Unintended oversharing of voter address details
During the local elections in Essen, Germany, on August 26, 2025, an administrative error occurred in the provision of data sets. The error was related to the number of data sets provided for two specific age groups, each consisting of ten birth decades.
The city administration, in adherence to § 50 (1) of the Federal Registration Act, had initially provided data sets to one political party in Essen. However, due to a legal misinterpretation, the number of datasets transmitted was higher than the legally allowed limit, as per § 8 of the North Rhine-Westphalia Registration Act in conjunction with § 50 (1) of the Federal Registration Act.
Upon discovery of the error, the political party was immediately informed to delete the excessive data. The independent data protection officer of the city portal assessed the situation as a non-reportable violation.
To prevent such errors in the future, the city administration will implement additional administrative internal organizational measures, including a four-eye principle.
It is important to note that the specific political party that requested and received the excessive data has not been disclosed. The party confirmed that the data was not used and was deleted immediately.
The city administration has confirmed that the data was deleted by the party. This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of adhering to data protection regulations during election processes.
For more information, please contact the city portal's Press and Communications Office at +49 201 88-0 (ServiceCenter Essen) or via email at presse@our website or on the web at www.our website/presse.
Three political parties in Essen have requested voter address data from the registration office for their election campaign. This practice is fundamentally legally permitted, but the transmission of data must adhere to the specified limits to ensure the privacy and security of the citizens of Essen.
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