Romania’s data protection authority has fined far-right populist Călin Georgescu over RON 50,000 for violating both national and EU privacy regulations through his personal website. The investigation, concluded in June 2025 by the National Supervisory Authority for Personal Data Processing (ANSPDCP), found that the former presidential hopeful unlawfully collected user data without proper consent or transparency.
Between December 6, 2024, and April 3, 2025, the website operated by Călin Georgescu installed cookies on users’ devices without first obtaining explicit consent or providing clear information about their purpose. According to Romanian Law No. 506/2004, such practices are only permitted when users are both informed and have agreed to the data processing, according to the official announcement.
In addition, the authority found that users who submitted personal information via the site’s contact form, such as name, email, and phone number, were not informed about how their data would be processed, a clear breach of the transparency obligations under Articles 12 to 14 of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
As a result, Georgescu was fined RON 30,000 for violating Romanian e-privacy law and an additional RON 20,286 (equivalent to EUR 4,000) for GDPR violations, bringing the total penalty to over RON 50,000.
The data protection authority stressed that all website operators, regardless of public profile, must comply with legal obligations to protect users’ personal data and ensure full transparency in how that data is collected and used.
Earlier in July, the General Prosecutor’s Office sent Călin Georgescu to trial for promoting the cult of war criminals and spreading fascist, legionary, racist, and xenophobic ideas. The former politician is being investigated under judicial supervision.
The far-right, Russia-friendly candidate surprisingly emerged as the first-round winner of last year’s presidential elections. He submitted his candidacy for the repeat elections of May 2025 but was barred from running again. In May, Georgescu announced that he is stepping away from active political life to focus on his family.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Inquam Photos/George Calin)
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