18
Dec
2007
Fraud notification service - OLAF
Opinion of 18 December 2007 on a notification for prior checking on the fraud notification service (Case 2007-481)
The Fraud Notification Service is a web based information system that OLAF has put at the public's disposal in order to facilitate the collection of information to use in the fight against fraud, corruption and other illegal activities affecting the financial interests of the Community. Members of the public can provide the information by completing a questionnaire and they can register to have two-way communications with OLAF. The messages are reviewed automatically and also by review officers. Upon review of the information, OLAF decides whether the matter merits initiation of the assessment stage, or should be classified as a prima facie non-case. If an assessment is initiated, then the matter will be assigned a CMS number and the investigator will place all information received through the system in the CMS file.
In his opinion, the EDPS concluded that OLAF should implement certain recommendations, including:
- ensuring the deletion of pointless messages as well as avoiding asking questions that would lead informants to disclose information that is irrelevant for the purposes of detecting fraud and corruption affecting the financial interests of the Community.
- ensuring the right to information, access and rectification to those who have been named by the users of the Fraud Notification Service, subject to the application of the exceptions provided for in the Regulation.
- ensuring that the conservation period of irrelevant information is kept as short as possible and in any event for no longer than one year.
- inserting a link in the privacy policy at the webpage through which visitors who want to use the Fraud Notification Service must necessarily go through or alternatively in a very prominent way, immediately after or before the information on the Fraud Notification Service.
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