The Hungarian government came up with a new proposal, which talks about the setting up of a National Security Informational and Criminal Analysis Center. This new government body could freely roam about in other government databases and could collect and retain our data without any restriction. The monster feeding on our personal data is digging privacy’s grave even deeper.

Eötvös Károly Policy Institute, Hungarian Civil Liberties Union and Hungarian Helsinki Committee informed the President of the European Commission on the failure of the Hungarian lawmaker to fulfill its obligation to guarantee the complete independence of the Data Protection Commissioner. Hungary therefore breached its duty arising from EU law.

The draft law – currently before the Parliament – on Data Protection and Freedom of Information will replace the independent Data Protection and Freedom of Information Commissioner with an administrative authority. This change will seriously diminish the level of privacy protection and weaken the right to access to information in Hungary.

The video circulating on the internet which depicts the fight in Gyöngyöspata last week between local Romas and paramilitary group members deserves attention not only because of the evident racial issue. After viewing the leaked video from the CCTV, it is clear that the police, besides recording video images, are also recording audio without legal authorization. The HCLU is turning to the Hungarian Parliamentary Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information to investigate the matter.

 In pursuance of the decision of the Municipal Court of Tatabánya, the indirectly state-owned Vértesi Power Plant Co. is obliged to hand over its contracts with System Consulting Co. from 2008, the documents of the internal inquisition carried out in the case of privatization and power trading of System Consulting Co., substantiating the damage suits and criminal accusation of Vértesi Power Plant in the spring of 2009, and the figures in connection with the costs of the internal inquisition to Tamás Bodoky, journalist, represented by HCLU.

The census is an event of utmost importance for Hungarian society due to its significance for long-term planning of social policies. However, the census is also an event which deeply affects the constitutional right of data protection. As everyone will be counted in October 2011, Hungarian Civil Liberties Union drew up some critical observations from the perspective of data protection.