Data security: Court demands RENAPER attend ADC’s request

The 5th Chamber of the Contentious-Administrative Bench ruled that the National Registry of Persons must reply to ADC’s request for access to public information on the personal data leakage occurring in 2021. According to the tribunal, the inquiry “enables citizens to ensure the proper safeguarding of their personal information by the authorities, preventing external threats that could result in misuse.”

In November 2021, ADC filed a request to the public body for details on the breach that came to light the previous month, after a hacker published private information belonging to politicians, celebrities, and journalists on social media and reported to have put 45 million Argentinians’ data up for sale. Our petition revolved around the servers where the databases were stored, the people who had access to them, the confidentiality protocols protecting the information, and the audits carried out to evaluate cybersecurity, among other aspects.

In the absence of a reply, ADC filed a writ of amparo which was rejected in the first instance on the grounds that such information was “expressly classified as reserved, confidential or secret.” However, on appeal, the 5th Chamber of the Contentious-Administrative Court revoked the decision and urged RENAPER to deliver the requested particulars.