. It can be ensured in two ways: physical (i.e., the body is not in the structure of the government or any other branches of power), or its powers can be secured and recorded in such a way that it ensures its independence," - Ipatau explained.

The law does not stipulate any specific liability for violation of the procedure for dealing with personal data. The Belarusian authorities will consider this issue.