Data protection authority calls for temporary suspension of Fidias’ agora app

The data protection authority has formally requested the immediate suspension of Fidias Panayiotou’s agora application, citing non-compliance with the European general data protection regulation (GDPR).

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, data protection commissioner Maria Christofidou said the platform processes “special categories of data, such as political opinions, on a large scale”, triggering stricter obligations under articles 35 and 36 of the GDPR.

“An impact assessment is a preventive legal and technical risk assessment carried out before processing begins when there is likely to be a high risk to citizens’ rights.” Christofidou explained.

She said the authority first alerted those responsible in October last year and sent a formal letter to Panayiotou’s legal representatives on February 20 requesting immediate suspension.

“So far, there has been no written confirmation or action in this direction,” she lamented.

The authority stressed that compliance with EU and national data protection law “constitutes a legal obligation and is not a matter of discretion.”

It added that it “does not act as a platform development advisor” and has a duty to request temporary suspension when a serious risk to personal data is identified.

Christofidou emphasised that the public must be able to trust that information the applications collect “complies with the legal framework and safeguards their personal data.”

The request covers all processing activities on the platform, including recording, uploading, publication and storage of personal data.

The authority underlined that it is independent, operates free of political influence, and that its independence “is not negotiable.”

Panayiotou has rejected the suspension, claiming the authority was under political pressure ahead of elections.

He asserted, “there is no way we will remove the application” and insisted that if there were any shortcomings “we will fix them the same day.”

The dispute may ultimately be resolved in the European courts if sanctions are imposed.

In a related issue, the paralympic committee said it never gave “permission, approval or any form of consent” for the use of its logo in a video by Panayiotou, calling the use “arbitrary and unacceptable” and warning that it reserves all legal rights if the emblem is not removed.

He has faced criticism over past remarks about people with intellectual disabilities, referring to such individuals as “loonies” (pelloi), prompting complaints from disability organisations.