Processing of personal data
To fulfill its legal obligations, TAKS must process personal data of citizens. In this context, the institution must ensure that the processing complies with the rules of the law.
Personal data is any information about a person. This includes, for example, name, address, social security number, financial circumstances, family relationships, etc. Information about sole proprietorships and shareholders is also considered personal data.
Processing personal data means handling it in any way. For instance, collecting, registering, reading, storing, transmitting, comparing, or deleting it. Each individual step is a form of processing.
TAKS is the data controller
This means that TAKS is responsible for ensuring that the personal data the institution handles is processed in accordance with applicable laws. This is stated in § 8, subsection 1, numbers 3 and 5 of the Data Protection Act, also referred to as the Parliamentary Act on the Protection of Personal Data. You can find it under the quick links here on the page.
According to the same law, TAKS is also the data controller of personal data that the institution transfers to third parties until it is securely stored by the third party. After that, the third party becomes the data controller.
However, TAKS always remains the data controller of personal data that is transferred to data processing companies to be processed on behalf of the institution.
TAKS obtains personal information from three sources.
- From you, when you submit an application for parental leave benefits or have other communication with us.
- From the healthcare system.
- From authorities and businesses, such as salary information from your employer
The information is used to perform the tasks that the law requires TAKS to carry out: in this case, to calculate and pay out parental leave benefits.
TAKS passes on necessary personal data to the following third parties:
- Data processing companies to process on behalf of TAKS, such as Pf. Elektron and Pf. Formula,
- Public Faroese authorities for their purposes, such as ALS and the Treasury,
- Foreign tax authorities that need the data according to international cooperation regulations.
TAKS stores the information as long as it can be used to carry out the institution's tasks. After that, it is transferred to the archives in accordance with the Parliamentary Act on Archives
Under the Parliamentary Act on the Protection of Personal Data, you have the following rights in connection with the processing of personal data.
If you wish to exercise your rights, contact our customer service. Call 35 26 00, email taks@taks.fo, or send a letter to TAKS, Smyrilsvegur 20, P.O. Box 2151, 110 Tórshavn. You can also visit in person. Office hours are Monday to Thursday between 10 and 15.
Please note that your rights are not unconditional and always depend on the specific case.
Right of access
As a general rule, you have the right to access TAKS’s processing of personal data about you. This means that you have the right to confirm whether personal data about you is being processed, and you also have the right to access other information related to the data, such as how long it will be retained and to whom it will be disclosed.
Right to rectification
You have the right to have any incorrect information about you corrected.
Right to information
TAKS is obligated to provide you with information when the institution processes personal data about you. For example, you have the right to be informed about the purpose and legal basis for the processing. If it is unreasonably difficult for TAKS to fulfill this obligation to each individual, the information must be provided in another publicly accessible way, such as on signs and the website.
Sometimes the obligation to inform does not apply. You may already know the information, or your interest in being informed may be overridden by other private or public interests.
Right to object
You have the right to object to otherwise lawful processing of your personal data if you have a particular reason to do so.
Right to restrict processing
You sometimes have the right to restrict the processing of your personal data. In such cases, TAKS can only process the data covered by the restriction if, for example, they have your consent or if it is necessary to protect another person. However, the storage of the data cannot be restricted.
Call our customer service at 35 26 00, email taks@taks.fo, or send a letter to TAKS, Smyrilsvegur 20, P.O. Box 2151, 110 Tórshavn. You can also visit in person. Office hours are Monday to Thursday between 10 and 15.
You also have the option to contact our data protection officer
The data protection officer has legal expertise in this area. They ensure that TAKS operates according to the rules, act as a contact person for citizens regarding the processing of their personal data, and liaise with the Data Protection Authority about the institution's data protection as a whole. The data protection officer is also known as the DPO, which is the English abbreviation for data protection officer.
Write to dpo@taks.fo or send a regular letter to TAKS, Attn: Data Protection Officer, P.O. Box 2151, 110 Tórshavn.
Send Securely When you send a regular email, it is not encrypted, and information can fall into the hands of unauthorized persons. One alternative is to send through Mínboks, as it is encrypted. Sending a regular letter is also secure.
Send securely
When you send a regular email, it is not encrypted, and information can fall into the hands of unauthorized persons. One alternative is to send through Mínboks, as it is encrypted. Sending a regular letter is also secure.
If you believe that TAKS has processed your personal data incorrectly and it has not helped to discuss it with us, you can file a complaint with the Data Protection Authority.
On the Data Protection Authority's website, you can read about how to proceed. You can also call or write to them.
Data Protection Authority
P.O. Box 300
110 Tórshavn
Phone: 30 91 00
Email: dat@dat.fo
Website: www.dat.fo
The main law concerning the processing of personal data is the Parliamentary Act on the Protection of Personal Data, also known as the Data Protection Act. This law ensures the rights of all citizens in this area, and TAKS operates according to these regulations.
TAKS's authority to process personal data is typically found in the Data Protection Act, § 8, subsection 1, numbers 3 and 5, and § 12, subsection 1, number 2.
TAKS also operates under other laws in cases where these establish specific rules for the processing of personal data. Among these laws are, for example, the Tax Act, the Customs Act, the Act on Customs and Tax Administration, and the Parliamentary Act on Surveillance with Surveillance Cameras.