The Personal Data Protection Authority fined the Ministry of the Interior €400,000 and ND MEP Anna Michelle Asimakopoulou €40,000 for unauthorized email use.

The Authority postponed decisions regarding the ND and former Secretary of Hellenism Abroad, Nikos Theodoropoulos, for further investigation.

The fines follow complaints about an unsolicited email titled “100 days before the European elections” sent on 1/3/2024 by Asimakopoulou. An investigation revealed that a file containing personal data of registered foreign voters, intended for internal use by the Ministry, had been leaked. The data included email addresses and contact numbers, which should not have been shared outside the Ministry.

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The file was created on June 8, 2023, and leaked between June 8 and 23, 2023. On January 20, 2024, Theodoropoulos sent the file to Asimakopoulou, who used it for political communication without informing recipients as required by GDPR. The Ministry was fined for breaches of data confidentiality and deficiencies in data protection policies. Asimakopoulou was fined for illegal data processing and ordered to delete the data.

The Ministry of the Interior issued a statement in response to the Personal Data Protection Authority’s decision, asserting their full cooperation and intent to thoroughly review the decision to determine their next legal steps. They emphasized that the pre-election emails were unrelated to the postal vote or electoral processes. The government quickly addressed political responsibilities with resignations and non-participation in future elections. The Ministry also announced new initiatives for personal data protection, including encryption, mandatory training, and a comprehensive review of security policies.