Data Protection Inspectorate blocks access to private sex offender registry site
Estonia's Data Protection Inspectorate (AKI) has blocked public access to ettevaatust.ee, a website listing people convicted of sexual and domestic violence crimes. The site's founders dispute the decision.
On Tuesday, Estonia's Data Protection Inspectorate had a website hosting provider block access to ettevaatust.ee, a portal created by well-known blogger Mallu Marianne Treimann-Legrand and her husband Tomas Mårten Legrand. The site published information about individuals convicted of sexual offences and domestic violence.
The block was carried out by hosting provider Zone following an order from AKI. Legrand shared on social media a correspondence with Zone's support team in which the company said public access to the site has been closed, but file access remains available through a file manager. Separate login details will also be sent so the owners can view the homepage. To restore public access, confirmation or consent from AKI is required.
The ettevaatust.ee website was run by NGO Ettevaatust and contained data on convicted offenders along with direct links to the punishment register. In June, AKI ordered the site to stop operating because it considered it to function as an alternative punishment register. The inspectorate demanded the removal of names, photos and links to court rulings.
AKI Director General Pille Lehis said that a punishment register can only be maintained by the state or an organization under state supervision. The site administrator was required to comply by 29 June. Co-founder Treimann-Legrand disagreed with the order, asking in June why the state needs so strongly to protect criminals who permanently destroy children's and women's lives.
