Caution Advised in Publications Regarding Those Returned from Captivity - DPAG

The Data Protection Agency has issued a statement urging caution in publishing information regarding our compatriots who have returned from captivity.

“One hour after the return of our 44 guys captured by Azerbaijan, a video appeared on the internet that featured their names. The significant public expectation surrounding the return of our compatriots will evidently lead to increased public attention towards them, which could be further complemented by the publication of their personal data and details of their private lives by both individual users and media outlets.

In this regard, it is important to remember that information on the internet remains forever and is accessible regardless of location; therefore, it could later interfere with and negatively impact the personal lives of our compatriots who returned from captivity, depriving them of their right to be forgotten online. For this reason, we urge both our compatriots and media outlets to exercise caution when publishing information about these individuals, taking into account the characteristics of the internet and avoiding the unnecessary (unfounded, irrelevant, unwarranted, and excessive) publication of personal data, including details of their private lives. Instead, priority should be given to publishing depersonalized information about the returned individuals.

It should be noted that in some publications, the faces of our compatriots returned from captivity have been depersonalized, which aligns with their rights to personal data protection and respect for their private lives, allowing them not to be identified online in the future.”