Privacy Commission shows its teeth by setting up dedicated infringement task force

Today, the Belgian Privacy Commission’s announced its intention to make enforcement its number one priority:

• A dedicated inspection task force will be set up pro-actively monitoring companies and organisations which are processing personal data in breach of applicable laws.
• The Privacy Commission’s increased control and inspection activities will in first instance focus on insurance companies, hospitals and other organisations which process personal data on a large scale and manage information which is useful for advertising companies.
• Each year, the Privacy Commission will focus on a particular industry sector.
• Privacy infringements are criminally sanctioned in Belgium. The Privacy Commission intends to more regularly referring cases to the public prosecutor for further examination.
• Once the new European legislation enters into force, which is expected to grant data protection authorities more sanctioning powers, the Privacy Commission also intends to make full use of its powers.
• The Privacy Commission expects not only to be able to issue fines, but also to take alternative measures such as prohibiting an organisation to proceed with certain processing activities.