The Personal Data Protection Office has fined the Minister of Justice 100,000 PLN after discovering that ministry resources were used to illicitly process and leak judges’ sensitive data for political attacks.
The 2019 “Hate Scandal” and Data Misuse
The so-called “hate scandal” emerged in the summer of 2019, when ministry officials were accused of running campaigns to discredit judges who opposed the United Right government’s judicial reforms. Ideas were coordinated through a private WhatsApp group named “Kasta,” with then-Deputy Minister Łukasz Piebiak alleged to have had direct knowledge of these activities.
The President of the Personal Data Protection Office (UODO), Mirosław Wróblewski, imposed the fine on June 2, 2024, following a lengthy investigation. Findings confirmed that judges’ personal data—including sensitive health information and political affiliations—were accessed without authorization and used to target those critical of the administration.
Regulatory Failures and Lack of Oversight
UODO concluded that the Minister of Justice failed to implement adequate security measures to prevent illegal data processing. Evidence revealed that staff used their authorized access to internal personnel files to feed information to unauthorized individuals, including journalists and anonymous social media accounts tied to IP addresses originating from the ministry.
The investigation was hampered for years by the ministry’s initial lack of cooperation. In 2019, the ministry—then under Zbigniew Ziobro—claimed no data breach had occurred, a statement later contradicted by findings from the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Wrocław, which finally provided evidence to UODO in December 2024.
Constitutional Responsibility and Legal Implications
UODO underscored that the penalty was unavoidable, as the minister, acting as the data administrator, bears full responsibility for oversight. The fact that the violation was committed by a constitutional state organ was cited as an aggravating factor, as the ministry is expected to uphold the rule of law rather than exploit sensitive judicial information.
While the fine is levied against the office of the minister, UODO noted that the administrator may pursue internal disciplinary or civil remedies against specific employees responsible for the breaches. The scandal resulted in 21 judges being identified as victims of the coordinated campaign.
