After reports in the media and on social networks that the mayor of Niš said that city would create a dedicated database of citizens who took legal action against the city and a special working body to analyse the data contained in that database, which caused public outrage, the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection sent a letter to the mayor in which he warned him that the creation of such database and any processing of the data contained therein would constitute inadmissible personal data processing, which is a punishable offence.

The Commissioner stated his belief that the mayor made this statement as an impulsive, emotional gesture rather than as a declaration of serious intent; however, regardless of the motivation, he said the city must refrain from acting on that statement.

The Commissioner expects the city to respond in exactly this way and to notify the Commissioner and the public accordingly, to allay unnecessary public concerns and to avoid any further action the Commissioner is authorised to take.