Data Protection Ombudsman
Organisation name in original language
Tietosuojavaltuutettu/Dataombudsmannen
Category of human rights structure
Statutory human rights body
Country
Finland
Type(s) of body
Data Protection Authority (DPA)
Legal source(s)
- Regulation (EU) 2016/679of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation)
- Directive (EU) 2016/680of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by competent authorities for the purposes of the prevention, investigation, detection or prosecution of criminal offences or the execution of criminal penalties, and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Council Framework Decision 2008/977/JHA (Law Enforcement Directive)
- Data Protection Act (2018/1050) (Tietosuojalaki/Dataskyddslag)
- Act on the Processing of Personal Data in Criminal Matters and in Connection with Maintaining National Security (1054/2018) (Laki henkilötietojen käsittelystä rikosasioissa ja kansallisen turvallisuuden ylläpitämisen yhteydessä /Lag om behandling av personuppgifter i brottmål och vid upprätthållandet av den nationella säkerheten)
- Act on Electronic Communications Services (917/2014) (Laki sähköisen viestinnän palveluista /Lag om tjänster inom elektronisk kommunikation)
- Act on the Protection of Privacy in Working Life (2004/759) (Laki yksityisyyden suojasta työelämässä /Lag om integritetsskydd i arbetslivet)
- Act on Supervision of Online Intermediary Services (18/2024) (Laki verkon välityspalvelujen valvonnasta /Lag om tillsyn över förmedlingstjänster på nätet)
- Directive 2002/58/ECof the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 2002 concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector (e-Privacy Directive)
- Directive (EU) 2016/681of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the use of passenger name record (PNR) data for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of terrorist offences and serious crime
- Regulation (EU) 2022/2065of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a single market for digital services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act)
Human rights capacity support
Not applicableFunctions
- Oversight
- Providing remedy
- Collecting data on human rights violations
- Performing promotional activities
Specific mandates
- Any other function under international human rights conventions, under EU legislation or under the national legal system
Structured cooperation with partners at national level
- Cooperates with ministries, public authorities and ombudsman institutions.
- Coordinates with the Occupational Safety and Health Authority under sectoral laws to oversee privacy.
- Works with the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) and other consumer and safety authorities.
- Participates in legislative groups and gives expert testimony.
- Works with civil society, industry, academia and the Human Rights Delegation.
Structured cooperation with partners at international and EU level
- As part of the European Data Protection Board,cooperates with other national supervisory authorities in cross-border cases, exchanging information and providing official support.
- Cooperates with the supervisory groups of the Schengen Information System (SIS II), the European Asylum Dactyloscopy Database (Eurodac) and the EU’s centralised Visa Information System.
- Cooperates more closely with the data protection authorities of the Nordic countries and territories, including Norway, Iceland, the Åland Islands and the Faroe Islands.
DISCLAIMER The information presented here is collected under contract by the FRA's research network FRANET. The information and views contained do not necessarily reflect the views or the official position of the FRA.