On July 17, 2015 Tbilisi City Court upheld the decision of Personal Data Protection Inspector of May 20 on fining, demanding termination of audio recording and deleting collected data by “People’s Pharmacy”.

“The Court decision carries particular importance, since it once again confirmed that audio recording in pharmacies violates rights of customers as well as pharmacists and constitutes interference into their private lives. We will monitor the enforcement of the decision” – stated the representatives of the Inspector’s Office.

Based on citizens’ applications and due to the scale and sensitivity of the issue, inspection of lawfulness of audio-video control at pharmacy networks of PSP, People’s Pharmacy and Aversi-Geofarm was ongoing since March 2015 on the Inspector’s own initiative. The Inspector considered that audio monitoring constituted disproportionate interference into the private lives of the customers and contradicts the principle envisaged in Article 4 of Georgian Law on Personal Data Protection. Pursuant to the decision of the Inspector, all three companies were fined, ordered to terminate audio recording and to delete obtained materials. Pharmacies appealed the Inspector’s decision in the court. The court dismissed the appeal of People’s Pharmacy, examination of cases of PSP and Aversi-Geofarm is still ongoing.