The accusation: The KSV1870 makes high profits from data at the expense of private individuals. The KSV1870 gives the impression that people have to pay for a self-disclosure, which is required by the immigration authorities. They are entitled to free information.
A so-called “InfoPass”, which the credit protectors advertise on their website, costs 43 euros. However, according to Article 15 of the General Data Protection Regulation, everyone has the right to receive the data stored regarding them by a company immediately and free of charge. This information can also be presented to authorities such as the immigration authority – in Vienna the MA35. “The MA35 explicitly accepts free information in accordance with Article 15 of the GDPR. Nevertheless, the KSV1870 leads unwitting affected parties to believe that only a so-called “InfoPass” can be presented to the authorities and is currently charging 43 euros for it,” said the data protection association NOYB, justifying the complaint Advertisement. However, the MA35 only reacted following criticism from the city auditor. The municipal department had previously explicitly referred to the paid “InfoPass”.
“Infopass” costs 43 euros
On the free self-disclosure, the KSV1870 also notes on the cover page “This information is not intended to be presented to third parties” and on each sheet “This information contains your personal data and is exclusively for your own information”.
Anyone looking for self-information on the credit protectors’ website always ends up at “InfoPass”, while the free information is difficult for laypeople to find, the data protection officers complained.
The MA35 alone records over 114,000 administrative transactions every year – this results in a very lucrative business for the credit protectors. While paying customers receive the requested information within three days, the KSV1870 needs 25 to 30 days to provide free information, the data protection advocates also criticized.
Other credit protectors also offer self-disclosure
However, KSV1870 is not the only credit protector that offers self-disclosure. There is also a paid offer on the website of the Alpine Creditors Association (AKV): A self-disclosure for presentation to authorities or other bodies can be picked up in person at the headquarters and costs 35 euros. The self-disclosure in accordance with Article 15 of the GDPR will be delivered within four weeks. “This information is not intended to be presented to third parties,” the AKV also notes on the website. Since the MA35 refers to the services of the KSV1870 and not to those of the AKV, the complaint and report were limited to the KSV1870, the data protection officers said at the APA’s request.
The chargeable credit report is only compiled from external sources when ordered. The company would incur costs and expenses for this, the AKV explained the note on the company’s website. According to the AKV, the paid and the free data extract are not comparable. A request to KSV1870 remained unanswered for the time being.
