Data Protection Authority audits elections and reviews complaints

The Personal Data Protection Authority of Cyprus conducted on-site compliance audits at 484 polling stations during the recent legislative elections. The findings indicated that established procedures and guidelines regarding data protection were generally followed. However, the Authority is currently investigating 24 written complaints concerning unsolicited political promotion. Of these complaints, 21 were filed against individual candidates, while 3 were directed at political parties. The nature of the reported violations includes 7 cases of unsolicited phone calls, 13 cases of unsolicited SMS messages, 1 case of an unsolicited email, and 2 cases involving both calls and text messages. Additionally, one complaint was filed regarding the public announcement of a voter's name during the electoral process. The Authority has stated that the final results of these investigations will be released upon their completion.