Europe’s data protection laws are being misinterpreted as
implying the existence of a general right to participate
anonymously in public activities, according to European Ombudsman
Jacob Söderman who has written to the European Commission,
proposing clarification of the rules.
Mr Söderman has acted as the European Ombudsman since the
position was created in 1992 by the Maastricht Treaty. His duty is
to investigate and report on maladministration in the institutions
and bodies of the European Community.
According to the Ombudsman’s letter, dated 30th September 2002,
the misinterpretation of data protection law, “risks subverting the
principle of openness and the public's right of access to
documents, both at the level of the Union and in the Member
States." In a paper entitled "The misuse of data protection rules
in the European Union", he provides examples of this
misinterpretation.
