Watchdog says Interior Ministry, MEP breached data protection laws

Greece's Personal Data Protection Authority (PDPA) on Monday imposed a 400,000-euro fine on the Ministry of Interior and a 40,000-euro fine on New Democracy MEP Anna-Michelle Asimakopoulou for their respective roles in violating data protection regulations.

The fines came after Greeks living abroad accused the Conservative MEP in March this year of sending unsolicited emails ahead of the European Parliament elections in June, in what was dubbed "email-gate." At the time, Asimakopoulou had refuted claims of breaching data protection laws and had provided contradictory explanations regarding the source of the addresses used for the mass emails.

PDPA said a file of about 25,000 voters registered for the June 2023 elections, for which the ministry is solely responsible for processing and "for which the current legislation does not foresee any reason to send to recipients...