“Stop the distribution!” – Commissioner reacts to the mass publication of intimate videos of public figures on social media

After the publication and distribution on social networks and online portals of some intimate materials of public figures in our country, the Office of the Commissioner for the Right to Information and Protection of Personal Data, Besnik Dervishi, reacted by calling on media and internet users to stop publishing them.

The Commissioner stresses that public figures also enjoy the right to privacy and that the public’s interest in intimate life does not in itself constitute a public interest that justifies publication.

The reaction also underlines that the fact that a material has previously been published on the internet does not make its republication or redistribution lawful.

The Commissioner’s Office warns of administrative and criminal measures for the unlawful processing of personal data and asks for the removal of intimate content published contrary to the law.

“Following recent publications in media and social networks about alleged intimate materials, the Office of the Commissioner for the Right to Information and Protection of Personal Data calls on media, portals and social network users to respect the private life and dignity of every individual.

Law No. 124/2024 ‘On the protection of personal data’ prohibits the processing of this content. Also, its publication and distribution are prohibited.

Being a public figure does not constitute a waiver of the right to private life. Curiosity about an individual’s intimate life is not enough to justify its publication as a matter of public interest. Freedom of expression and information must be exercised respecting the conditions of Article 43 of the law, including necessity, proportionality and protection of the essence of fundamental rights.

The fact that a material circulates on the internet does not make its republication lawful. Every redistribution can increase the exposure and harm to the affected persons and their families.

Anyone who unlawfully processes personal data is subject to administrative and criminal measures.

The Commissioner’s Office calls for the publication and redistribution of intimate materials contrary to the law to be stopped and for unlawfully published content to be removed,” the Commissioner’s Office writes.