Lithuania proposes automatic alerts for data access following major leak

Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė announced a proposal for an automatic notification system to alert citizens whenever their personal data is accessed. This initiative aims to enhance data security and prevent future breaches, particularly in light of a suspected massive leak of property records.

"Our main goal now is to do everything to clarify all circumstances and have a plan for what we can further improve in the systems so that such incidents do not happen in the future," Šimonytė stated in Seimas. "I think we are ripe to talk about an idea like an automatic notification for everyone when personal data is checked."

The proposed system could extend beyond the Real Estate Cadastre (RC), which is suspected of leaking over 600,000 property records since January, causing an estimated loss of at least 111,000 euros. The Data Protection Inspectorate estimates that around 0.5 million residents were affected by the breach. The Prosecutor General's Office has launched a pre-trial investigation into the incident.

Former RC head Adrijus Jusas, who resigned following the incident, indicated that the large-scale data leak was noticed in early April. However, reporting the incident was reportedly delayed due to the ongoing investigation. While the Prime Minister and the Minister of the Interior stated that information could not be disclosed due to legal restrictions related to the investigation, the President countered that no such prohibition from the Prosecutor General's Office existed.