The case, where a father published a photograph of Indian citizen Gaya Varun Sharma on social media, accusing him of attempting to harass an 11-year-old girl, has caused a wide resonance. Due to this publication, the man lost his job and, fearing retaliation, left Liepaja. Although the police have not yet made a decision on the case, the man himself denies the allegations, reports 360TV Ziņas.
The police asked the girl's father to remove the photograph of the Indian man from the publication to avoid excessive aggression, but the request went unheeded. The State Data Inspectorate (SDI) recommends that Gaya Varun Sharma contact the platform administrator himself. Deputy Director of the SDI, Lasma Dilba, notes that the purpose of the data protection regulation is to balance freedom of speech with the human right to privacy and protection from defamation.
"Was it really that important to publish a photograph of this person in this case? I understand that it is extremely important and significant. And the rights of the child must always come first — there is no doubt about that," she says. However, Dilba poses a rhetorical question: could the goal not have been achieved simply by stating in the publication that 'in such-and-such a place, staff may be harassing minors,' without posting a specific photo?
Any person whose data has been published on social media without consent has the right to contact the platform administrator.
If this does not help, one can contact the State Data Inspectorate. Such complaints are not uncommon — last year, the SDI reviewed 912 complaints from individuals. The majority — 204 — concerned social networks.
Nevertheless, in such cases, a cumbersome mechanism of international cooperation is initiated. The SDI does not interact directly with 'Facebook' or 'Instagram,' but with the Irish supervisory authority, as major social networks are registered in Europe specifically in Ireland.
Lasma Dilba explains: "Of course, they work, but they undoubtedly set priorities. And such individual disputes will not be a priority for any supervisory authority."
The consideration of such a complaint at the international level can take up to one and a half or even two years. This underscores how much responsibility falls on the users themselves when publishing information on social media.
