How to complain in a case where you believe that your privacy has been violated?
There are several remedies available to you if you believe that your right to private life has been violated. Depending on the type and severity of intrusion into your privacy, you can choose to:
- sue the author or publisher of the information in civil court
- go to the police to initiate criminal proceedings or
- request for a correction or a reply in media outlet
If you believe that information about your private life has been made public for no good reason, you can bring a civil claim against the disseminator of this information. In civil court you can ask for monetary compensation. You can take into account both material (for example loss of income) and moral damages. In your application to the court you should explain:
- which facts or information about your private life were made public
- how and when they were made public, such as the date, time, the publication and media if applicable
- why this violates your rights
- whether you are seeking compensation
- and justify why you are asking for that compensation specifically, for example, the particular sum of money
You can request the police or the state prosecution to initiate criminal proceedings about a violation of your privacy in three cases:
- where unjustified eavesdropping and sound recording has been made
- where unjustified image recording has been made and
- where your personal data have been used illegally and this has caused you substantial harm
Civil action within criminal proceedings
If the police and the state prosecution initiate a criminal case and indict the accused, you may claim compensation from the accused during the criminal proceedings. However, if your claim for monetary compensation is not fully satisfied within criminal proceedings, you may bring a separate civil claim.