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The access to data on legal and natural persons who own .md domain names, which was previously available via the WHOIS service, was restricted a few years ago. In September 2019, the authorities explained that decision by the fact that the General Data Protection Regulation referred to as the GDPR had come into force in the European Union. At the same time, the state enterprise MoldData which managed the sector until its merger with the ITCSS promised to make the information available to the general public “in the nearest future”.
After several requests from Media Azi to the ITCSS regarding previous announcements on republishing the website owners’ data, the institution announces that only those concerning legal entities have become accessible again. As to individuals, the authority mentions the legislative vacuum, “In the Republic of Moldova, there is no relevant legal regulation which could serve as a basis for extending this data to the general public and to create the possibility of compliance with the legal provisions on personal data protection.”
Therefore, as a result of a simple search via the WHOIS search engine, we can find out the name of an organization which registered a certain page, its fiscal code, the country where its name is registered, and the date of its registration.
Sergiu Bozianu, an expert in personal data protection, mentions in a comment for Media Azi that anonymity of a media site cannot be justified by referring to the Law on personal Data Protection, including from the point of view of jurisprudence and the right of citizens to protecting themselves judicially. “Let's admit that a portal (anonymous website – editor’s note.) has breached my right to privacy or my honor and dignity. How could I sue them if they work anonymously? I cannot file a lawsuit against n inexistent person or a news portal whose address I do not know. I need to find out who is the natural or legal person who owns this website,” Bozianu emphasizes.
