Probing Matters: State Data Protection Officer Scrutinizes Police Union Raid Inquiry
Investigative body's pursuit under scrutiny by state privacy guardian - Data Privacy Official Examines Search Operations at GDPR Compliance
In the wake of the recent search at the Police Union's headquarters in Erfurt, the State Data Protection Officer has initiated an investigation. Tino Melzer, from the German Press Agency in Erfurt, disclosed that they're currently in the " Sorting Phase." A picture of the whole case is being painted to the Interior Committee of the state parliament, which will convene next Thursday. The agenda includes this matter in the non-public section.
The GdP (Police Union) has long expressed data protection misgivings following searches on their premises. Criticisms about the internal investigations have persisted for weeks, encompassing allegations of secret treason. The inquiry extends to the union's offices in Erfurt.
Gagging Over Data Protection
According to the Public Prosecutor's Office in Gera, data storage devices were taken "to assess evidence-relevant data." The search warrant was written for the suspect, granting access to the spaces he utilized in the GdP building and the electronic storage media within these areas, the Public Prosecutor's Office stated.
The seizure and securing of the data was confirmed by the Gera District Court. This development, according to the Public Prosecutor's Office, rendered the State Data Protection Officer's involvement unnecessary, as declared last week.
Shortly after the search, the GdP suspected that two servers had been duplicated. Based on GdP information, one of the servers contained "a sizable amount of unusually sensitive personal data," as the union announced in early April. The GdP also demanded clarification regarding data protection at that time.
- Search
- GDP
- Erfurt
- Public Prosecutor's Office
- Investigation
- Police
- German Press Agency
- Data Protection
General Investigation Phases
- Clarification Phase: During the clarification phase, all essential details surrounding the case are collated. The State Data Protection Officer would delve into whether any data protection regulations were breached during the search.
- Committee Involvement: The Interior Committee may get involved if the investigation revolves around law enforcement actions or policies. They'd offer oversight to ensure that any law enforcement actions comply with legal standards.
- Data Protection Concerns: Data protection concerns would be front and center. The investigation would address any improper access, storage, or sharing of sensitive information. The Data Protection Officer would scrutinize whether the appropriate measures were in place to safeguard sensitive information and if these measures were adhered to.
- As the State Data Protection Officer delves deeper into the investigation of the Police Union raid in Erfurt, they will focus on whether any data protection regulations were violated during the search, which falls under the Clarification Phase.
- Given the investigation's focus on law enforcement actions and policies, the Interior Committee of the state parliament may offer oversight to ensure compliance with legal standards, as they will be convening next Thursday to discuss the matter in the non-public section, under the Committee Involvement phase.
