VisaMetric cannot use data collected for one purpose for another purposes – Information Freedom Center head

YEREVAN, MARCH 29, ARMENPRESS. The authorized body for the protection of personal data of the citizens of Armenia is the Personal Data Protection Agency of the Justice Ministry, Shushan Doydoyan – chairwoman of the Freedom of Information Center of Armenia, told Armenpress.

Commenting on the newly opened company called VisaMetric which will receive visa applications for some European countries starting from April 3, Shushan Doydoyan said it is a Russian-Turkish consortium, but regardless of what company it is, the Agency must control that the personal data of citizens are protected.

“When dealing with personal data field, the company must follow several principles. First of all, the personal data must be developed for legal purposes. Here that legal purpose exists, that company is going to collect the data for implementing the process of providing visas to the Armenian citizens. The second principle is that the personal data must be collected with the volume as it is required for reaching their legal goal. In other words, they cannot collect more data about the person then needed”, Shushan Doydoyan noted.

She stated that the company cannot use the data collected for one purpose for another purposes. Doydoyan added that in all cases when there is danger, suspicion that the data can be used for other purposes, the state, of course, in particular, the Personal Data Protection Agency of the Justice Ministry must intervene.

“The control is in the hands of the Agency, it is the authorized body that must guarantee the protection of the citizens’ personal data. If there are violations, the Agency can intervene and apply administrative liability norms, of course, they are not so high, but the law allows up to 500 thousand drams”, she said.

She also presented one more factor: before submitting the peoples’ personal data to third country the company must apply to the Agency, submit application in order to receive that right. As long as it doesn’t receive that right, it cannot submit the personal data to a third country.

“I would like to mention another important factor as well. Usually that companies have an opportunity to get people’s biometric personal data, for instance, fingerprints which allow to correctly identify that person. In this case as well, before collecting such data, the companies must inform the Agency. I think, the Agency, as a control body, has a lot of works to do”, she said.

In addition to legal issues Doydoyan said a political issue as well emerges here.

“In fact we deal with a company, in person of VisaMetric, in which the country is presented with which we do not have diplomatic relations. This is more a political issue and requires a political comment”, she said.

Earlier Germany’s Ambassador to Armenia Matthias Kiesler said that starting April 3, 2018, Schengen Visa applications in Yerevan will be accepted not by the Embassy of Germany itself, but a company called VisaMetric. VisaMetric is a Russian-Turkish consortium with its holding based in Turkey.

English –translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan