Large amounts of personal data are collected, processed and stored in numerous public and private databases and registers serving different purposes. For example, your identification data and address can be found in both the Population Register of Estonia and in the client database of your bank.

Public databases are owned by public institutions and administered on behalf of the State. The inclusion of your personal data in these databases is often compulsory by law. Private databases are owned by private entities such as companies and organisations. Inclusion of your personal data in these databases requires a valid legal basis, such as consent. The storage and use of personal data in both public or private databases and registers is regulated by law and only allowed in specific situations. These situations are exhaustively listed in the General Data Protection Regulation.

The mere storing of personal data is an interference with the right to private life. The purpose of storing, the actual use of the data and the fact that this might not have any negative consequences for you, do not change this.

In this section, you can learn how your personal data should be stored in public and private databases and registers and how to protect your right to private life and right to data protection.