Direct Democracy leader Panayiotou to challenge Agora platform fine in Cyprus — Cyprus Mail

Direct Democracy party leader Fidias Panayiotou will challenge in Cyprus’ administrative court a €6,000 fine imposed by Data Protection Commissioner Maria Christofidou over the handling of the Agora platform. As Cyprus Mail reports, the party said it disagrees with the regulator’s decision and has already consulted a lawyer.

Direct Democracy stressed that the commissioner’s decision does not concern a personal data breach. According to the party, the complaints concern Panayiotou’s interaction with the data protection authority. The party intends to seek the annulment of the decision through legal means and will not make additional comments until its lawyer issues an official position. It also noted that the case has been under consideration since February.

Regulator’s concerns

The dispute is linked to the launch of Agora on February 19, before the completion of a GDPR-required data protection assessment and prior consultations with the regulator. The data protection authority had previously expressed concerns about user registration and identification, profile creation, and the voting function on the platform.

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Panayiotou and his legal advisers argued that compliance measures had already been introduced and that the assessment process had progressed substantially. They also stated that some of the functions flagged by the regulator did not create a risk requiring prior consultations.

Grounds for the fine

Maria Christofidou described the fine as justified and proportionate to the violation of requirements for prior consultations. The decision identifies Panayiotou as the platform’s data controller. The commissioner concluded that he failed to comply with a requirement to temporarily suspend Agora’s operation, while the platform continued to collect and process personal data, and that his actions constituted a breach of the duty to cooperate with the regulator.

According to Christofidou, Panayiotou’s cooperation during the inspection was fragmented, incomplete, and did not fully meet the authority’s requests. She also noted that the information and assurances he provided did not fully and accurately reflect the platform’s actual operation, complicating the assessment of the case. Panayiotou had previously called the investigation politically motivated, but the commissioner rejected this claim, emphasizing the authority’s independence.