Belarusian Accountant Tells Entire Team About Employee's Diagnosis

It became known what now awaits her.

An employee of an organisation in Belarus complained to the National Centre for Personal Data Protection about his accountant.

It turned out that the woman had received the sick leave and, due to excessive curiosity, deciphered the alphanumeric diagnosis of the employee. Then she told about it to the staff.

The Centre for Personal Data Protection explained: such actions are illegal. According to Article 23.7 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Belarus, an employee of the accounting department may face a fine of up to 50 basic units (currently it is 2000 Belarusian rubles).

If the rumours caused "substantial damage to the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests" of the employee, the perpetrator may face criminal liability under Article 203-1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus. According to the legislation, in such a case the woman faces up to two years of imprisonment. In addition, the employer has the right to dismiss the accountant for disclosing personal information.

Information that relates to a person's health refers to special personal data. Their provision and dissemination without the consent of the citizen is prohibited, except in cases provided for in paragraph 2 of Art. 8 of the Law "On Protection of Personal Data".