Justice ministry wants state databases joining data tracker to be mandatory
The Ministry of Justice wants to make joining a national data tracker mandatory for state databases. At the moment data can only be requested via the tracker from 16 state databases.
Upgrading the tracker would cost over €2 million at current estimates.
The data tracker service has been available to people via the eesti.ee portal since 2017, while since the end of last year it has also been accessible via the eesti.ee app. It allows users to see who has looked at their data and when.
Connecting databases through the tracker was also included in the Reform-Eesti 200 coalition agreement published in spring, with the deadline set for the third quarter of 2026.
How many databases can be connected to the tracker in total will become clear by the end of the year, based on ministerial analysis, though the number of state databases stretches into the hundreds.
"In the near future, for instance, work is underway so that people can see, to the extent permitted under current law, the queries made by state agencies about them no later than February 23, 2026," Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta (Eesti 200) said.
Pakosta said ministries need to make an effort on this. "The government has decided that it will no longer be the case that who wants to, shows the data – presenting this information to people via the data tracker will become mandatory for all state agencies," she said.
Not all queries will be viewable in full once the new procedure comes into force, however. For instance those relating to investigative bodies which need to work covertly in the course of an investigation will not be immediately visible, though queries may be added retroactively, once a court has made its decisions.
"Some queries will still become known to the individual after the case file is closed. The ministries' mapping by the end of the year should also set more precise limits for such exceptions," Pakosta said on this.
Precise details will become clear when the analysis is done by year end, Pakosta went on, though the cost of upgrading the data tracker's tech is estimated at €2.2 million to 2.7 million. The plan is to use EU funds towards this cost.
The ministry says it wants to start the process for drawing up the relevant bill no later than October this year, with a view to having it ready by year end. The justice ministry says it also expects an action plan from other ministries, along with mapping the necessary resources.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
