Sector Committee of the Federal Authorities
The Sector Committees are dependent on the Commission and were created to
provide an expert answer to questions concerning very specialized matters.
The Sector committee of the Federal Authorities was established within the
Commission by the Act of 8 December 1992 on the protection of privacy in
relation to the processing of personal data. The Committee supervises the
electronic disclosure of data between Federal Authorities.
Authorizations
The Privacy Act describes with great precision how and in which circumstances personal data may be processed or disclosed. Some processing operations are so delicate, however, that they are only possible with specific authorization.
Public authorities or private institutions working in the general interest can submit a request for authorization to the Commission, which will then decide which sector committee has to deal with it. The request also has to specify:
- why access to the data is necessary;
- who has to have access to the data;
- how long access is necessary.
The Sector Committee will examine the request in detail and weigh the citizen's interests before it grants authorization (permission) or refuses to do so.
