Effo faces prosecution over data protection violations
Monday 7th September 2026 on 17:15 in
Faroe Islands
Kringvarp Føroya reported that Effo has been charged with violating data protection law. The Court of the Faroe Islands will hear the case on Friday.
The Data Protection Authority reported Effo to the police and recommended a fine of 15 million kroner.
The case began in 2022, when Effo notified the Data Protection Authority of a security breach. Hackers had attacked the company’s IT systems.
During its investigation, the authority found that Effo had not carried out a risk assessment before the breach. The company also had no written IT security policy, although its auditor had twice asked it to address the issue.
The authority concluded that hackers had most likely copied information from the company’s systems. It said Effo had seriously negligently violated Article 46 of the Data Protection Act and reported the matter to the police.
In a recent written response to a question from member of parliament Eirikur í Jákupsstovu, State Representative Lene Moyell Johansen said Effo had been charged on May 22, 2026. The Danish Ministry of Justice was informed by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The case will be heard at the Court of the Faroe Islands at 9.15am on Friday.