Prawo i obowiązek przetwarzania danych osobowych byłych wyznawców przez kościoły i inne związki wyznaniowe
The right and the obligation to process personal data of ex-believers of churches and other religious organizations

Summary/Abstract: The Constitution of the Republic of Poland guarantees autonomy and independence for churches and other religious organizations. This principle aim to guarantee the effective implementation of an individual’s right to religious freedom. In order to achieve their goals, religious organizations have to process personal data of their members. However, the problem that appears in practice is whether the processing of personal data of an ex-believer should cease after he or she makes a formal act of defection from a church. So far, the relevant legal literature and case-law have proposed a few solutions to the above-mentioned problem. The article attempts to determine whether the constitutional status of religious organizations makes them entitled to process personal data of ex-believers, using the decision of the Supreme Administrative Court of 21 May 2018 as the basis for analysis. The answer to this question is affirmative, as the Author maintains that processing of personal data of ex-believers by religious organizations is both essential for the realization of religious freedom of other worshippers and it is required due to the provisions of universally binding law. According to the Act on the National Archival Resource and Archives, the personal data of ex-members of religious organizations are part of the National Archival Resource, and thus every church is obliged to protect them and cannot make any modification of their content. Therefore, apostates do not have the right to demand removal of their personal data from the records maintained by churches and other religious organizations. Compliance with such a demand could make a personal data administrator liable for the violation of data protection laws.

• Details
• Contents