What to do with ex-employee mailboxes?Belgian DPA fines post-dismissal use of e-mails
When a person leaves your organisation, how should you handle e-mail sent to their professional e-mail address? In a decision of 29 September published yesterday, the Belgian Data Protection Authority (BDPA) has taken a very practical and strict stance on how to manage mailboxes of former personnel (in this case: the former CEO) – and chances are, many organisations will have to rethink their processes as a result.
This new decision by the BDPA covers questions such as:
- Should you forward e-mails to a new recipient, or display an automated response to say the person no longer works within your organisation?
- Should the (former) member of personnel be permitted to review e-mails to collect or delete private ones, and if so, when?
- Under which circumstances is an organisation allowed to access the professional mailbox of a member of personnel after dismissal or departure?
The decision is not without criticism and contains assertions that could be disputed – but at least it offers clarity on the BDPA's position.
Read more to find out what requirements the BDPA sets out.