The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection has been addressed by a number of journalists and citizens regarding the announced action involving citizen survey and traffic count which is planned to be implemented by the Belgrade Secretariat for Transport. The reason for addressing is the dilemmas about possible invasion of privacy or unlawful processing of personal data in the course of the survey.

In this regard, the Commissioner stresses that this is a survey in which citizens will anonymously (as it is stated in the statement published on the website of the Secretariat) answer questions about their participation in traffic, and if implemented in such a way, it that does not involve and it is not personal data processing.

The Commissioner said that, given the scope of the action lasting several days, which among other entails the implementation of the survey in 10 000 households, it would be helpful and good for the Secretariat if it ensured greater publicity of the action and through the media eliminated any possible doubts about the purpose, content and method of implementation of the action.

Accordingly, the Commissioner points out that it is up to the citizens whether they will actively respond to the invitation to participate in the present survey and give as precise and accurate answers as possible or not. In any case, the processing of any personal data would be, both from the standpoint of a valid legal basis, and from the standpoint of the proclaimed purpose, unlawful.