On April 22-23, 2015, training was held for staff of the Public Defender’s Office on issues of personal data protection and freedom of expression. The event was organized in the framework of the EU project “Support to Public Defender’s Office”.

Representative of the Personal Data Protection Inspector’s Office Nata Mikeladze spoke with representatives of the Public Defender on objectives and legislative regulations of personal data protection, bases and principles of processing of the data. She reviewed specific regulations, including issues of acquiring and processing of video-surveillance and biometric data; rights of an individual, bases for restriction of these rights, guarantees of their protection and rights, obligations and the mandate of the Personal Data Protection Inspector.

In the framework of the training, obligations of those processing data and issues related to protection of data security were discussed; also, balancing rights, that implies freedom of expression, protection of public information and personal data.

Presented issues and legislative regulations that exist in the sphere of personal data protection led to a heated discussion of among the participants.

Member of the Parliamentary Legal Issues Committee Tamar Kordzaia spoke with representatives of the Public Defender about conflicting rights of inviolability of private life and freedom of expression; freedom of information in the format of personal data protection by state agencies; she also spoke about legal and ethical regulations in the media and legal response mechanism in cases of unlawful dissemination of personal information; she also presented decisions passed on concrete cases by the national court and the European Court of Human Rights.