The President of the Personal Data Protection Office, Mirosław Wróblewski, wants an explanation from the PiS president, Jarosław Kaczyński. He sent him a letter. It concerns information regarding the collection of PESEL numbers from people making payments to the PiS account – said Karol Witowski, the UODO spokesman.
KO MP Agnieszka Pomaska announced on Monday on platform X that she is filing a notification with the Office for Personal Data Protection (UODO) in connection with “threats by PiS politicians to use unlawfully the personal data of those making donations to the party.”
It concerns PESEL numbers, which the party required to be entered in the title of the donation transfer. In its justification, it cited a statement by MEP Tobiasz Bocheński (PIS), who said that “the campaign of donating 1 grosz to hinder the operation of PiS is to provide us with the contact details of Silni Razem”. The president of PiS spoke in a similar tone Jaroslaw Kaczynski – as he emphasized, “we will know where Strong Together is.”
The President of the Office of Personal Data Protection (UODO) wants explanations from Kaczyński
Asked about Pomaska's notification, UODO spokesman Karol Witowski said on Friday that in connection with signals reaching UODO regarding the use of data of people donating to PiS, UODO president Mirosław Wróblewski sent a letter to PiS president Jarosław Kaczyński. Wróblewski asked Kaczyński “to provide explanations in connection with information concerning, among other things, the collection of PESEL numbers from people making payments to the account of this political party.”
As Witkowski reported, the President of the Personal Data Protection Office is asking, among other things, “whether the party actually obtained PESEL numbers from people making payments to its account, how the obtained data is stored and whether it is processed for any other purposes than maintaining a register of payments to the political party”. The spokesman reported that Wróblewski asked the PiS president to indicate how PiS fulfilled the information obligation referred to in Article 13 of the GDPR (Information provided in the event of collecting data from the data subject) towards people from whom the party obtained personal data.
At the same time, the spokesman stressed that “the President of the UODO can only take a clear position in an administrative decision issued after examining all circumstances related to a given case.”
Kaczyński announced on Monday that there will no longer be a requirement to provide a PESEL number in the title of a donation transfer to PiS. He explained that this was due to internal party regulations, and now the party will facilitate the payment of funds in various ways.
PiS collects money after the National Electoral Commission's decision
In connection with the rejection of the PiS financial report by the National Electoral Commission and the reduction of the subsidy, the party turned to its voters for help and launched donation payments. “Today more than ever we need your help in the fight for a dignified, sovereign and law-abiding Poland. Support our actions” – it appealed. The party provided the account number and instructions on how to make a payment.
On Tuesday, the Minister of Justice, the Prosecutor General Adam Bodnar assessed that the fundraising initiated by PiS is legal, and any political party can encourage supporters to pay contributions.
Main image source: PAP/Szymon Pulcyn