Dnevni avaz: Today, the Personal Data Protection Agency of BiH starts the control of using personal data of citizens in the authorities as are the ministries of internal affairs, master offices and other agencies and institutions.
First control will be done in the former CIPS, or the Identification Documents, Data Exchange and Evidence Agency of BiH (IDDEEA), has been confirmed for "Dnevni avaz" by Petar Kovačević, director of the Personal Data Protection Agency. These controls lead to the introduction of biometric passports, which is one of the pre-conditions for liberalization of visa regime for BiH citizens.
However, in our country there are more and more complaints and a fear of citizens that their personal data could be misused by different institutions, companies of communal services, banks and other similar institutions.
One of the latest cases has been recorded when the "Elektroprivreda BiH" has (due to the need of renewing the contract on using electricity) illegally demanded from its users to submit their identification number, besides other data.
– Using of other data is not problematic, because they need to know with whom they do the business, but we have requested from the "Elektroprivreda BiH" to explain on which legal basis they have asked for the identification number. We did not accept their answer as valid, and we have adopted the solution by which we have forbidden collecting identification numbers. They have done so, and have dictated their departments to destroy the numbers they have collected by then – Kovačević has explained.
According to him, companies of communal services can ask the citizens for only necessary data (i.e. contact information of user, which does not encompass identification number).
– Identification number cannot either be simply used by the public authorities, except for in legally stipulated cases – Kovačević has said.
In the IDDEEA they say that this agency is not the owner of the data archived in evidences, but the sourcing authority, as the MIA is, which is authorized for issuing of personal documents.
As we have been told yesterday by Nađa Lutvikadić, spokesperson of "BH Telecom", by concluding the contract, the user is (besides the first and last name) also being asked to give their identification number. She is denying the possibility of misuse.
– That information is necessary in order for us to know to whom we are sending the receipt and in case of a debt, to know who to look for – has been said by Lutvikadić.