Seventy-five complaints were filed against violations of individuals' rights under the Personal
Data Protection Act in 2007, said Veneta Shopova, Chair of the Commission for Personal Data Protection, BTA reported.

Shopova spoke Monday at the official opening of the marking of European Data Protection Day.

The Commission found 17 complaints groundless and two complaints inadmissible, and turned down another two complaints.

The largest single group of complaints, 47, were against unlawful processing of personal data by an administrator. In some cases this involved data disclosure or dissemination to third parties without consent from the person concerned. Ten people objected to personal data disclosure via telecommunications. Seven people complained about personal data processing which exceeded the purposes stipulated in the law. Four persons were denied access to their own personal data. Three people complained about unauthorized personal data dissemination on the Internet.

The Commission is inspecting personal data protection practices in several banks and will produce a report.

Its budget was slightly over 1.6 million leva in 2007. The Commission identified as setbacks its underdeveloped administrative capacity and lack of a building of its own.

Meeting with the Commission members on Monday on the occasion of European Data Protection Day, National Assembly Chairman Georgi Pirinski said the proper balance should be struck between the right of the public to be informed and the individual's right to personal data protection. The public should be made aware of the importance of personal data protection for both personal and national security.