Slovakia advances data protection law for police and courts

The National Council of the Slovak Republic has moved a new law regarding personal data protection in the criminal field to its second reading. The legislation aims to regulate how personal data is processed by various state authorities to facilitate the prevention, detection, and prosecution of criminal activities, as well as to ensure public order.

The proposed regulations will affect several institutions, including the Police Force, Military Police, Prison and Court Guard Service, the Financial Administration, the Ministry of Justice, the Office of the President, prosecutors, and the courts. This applies to both automated and manual processing of data stored in information systems.

To safeguard individual rights, the Office for Personal Data Protection emphasized that authorities must ensure data is accurate, complete, and up-to-date. The law suggests measures such as pseudonymization to protect identities and requires that any data breaches be reported within 72 hours.