The Data Protection Inspectorate announced on Wednesday that it has taken 12 credit rating and collection agencies to task for illegally listing the names and birth dates of private debtors on their websites.
In a release, the inspectorate said that it has issued injunctions to five of the companies to remove the data. The others removed the records voluntarily.
Checks the office carried on 66 websites found that only two of them were presenting their information in full compliance with the law.
Though publishing information on both companies and individuals with bad bill-paying habits has become a common practice in Estonia, in the case of individuals it can be released only to those with a legitimate need. Making it available to the general public without the individual’s permission is counter to the law, the inspectorate said.
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