EDPS’S ORIENTATIONS ON BODY TEMPERATURE BY THE EU INSTITUTIONS

10.09.2020

The EU has before implemented body temperature controls as part of the health and safety measures adopted in the context of "return to office" strategies as an appropriate complementary measure. Systematic body temperature checks of employees and other visitors are carried out in order to filter people entering the premise of the EU institutions.

Upon this, the European Personal Data Supervisor (“EDPS”) has published assessment about body temperature checks by the EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies due to the Covid-19 crisis. 

In the orientation, it is stated that this practice may constitute an interference with the privacy and personal data protection rights of individuals. Moreover, the EDPS says that while basic manual body temperature checks are not subject to the EU personal data protection law, other systems of temperature checks, operated manually or automatically, followed by the processing of individuals’ personal data are subject to the Regulation. Depending on the system used for body temperature checks, additional safeguards may need to be established.

The EDPS also notes that temperature checks carried out on a mandatory basis should not be based solely on automated processing but that human involvement should be provided at relevant stages of the temperature checks.

You can read the EDPS’s press release here.

Should you have any queries and/or remarks, please do not hesitate to contact us. 

 

Kind regards,

Zumbul Attorneys-at-Law

info@zumbul.av.tr