On Tuesday July 30th η Homo Digitalis filed a request before the President of the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (HDPA), Mr.Menoudakos (no.6277/30-07-2024), and the President of the Hellenic Authority for Communication Security and Privacy (ADAE), Mr. Rammou (no. 2755/30-07-2024), in order for the two Independent Authorities to exercise their advisory powers and issue a joint Opinion regarding the Draft Presidential Decree of Articles 13 & 47 of Law 5002 /2022 on the procurement of contracts on behalf of governmental structures for the supply of spyware or surveillance devices.
In response to our request, the response of the HDPA and ADAE has been lightning fast. Specifically, the Directorate of Supervisory Work of the HDPA informed us on the same day, 30 July 2024, that the HDPA has requested the draft presidential decree from the Ministry of Citizen Protection from 19 July 2024 in order to give its opinion on the matter, while the President of ADAE, Mr. Rammos, in a letter addressed to Homo Digitalis on August 1, 2024, informed us that ADAE, as it always does, within the framework of its constitutional and statutory competence, it goes without saying that it will exercise its advisory competence (provided for by Article 6 paragraph 1 point i of Law 3115 /2003) and on the specific draft presidential decree in the context of an institutional dialogue with all the state bodies involved in its adoption.
We await with interest the relevant developments in the near future, since, as Homo Digitalis has pointed out in its letter to the two independent authorities, the provisions of the draft presidential decree may cause irreparable risks for democracy, the rule of law and the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms in Greece.